across the crest of the shoal in the channel leading from the bend towards Seguine Point. The channel eastward of Seguine Point had a width of 100 feet and a depth of 21 feet, mean low water, while the channel from Great Beds Light to South Amboy was from 70 to 80 feet wide and 15 feet deep, mean low water. The amount expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, inclusive of outstanding liabilities, was $17,119.74, and was applied in removing 82,035 cubic yards of material from the channel leading from Great Beds Light to South Amboy, resulting in a channel 170 feet wide and 15 feet deep, mean low water. Work will begin on the Seguine Point channel about July 15. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. $1,939.72 40,000.00 41, 939. 72 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... (See Appendix E 11.) 135, 375.00 50,000.00 12. Removing sunken vessels or craft obstructing or endangering navigation. The schooner Salamander was removed from Raritan Bay, New Jersey, January 21, 1891, under contract with John F. Baxter, at a cost of $495. The schooner Francis E. Hallock was removed from the outer shoal of the southern entrance of the harbor of New York, near the eastern entrance to East Channel, April 23, 1891, under contract with the Merritt Coast Wrecking Company, at a cost of $1,500. (See Appendix E 12.) EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPTEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examinations of the following localities were made by the local engineer in charge, Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie, and reports thereon submitted. It is his opinion, based upon the facts and reasons given, that these localities are not worthy of improvement. This opinion 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. Buttermilk channel and Gowanus Bay channels in New York Harbor, New York, with a view of straightening the same by removing the shoals opposite the southeast side of Governor's Island, protecting the channels by a sea wall on Governor's Island, and to provide for the full width thereof a uniform depth of 26 feet at mean low water throughout these channels along the wharves of Brooklyn from a point opposite Wall street ferry to the foot of Bryant street, Brooklyn.-Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 26. (See also Appendix E 13.) 2. Bay Ridge Channel, New York, with a view of removing the shoal and providing a uniform depth of 23 feet at mean low water, opposite the Bay Ridge shore, to the 23-foot curve in the New York Harbor.-Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 60. (See also Appendix E 14.) 3. Champlin's Creek, in town of Islip, New York.-Printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 66. (See also Appendix E 15.) The required preliminary examinations of the following localities were made by the local engineer in charge, Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie, and reports thereon submitted. It is his opinion, based upon the facts and reasons given, that these localities are worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie was charged with and has completed their survey and submitted reports thereon: 1. Hudson River at Cornwall from the Moodna River, otherwise known as Murderer's Creek, to the channel or deep water of the Hudson River, New York.-Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie stated in his report on the preliminary examination that this locality was worthy of improvement in view of the probable construction of a draw-opening in the railroad bridge. Since the survey was ordered, however, the action brought against the railroad company for obstructing navigation by the bridge was decided in favor of the defendant, the effect of the verdict being that Muderer Creek is not a navigable water-way of the United States. In view of these facts Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie does not recommend that appropriation be made of the amount, $10,000, estimated as the cost of forming a channel 60 feet wide and 9 feet deep at mean low water from the bridge to the deep water of Hudson River. (See Appendix E 16.) 2. Bronx River, New York.-The improvement proposed contemplates widening and deepening the existing channel so as to afford a navigable channel 4 feet deep at mean low water, and 100 feet wide from the head of the estuary at Strain place to Barlow street, 60 feet wide to Dongan street, and 50 feet wide to West Farms below the Bronx Company's Dye Works, at a total estimated cost of $85,985. (See Appendix E 17.) 