contracts, $107,692.72, which resulted in a channel at least 700 feet wide and 25 feet deep at ordinary low water from Lambert's Point to Fort Norfolk. The project of 1886 has been completed with the exception of the dike. Cursory examination made during the year indicate some shoaling in the channel dredged in 1885, but not sufficient to warrant the construction of the dike until further observations can be made. July 1, 1888, amount available Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888. July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888 July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities.. July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts.. July 1, 1889, balance available...... $107, 277.00 10,000.00 45.00 117,322.00 $81, 619.24 632.50 25,560.87 107, 812.61 9,509.39 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project........ 108, 000. 00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbo" acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix J 2.) 3. Nansemond River, Virginia, including the mouths of Bennett and Chuckatuck creeks.-In 1872 the navigable channel of the Nansemond River, from Suffolk to Hampton Roads, was 5 feet deep at ordinary low water over the shoals, and was much obstructed by wrecks, piles, snags, etc. Froin 1873 to 1878, inclusive, the expenditures made by the United States for the above improvement amounted to $37,000. The result was a navigable channel 8 feet deep, which is still unimpaired. No work was done between 1880 and 1889. In obedience to the requirements of the river and harbor act of August 5, 1886, a preliminary examination and survey were made of the river, a report of which is found in Appendix L 13 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1887. The plan of improvement proposed provides for a channel not less than 100 feet wide at bottom, 12 feet deep at mean low water, from the head of navigation to the mouth of Western Branch, 5.37 miles, inelading a turning basin 200 feet square, 300 feet below Suffolk Bridge, by dredging and the construction of spurs and training walls; and a channel of like depth from mouth of Western Branch to deep water at Town Point, 200 feet wide at bottom at its upper end, and gradually increasing to at least 400 feet at its lower end, etc.; the total estimated cost being in round numbers $152,500. During the fiscal year there has been expended on this work $119.63. This amount has been applied to contingencies and to the payment of work done under existing contracts. One of these contracts is for repairing the dike at the mouth of the Western Branch, and the other for dredging the shoal near Suffolk. These works will be completed by March 1, 1890. Preliminary examinations were made of Bennett and Chuckatuck creeks by the engineer in charge. These were reported by him as unworthy of improvement. It is therefore suggested that in future appropriations for the Nansemond River the mouths of Bennett and Chuckatuck creeks be omitted. Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888. $10,000.00 July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888.. July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities.. $119.63 July 1, 1889, amounts covered by existing contracts. 5,889.00 6, 108.63 3, 891.37 July 1, 1889, balance available...... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... (See Appendix J 3.) 132, 5' 0.00 15,000.00 4. Appomattox River, Virginia.-At the close of the late war the navigation of this river was in such a condition that the depth of water on more than one of the shoals did not exceed 63 feet at high tide, and this depth was diminished by 3 feet at low tide. The plan of im provement adopted in 1870 was to attain a depth of 12 feet at high tide, with as much width of channel as the river would bear. This plan has been steadily adhered to, constant progress being made towards its completion from year to year by the use of the money granted by Congress. The means depended on have been revetments, jetties, dams, and training-walls, with resort to the dredge only when the needs of commerce required immediate work in the channel to give more width or depth than had been attained under the slower operations of the structures mentioned, of which the system has not yet been fully car ried out for want of sufficient funds. Puddledock Cut, 2 miles long, has been enlarged, and the river was diverted from old channel into it. The amount expended by the United States up to June 30, 1888, on the project adopted in 1870, $378,690.05, resulted in securing a turningbasin at Petersburgh about 155 by 110 feet, and a navigable channel of 12 feet and upwards at high tide, with some short shoals remaining, from Petersburgh down to Point of Rocks, all of which greatly benefited navigation. During the fiscal year there has been expended $9,678.99 on this improvement. This was applied to the relief of commerce by dredging three shoals formed by the annual freshets of 1888, to the repair of existing works, and to the construction of jetties to permanently remove the shoal at Gatlings. An