A large saw-mill is being erected at Empire City, on the bay, the builders of which have a new steamship now coming from the Atlantic coast and built expressly for the Coos Bay carrying trade.

The extensive lumber and coal interests of Coos Bay, especially the latter, have suffered from the want of deep water on the bar.

Q Q 7.

IMPROVEMENT OF ENTRANCE TO YAQUINA BAY, OREGON.

The plan of this improvement is to build a jetty 3,700 feet long on the south side of the entrance for closing the south channel and forcing the ebb against the reef of Yaquina Head. The original estimate of the work as carried on is $465,000. The amount appropriated since the adoption of the plan is $160,000, and the amount of expenditure thereon is $109,990.01.

To the beginning of the fiscal year 1,980 feet of jetty had been built. The part of the preceding year was pushed out as far as practicable, to the prejudice, temporarily, of the profile of full strength. The end of the jetty rested at the channel-bank in 8 feet of water at low tide.

During July the north side of the jetty, for 300 feet from the crib outwards, was additionally ballasted, and some washouts on low portions of the unfinished jetty were filled. Piles, timber, stone, and brush were accumulated, and in September a jetty extension of 162 feet was effected, making the total length 2,042 feet. This was a more difficult operation than former extensions. Á frame was run out at the tramway end, piles slung into position and pumped down; mattresses were placed as heretofore, viz, by building them on a grillage suspended under the track and afterwards cutting them away. A second mattress was placed throughout the mouth's extension and ballasted, and the whole riprapped; riprapping on north side of jetty was continued. September work consisted in dumping stone on the weaker places and in preparing for a long suspension of operations, which were fully closed at the end of the month, on account of want of funds. From June 30, 9,350 cubic yards of stone were quarried and placed in the jetty, and 650 cords of brush fascines were made and used in the mattresses.

In October, a survey of shore-lines and channel, and measurements for plan and section of jetty were made. The shores and channel were about as in the preceding June, as shown on the map published in the report for 1883; a little difference existing was in a more southern location of the channel.

Marked changes quickly followed the period of southerly storms and high tides. Assistant Engineer Polhemus, who had been in local charge of the work, was sent to the bay in January to locate and sound the channel, to note the action on the jetty and direction of the heavy seas, and to examine about a breach in the tramway some 200 feet long, which had been made from the jetty shorewards. One channel was found, in a central location, and about on an east-and-west line through the jetty end, of a least depth of 10 feet reduced to mean lower low water and of a width of about 300 feet. The sand had filled and banked against the storm side of the jetty until one could walk dry-footed to the end of the jetty at low tide; while on the north side there had been a removal of the sand, exposing the top of the jetty built in 1881, disturbing the ballast and lowering the mattress on that side, and making the break at the end of the land track. The heavy seas coming in from the west

ran along the north side, and had beaten down and the currents eroded the bank from the jetty end to the sand point towards the bay, leaving a bluff face which receded a few feet at each rough sea and high tide. The elevated tracks had been somewhat disrupted by drift and heavy seas, but the jetty had remained intact and the bar-channel depth was a continuation of the gradual increase which had followed the first encroachment on the old south channel.

The channel was located and sounded again in May, and the shorelines run in. The channel position was just about half-way from that in January, 1884, to the one of June, 1883, while the least depth, 12 feet at the plane of reference, or 19 feet at mean high tide, was a considerable increase, and is the depth aimed at in the improvement project.

The small shifting of the channel, which has occurred periodically since the south channel, close under the shore, was closed, is caused, doubtless, by the changes of direction of prevailing winds on which the shore current depends. The shifting should not be an unexpected accompaniment of the incomplete jetty; and, moreover, it is not a very troublesome matter at this locality, on account of the shortness and plainness of the bar, and nearness to it of land-marks and ranges. Permanence and a greater width of present depth are more important.

An examination was lately made by Mr. Polhemus of the jetty condition and shore-line changes. His report is attached.

The small steam coaster Ona grounded on the north spit while entering during a fog, and when the bar was smooth; she sprung a leak, was abandoned, floated off, and cast a total wreck upon the south beach near the jetty.

The rapid completion of the work will not interfere with navigation. The amount estimated for is intended to be applied to a continuation of the jetty for making the depth permanent which will have been obtained, and to blasting knobs of rock which may be uncovered if the channel is scoured out to a greater depth or width than now obtained. Under the influence of railroad work, commerce of the bay has much enlivened. The iron steamship Yaquina, belonging to the railroad constructing company, arrived in May from New York, and has since been running to the bay from San Francisco and Portland. She is 240 feet long, loads to 12 feet, has a capacity of 1,200 tons, and was formerly engaged in the Galveston trade.

Act June 14, 1880.

Act March 3, 1881

Act August 2, 1882
Act July 5, 1884

Total

APPROPRIATIONS.

Money statement.

July 1, 1883, amount available..

July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1833......

July 1, 1884, amount available..................

Amount appropriated by act approved July 5, 1884..

Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1885................

=

Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...
Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1886.

415,000 00 150,000 00

REPORT OF ASSISTANT ENGINEER J. S. POLHEMUS ON JETTY CONDITION AND SHORELINE CHANGES.

