mit boats to run. The bridges at Taylorsville and Marietta still constitute great obstructions to navigation on the Muskingum River, the first-named preventing the use of the new lock at Taylorsville, and the latter preventing the larger class of boats from entering the lock and ice harbor at Marietta, and causing much inconvenience and danger to smaller boats. The United States dredge and towboat have been usefully employed during the year in various operations for the maintenance of good channels.

The cost of operating and care of these works during the year was $44,251.10.

(See Appendix F F 14.)

EXAMINATIONS MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED JULY 13, 1892.

The preliminary examinations of the following localities, required by act of July 13, 1892, were made by the local engineer, Lieut. Col. Amos Stickney, Corps of Engineers, and reports thereon submitted through the division engineer, Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers.

1. Ohio River at or near Elizabethtown, Ill.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of August 31, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the Ohio River at this point is worthy of improvement by the General Government, provided the cost is not unreasonable. The cost of a survey necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement is estimated at $600. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 111, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix FF 15.)

2. Harbor at Evansville, Ind.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of August 31, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the locality is worthy of improvement by the General Government. The cost of a survey necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement is estimated at $300. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 115, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 16.)

3. Ohio River between the cities of Ludlow and Covington, in Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Bridge to the Cincinnati Southern Railway Bridge, to prevent washing and damage to banks on Kentucky shore.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of December 19, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the locality is not worthy of improvement by the General Government. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 157, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 17.)

4. Little Miami River, Ohio, with the view of affording an ice harbor.— Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of October 18, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the locality is not worthy of improvement by the General Government for the purpose named. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 68, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 18.)

5. Ohio River between Ironton, Ohio, and 3 miles along and up the Ohio east of the mouth of Guyan River, West Virginia.-Lieut. Col. Stickney

submitted report of examination under date of September 3, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the locality is worthy of such improvement by the General Government as can be made at reasonable cost. The cost of a survey necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement is estimated at $2,500. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 121, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 19.)

6. Raccoon River, Ohio, from its junction with the Ohio River for 50 miles of said Raccoon River.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of September 2, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the river is not worthy of improvement by the General Government. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 116, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 20.)

7. Location of the necessary number of movable dams and locks on the Ohio River between Davis Island Dam and the dams at or near the mouth of the Beaver River, in Pennsylvania.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of October 4, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that this portion of Ohio River is worthy of improvement by the General Government. Col. Stickney estimates the cost of surveys necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement at $2,800. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 45, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix FF 21.)

8. For lock and dam at the most practicable point for navigation on Allegheny River between the (proposed) dam at Tarentum and Herr Island Dam, Pennsylvania.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of October 3, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the Allegheny River within the limits mentioned is worthy of improvement by the General Government. Lieut. Col. Stickney estimates the cost of surveys necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement at $2,000. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 87, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 22.)

9. For lock and dam on Allegheny River at or near Tarentum, Pa.Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of October 3, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that the river at this point is worthy of improvement by the General Government in the manner proposed. The cost of a survey necessary for preparation of project and estimate of cost of improvement is estimated at $500. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 37, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 23.)

10. Allegheny River from Olean, N. Y., to Warren, Pa.-Lieut. Col. Stickney submitted report of examination under date of September 30, 1892. It is his opinion and that of the division engineer, concurred in by this office, that within the limits named the river is not worthy of improvement by the General Government. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 61, Fifty-second Congress, second session. (See also Appendix F F 24.)

EXAMINATION MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUNDRY CIVIL ACT AP. PROVED MARCH 3, 1893.

The sundry civil act approved March 3, 1893, required an examination and survey to be made at mouth of Crawfish Creek, in the first ward, and mouth of Mill Creek, in the twenty-first ward, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as to availability of either or both of those localities for an ice harbor. Lieut. Col. Stickney has been charged with the duty of making this examination and survey, and the reports thereon will be submitted when received.

IMPROVEMENT OF FALLS OF OHIO RIVER, OF WABASH RIVER, INDIANA AND ILLINOIS, AND OF WHITE RIVER, INDIANA.

This district was in the charge of Lieut. Col. G. J. Lydecker, Corps of Engineers, with Lieut. Hiram M. Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, under his immediate orders since April 4, 1893.

1. Falls of the Ohio River, at Louisville, Ky.-The object of the improvements in progress is to afford increased facilities for passing the Falls of the Ohio, via the Louisville and Portland Canal, by enlargements at its upper end and immediately above the locks, so as to form capacious basins, or harbors, at these points. The work at the head of the canal is also associated with the improvement of the Indiana Chute, or the river channel over the falls which becomes a line of descending travel when the river rises to a height of about 10 feet on the upper canal gauge, and is the only route with the gauge reading 12.7 feet, or more, when the canal locks can not be operated.

