80 miles north, and a channel 4 feet deep at ordinary low water and about 70 feet wide from Grand Forks to a point 62 miles north by river; also in the removal of snags and trees between Moorhead and Abercrombie so as to afford safe passage for steamers between those points during high and medium stages of water. Total amount expended, including outstanding liabilities, to June 30, 1890, $187,042.79. Continued low water throughout 1890 confined operations to repairing the fleets until the spring of 1891. Active dredging work was resumed early in May by placing both dredges in commission. Dredge No. 1 is operating at Pelican bars, 92 miles north of Grand Forks; Dredge No. 2 commenced 13 miles north of Grand Forks and is rapidly working over a river passed over in previous years toward Dredge No. 1. The excavated channels are 4 feet in depth and aggregate 8,310 feet in length; 44,535 cubic yards material was removed. Amount expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, including outstanding liabilities, $11,889.79. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended July 1, 1891, balance available..... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... (See Appendix B B 6.) $4,770.48 25,000.00 29, 770.48 10,611.65 19, 158.83 3, 143.76 16, 015. 07 34, 598.37 34,598.37 7. Gauging Mississippi River at or near St. Paul, Minnesota.-The Board of Engineers, to whom was referred the project for the applica-cation of $37,500 appropriated by the river and harbor act of August 5,1886, for reservoirs at the head waters of the Mississippi River, recommended in their report dated May 24, 1887, "that such gaugings be made at or near St. Paul during the annual operation of the reservoirs as shall determine accurately the discharge at that point at critical periods." (Page 1692, Annual Report Chief of Engineers, 1887.) The river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, authorized the gaugings and provided for them as follows: And the Secretary of War shall cause such gaugings to be made at or near Saint Paul during the annual operation of said reservoirs as shall determine accurately the discharge at that point, the cost of the same to be paid out of the annual appropriation for gauging the waters of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. SEC. 6. That for the purpose of securing the uninterrupted gauging of the waters of the Lower Mississippi River and its tributaries, as provided for in joint resolution of the twenty-first of February, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, upon the application of the Chief of Engineers, the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to draw his warrant or requisition from time to time upon the Secretary of the Treasury for such sums as may be necessary to do such work, not to exceed in the aggregate for each year the amount appropriated in this act for such purpose: Provided, however, That an itemized statement of said expenses shall accompany the Annual Report of of the Chief of Engineers. Gaugings were not made until the fall of 1889, although an allotment of $90 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1889, had been made. On ENG 91-18 account of the lateness in the season and the condition of the river, it was not deemed advisable to expend any of the money that year. The allotment of $600 made August 23, 1889, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, was applied to gauging the Mississippi River at St. Paul, and when necessary the Minnesota River at its mouth. There were in all 45 gaugings made during the months of September and October, 1889, and February and March, 1890. With the allotment of $900 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, 62 gaugings were made. Amount allotted for fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1891, balance unexpended... July 1, 1891, balance available ... Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1893 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix B B 8.) $900.00 900.00 1,800.00 620.93 1, 179. 07 279.07 900.00 4,600.00 EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEY FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPIEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examinations of the following localities were made by the local engineer in charge, Major Jones, and reports thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Major Jones, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that these localities are not worthy of improvement. The conclusions of these officers being concurred in by me, no further surveys were ordered. The reports were transmitted to Congress and printed as executive documents of the fifty-first Congress, second session. 1. Harbor at Hudson, Wisconsin, with a view to prevent the city being cut off from the navigable channel of the Saint Croix Lake, as a result of the Government dike now constructed at that point, and with a view to the feasibility of conducting the waters of Willow River past the city of Hudson into the navigable channel of the lake.-Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 268. (See also Appendix B B 9.) 2. Red River of the North, North Dakota and Minnesota, with a view of improving the navigation of the same by the construction of a lock and dam at Goose Rapids in said river.-Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 292. (See also Appendix B B 10.) 3. Creel's Bay, Totten Bay, and Minnewauken Shoals, in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, with an estimate of the cost of improving the same by dredging or otherwise, so as to re-establish the navigation of said lake.— Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 293. (See also Appendix B B 11.) The required preliminary examination of Red River and tributaries above Fergus Falls and Crookston, and of Big Stone Lake, Minnesota, with a view to improving navigation thereon by the erection of suitable dams, or by such other means as may be deemed best, was made by the local engineer in charge, Major Jones, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Major Jones, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, Major Jones was charged with its survey, the report on which will be submitted when received. EXAMINATION OF MISSOURI RIVER, FROM THE OLD MOUTH OF THE PLATTE RIVER, LITTLE POINT, TO A POINT OPPOSITE THE CITY OF LEAVENWORTH; ALSO OF THE RIVER AT THE CITY OF WESTON, MISSOURI, WITH A VIEW OF RETURNING SAID RIVER TO ITS ANCIENT CHANNEL, AND THE BEST PLAN OF ACCOMPLISHING THE SAME. Officer in charge, Lieut. Col. Charles R. Suter, Corps of Engineers. The preliminary examination of Missouri River at these localities, required by the river and harbor act approved September 19, 1890, was made by the local engineer in charge, and report thereon submitted. It is the opinion of Lieutenant-Colonel Suter, based upon the facts and reasons given, that these localities are not worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, no further survey was ordered. (See Appendix C C.) IMPROVEMENT OF MISSOURI RIVER ABOVE SIOUX CITY, IOWA, AND OF YELLOWSTONE RIVER, MONTANA AND NORTH DAKOTA. Officer in charge, Capt. Chas. F. Powell, Corps of Engineers, since November, 1890; Division Engineer, Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engi neers. 1. Missouri River between the Great Falls, Montana, and Sioux City, Iowa.