one mile long, containing several "middle bars," making a crooked channel. Between these middle bars are two crossings of 20 inches water each.

To Big Eddy, five miles, there is 8 feet of water; wide channel and unobstructed; a handsome piece of river.

At Big Eddy is a series of bars and shoals extending 800 feet and having but 16 inches of water. The first bar has a fall of 6 inches; the second, 200 feet above, has a fall of 14 inches. The material is coarse gravel and mussels. The river is 500 feet wide, with a channel narrow and crooked.

Eight hundred feet above, the river makes a turn of 140°; at the bend is a piece of deep water, 1,000 feet wide, known as Big Eddy. Here Burnt Mill Bluff, a part of Crowley's Ridge, comes abruptly to the river.

The neck of land extending into the bend, between the pieces of river, does not exceed 20 feet in height for a distance of one and a half miles from the eddy.

A half mile above the eddy is a shoal 300 yards long, with 16 inches of water. The fall is at the rate of 2 inches per mile.

To Anderson's Bar, four miles, 24 feet is the minimum depth. The banks are 20 to 30 feet high; are of sand, with some loam.

Anderson's Bar has 14 inches of water and a fall of 1 inch; channel, 30 feet wide. One and a half miles above is Mussel Bar, with 4 feet of water, and a fall of 2 inches. To Allen's Bar, three and a half miles, there is 5 feet of water, fall in the river of 2 inches per mile. This bar has 18 inches of water, and a fall of 24 inches. Just below is Allen's Ferry, one hundred and twenty-five miles from the mouth of the river, at which point the military road crosses.

Hence to Wittsburgh there is from 4 to 10 feet of water; river, from 400 to 600 feet wide; good channel, fall from 14 to 2 inches per mile; banks, from 25 to 30 feet high. Wittsburgh, one hundred and thirty-five miles from the month of the St. Francis, by the Black Fish Cut-off, is the county seat of Cross County. The population is about 150. It is at the head of navigation, and is a town of considerable importance, controlling the trade of Cross, Crittenden, Poinsett, and Craighead counties, with a portion of that of Mississippi and St. Francis counties.

From the best data at hand, I estimate the fall of the river from Wittsburgh to the mouth at 17 feet.

Immediately above Wittsburgh Landing is a bar with 4 inches of water, and a fall of 1 inches. A half mile up is Goose Island, 800 feet long, 120 feet wide, with an elevation of 16 feet. At low stage all the water goes on the east side. There is a fall here of 2 inches. From the island to the east bank is 200 feet.

The Bay Ferry Bar, three miles from Wittsburgh, has 12 inches of water, and falls 2 inches. The channel is very crooked. Between this aud the preceding the river falls 3 inches per mile.

Rock Island, twenty-six miles above Wittsburgh, is 500 feet long by 70 feet wide; the elevation is 14 feet. The channel, which has 6 inches of water, is on the west side. There is a fall of 124 inches in 300 feet, or 14 inches in all; this being the greatest fall in the St. Francis River. The river banks are of sand, 25 feet in height.

The Tyronza River enters the St. Francis three miles above; it is 150 feet wide, with no running water at low stage.

Fortune Bar, fifty-five miles from Wittsburgh; James, sixty-five; Markham's, seventyfour; Sycamore Ford, seventy-six; Broad Mouth, seventy-nine, and Mark Tree, ninetysix miles, are bars, with from 1, 6, to 10 inches of water, and from 1 to 3 inches fall. Between these is a succession of shoals, with from 2 to 12 inches of water. There are, at intervals, pieces of deep river, but all is badly obstructed with snags, timber, and fallen trees.

Little River enters the St. Francis by two mouths, three miles apart; the lower and principal one is one hundred and three miles from Wittsburgh. At low water it shows a dry bed over a large portion of its course.

The fall of the St. Francis, between ripples, from Little River to Wittsburgh, will average 24 inches per mile. The banks fall gradually from 30 feet at Wittsburgh to 15 feet at Little River; they are of sand, with a rich layer of loam on top, from 3 to 8 feet in thickness.

Ten miles above Little River is the foot of what is known as the Lake, and the Sunk Lands. The New Madrid earthquake of 1811 caused a great area of this territory to sink from 8 to 15 feet, and turned the St. Francis into it. The country being originally heavily timbered, the stumps remain, and the St. Francis here appears a stream 150 feet wide, and from 6 to 18 inches deep, without perceptible fall, and in a forest of stumps from 6 to 40 feet high. The banks are from 24 to 34 feet high; and so flat is the country that a 3-foot rise makes a lake from one to three miles wide.

The Lake is seventy miles in length; it is said there is a large raft thirty miles up, and also several places where the entire river is blockaded with timber.

