C 7. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December, 1870. GENERAL: I have the honor to report that, in compliance with letter dated Office of the Chiefof Engineers, Washington, D. C., July 23, 1870, I caused a survey to be made of the harbor at Cheboygan, Michigan, and would respectfully submit the following report, plans, and estimates for the improvement of the mouth of the Cheboygan River. Cheboygan is situated at the mouth of the river of the same name, which empties into the Straits of Mackinaw, just south of Bois Blanc Island. The following extract from the report of Roys J. Cram, civil engineer, made in 1869, gives a good idea of the locality and country about the tributaries of the Cheboygan River: CHARACTER, EXTENT, AND IMPORTANCE OF THE CHEBOYGAN RIVER, MICHIGAN, AND PRESENT BUSINESS UPON IT. Having made a reconnaissance of this water-course as far up as into Burt Lake, I am prepared to speak with my own knowledge upon the subject. It is seen that this river discharges the waters of several tributary streams and small lakes into Mackinaw Straits to the south of Bois Blanc Island, which affords protection to vessels steering for the month of the river. The extent from the mouth 1,500 feet up to the bridge, can, by dredging, be well adapted for an inner harbor for a large business. From the bridge up the river holds its width, and is equally adapted for navigation and business, until we reach a point one and one-fourth miles above the town, where there is a rapid or fall, giving a large and valuable water-power. This rapid has been improved by a company under a charter from the State of Michigan, with a lock suitably constructed, where there are in operation extensive and well-constructed mills of various kinds. A short distance higher up the river an extensive shingle factory is being built and will soon be put in operation; and as we ascend still higher, several mill-sites have been recently purchased, with booming privileges, for the erection of other mills. Even the small island in the straits has recently been purchased for the erection of a large lumbermill upon it, using the water in the bay for booming the logs. From the rapids, all the way up into Mullet and Black Lakes, the navigation is excellent; water is in abundance, and the banks are covered with prosperous farms in good cultivation. The lakes are beautiful, deep, of clear water, and their banks without marshes. The soil all around them is good for farming purposes. Farms are already opened on both sides of Mullet Lake. Indian River, connecting Mullet and Burt Lakes, is deep and crooked, though easily navigated by a steamer; its banks, for some width, are covered with marsh grass and cedars. Just at the outlet of Burt Lake, and thence down for three-fourths of a mile or more, the current in Indian River is swift and the water is shoal, indicating a rapid fall down to the confluence of Sturgeon River. To improve this rapid would require a dam and lock; the dam to raise the water of the river to the level of the lake. And the shoal part of the lake, just above its outlet, should be improved by coustructing two parallel dikes and dredging between them. We could thus produce as deep a draught for steamers as would be required without drawing down the lake. After once being fairly in Burt Lake, there is found good navigation all the way to its head. Its banks afford excellent timber and farming lands. The Indian reservation in its vicinity is of much value. The navigation is continuous from Burt Lake by river into Crooked Lake, and thence again by river to within three-fourths of a mile of Little Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. Through this portage it would not be difficult to open a canal, I am credibly informed; and that being opened properly, we should have a continuous navigation between Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinaw for an extent, by the rivers and lakes just described, of about forty-five miles. The principal tributaries of this water-course are Maple River from Douglas Lake, Sturgeon River, Pigeon River, and Black River. All these run through excellent land, now bearing heavy growths of soft and hard pine, birch, maple, beech, cedar, &c., and the greater part would be good, when cleared, for farming purposes. All these rivers are of ample width and depth for running down long timber and sawlogs from the extremities of the branches. Logs are now run for an extent of fortyfive miles in Pigeon River. The circumstances are so favorable for running logs in these rivers, that the pine and cedar lands upon them, or even at as great a distance as five miles back from them, are very valuable. The pine on these streams is of a quality to make lumber and timber, which commands the highest price in Chicago market. A large portion of the land in the five counties is of a soil very good for farming purposes, and settlers are entering on them for these purposes, especially in Cheboygan County. The proximity of so much lake-water renders the climate much milder than is generally supposed in winter. The wheat that is grown (and it is grown with perfect success on the farms of the Cheboygan River) ranks with the highest grades of northwestern wheat in the markets. And these farms produce in abundance rye, grass, oats, potatoes and other vegetables, and the "eight-row" corn. The outlet of one whole county and parts of four more counties, for their products, is through Cheboygan River. In the water-courses described there is no sand to form bars; the