dredge Maumee was taken to the wreck and employed until the end of the month in its removal. Dynamite was used to break up the hull. The coal which formed its cargo was dredged up in part and deposited on a scow and the fragments of the hull were towed ashore and disposed of. The coal that was saved was sold at public auction for $255.50. The cost of removing the wreck was $1,406.60, and the balance of the allotment, together with the proceeds of the sale of salvage, amounting in all to $1,408.90, was redeposited in the Treasury to the credit of the United States. Car ferry Shenango No. 1.-On the 29th of March, 1904, the steam car ferry Shenango No. 1 burned and sank outside the harbor of Conneaut, Ohio. It contained 26 empty gondola cars. The wreck lay in about 24 feet of water at the stern and 18 feet at the bow. Its position was such as to make it a danger to navigation. Two thousand five hundred dollars was allotted for its removal. Proposals were invited by advertising for thirty days, and a contract was awarded to George W. Pfuhl, of Buffalo, Ñ. Y., who undertook to remove the wreck for the salvage and without cost to the United States. He made some progress upon the work and removed several of the cars. The time of completing his contract was extended at his request, but in the spring of 1905 he wrote a letter declaring that he could not remove the wreck and that he abandoned the contract. The contract was accordingly annulled and the work was readvertised. The lowest bid received at the time of opening the proposals was that of Charles W. Johnston, of Lewes, Del., whose price was $4,900. His proposal was accepted and another allotment of $3,000 was made to carry out the work. When the contracts were sent to Mr. Johnston he declined to sign them. He declared that the work was much more difficult than he had supposed at the time of making his proposal, and that he could not carry it out. The next lowest bidder was Van Sant & Boehm, of Atlantic City, N. J., whose price was $9,800. Another allotment of $5,000 has been made for the work, and contracts have been sent to these parties for signature. They have not yet been heard from. Steamer Philip Minch.-The steamer Philip Minch was burned and sank off Sandusky Harbor on the night of November 19, 1904. Search was made for it by the United States survey boat, and it was finally discovered on November 28. This steamer was a wooden vessel, built in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1888. It was 276 feet long, 40.8 feet wide, and 22 feet deep. Nothing showed of the wreck except a floating spar held by the rigging. The sea was too rough to permit it to be carefully examined, but it was buoyed and its location fixed by ranges and angles. Its general location may be described as follows: It lies in 45 feet of water on a course E. N. from Middle Island light-house, 8.6 miles; N. E. from Huron piers, 19.25 miles; NNE. E. from Sandusky outer can buoy, 15 miles; S. by E. E. from Pelee Passage light, 11.25 miles. On June 29, 1905, the wreck was again visited and found by the aid of the sextant angles. A barrel buoy, painted red and black, was placed to mark the south end of the wreck, but the wreck itself could not be thoroughly examined on account of the sea. Twenty-seven feet of water was found over what appeared to be the boiler. In one sweep something was felt at 22 feet, but apparently this was simply a loose timber. The wreck will be examined again as soon as possible. and if it appears to be an obstruction to navigation an allotment will be asked for for its removal, APPENDIX Q Q. IMPROVEMENT OF ERIE HARBOR, PENNSYLVANIA, AND OF CERTAIN RIVERS AND HARBORS IN WESTERN NEW YORK. REPORT OF COL. H. M. ADAMS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1905, WITH OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE WORKS. IMPROVEMENTS. 1. Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania. 2. Dunkirk Harbor, New York. 3. Buffalo Harbor, New York. 4. Lake Erie entrance to Black Rock Harbor and Erie Basin, New York. 5. Buffalo entrance to Erie Basin and Black Rock Harbor, New York. 6. Black Rock Harbor and Channel, New York. 7. Tonawanda Harbor and Niagara River, New York. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, GENERAL: I have the honor to forward herewith reports of operations * on river and harbor works * * year ending June 30, 1905. * * during the Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Brig. Gen. A. MACKENZIE, H. M. ADAMS, Colonel, Corps of Engineers. Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. Q QI. IMPROVEMENT OF ERIE HARBOR, PENNSYLVANIA. REPORT OF OPERATIONS. Minor repairs to Jetty No. 2, outer shore of Presque Isle peninsula, which was damaged by the storm of September 24, 1904, were made October 12-15, 1904, 34 linear feet of deck plank and 1 cubic yard of filling stone being replaced, at a cost of $9.25. No other work on structures was done during the fiscal year. The sum of $125,000 was appropriated by the river and harbor act of March 3, 1905, and project for the expenditure of these funds was forwarded and approved. ENG 1905 M- -149 2369 Under this project contracts were made with the Lake Erie Dredg ing Company, Buffalo, N. Y., after due advertisement, for channel and basin excavation, and with William H. Shelton, of Dunkirk, N. Y., for extension of south pier and concrete superstructure on north pier. Work under the contract with the Lake Erie Dredging Company was fairly started at the close of the fiscal year, and preparatory work had been done under the contract with William H. Shelton. CONDITION OF THE WORKS. The north pier is in good condition, except 750 linear feet of timbercrib pier which was built prior to 1883. This portion is badly decayed, and reconstruction of the superstructure with