-This work had been under the control of the Missouri River Commission. The river and harbor act of September 19, 1890, having made a separate appropriation for the river above Sioux City, to be expended in the discretion of the Secretary of War, the work was, November 30, 1890, placed in charge of Capt. Charles F. Powell, Corps of Engineers, under the supervision of the Chief of Engineers. The river above Fort Benton, the head of navigation, to the foot of the falls is seriously obstructed by numerous rapids and rocks. This part of the river is the tailing out of the Great Falls. No work has been done upon it and none is proposed. From Fort Benton to Carroll, Mont., called the rocky river, 168 miles long, the channel was originally obstructed by bowlders, short turns, and sharp slopes and insufficient low-water depth on bars for 30inch-draft boats. The original project was to remove obstructive bowlders. To this was added the building of cut-off and wing dams for causing scour of the bottom, or lengthening of the slopes by raising the water at their lower ends, or for both these objects; dredging was also added to the project. To June 30, 1890, $306,028.45 has been expended on this project. To that date the most obstructive bowlders had been removed and the bad rapids otherwise ameliorated, giving a 3-foot or deeper channel at the improved places, except at extreme low water. Previous to the adoption of the project named, work had been done on the rocky river and on the river above Great Falls under appropriations of $160,000 for improving the Missouri River above the mouth of the Yellowstone; the part done on the rocky river consisted of rock removal and the building of dams to raise the water on the bars. During the year ending June 30, 1891, the vessels and plant, belonging on the rocky river, and which had been laid up a long time, were repaired and otherwise made more efficient, and the dams at the three rapids next below Fort Benton repaired and extended, and at two of the places ballasted with rock. On the sandy river, viz, below Carroll, the river becomes more and more unstable going down-stream, and carries more and more sediment, until at Sioux City it is called the "big muddy," the banks in the bottoms cave, numerous shoals exist, and floods and ice gorges occasionally cause cut offs or radical shiftings of the channel. The project was introduced during the last year to remove snags, wrecks, and other obstructions on this part of the river and to temporarily improve the worst crossings. A snag boat and a snagging scow were built and will be ready for service as soon as the June high water subsides. The engineer in charge recommends, in order that the operation of the snagboats may be uninterrupted, that the appropriation for this service be separate and be made continuous, the same as provided for the Upper and Lower Mississippi and Ohio rivers in the river and harbor acts of 1888 and 1890. Fifty thousand dollars annually is estimated for this service. Examinations have been made for the selection of sites for the two ice-harbors contemplated by the act of September 19, 1890. Up to June 30, 1890, there had been expended $67,000.64 on a systematic and detailed river survey; the field work of the triangulation between river bluffs was then completed; the primary levels run from Fort Benton to Trover and other field work done from Fort Benton to Coal Banks and Trover Point, Mont., 41 and 232 miles. During the year ending June 30, 1891, the expenditure for the river survey was $14,533.95 and has resulted in the extension of the topog. raphy and hydrography to Wolf Point, and of the primary levels to Poplar, Mont., 382 and 415 miles from Benton, with a duplication of the levels from Trover to Wolf Point; the office work of the triangulation was completed, other field work reduced, and two series of maps projected and partly drawn. The appropriation asked for is to complete the river survey, for limited work on the rocky river, for removal of snags, wrecks, etc., on the sandy river, and for reclaiming the steamboat landings at Pierre and Yankton, S. Dak. Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.... July 1, 1891, outstanding liabilities. July 1, 1891, amount covered by uncompleted contracts $12, 459.77 $300,000.00 32, 103.89 267, 896. 11 65,517.02 July 1, 1891, balance available 202,379.09 300,000.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... (See Appendix D D 1.) 2. Yellowstone River, Montana and North Dakota.-In charge of Maj. W. A. Jones, Corps of Engineers, to November 19, 1890. The project consists in rock removal and building closing-dams and wing-dams for *Exclusive of expenditures from balances in hands of Missouri River Commission. confining the water to one channel, from Glendive, Mont., to the mouth of the river. The amount expended thereon to June 30, 1890, is $106,823.55. The channel was originally obstructed by rocks, and also, and now in part, by swift rapids, sharp turns, and insufficient depths at bars. For reasons given in Appendix X 2 of the Report for 1887, the project is suspended in order that the whole might be reported to Con gress. There was formerly a brisk river traffic, but now there are no boats on the river. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year. $11, 926. 45 160,25 July 1, 1891, balance unexpended July 1, 1891, outstanding liabilities.. 11,766. 20 .71 July 1, 1891, balance available...... 11, 765. 49 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project........ 106, 000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix D D 2.) EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPTEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examination of Tongue River, Montana, with a view of determining the practicability and approximate cost of straightening the channel of said river, immediately west of Miles City and north of the Northern Pacific Railroad track, was made by the local engineer in charge, Captain Powell, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Captain Powell, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is not worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, no further survey was ordered. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 118, Fifty-first Congress, second session. (See also Appendix D D 3.) The required preliminary examination of Yellowstone River, Montana, from its mouth to the mouth of Tongue River, was made by the local engi neer in charge, Captain Powell, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Captain Powell, based upon the facts and reasons given, that Yellowstone River is worthy of improvement below, but not above, Glendive; but Colonel Poe considers that the present and prospective commerce is insufficient to justify the improvement of any portion of Yellowstone River by the general Government. The views of Colonel Poe being concurred in by me, no further survey was ordered. (See Appendix D D 4.) The required preliminary examination of Missouri River between Sioux City and Fort Benton, was made by the local engineer in charge, Captain Powell, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. This report includes also the required report on Missouri River, Nebraska and South Dakota, from the mouth of the Big Sioux River to the north line of the State of South Dakota. It is the opinion of Captain Powell, and of the Division |