Maumel Prairie is a small settlement twenty-five miles above the foot of the Lake. In times of a flood in the Mississippi, its waters cover the entire area between it and

15 miles..

70 miles.. 135 miles.

175 miles.

the St. Francis, and extends to Crowley's ridge. A few levels taken will show the height of the overflow.

A rise in the St. Francis, from its own resources, has never exceeded 8 feet at Wittsburgh.

Crowley's Ridge runs north and south through this part of Arkansas, on the west side of the St. Francis. It rises 100 feet above the bottom, and is from three to ten miles in width. Starting at Helena, it touches the river at Jeffersonville, near which it is pierced by the Anguille. It touches again at Madison, Double-headed Bluff, five miles above; Big Eddy and Wittsburgh; between these points it is from one to ten miles distant. At Wittsburgh it diverges, and is twelve miles distant at the Lake. It extends to Chalk Bluff, a point on the river near the Missouri State line. It divides the waters of the St. Francis and Anguille.

The St. Francis country is thinly settled, the slope of Crowley's Ridge, and the highest points of the undulating bottom, only, being occupied. It is heavily timbered and has very rich soil.

The formation of the entire valley is sand; the bottoms, bed of river and ridge are all of this material. The bottoms, however, have a thick stratum of loam overlaying the sand.

North of Wittsburgh the obstructions to navigation are so numerous, and the trade of the country so small, that the expense of opening the river cannot be justified.

During the overflow, say forty-five days in the year, a few small flat-boats bring down the entire shipments of the country.

There is trade enough between Wittsburgh and the mouth of the river to support a moderate sized light-draught boat the whole year. A 450-ton steamer, drawing 3 feet, runs to Wittsburgh on an average of eight months in the year. The traffic, however, does not fill this boat to more than half its capacity, except during the cotton-shipping

season.

Between Wittsburgh and the mouth of the river there are 348 snags in, or dangerously near, the channel, and 92 fallen trees. Eighty per cent. of these are from 18 to 30 inches in diameter, and very few exceed 3 feet. The timber is mostly sycamore, cottonwood, gum and oak.

To keep the river open to Madison, at low water, there will be required, in addition to the removal of the snags, six wing-dams, one at each of the following places: 1st. Burnt Cane; 2d. Foot of Övercup; 3d. Head of Overcup; 4th. Pretty Tree; 5th. Sandy Ground; 6th, Crow Creek.

To keep the river open to Wittsburgh will require, in addition, five wing-dams, distributed as follows: Middle Bar, 2; Big Eddy; half mile above Big Eddy; Anderson's Bar.

Below is an estimate of the cost of these wing-dams. Owing to the absence of rock in the country, and the great distance it would have to be moved, if used, the estimate is made for dams of timber.

The current is very light at all of the points except Pretty Tree and Big Eddy, where the material is coarse gravel.

The estimate is made with a view of opening the river to steamers whose draught does not exceed 2 feet, such boats being large enough for the trade, at least during the low-water season.

The plan proposed is to drive two rows of piles, 16 inches apart in the clear, cutting off the piles at the height of the dam. Between these two rows place hewn timber, the top pieces, at intervals, firmly bolted to the piles. This to form one side of the dam. Eight feet from the center, to be the center of the other side of the dam, alike constructed. The ends to be similar to the sides. An iron clamp to connect the top pieces of timber at the corners. The inclosure to be filled with sand, or gravel, where it can be obtained.

2,928 piles, delivered, at $1 75....

Driving 2,928 piles, an average of 14 feet, at 15 cents per foot.... 33,058 cubic feet hewn timber, delivered, at 18 cents per foot...

692 bolts, with nut and washer, 4 feet 6 inches, by 14 inches, =31,140 pounds, at 64 cents....

Madison to Wittsburgh.

3,799 piles delivered, at $1 75

Driving 3,799 piles, an average of 14 feet, at 15 cents per foot.. 41,444 cubic feet hewn timber, delivered, at 18 cents

500 pounds wrought-iron clamps, at 64 cents.

726 days' labor, at $2 50.

138 days' labor, at $4 50.

4,452 cubic yards filling, at 25 cents.

900 bolts, with nut and washer, 4 feet 6 inches by 14 inches, pounds, at 64 cents..

7,459 92

= 40.500

2,733 75

31 25

Total, mouth of the river to Wittsburgh.

1,815 00

621 00 1,113 00

28,400 07

53, 229 76

The removal of the snags between Wittsburgh and the mouth of the river involves all the expenditure the traffic of the entire St. Francis country will justify at this time.

At present a steamer, drawing 3 feet, runs to Wittsburgh eight months in the year. With the snags out, this time could be increased, and a boat of less draught, ample for the trade, could use the river at least ten months in every twelve.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Brigadier General W. F. RAYNOLDS,

Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.