3. Westchester Creek, Westchester and New York Counties, New York.The improvement proposed contemplates dredging a channel 8 feet deep at mean low water and 100 feet wide across the estuary, thence 80 feet wide to a point about 1,000 feet above Scriven's dock, and thence 60 feet wide to the head of navigation, at a total estimated cost of $27,500. (See Appendix E 18.) The required preliminary examination from Main Channel from Ja maica Bay easterly to Long Beach Inlet, New York, for canal, was made by the local engineer in charge, Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie, and report thereon submitted. It is his opinion, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, Lieutenant-Colonel Gillespie was charged with its survey, the report on which will be submitted when received. IMPROVEMENT OF RIVERS AND HARBORS ON SOUTHWESTERN SHORE OF LONG ISLAND AND NEAR STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, AND IN NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY. Officer in charge, Capt. Thos. L. Casey, Corps of Engineers; Division Engineer, Col. Henry L. Abbot, Corps of Engineers. 1. Sumpawanus Inlet, New York.-The channel depth at the time of the adoption of the project varied from 5 feet in the bay at mean low water to 2 feet at the wharf at the mouth of the creek, a distance of a little over half a mile. The project for the improvement of this inlet, known locally as Sumpawanus Creek, adopted in 1880, provided for dredging a channel about 4,500 feet long and from 100 to 150 feet wide and 5 feet deep at mean low water, beginning at the 5-foot curve in the Great South Bay and extending up to the town of Babylon, Long Island. The amount expended under this project to June 30, 1890, was $7,000. With this amount a channel 75 feet wide and 5 feet deep from the steamboat wharf to a point 750 feet below it was dredged, besides dredging two cuts, each 25 feet wide, alongside the wharf. Outside of the cuts so made and extending to the 5-foot curve in the bay a shoal was left, on which the depth was only 43 feet. An examination made in 1886 showed that since the last dredging was done, in 1883, both the cut and the flat outside had shoaled from 6 inches to 1 foot, the depth in the cut being about 5 feet, while on the flat it was from 4 to 4 feet. This was to have been anticipated, as appears by the preliminary report made by General Newton. The 5-foot curve in the bay was about 1,500 feet from the steamboat wharf, but inside this curve, for about 750 feet towards the wharf, lay the flat. The commerce of Sumpawanus Creek is essentially that of Babylon, a small town of from 3,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, 1 mile above the mouth of the creek, depending almost entirely upon the summer trade of the hotels and cottages along the north shore of Great South Bay and on Fire Island Beach. The commerce of Babylon by water has been decreasing, apparently because the Long Island Railroad has taken away the seagoing business. Babylon itself has improved, and has become a fashionable summer resort. At present its commerce by sea is carried on by 3 passenger steamboats, drawing from 4 to 5 feet, and running in summer to Fire Island Beach; 3 schooners drawing from 5 to 5 feet, carrying brick, lime, lumber, and other heavy freight to Babylon the year round; 100 sloops and pleasure boats, drawing from 1 to 2 feet of water, taking out sailing and fishing parties during the summer, of which 7 or 8 remain in use during the winter fishing and taking oysters and clams to Patchogue, Sayville, and New York. There were no expenditures on account of this work during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, there being no funds available. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project. $16, 115.00 (See Appendix F 1.) 2. Canarsie Bay, New York.-The original condition of the channel leading to Canarsie answered to a depth of 4 feet mean low water. The original project, adopted in 1879, provides for obtaining a navigable channel 6 feet deep at mean low water from Canarsie Landing to the deep water in Jamaica Bay, by means of diking and the formation of a tidal basin. In the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, 1880, Part 1, page 574, General Newton expressed a doubt as to adequate appropriations being made for carrying out the authorized project, and suggested that dredging be tried as an expedient. The amount expended to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, was $42,485.99. With this amount two pile dikes have been built, one on the north side of the outer end of the channel, the other on the south side, their lengths being 1,058 feet and 820 feet, respectively; the channel dredged to a depth of 6 feet mean low water, and width of from 50 to 125 feet from Canarsie Landing to deep water in Jamaica Bay, besides several minor improvements not contemplated in the original project. The expenditures during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, amount to $202.37, for surveying and office expenses. An appropriation of $5,000 was made in the act of September 19, 1890, and a project for its expenditure in dredging the channel to the full dimensions required by the project was approved October 20, 1890. The work was advertised February 3, 1891. Bids were opened March 10, and a contract entered into March 20, 1891. Work under the contract will be begun upon the completion of dredging at Shoal Harbor and Compton Creek, this work having also been included under the same contract, and is now being prosecuted with fair prospect of completion during the month of July, 1891. The commerce of Canarsie Bay is reported for the calendar year 1890 to be 50,898 tons, against 26,262 tons reported for 1889. