List of civilian engineers employed on work of river and harbor improvements in charge of Missouri River Commission from July 1, 1897, to June 30, 1898, inclusive, in connection with improving Missouri River from its mouth to Sioux City, Iowa (under acts of August 18, 1894, March 2, 1895, June 3, 1896, and June 4, 1897); improving Osage River, Missouri and Kansas (under river and harbor acts of August 18, 1894, and June 3, 1896); improving Gasconade River, Mo. (under river and harbor act of June 3, 1896).

a On survey, Missouri River.

bOn survey, examination of reservoir sites in Wyoming and Colorado.

Abstract of proposals opened by Capt. H. M. Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, at St. Louis, Mo., at 12 o'clock m., June 3, 1897, for furnishing and delivering f. o. b. cars at Osage City, Mo., 5,000 barrels of hydraulic Portland cement of at least 370 pounds net weight per barrel, for construction of Lock No. 1, Osage River, Missouri.

APPENDIX A.

ANNUAL REPORT ON SURVEYS BY MR. A. H. BLAISDELL, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION,

St. Louis, Mo., June 30, 1898.

COLONEL: I have the honor to present the following report on the continuation of the topographical survey of the Missouri River Valley, made during this fiscal year, in accordance with the approved project of the Missouri River Commission, under the direction of Capt. H. M. Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, secretary.

The extent of territory contemplated to be covered by the season's work was that included between 1 miles below Lexington, Mo., to 14 miles above Quindaro, Mo., a river distance of 80 miles, embracing slightly more than is contained on Charts XIII and XIV of the survey of 1890.

This project was accomplished, and in addition a large amount of work in much more than ordinary detail was performed in the reestablishment of the harbor lines of Kansas City, Mo. and Kans.

A party of five topographers and one levelman, with a complement of recorders, boatmen, axmen, etc., under the local charge of Mr. Horace Dunaway, took the field August 16 and completed the main field work November 12.

The steamer Golden Gate was again used as a quarter boat. Her crew was limited to a pilot, an engineer, and a night watchman, all the labor of coaling, firing, etc., being performed by the surveying party. The entire force numbered 38 men.

The steamer was placed in commission at Gasconade, Mo., August 4 and was laid up in winter quarters at the same place November 22. Her total running expense was $1,515.80, 42 per cent of which was expended in going to and returning from the locality of the work. Her total mileage was about 600 miles.

After the main field work was completed, a small party was kept in the field for nineteen days, during which the lines of the bluffs included within the scope of the last two seasons' surveys, and which are beyond the limits of 14 miles from the river bank, were run and located topographically.

Some cases of serious sickness of typhoid and malarial characters among both the assistants and the field hands delayed the work to a considerable extent, necessitating a partial reorganization of the party.

It was not possible at the time the party was formed to secure instrument men experienced in this special line of work, and its average rate of progress was not as large as that of the well-experienced party of the previous year.

Taken into account, however, the country passed over, which, topographically considered, presents more than ordinary difficulties, the detailed items of work accomplished and attendant expense, as shown in the annexed table, do not compare unfavorably with similar analysis of work performed in previous years.

The methods used in making the survey have been described in previous reports, most of the work being cone with the stadia based on a system of tertiary triangles along the river bank connected with the secondary triangulation between bluffs made previous to 1887. In this connection it may be stated that many of the iron pipes marking the secondary triangulation stations have been molested or entirely removed, thus entailing greater trouble and additional expense to the surveying party in tying up their flying ines.

The total cost of the field work on both the regular and special surveys, including the sum of $251 expended in repairs to steamer, repairs to instruments, purchase of material, and other incidentals, was $8,631.

The reducing and mapping force in the office has varied in number from 2 to 6, the average number being less than 4.

On the two charts, covering most of the work done, Nos. XIII and XIV, the platting has been entirely completed and eight-tenths of the contour lines and other topographical features have been penciled in.

The first mapping work accomplished was the preparation of a new harbor line map of Kansas City, Mo. and Kans., and the readjustment of the channel line at its lower end, made necessary by the want of extension of the original harbor line survey of 1893 and its imperfect connection with the secondary triangulation system.

Detailed statement of work on topographical survey, season of 1897.

Secondary triangulation stations occupied.
Tertiary triangulation stations occupied..

Base lines measured

Miles of stadia line run.

Miles of shore line run (not including islands and bars).

Miles of bluff line located...

20

297

6

710

167.7

144

Miles of river surveyed...

Square miles of topography surveyed.

Number of stadia stations occupied (including triangulation stations).
Number of side points located...........

Section and quarter-section corners located.

Bench marks located....

Miles of levels run.......

Number of single days on which topography was taken..

Number of square miles of topography for each observer, per working day.
Cost of field work per square miles of topography

Number of rations served.

