The periodical sounding of cross sections on the established ranges of the reach under improvement was kept up till field operations were suspended in the fall, about which time, on account of want of funds, the regular survey party was disbanded and only a few of the sections occasionally sounded.

The total number of sections sounded amounted to 588. Other work carried on by the survey party consisted of making a survey of the reach between the head of Stanley Island and Portland in September and October, making 19 discharge measurements and giving lines and elevations for dike construction.

All the field notes have been platted and areas of sections computed and tabulated. The total cost of surveys, including mapping, tracing, etc., amounts to $5,645.89. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Lieut. Col. CHAS. R. SUTER,

Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.,

SAM'L H. YONGE,
Division Engineer.

President Missouri River Commission.

APPENDIX F.

ANNUAL REPORT OF S. WATERS FOX, DIVISION ENGINEER, GASCONADE DIVISION, 1894. MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION,

OFFICE OF DIVISION ENGINEER, OFFICE BOAT MARGARET, Gasconade, Mo., June 30, 1894. COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations under my charge on the Gasconade division of the Missouri River during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894, viz:

Operations on this division consisted in the care, repair, and alteration of plant; the construction of new plant, revetment, and dikes; survey and other miscellaneous work incident thereto. The following illustrations accompany, viz:

A map (Pl. 1) of the reach embraced in the project, from Little Tavern Creek to Gasconade River, showing progress of improvements and location of works proposed for its completion.

Six plates (II to VII) showing in superimposition cross sections of the river, on permanent range lines, taken before, during, and after dike construction.

Eight photographic views (Pls. VIII to XV) of dikes in various stages of construction.

Two photographic views (Pls. XVI and XVII) taken in the Gasconade boat yard, showing boats in process of construction, on the storage ways; and on the incline.

CARE, REPAIR, AND ALTERATION OF PLANT.

The principal item of expense incurred in the care of plant was that involved in the construction, begun during the month of May, 1893, of launching and storage ways in the yard at Gasconade, Mo. I beg leave to refer to my report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1893, for a description and the design of the ways. Work was carried on with a small force until September and then pushed vigorously with a larger force until its completion, November 4, 1893. During the fiscal year, 2,421 piles were driven of which 1,601 were for the support of storage ways, 80 for shunting tracks, and 740 for inclined or launching ways. The aggregate length of way timbers placed on the piles was 20,444 feet. The total area afforded by the ways, including shunting tracks and needles, for the storage of hulls, is 23,312 square feet. The inclined ways present a frontage of 325 feet to the river and extend from the top of the bank at an elevation of 19.67 feet above S. L. W. to an elevation of 7.72 feet below S. L. W. The plane of the surface of the storage ways proper is 22.2 feet above S. L. W.

The pulling out of boats, and placing them in the respective positions assigned them on the ways, was begun November 5 and finished December 2. The total number of hulls pulled out was 105, having an aggregate displacement of 5,437.35 tons. Sixty-six skiffs were also taken out of the river and stored under the ways. The total number of hulls then in the yard was 110, as follows, viz: 1 towboat, Alert; 1 towboat, Sabrina; 2 stern-wheel tenders (in process of construction), 1 sidewheel tender, New Thetis (in process of construction), 9 quarter boats, including the office boat, 12 mattress boats, 7 pile sinkers (machine boats), 6 cross boats for pilesinkers (3 tower leads and 3 umbrellas), 4 hydraulic graders, 40 barges, 25 by 100 feet; 23 barges, 16 by 65 feet; 1 barge, 20 by 54 feet, and 3 small hulls of odd sizes. The above constitutes the entire fleet on the division, except two barges, one 25 by 100 feet and one 20 by 54 feet. The former was in the custody, during the winter, of the U. S. snag boat, C. R. Suter, and is now lying at the bank here; the latter was wintered in the Gasconade River.

The power used in the above work was furnished by steam and horse capstans. Of the former there were four double-barrel capstans, two of which were operated by the engine off the Phonix, and two by a pair of nigger engines taken from one of the old snag boats. They were mounted in pairs on two special portable frames, and at such an elevation as would give them a clear range over the major portion of the yard.

In

The boats having been thus disposed of, the yard was thoroughly overhauled and cleaned; the lines, blocks, tools, and machinery of all kinds were collected, sorted, cleaned, and stored. Board walks were built and ladders and gangways placed so as to make every part of the fleet and yard readily accessible. Shores, to take the weight of the overhang or rakes of hulls, were placed where it seemed advisable. the early spring of the current year all of the hulls were thoroughly cleaned out and flooded, enough,water being added from time to time to keep the floor timbers well covered. In some instances it was necessary to make in or batten the oakum, and even to add new oakum, but generally the seams closed soon after the application of water. All of the serviceable skiffs, 65 in number, were put into the river in March to avoid the expense and injury to them involved in calking that would otherwise have been necessary.