The canal enlargement at the head was inaugurated in 1883, the original project being afterward modified to conform with the recommendations made by a board of engineers in its report of January 28, 1890. Under the approved project the width of canal-now 90 feetis to be made from 210 to 235 feet for a length of 2,400 feet, and east of this the enlarged canal will expand into a basin 800 feet wide by 2,200 feet long; the principal features of the work, as estimated, were 325,670 cubic yards of rock excavation and 270,000 cubic yards of earth excavation, the construction of about 5,200 linear feet of masonry wall and dams containing about 26,000 cubic yards, and the removal of 6,200 linear feet of old canal wall, dikes, and timber dams. The work done to June 30, 1893, comprised 174,245.03 cubic yards rock, 212,019.31 cubic yards earth excavation, and 13,678.83 cubic yards of masonry in new canal wall, of which 13,362.63 cubic yards rock and 34,486.50 cubic yards earth were excavated and 3,371.27 cubic yards of masonry laid during the fiscal year ending on that date.

The enlargement above the locks was begun in 1887 with the object of constructing a basin 1,500 feet long and 250 feet wide, where boats can tie up and tows be properly formed before or after passing the locks without obstructing navigation through the canal. The work is nearly completed, the results accomplished to June 30, 1893, being 17,744.60 cubic yards rock and 141,593 cubic yards earth excavation and 5,807 cubic yards masonry laid in new wall.

The total expenditure on these improvements to June 30, 1893, was $716,951.17, of which $98,261.74 was expended in the fiscal year ending on that date.

Special attention is invited to the fact that these improvements have been in progress, under small appropriations for the work to be done, since 1883, and no benefit whatever has yet been secured to commerce, because of their unfinished state. Further, the work is of such a character that small appropriations must increase the ultimate cost in a

peculiarly marked degree, because each season's operations can be inaugurated only after a very large expenditure for arrangements for that season's work, and the same expenditure must be repeated year after year while the work is in progress. For these reasons it is urged that means be supplied to complete the work in two good working seasons, and to this end that the next appropriations be not less than $300,000. By this course, and not otherwise, commerce may realize by 1895 a large part of the advantages contemplated by the work done and expenditures made since 1883.

550, 008.89

Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1895 300, 000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867 and of sundry civil act of March 3, 1893. (See Appendix G G 1.)

2. Indiana Chute, Falls of the Ohio River.-This is the main channel of the river over the Falls of the Ohio. Originally it was very crooked with most irregular rock bottom, and swift, whirling currents. By remov ing the most prominent rocky projections it has been so improved that a large part of the river traffic can now descend by that route when the stage of water is up to, or above, 10 feet on the upper canal gauge. In 1890 a project for its more radical improvement was adopted, the object being to make it safely navigable when the river is not below a stage of 8 feet on the canal gauge. Commerce will be thereby relieved at such times from the delays incident to passing the falls via the Louisville and Portland Canal and locks, an advantage which will be of the greatest importance to the heavy coal traffic, which alone amounts to about 1,700,000 tons annually. Nearly all this traffic would then follow the improved Indiana Chute, as the shipments of coal, when the river is at a lower stage than 8 feet, are exceedingly small.

During the past year good progress was made on this work, 27,586.62 cubic yards of solid rock having been excavated and 1,864 linear feet of stone dikes built.

The amount expended on the improvement of this chute to June 30, 1893, is $187,858.45.

Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project, Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1895 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867 and of sundry civil act of March 3, 1893. (See Appendix G G 2.)

ENG 93-21

50,378.08

12, 145.68 180.56

11, 965. 12

57,250.00 57, 250.00

3. Operating and care of Louisville and Portland Canal, Kentucky.— The canal was open to commerce throughout the year except on 71 days, during which it was closed because of high water or ice.

Traffic through it during the year comprised the passage of 3,784 boats with 537,464 tons of freight, 344,412 tons being coal.

The principal work done on the canal during the year, besides that relating to the passage of commerce, included dredging about 68,000 cubic yards from the canal, the erection of a new pair of middle gates in the locks, trimming dangerous projections from the side walls and underlying rock, the removal of some rock from the channel and approach to the lower lock, the completion of a new machine shop, boiler and engine house to replace those destroyed by fire during the winter of 1892, considerable repairs to the three bridges crossing the canal, repairs to dredges, steamboat, locks, and adjacent buildings, and building two new mud scows.

The cost of operating and care of the canal during the year was $69,348.74.

(See Appendix G G 3.)

4. Wabash River, Indiana and Illinois.-The improvement of this river by the General Government was undertaken in 1872. Since 1881 separate appropriations have been made for. the portions of the river below Vincennes, Ind., and above that point.

a. Below Vincennes.-The principal work during the past year had for its object the construction of the dam at Grand Rapids, near Mount Carmel, Ill. Contract for supplying about 1,000,000 feet, B. M., of oak timber for the cribwork of the proposed structure, at a total cost of $22,407.84 was made, and its delivery is now in progress. About 10,000 cubic yards of stone required for filling the cribwork has been quarried and placed in convenient position for transfer into the dam. It is expected to complete the work during the ensuing low-water season. The snag boat Osseo, originally purchased in 1881 for operations on this river, was rebuilt during the year.

The completion of the dam will reëstablish navigation over the Grand Rapids, which has heretofore been an insuperable obstacle, except during periods of high water. But low-water navigation from that place to the mouth of the river will remain impossible until extensive repairs are made to the works heretofore built on that section, and which have now become almost useless because of damage by ice and freshets. Ten thousand dollars is required to dredge the approaches to the new lock at Grand Rapids and to construct wing walls leading thereto and below.

The total expenditure for improving this section of the river from 1872 to June 30, 1893, including liabilities outstanding, was $643,824.33.