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended..... June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended...... July 1, 1891, amount covered by uncompleted contracts... July 1, 1891, balance available...... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... (See Appendix F 2.) $514.01 5,000.00 5,514.01 202.37 5, 311.64 3, 185.00 2, 126.64 40,000.00 10,000.00 3. Sheepshead Bay, New York.-The original condition of the navigable channel was, for the entrance a depth of a little over 2 feet at mean low water, and for the interior channel not less than 4 feet, except at two narrow bulkheads across said channel. The originally adopted project (1879) was to deepen the entrance by means of converging jetties, and to improve the interior channel by longitudinal dikes, so placed as in some instances to form tidal reservoirs for the scour of the channel. The project was revised in 1881, and provides for excavating a channel at the outlet 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep at mean low water, to connect the bay with Dead Horse Inlet, and to dredge the interior channel; this was modified in February, 1889, the modified project contemplating a channel 5,350 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 5 feet deep, mean low water, from the town of Sheepshead to within 1,080 feet of Dead Horse Inlet, cut to connect with the channel of similar width and depth already existing at that point. The amount expended on this project to the end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, was $25,286.52. With this amount a channel had been dredged 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep at mean low water, connecting the east end of the bay with Dead Horse Inlet, and the interior channel dredged 60 feet wide and 5 feet deep at mean low water, for a distance of 3,400 feet, from the town of Sheepshead toward Dead Horse Inlet. The first mentioned channel, from a survey made in 1887, was observed to have not maintained itself, having contracted to a width of 60 feet with an average depth of 5 feet mean low water; the condition of the more recently dredged interior channel, however, has been found by a recent examination to be highly satisfactory. The expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, amount to $497.74, for office expenses. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project....... 8,200.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix F 3.) 4. Arthur Kill, New York and New Jersey.-A history of this improvement, which originated by special resolution of the Committee of Commerce in the Senate, is given in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1889, part 1, page 819. The improvement consists in the removal of a point of land near and to the south of the Staten Island Bridge, for the purpose of straightening the channel, in order that the currents may be directed more truly in a direction perpendicular to the draw span of the bridge thus facilitating the passage of long tows. A statement of condemnation proceedings for acquiring to the United States the land needed for this improvement will be found in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1890, part 1, page 843. The total amount expended on this improvement to June 30, 1890, was $3,135.50. This expenditure includes the part purchase of a tugboat, and the expenses incurred in the condemnation proceedings above alluded to, as well as certain administrative expenses. An appropriation of $7,000 was made in the act of September 19, 1890, and a project for its expenditure was approved October 4, 1890. This project contemplates the removal of the land forming "Steep Point," by successive parallel cuts, until the appropriation is exhausted. Sealed proposals for doing the work were invited by advertisement dated February 3, 1891. Bids were opened March 10, and a contract entered into March 21 with the Atlantic Dredging Company, the lowest bidder, at 24 cents per cubic yard. Operations were begun May 29, and finished June 25, the amount of material removed being 22,000 cubic yards, giving an additional width of 60 feet to the already m proved channel, with a depth of 13 feet at mean low water, the amount of land removed being one-half an acre. The expenditures as shown for the present fiscal year amount to $7,205.09 Of this amount $6,815 was due for work performed under contract in the previous fiscal year, and reported in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, 1890, part 1, page 844. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. $6,864.50 7,000.00 13, 864.50 7,205.09 6,659.41 5, 396.00 1, 263.41 July 1, 1891, balance available..................... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project. (See Appendix F 4.) ENG 91-7 9,500.00 9,500.00 |