aggregate of 15,175 cubic yards of material was removed from the shoals. All the jetties and dikes outside the city limits were thoroughly repaired. Twenty-two jetties, having an aggregate length of 3,088 feet, were constructed at Gatlings' shoal. The navigable depth of the river over all shoals for the year was about 10 feet. A freshet, 63 feet higher than any previously known, occurred on June 1. It carried away all but one of the bridges over the river near Petersburgh and did much damage to mills and warehouses. No injury was done to any of the jetties or dikes, and only three short shoals were formed in the river below the city. The least depth over these was 74 feet. A shoal was formed near the city wharves with only 5 feet of water over it, and some of the city jetties were injured. All work within the city limits has been done by the city of Petersburgh, which keeps a dredge for this purpose. Report on the examination and survey, with estimate of cost, for diverting the water of the river above the harbor at Petersburgh to the old north channel, made to comply with requirements of the river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, is submitted with this report. July 1, 1888, amount available Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888 July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 18-8... July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities July 1, 1889, balance available.... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... (See Appendix J 4.) 9,927. 18 5, 132.77 30,080.00 20,000.00 5. Currituck Sound, Coanjok Bay, and North River Bar, North Car olina.-Previous to the commencement of this improvement there was an indifferent natural channel with a depth of from 5 to 7 feet at low water, which had been partially dredged, in the sound and bay, by the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal Company. The original project, adopted in 1878, is to obtain a channel 80 feet wide at bottom and 9 feet deep at ordinary winter water, by dredging the entire length of the sound, 10 miles, to which was added, in 1880, the project to prolong this channel by dredging through the bay about 2 miles, and to construct a shell dike 9,600 feet along the westerly side of the channel through the latter, to maintain it. In 1885 it was further enlarged by the project to dredge a straight channel through North River Bar 7,150 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 9.4 feet deep at ordinary low water. The amount expended to June 30, 1888, is $134,685.68, and resulted in the construction of the dike and a channel in the sound and bay from 40 to 80 feet wide, the entire length and depth proposed, all of which greatly improved navigation and increased the commerce over this route. The entire channel was surveyed last in April and May, 1885, to ascertain its condition, which was found to be quite good, although shoal in places. This is probably due very largely to steamers grounding out of the channel and creating shoals in their efforts to get off. To restore and complete the work will require the removal of 215,075 cubic yards of material measured in place. There has been expended on this work during the fiscal year $319.28, which has been applied to contingencies. This improvement is on the important inland water route connecting Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound. The other waters of the United States on this route are the Elizabeth, North Landing, and North rivers; the first two were under improvement until a channel 80 feet wide and 9 feet deep was obtained. During the last year there has been much complaint made of the sunken and floating logs which impede navigation in all these waters. To provide for their removal, it is recommended that future appropriations be made available for Elizabeth, North Landing, and North rivers, Currituck Sound, and Coanjok Bay, under the designation "Inland water route from Norfolk Harbor, Virginia, to Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, through Currituck Sound." If steps are taken to prevent the owners of rafts from abandoning logs in these waters, the entire route can be kept open at a small an nual cost. July 1, 1888, amount available ... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888 . July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888.... July 1, 1889, balance available. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.. $314.32 7,500.00 7,814.32 319.23 7,495.04 39,885.68 20, 000.00 (See Appendix J 5.) 