banks are generally tolerably high and remarkably free from marshes, and consist of a reddish-colored clay and loam. Owing to the constant supply from the lakes, the Cheboygan River has no very low stages, but always a sufficiency of water for navigation. The present business on the river is quite extensive in timber, lumber, lath, and shingles, cedar telegraph poles and fence posts, cord-wood of maple, beech, and birch, farm products, and store traffic. The cord-wood is taken out upon scows, corded on the docks, which are built in deep water, and there sold to steamers passing through the great lakes. The United States custom-house of the port is on one of these docks. Owing to the shoalness of the water in the straits, between the docks and the mouth of the river, vessels are obliged to lie off at or near them, to load and unload by the intervention of lighters, when drawing over 64 to 7 feet. The population of the town and county probably numbers from three to five thousand of fixed settlers, not including the Indian settlements on Burt Lake. The number of residents is fast increasing by immigration since the good quality of the soil for farming purposes has become known. The back farming and great lumbering facilities must, in a few years, make Cheboygan a large and flourishing town, where property will be valuable to own. Could vessels drawing 12 feet run into the river, this site would become of great importance to the general lake commerce. There should be a dry-dock constructed here to relieve damaged vessels from the necessity of running all the way from that part of the lakes to Chicago or Detroit for repairs. It would be a place admirably adapted for a large smelting iron establishment, owing to the facility of bringing the ore from Lake Superior, and the vast quantities of wood, and its cheapness for smelting. It would be also a very favorable site for the manufacture of brick, drain-pipes, tiles, and pottery, the clay being of an extraordinarily fine quality, and coming up to the very surface of the ground. When a railroad is constructed, which will ere long be done, coming up from the southern part of the State, it will pass in the vicinity of Cheboygan, if not close to it; then it will become one of the best places known for an extensive tannery, as vast quantities of excellent bark are in the immediate vicinities that can be brought by water; but as hides require facilities for winter transportation, for profitable tanning business a railroad communication would be necessary for this branch of business. But notwithstanding all the foregoing described natural advantages of Cheboygan, one can see with half an eye, that its future growth and permanent prosperity must depend upon an improvement of its harbor. Until this improvement is made it will be an up-hill struggle for the town to become large and prosperous, and the sales of the vast amount of good farming land, yet belonging to the United States in this region, will be comparatively slow. There is no need of any harbor of refuge for the general commerce of the lake, but there seems to be much need of some place of resort for vessels disabled by storms or accidents in this vicinity. At the present time vessels disabled in the Straits of Mackinaw are either towed to Milwaukee or Detroit for repairs, thereby causing a great loss of time and money. There is no doubt that an accessible harbor at this place for all vessels plying the lakes would tend to develop a large extent of country now undeveloped for want of facilities for shipping produce and lumber. Should this harbor be improved I would recommend the following plan: From a line drawn from A1 (see accompanying tracing) I would dredge out a channel 200 feet wide and 14 feet deep, following the natural channel of the river as far as it defines itself and thence in a direction perpendicular to the general direction of the shore line. The amount of earth to be dredged would be 278,080 cubic yards, at 40 cents per cubic yard, $111,232. This channel I would revet from A to B, on west pier, and from A1 to B1, and east pier by a sheet- pile pier. The details of this pier are shown in the accompanying tracing. The total length of this sheetpile pier would be 4,150 feet. The cost of which would be as follows: 16,600 linear feet 12 by 15 inches pine timber, at 19 cents per linear foot.. 10,400 linear feet 12 by 15 inches pine timber, at 15 cents per linear foot.. 8,300 linear feet 6 by 12 inches pine timber, at 9 cents per 36,500 linear feet piles, at 9 cents per linear foot.. 20,763 pounds drift-bolts, at 4 cents per pound 39,393 pounds nut and screw bolts, at 6 cents per pound.. 19,921 pounds 8-inch spikes, at 7 cents per pound... 3,631 cords of brush, at $3'per cord.... Driving 1,040 piles, at $2 per pile....... Driving 11,125 sheet piles, at $1 per sheet pile.. $3,154 00 1,560 00 747 00 3,285 00 9, 207 00 830 52 2,363 58 1,394 47 10, 893 00 2,080 00 11, 125 00 Framing 35,300 linear feet timber, at 13 cents per linear foot 4, 589 00 51, 228 57 From B B' to pier-head crib (3,000 feet) I would protect the channel with a close-pile pier. The total length of the close-pile pier would be 6,000 feet, which, in detail, would cost as follows: 97,250 linear feet 12 by 12 inches pine lumber, at 15 cents per linear foot 12,000 linear feet 10 by 12 inches oak timber, at 30 cents per linear foot 12,000 linear feet 4 by 8 inches oak timber, at 8 cents per 337,500 linear feet piles, at 9 cents per linear foot.. 9,750 cords of slabs or brush, at $3 per cord. Driving 11,250 piles, at $2 per pile............. $14, 587 50 The ends of the piers should be protected by pier-heads built of cribs 32 feet square in plan and 20 feet high, costing as follows: 10,456 cubic feet pine timber, at 15 cents per cubic foot..... $1,568 40 12,508 pounds iron drift-bolts, at 4 cents per pound 3,152 pounds screw-bolts and washers, at 6 cents per pound. 