APPENDIX Z. IMPROVEMENT OF THE NAVIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN SAINT PAUL AND THE MOUTH OF THE ILLINOIS, INCLUDING IMPROVEMENTS AT SPECIAL LOCALITIES BETWEEN THOSE POINTSOPERATING AND CARE OF DES MOINES RAPIDS CANAL. REPORT OF MAJOR ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1885, WITH OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE WORKS. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, GENERAL: I have the honor to transmit herewith the annual reports of operations in my charge during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Á. MACKENZIE, Major of Engineers. The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A. Z 1. OPERATIONS OF SNAG-BOATS IN IMPROVEMENT OF UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER. The nature and amount of work carried on under this appropriation as well as statistics of commerce and navigation are given in the appended report of Assistant Engineer C. W. Durham. There was available for work under this appropriation at beginning of fiscal year but $974.38, and the act of Congress approved July 5, 1884, omitted the usual item for this work. It has been necessary to make allotments from the general appropriations for carrying out such work as was indispensably necessary in the interest of navigation. As an indication of the importance of the work carried on under this appropriation I give the following extract from the report made to the governor of Minnesota in December, 1884, by the "State commissioners for the improvement of the Mississippi River: " In all river and harbor bills up to, but exclusive of, bill approved July 5, 18-4, an item of appropriation with above title has appeared. In the act approved July 5, 1884, the item was omitted. Why this was done we cannot say, unless it was assumed that the work was covered by the item " Removing snags from Mississippi River,” but the work on the Upper Mississippi is not covered by the appropriation for the Mississippi River. The work carried on under the title "Improving Upper Mississippi River, operating snag-boats," &c., is most important. An estimate with this title has been submitted to Congress, and in any bill framed the item should not be omitted. Unless an appropriation is made, the snag-boats must lie idle, and between Saint Paul and the mouth of the Missouri boats must suffer the consequences. The Upper Mississippi is full of wrecks, many of which are liable in themselves to become obstructions; these and snags and falling trees are liable at any time to seriously obstruct or even prohibit navigation. The means must, in the interest of upper river navigation, be at hand for their removal. The records will show that since the Government commenced its work of operating snag-boats, &c., on the Upper Mississippi, the wrecking of boats has ceased, and the money return to navigators and the general public, as a result of the work of snagging, &c., is inestimable. In my last annual report I referred to the subject of removal of wrecks and temporary work of cutting channels, and recommended the construction of a dredge to be operated in connection with the snagboats. As it was practicable during the past season to construct a dredge under the general appropriation "improving Mississippi River, Saint Paul to Des Moines Rapids," and as this dredge will be at times available for use in connection with snagging outfit, the recommenda tion of last year is not here repeated. The work carried on under this appropriation is of very great importance to the interests of navigation, and, if it is the desire of the Government to foster the carrying trade of the Upper Mississippi at the present time of low freights and railroad competition, may almost be called indispensable. If such trade is to be successfully continued, the expenses incident to delays, damages, &c., resulting from snags, wrecks, overhanging trees, &c., must be reduced to the lowest possible limits. That the preservation of successful navigation on the Upper Mississippi is a necessity must be admitted, and so long as this work must be provided for by an item in the river and harbor bill, it is liable to be interrupted by the failure of the bill. I believe that permanent provision should be made for this work of snagging, wrecking, tree cutting and pulling, clearing banks, finding and marking new channels, making surveys, soundings, and examinations, assisting boats in distress, watching and repairing existing improvements, investigating and supervising work on bridges, collecting physical data and statistics of commerce and navigation, and in general facilitating and reducing expenses of navi gation. To carry on this work properly would cost approximately $30,000 a year. The operations of snag-boats on the Upper Mississippi should be placed on the same footing as the canals now operated by the Government, in accordance with provisions of the act of March 3, 1881. An appropriation of $30,000 is recommended for the next fiscal year. This estimate is based on necessary operating expenses, and cannot be reduced without affecting efficiency of the work. ABSTRACT OF APPROPRIATIONS. By act approved March 2, 1867... By allotment from appropriation of July 25, 1868. By allotment from appropriation of 1869 By act approved July 11, 1870.. By act approved March 3, 1871. By act approved June 10, 1872. By act approved March 3, 1873. Money statement. July 1, 1884, amount available.. Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1887 30,000 00 REPORT OF MR. C. W. DURHAM, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, MAJOR: I have ihe honor to present my annual report on improving Upper Mississippi River for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885, together with some statistics of commerce and navigation. OPERATIONS OF SNAG-BOAT GENERAL BARNARD. During the early part of July, 1884, the Barnard was put in repair and repainted. On July 22 she was brought out of the Des Moines Rapids Canal and put in commission for snagging. On the same day she left Keokuk for below, arriving at Saint Louis on the 23d. Left Saint Louis July 26, on her way up-river. On August 2, near Sabula, pulled the Bronson off a sand bar; reached Saint Paul August 8; operated between Saint Paul and Hastings until August 13, and then returned down-river. On September 2 she closed her snagging cruise at Keokuk. During the remainder of the season up to November 19, when she was laid up for the winter in the canal, the Barnard was employed in assisting the towing of fleets to Guttenberg, Iowa, thence to Fort Madison, Iowa, and back to the canal at Keokuk. While work was going on at these points she served as a quarter-boat for a portion of the force employed in constructing dams and shore protections. She was in snagging service forty-two days in 1884, and removed obstructious from the channel at or near the following-named points: Grafton, Reed's Landing, Louisiana, Hickory Chute, Armstrong's, Marion City, South River, Fabius Island, Canton, Devil's Island, Burlington, Henderson River, Keithsburg, Muscatine, Gordon's Landing, Jack Oak Season. Slough, Lynxville, Bad Axe Bend, Coon Slough, Red Wing and La Crescent; also between Saint Paul and Hastings. She ar During the winter of 1884-'85 the Barnard lay in the canal, and on June 15, 1885, after some slight repairs, was sent to Fountain City with a tow of barges. rived at that point June 29 and was laid up. OPERATIONS OF SNAG-BOAT J. G. PARKE. The Parke lay in the canal undergoing repairs and repainting until September 4, 1884. On that day she started with a tow of barges for Cassville Slough and was employed at that locality and at Fort Madison in building dams and shore protections until the close of the season. Incidental to her work of towing barges she ran 3,369 miles. During the winter of 1884-'85, and up to the present time, she has lain in the canal. SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS OF SNAG-BOAT GENERAL BARNARD FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1885. There follows a statement of snag-boat service for the past seventeen seasons: Improving Upper Mississippi River.-Summary of operations of snag-boats, 1868 to 1884, RIVER NOTES. The river remained at a good boating stage until the latter part of July. During the remainder of that month and the month of August the water was quite low, especially between Saint Paul and Hastings, but steamboats had no difficulty in reaching Saint Paul, the worst bars having been improved or eradicated. The General Barnard, a large side-wheel boat, went through to Saint Paul August 8, 1884, on a stage of less than 2 feet. STATISTICS OF COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION. Lumber. The most important business interest on the Upper Mississippi River and its principal tributaries is the lumber trade, which gives employment to great numbers of men, and upwards of one hundred steamboats, which are used in guiding and propelling rafts. Between the mouth of the Chippewa and Saint Louis there are eighty mills on the main river, with an annual day sawing capacity of 800,000,000 feet, employing some sixteen thousand men and representing about $20,000,000 capital. On the Upper Mississippi and its tributaries, the Saint Croix, Chippewa, Wisconsin, and Black, there are about two hundred mills engaged in the manufacture of lumber, the greater part of which product is floated into the former stream. Steamboats and freights. The principal steamboat lines on the Upper Mississippi River are the Saint Louis and Saint Paul Packet Company and the Diamond Jo Line. There are also independent boats carrying freight and passengers. During 1884 the Diamond Jo Line carried 173,517 tons of freight and 32,905 passengers. Statistics of the other line could not be obtained. Statement of amount of freight received at and shipped from Saint Louis by the Upper Mississippi River for five years. Movement in flour and grain by Upper Mississippi boats in 1884. The following table affords a comparative view of the relative amount of navigation at various localities on the Upper Mississippi River for the last three years: Statement of steamers, barges, and rafts passing various bridges. |