6. Removing sunken vessels or craft obstructing or endangering navigation. On April 6, 1889, the officer in charge reported that the wreck of the bark Pettingill was lying in the channel leading from the Atlantic Ocean to Hampton Roads and was an obstruction to navigation of the character contemplated by section 4, act of June 14, 1880. Its removal was therefore authorized by the Secretary of War. Having been duly advertised, bids have been invited for its removal. These bids will be opened July 30, 1889. (See Appendix J 6.) EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF THE RIVER AND HARBOR ACT OF AUGUST 11, 1888. The required preliminary examinations of the following localities were made by the local engineer in charge, Lieutenant Fiebeger, and reported by him as not worthy of improvement, with facts and reasons for such opinion. The Chief of Engineers concurring in the conclusions reached in these instances, has given no instructions to make further survey with the view to their improvement: 1. For cutting of Hospital Point, Virginia, and giving a depth of twentyfive feet and an additional width of two hundred feet-(See Appendix J 7.) 2. Chuckatuck Creek, Virginia.-(See Appendix J 8.) 3. Bennett's Creek, Virginia.-(See Appendix J 9.) The required preliminary examination of Hampton Creek and Bar, Virginia, was made by the local engineer, Lieutenant Fiebeger, and reported by him as worthy of improvement, and this conclusion being concurred in by the Chief of Engineers, the result of the preliminary examination containing information sufficient to indicate to Congress the probable cost of the work required, no further report or survey ap peared to be necessary. The improvement recommended is a continuation of that hitherto undertaken to give a channel 200 feet wide and at least 9 feet deep at mean low water from the mouth of the creek to Hampton Bridge, and a channel of same depth through the bar with a width of 200 feet at the mouth of the creek and 300 feet at the turning buoy; estimated cost $10,000. (See Appendix J 10.) IMPROVEMENT OF THE POTOMAC RIVER AT WASHINGTON; RECONSTRUCTION OF THE AQUEDUCT BRIDGE AT GEORGETOWN, AND CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGE ACROSS THE EASTERN BRANCH OF THE POTOMAC AT WASHINGTON. Officer in charge, Lieut. Col. Peter C. Hains, Corps of Engineers. 1. Potomac River at Washington, District of Columbia.-Before the improvement was commenced the channel to Georgetown was narrow, crooked, and had not sufficient depth to accommodate commerce. Vessels drawing 16 feet frequently grounded at high water above Long Bridge, and to maintain this depth frequent dredging was necessary, and even then the channel was narrow, as the appropriations for dredging were only sufficient to make a narrow cut through the bar. The Washington Channel was not only shoal, but narrow, and wholly inadequate to the wants of commerce. The flats in front of the city were large in area, sometimes covered, sometimes not covered, by the water of the river, which was polluted by the mixture of the sewage of a large city. The sewer at the foot of Seventeenth Street discharged its contents on the flats, rendering some parts of the city in that vicinity very unhealthy. By act passed August 2, 1882, Congress adopted a project which had for its object the improvement of the navigation of the river by widening and deepening its channels, the establishment of harbor lines beyond which no obstructions should be built, and at the same time the filling of the flats or marshes on the city front, so that they would not be overflowed by ordinary high tides, the material to be dredged from the channels to be used in filling the flats. The project provides for such depth of channels as will accommodate the largest class of vessels that can reach Arsenal Point, with such additional depth at the wharves as will enable vessels to receive full cargoes without grounding at low water; for filling the flats above Long Bridge to a height of 3 feet above the flood-slope of 1877, and that part of the flats below Long Bridge to the same height along the middle line, but sloping on each side of it to 6 feet above mean low tide at the margin; that in order to purify the water of the Washington Channel, which will be cut off at the upper end from the Virginia Channel, a tidal reservoir or basin be established between the sewer canal and Long Bridge, this reservoir to be filled by water from the Virginia Channel on the flood tide, and discharged into the Washington Channel on the ebb. The plan also contemplated the removal of Long Bridge or its rebuilding with longer spans during the progress of the work, and the interception of all sewage now discharged into the Washington Channel, and its conveyance to the James Creek, but neither the reconstruction of the bridge nor the building of the intercepting sewer were included in the estimated cost of the improvement. The amount expended up to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, is $1,247,494.90. At that time the Washington Channel had a depth of 20 feet at mean low tide, and a width of 350 feet; the Virginia Channel below Long Bridge had a depth of 20 to 24 feet at mean low tide, and width of 350 to 500 feet; the same channel above Long Bridge had a depth of about 17 feet at mean low tide, and width of about 550 feet. This part of the channel had originally been dredged to 20 feet, but had partly filled up by the deposit of material brought down in freshets. Of the total area of the flats 544 acres had been raised above overflow at ordinary high tide, some of which was up to grade, and of the total amount of material needed to fill them to the |