80

199

4, 150

34, 917

39

51

168

266

0.75

$33.97

3, 663 $0.485

A. H. BLAISDELL, Assistant Engineer.

APPENDIX B.

ANNUAL REPORT ON GAUGES AND PHYSICAL DATA, BY MR. A. H. BLAISDELL, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION,

St. Louis, Mo., June 30, 1898.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report on water gauges during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898:

Twenty-two permanent gauges have been maintained on the Missouri River, of which number the sixteen between Boonville, Mo., and Blair, Nebr., are at an average distance of 31 miles apart, with the single exception of the Rulo Bridge gauge, which is 58 miles above St. Joseph.

Above Blair the next gauge is on the lower bridge at Sioux City, 111 miles.

Below Boonville, Mo., the permanent gauges are separated at respective distances of 54, 44, 79, and 20 miles.

Between Jefferson City and Coles Creek, 44 miles, temporary gauges, varying in number from two to four, have been maintained in connection with the rectification works on the first reach.

Two complete tours of gauge inspection have been made, viz, in November-December and in April-May.

The seventeen cable gauges on bridges have required no repair except in a few instances the inexpensive renewals of gauge cords and weights, or their temporary transfer to allow bridge repair.

The inclined wooden gauges at DeWitt and at Brownville will, on the recurrence of low water, practically require renewals on account of injuries from ice and changes in river channel.

During the inspection trips the records of two private gauges were obtained and incorporated in the office records.

The pilot bulletin service was maintained at Kansas City throughout the year and during the eight months of navigable season at the eleven stations below. The readings of these bulletins since the change was made in the zero elevation of the United States Weather Bureau guage at Hermann, Mo., on January 1, 1898, practically corresponds with the published stages of the gauges of that Department.

Abstracts of the weekly gauge reports have been mailed two days after the close of each week to the field parties, current hydrographs have been kept platted to date, and corrected hydrographs of the previous year have been completed in ink. Weekly gauge reports from the gauges at Bismarck, N. Dak., and Townsend, Mont., on the Upper Missouri River, have been received throughout the year.

The year has been remarkable for unusual low water which occurred early in October; excepting in the vicinity of Atchison, where a stable regimen has not been reestablished since recent cut-offs, and at Glasgow, where conditions appear to have been abnormal for the past two years, the October stages were from 1 to 2 feet below standard low water, and at most stations were below any of record since 1878.

The present June has been the high-water month of the year, and in the lower river, although the high-water season has been longer than usual, no greater height than that of standard high water was reached except at Jefferson City, where a disproportionate stage of 2 feet above standard high water obtained.

On the Osage River the four permanent gauges are at 1, 7, 22, and 60 miles, respectively, above the mouth, and on the Gasconade, one gauge, at 30 miles above the month, is beginning the fourth year of its continuance. Heavy rains have kept both of these streams at high and fluctuating stages since March.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Lieut. Col. AMOS STICKNEY,

Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.,

President Missouri River Commission.

A. H. BLAISDell,
Assistant Engineer.

APPENDIX C.

ANNUAL REPORTS ON COMMERCIAL STATISTICS BY MR. A. H. BLAISDELL, ASSISTANT

ENGINEER.

MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION,

St. Louis, Mo., June 30, 1898.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report on the commerce of the Missouri River between its mouth and the lower limits of Sioux City, Iowa, during the calendar year 1897:

Previous to 1895, the jurisdiction of Missouri River included the port of Sioux City, and in the tables preceding that year inserted in this report for purposes of comparison a small amount of the recorded commerce belongs to that port. Footnotes under the tables, however, indicate the amount of such commerce.

The statistics were gathered largely from correspondence with the more important shippers, but with those shipping small amounts of personal inquiry was generally necessary. Weekly cards sent in by each gauge observer recording the passage of boats, rafts, etc., together with such details of the river's trade as he might be able to glean, served as a check on the accuracy of the returns thus obtained.

The tables giving the tonnage and measurements of steamers engaged in the trade are compiled from their United States inspection papers.

The law requiring the inspection and enrollment of vessels having a capacity of not less than 15 tons, which are propelled by gasoline engines, became operative during the year, and a list of all of such vessels engaged in the trade is likewise annexed.

Table 1 giving the amount of freight carried, towed, or rafted and passengers carried in 1897 is believed to be a close approximation to the actual trade.

During 1897 there were no steamboats on the Missouri running through to the mouth of the river. The long-trade packet business of the year was that performed by the steamer Gasconade or the Peerless in barging lumber and other freight between Lexington and Jefferson City, 171 miles, and by the steamer Benton, which, in June, made a single trip from the mouth to Sioux City, Iowa, where she was taken to engage in the upper-river trade, and was afterwards wrecked on the Combination Bridge.