224 cords of stone, at $12 per cord....... ..... Framing 10,456 cubic feet timber, at 13 cents per cubic foot 500 32 189 12 2,688 00 1,359 28 6,305 12 The pile-piers are proposed because the bottom into which the piles are to be driven is of stiff clay. The width of the channel is made 200 feet to conform to the general rule observed at other places. It might be that a channel of 100 feet in width would do for the present, but the revetments should be placed 200 feet apart, so that if at some future time it should be thought desirable to widen the channel, no new revetments need be constructed. The dredging would thus be reduced one-half, making a difference in the total estimate of $61,177 60-leaving the estimate $334,157 43. It would take three seasons' work to complete this improvement, and if the plan proposed is adopted, at least $150,000 should be appropri ated for the first season's work. I have not recommended any dredging inside of the mouth of the river, as it should be done by the local authorities, nor have I made any estimate for protecting the river banks, for, should the Government make such improvement, it would be equivalent to presenting the landowners with so much dockage. The amount of dredging that would be necessary to make a channel and winding place for vessels, interior to the proposed work, would amount to 55,086 cubic yards, which at the estimated price, 40 cents per cubic yard, would cost $22,034 40. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Captain Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. Brigadier General A. A. HUMPHREYS, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., Washington, D. C. Statement of vessels entered and cleared at Cheboygan Harbor, in the district of Michigan, during the year 1869, showing the aggregate number, tonnage, crews, and cargoes. C 8. Annual report of T. J. Cram, (retired) colonel of engineers, for fiscal year ending 30th June, 1871. Improvements of St. Clair Flats, Michigan, consisting of the construction of the St. Clair Flats Ship-Canal. From assurances of the contractor it was confidently expected that this work would be completed and formally opened for the lake commerce on or before the 1st of August, 1870. Owing, however, to his miscalculatious, the sending of three of his dredges away to other works, and some bad luck, his dredging for grading the bottom of the canal down evenly to the prescribed depth was protracted so late into last autumn, that it was impossible to make all tht test soundings before the last of February, 1871. After that, all these carefully-made soundings had to be reduced, plotted, and computed; and it was found from them that there remained a total of 30,921 cubic yards yet to be dredged-in all the several places where a deficiency was shown in the dredging-necessary to bring the bottom of the canal everywhere down to the requisite depth according to the terms of the contract. Accordingly the contractor was directed to resume as early as possible and dredge out this amount; also to dredge out flaringly on the sides of the head and tail bays of the canal to the amount of 9,395 cubic yards, so as to leave the upper and lower ends of the canal 416 feet wide at bottom, while the part between the dikes is 300 feet wide. In passing, I will remark that this is the widest known artificial canal. The Suez construction, in the artificial parts, does not, I am informed, exceed 250 feet at the water surface, and there is none known carrying so much commerce as the United States St. Clair Flats Canal is to accommodate. The contractor resumed dredging for the purposes above named the 10th of April, and has steadily persevered, so that on the 27th June the inspector reported that all the forenamed amounts of dredging into ten to twelve days' works had then been accomplished. During this fiscal year, under the act of July 11, 1870, specifically appropriating $16,500 for this work, a contract was made for sodding, sowing grass-seed, planting willows upon the banks, and riprapping with stones under water around the faces and corners of the wings of the canal-dikes. All this work, except the small spots occupied temporarily by the contractor's buildings, has been reported by the contractor as having been done. Notwithstanding the failure to complete the canal by the time promised, nearly a year since, it was freely used by vessels when necessary for safety during last season; so it has been during the present season of navigation. But from prudential motives the canal has not been officially declared open, and it is yet in possession of the contractor; nor will it be accepted, nor will the contracts be closed and the retained per cent. be paid, until all shall have been completed according to the terms of the contracts. I think, however, all will be satisfactorily completed by the 31st July, 1871, and accepted, and the canal on or before that time declared open to the commerce of the lakes. The amount expended during the fiscal year from the appropriation "repairs, preservation, extension, and completion of river and harbor works," is $70,042 87. The amount expended from the specific appropriation of $16,500, act |