To the present time the last work has been in place ten months and has withstood the effects of the storms of one winter.

That portion built in 1883 remains in excellent condition; considerable scour occurred along the northwest side, causing more or less settlement of the brush and stone. In some places the lighter rocks have been washed off the mattresses, but generally they have become covered with a growth of barnacles and mussels and remain in the position where dumped last summer.

During the winter the force of the sea washed off some of the stringers and caps, and logs broke off about thirty piles outside of the crib. From the crib shoreward to the inner end of the jetty, a distance of about 500 feet, the piles and track have been nearly all carried away by drifting logs.

From the inner end of the jetty shorewards for a distance of about 300 feet a considerable scour has taken place, washing away the sand to the gravel-bed and destroying the track.

On the south side of the jetty there has been a large accumulation of sand, while on the north side the tendency has been to scour. A great portion of the sand dunes from the jetty towards the bay have been washed away.

No changes inside the bay have been observed which are thought to be caused by the work already done. On the bar there has been an increase of 2 or 3 feet observed over depths of other years, and this improvement is presumed to be due to the jetty already constructed.

In prosecuting the work under the new appropriation, before the jetty can be extended any, it will be necessary to build 800 feet of new superstructure from highwater mark to the crib; also to replace missing piles and caps from the crib to outer end, and to relay the plank and stringers and track throughout all the jetty, a distance of about half a mile. While this is being done I would recommend that the track be raised at least 5 feet. Eight hundred feet have got to be built new and can be made higher at a slight cost. From the crib to the present end of the jetty a low trestle can be placed on the present caps.

It will be necessary to replank the trestle from the tool-house to the sand out.

It will take at least one month from the time work is commenced until we will be able to run stone to the end of the jetty.

A sand-bar has formed across the channel leading to the wharf at South Beach, and it is thought that more or less inconvenience will be experienced in using it, but I think it will be better to arrange a mooring out in the main channel and bring the scows into the old wharf at high water, perhaps with the aid of a steam launch, instead of extending the wharf out to the main channel, a distance of 400 or 500 feet, where the maintenance of deep water is very uncertain.

It has been reported to me lately that quite a shoaling has taken place upon the bars of the Yaquina River between Oysterville and the stone quarry, owing to the work of the Oregon Pacific Railroad. If it amounts to more than 2 feet over the shoalest bars it will render the use of the steamer General Wright very difficult, or of any boat drawing over 5 feet of water.

It will be necessary to strengthen the jetty in spots throughout its entire length, especially inside the crib. A foundation mattress and stone is also required from the present inner end to high-water mark. Some protection is needed to arrest the washing away of the sand-hills to the northward of the jetty.

Very respectfully, yours,

Capt. C. F. POWELL,

J. S. POLHEMUS,
Assistant Engineer.

Corps of Engineers.

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.

Yaquina Bay is in the collection district of Yaquina. Newport is the port of entry. The nearest light-house is on Cape Foulweather, 4 miles north of the entrance.

The following, furnished by Mr. Col. Van Cleve, collector of customs, are for the year ending June 30, 1884:

Draught.

Record of vessel-crossings and shipments.

[Compiled from weekly vessel reports.]

July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. Total.

Exports, 1883-84.-Lumber, four deck-loads, 47,000 feet. Spars, one cargo, 10,000 feet. Oysters, two lots, 1,000 bushels (and one lot amount not given).

Imports, 1883-4.-Merchandise, eighteen cargoes, 1,362 tons (and two cargoes amount not given).
Railroad iron and supplies, seven cargoes, 3,546 tons.
Eleven different vessels were engaged in the trade.

STATEMENT OF HON. M. JACOBS, MAYOR OF CORVALLIS, OREGON, AS TO COMMERCIAL NEED OF THE IMPROVEMENT.

CORVALLIS, OREG., July 15, 1884.

SIR: In presenting the following points bearing on this matter (of more pressing importance than ever before to the citizens of this town and of this and the adjoining counties in Western Oregon), it is right to premise that the building of the Oregon Pacific Railroad, now rapidly approaching completion, between this city and Yaquina Bay, has constituted as tributary to the port of Yaquina not only this (Benton) county, but also the immediately neighboring counties-Linn, Polk, and Laneand in a less, though still a very important, degree, the wealthy and productive counties, Marion and Yam Hill. The reason for this is found in the physical geography of Western Oregon, through the heart of which the navigable Willamette flows, forming a most important commercial artery, and rendering its inhabitants to a great extent independent of any oppressive system of fares and freights imposed by the east or west divisions of the Oregon and California Railroad system, running parallel with the navigable Willamette through all the valley counties. This city of Corvallis is thus established as the permanent receiving point for all the surplus products of these counties. So far as the cost of delivering by river boats, their produce here does not countervail the very considerable saving shown by the transportation over the Oregon Pacific Railroad and through the port of Yaquina, as against the previously existing routes by way of Portland and the Columbia River and Bar to the ocean.

The wheat crop of these counties is the staple of their outward trade, though oats,