H. L. KOONS, Assistant Civil Engineer.

OFFICE WESTERN RIVER IMPROVEMENTS,

1122 Pine Street, St. Louis, Missouri, October 14, 1871.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit my annual report upon the improvement of the St. Francis River in Arkansas.

The act of Congress approved March 3, 1871, made an appropriation for the improvement of St. Francis River in the State of Arkansas, of $10,000.

The examination made last season showed that the St. Francis is a stream of sufficient magnitude in ordinary stages of water to float one. of our snag-boats, and I have recommended that the appropriation should be expended in paying the running expenses of one of our boats while engaged in removing snags and other obstructions to navigation. It will not be possible to detach a boat for this purpose, until after operations under the appropriation for the improvement of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Arkansas Rivers shall have ended.

The last named appropriation will be exhausted by about the 1st of January next, when, if no other appropriations were available, the snagboats would have to be laid up. Instead of doing this, the Bureau has approved my proposition to send one of them into the St. Francis, and to employ her there so long as it is practicable with the amount appropriated.

One of the snag-boats can be profitably employed at least another season, and possibly subsequently-for two months in removing obstructions from the St. Francis, and it would be much better to do so than to have the boats doing nothing, as has been the case half of each year. I therefore recommend that an appropriation should be made for that purpose, of $10,000.

Respectfully submitted.

W. F. RAYNOLDS, Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers.

Brigadier General A. A. HUMPHREYS,

Chief of Engineers, United States Army, Washington, D. C.

I 9.

OFFICE WESTERN RIVER IMPROVEMENT,

St. Louis, Missouri, January 27, 1871. GENERAL: I have the honor to forward herewith the report of the examination of Little Red River, Arkansas.

The whole extent of the navigable portion of Little Red River is less than fifty miles. The upper section of eighteen miles, extending from Searcy Landing to West Point, seems to be little more than a rivulet, excepting when the bed of the stream is filled with the back-water from White River.

At such times the removal of the overhanging trees and snags from

this section, of which there are nearly 20 of each per mile, would doubtless aid the passage of the boats which attempt to reach Searcy Landing. From West Point to the mouth of the stream, the depth of water is two feet at the lowest stage; distance, thirty miles. An average of nearly twenty snags, and more than two hundred overhanging trees, were counted on this section of the river.

The fact stated that, the commerce of this stream is sufficient to induce the comparatively large boats running on White River to navigate it whenever it is practicable, and when this is not the case, that a small steamer is kept to ply between West Point and the mouth of the river, shows the importance of the interest involved. The snag-boats now in use having been built for service on larger streams are not such as will be required on Little Red.

Having heretofore estimated for the construction of such a boat as could do the work, the cost thereof is not included in the estimate now presented.

After a boat suited for the duty is procured, the estimated cost of the required improvements are as follows:

Add 15 per cent. to meet the cost of placing snags and trees, after removal, out of the reach of high water...

Removing 6,200 trees between West Point and mouth of stream, at 50 cents each.....

Removal of snags below West Point; four months' service of snag-boat, at $5,000 per month..

For the removal of snags and leaning trees between Searcy Landing and West Point; two months' work of snag-boat, at $5,000 per month....

$10,000

20,000

3,100

4,965

Total estimate...

38,065

Respectfully submitted.

W. F. RAYNOLDS,

Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. Brigadier General A. A. HUMPHREYS,

Chief of Engineers, United States Army, Washington, D. C.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, January 19, 1871.

SIR: I most respectfully submit herewith the report on the examination of Little Red River, in Arkansas, compiled from the field-notes of Captain John S. Tennyson. Little Red River is a tributary of White River, and empties into the latter, thirty miles below Augusta.

Having been ordered, at that time, to succeed Mr. A. Livermore in charge of the examination of rivers in the State of Arkansas, I proceeded to Little Red River, in order to meet Captain Tennyson on the field of operations.

By doing so, I had the opportunity to judge of the condition of the river from the mouth upwards to West Point myself, whereby I found that Captain Tennyson's notes fully coincided with my own observations. The examination of the upper part, that is from Searcy Landing to West Point, was made by Captain Tennyson alone, who had finished the same before my arrival on the river.

Searcy Landing being regarded as the head of navigation on Little Red River, the examination of this stream was commenced at that point and conducted to its month. The river can be divided into two sections, entirely different in their features, and they will be therefore treated separately.

The upper section reaches from Searcy Landing to West Point, eighteen miles; the lower, from that place to the mouth, thirty miles in length.

SECTION I.-Searcy Landing to West Point.

The bottom of the river from the upper Searcy Landing, called Merchants' Landing, is rocky throughout, and has several shoal places between these two points.