concrete will be done with funds now available. The south pier is in good condition, and will be extended 500 feet with funds now available. The entrance channel and harbor basin are in fair condition. Dredg ing of the basin will be finished and the channel made the required depth of 20 feet and width of 300 feet with funds now available. The preservation of the peninsula is of vital importance to Erie Harbor, and it is for the purpose of preserving the harbor that the protection of the weak parts of the peninsula has been deemed necessary. The weakest portion is the long, narrow neck at the western end, and works of protection have been constructed to prevent a breach through this narrow neck. The danger exists during severe storms from the westward. The protection works for the neck consist of the remains of a shore protection constructed in 1889, which affords little or no protection, and the tree growth propagated and maintained on the neck. During 1896-1898 about 6,600 young locust and willow trees were planted on the neck of the peninsula. Most of these have grown finely and now furnish a permanent and living protection to this neck. The beach erosion along the body of the peninsula has been corrected to some extent by jetties, built out from the shore. At the present time there is one dilapidated jetty at the easterly end, no longer of service, and three jetties about the middle of the peninsula shore. PROPOSED OPERATIONS AND REMARKS. The river and harbor act of March 3, 1899, officially adopts a new and extended project for the improvement of Erie Harbor. This is in accordance with the report from this office, with map, in House Executive Document No. 70, Fifty-fifth Congress, first session, and without map in the Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1897, page 3238. This new project is summarized as follows: (1) To repair and keep in repair existing structures. (2) To extend the north pier 500 feet. (3) To extend the south pier 1,000 feet. (4) To dredge the entrance channel to a depth of 20 feet. (5) To dredge a portion of the eastern end of the bay, needed for access to docks, to a depth of 20 feet. (6) To build four protection jetties along the outside of Presque Isle peninsula. (7) To maintain existing structures on and care for Presque Isle peninsula. The estimated cost of the project is $377,000, which, however, does not include items 1 and 7, except as specially estimated for at the time the project was adopted. It is estimated that $62,000 can be profitably expended during the next fiscal year in work under the project, viz, to extend the south pier 500 feet and to build one projection jetty on the outside of Presque İsle peninsula. There will be required in addition the sum of $8,000 for general maintenance, making the total amount that should be appropriated $70,000. Money statement. July 1, 1904, balance unexpended... $28, 222. 46 Amount appropriated by river and harbor act approved March 3, 1905.. 125,000.00 Received from sales.. 6.00 June 30, 1905, amount expended during fiscal year, for maintenance of improvement July 1, 1905, balance unexpended.... July 1, 1905, amount covered by uncompleted contracts.......... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project ............ (Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1823 May 26, 1824. May 25, 1826 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sundry civil act of March 2, 1827 May 19, 1828. March 3, 1829. July 3, 1832. June 28, 1834. $62, 000, 00 STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS AND ALLOTMENTS. $150.00 2,000.00 7,390. 25 4,500.00 1871 (allotment) 1891 (received from sales).. July 13, 1892.. 1904 (received from sales). Total 153, 228.46 3,288. 42 149,940. 04 112, 927.50 62,000.00 70,000.00 $10,000. 00 15,000.00 20,000.00 80,000.00 40,000.00 25,000.00 25,000. 00 25,000.00 20,000.00 20, 000. 00 50,000.00 37,500.00 83,000.00 40,000.00 4, 716. 89 40, 000. 00 10,000.00 125,000.00 125,000.00 125,000.00 6.00 1,321, 590. 12 For channel and basin excavation in Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania, dated May 25, 1905. Name of contractor: The Lake Erie Dredging Company, Buffalo, N. Y. Date of commencement: June 13, 1905. Date of expiration: October 31, 1906. For extending south pier and concrete superstructure on north pier at Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania, dated June 8, 1905. Name of contractor: Wiliiam H. Shelton, Dunkirk, N. Y. Dredging for foundation, per cubic yard, scow measure Riprap stone, per cubic yard.. Timber cribs filled with stone and leveled, per linear foot. Filling stone in superstructure, per cubic yard. Manhole covers, per cover Concrete superstructure on north pier: New hemlock timber above 4 feet below mean lake level, per 1,000 feet B. M. New stone filling in concrete superstructure. per cubic yard. Concrete blocks molded in place, per cubic yard Manhole covers, per cover Date of approval: June 15, 1905. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS OF ERIE HARBOR, PENNSYLVANIA. Arrivals and departures of vessels for the year ending December 31, 1904. Vessels. Steam. Sail and barges Total.. CONTRACTS IN FORCE. Lake commerce.... Rail commerce Num ber. Value of imports: Lake. Rail. Home ports. 799 101 Total arrivals and departures: Number. Tonnage Arrivals from 1,311,568 900 1, 432, 497 Decrease of tonnage, 1904 under 1903 Amount of revenue collected, year 1904: Value of exports, lake Enrolled tonnage, port of Erie, Pa Tons. Departures to 811 81 892 Tons. 1,270, 717 69 34 103 Foreign ports. Num- ..tons.. $0.40 2.00 3.00 36.55 10.95 ....net tons.. .feet.. 2.00 8.95 4.50 7.50 65.00 100.00 7.00 2.50 10.95 9.25 8.95 4.50 22.50 4.65 Tons. 33.994 21,912 55,906 1,996 2,890, 321 633,307 $12,513 $28,100 $146,474 $134,931 $97,008 37,538 19 |