Beyond the running of loose saw-logs, there are no commercial statistics to report. July 1, 1884, amount available July 1, 1885, amount available Money statement. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... Submitted in compliance with requirements of section 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. $25,000 00 25, 000 00 922, 121 46 А А 4. IMPROVEMENT OF CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN. This work consists in the construction of dams and jetties to confine the low-water discharge to a practicable channel, and revetment of banks with brush and stone in accordance with the original plan of improvement adopted in 1876. The original estimate for the improvement of the Chippewa River between Eau Claire and the mouth was placed at $139,892.50, of which $64,102.50 was the cost of protecting the Yellow Banks. The protection of the Yellow Banks has since been made a separate work. Deducting this item, the original estimate for improving the river alone reduced to $75,790. The revised estimate (see page 1440, Appendix X, Annual Report, 1883) for completing the work was $49,476.35, the improvement mainly to embrace the extent of river from Dunnville to the mouth, thus bringing the estimated cost up to $132,476.35. Wherever works have been constructed the low-water channel has been benefited, a depth of 3 feet being generally maintained where before improvement the depth seldom exceeded 18 inches. The improvement has been principally confined to the extent of river between the mouth and Durand. The jetties at the mouth of the river have been of incalculable benefit to raft and steamboat navigation, in giving a stable channel where before improvement commenced there was a broad bar with shallow, shifting channels. A number of shoals on this extent of river still need improvement. The work of improvement during the past fiscal year consisted in repairs to the east and west jetties at the mouth of the river and extension of revetment above the east jetty, repairs to Flower Pot Dam, Battle Island Dam, Dead Lake Cut-off Dam, and Three Mile Prairie Revetment, construction of two jetties, 1,000 linear feet in all, opposite Durand, and removal of obstructions from Shaw's Rapids, at the lower end of Eau Claire. Of these obstructions at Shaw's Rapids part were removed during the fall of 1884 and part in May following. Stone.. MATERIAL EXPENDED DURING THE YEAR. Cubic yards. 2,938 3,943 The balance of appropriations available will be applied during the coming season to extension and repair of existing works. The greater part of the work during the fiscal year was in local charge of Assistant Vine D. Simar, who zealously carried out instructions given him. His report of operations is herewith. With the exception of some needed improvement of the channel at Shaw's Rapids the improvements most needed are of the bars and crossings between Durand and the mouth of the Chippewa. The sum of $30,000 can be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, in furtherance of the present plan of improvement. This work is in the collection district of Milwaukee, Wis. The collections for this district for the year ending December 31, 1884, amounted to $206,032.42, of which amount $191,341.92 was for duties, and $14,690.50 for custom-house fees. ABSTRACT OF APPROPRIATIONS MADE FOR IMPROVING CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN Revised cost of improvement under original, which is also the present plan, was placed at $132,476.35. Total amount expended to June 30, 1885 (including outstanding liabilities), $96,289.37. Money statement. July 1, 1885, amount available Amount appropriated by act approved July 5, 1884. July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884 $1, 107 11 15,000 Ov 16, 107 11 July 1, 1885, outstanding liabilities $14,376 48 14,396 48 July 1, 1885, amount available................ 1,710 63 (Amount (estimated) required for completion of improvement per revised project 34,476 35 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1887 Submitted in compliance with requirements of section 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. 30,000 no REPORT OF MR. VINE D. SIMAR, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. SAINT PAUL, MINN., March 31, 1885. SIR: Pursuant to your orders of August 10, 1884, in company with Assistant Engineer F. T. Hampton, an examination was made of the Chippewa River from Durand to the mouth. The river at that time was at low stage, giving a good opportunity for the examination of existing works, which disclosed a break in the revetment at Three Mile Prairie and settlements at Flower Pot Dam and east jetty, the two requiring immediate attention. The steamer Minnie Heerman was chartered and went into commission August 30; the same day an examination was made of the boom and pocket placed within and near the mouth of the Chippewa River by the Mississippi Logging Company; at that time it proved to be no material obstruction to navigation, although traces of the formation of a bar across the channel, a short distance below the boom, were found, which developed later on, and after the high-water flood of September last; and by a change of the channel it became necessary to remove the pocket, which has since been done by the parties controlling it. Steps were at once taken to repair the settlements at east jetty and Flower Pot Dam. Upper Flower Pot was found some 6 feet low for a distance of 200 feet. East Jetty near the head was 5 feet low, for a distance of 90 feet; while the west jetty was found to be from 1 to 2 feet low for a distance of 800 feet. Repairs of east jetty and Flower Pot Dam were completed September 12, and work commenced on repairs of west jetty. The river being at flood height, work was suspended, and your instructions to make certain repairs at Waubeek Yellow Bank were carried out. This consisted in placing 150 cords of brush and as many cubic yards of stone upon, and crowning, the most exposed portion of the dock. After the high water had subsided, some slight settlement of the dock at another point was found, which has since been repaired at a cost of $25, making the total cost of repairs and care of Yellow Bauks for the season of 1884, $423.86. The works at Rumsey's Landing and Meridian are in fair condition, but should be completed to obtain the benefit of the improvements made. The high water of September 12 last, caused by heavy and continuous rains throughout the valley of the Chippewa River and its watershed, was higher than before known by 2 feet at Durand. Very great damage was done throughout the valley; some of the holding-dams, used by the logging companies above Chippewa Falls, gave way, letting loose large quantities of logs and an increased volume of water, adding materially to the general bad results of the flood. After receiving your orders to proceed to Eau Claire to remove certain obstructions at Shaw's Rapids, we arrived there September 21 with steamer and crew, having left one crew of men at Waubeek Yellow Bank to prosecute the repairs to the dock at that place. Upon examination of the channel at Shaw's Rapids, we found the channel which formerly ran near the left bank, and to the left of a large gravel bar, had changed to the right bank, caused by the movement of the bar down-stream by the high-water flood. The new channel was obstructed by numerous boom piers, placed near their mill some years since by the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company, for holding logs for milling purposes. We found 9 feet of water on the rapids, making the removal of the obstructions by blasting (the only effective way) somewhat difficult. After removing those piers causing the most serious obstruction and opeuing a channel, we suspended operations until October 18, when a detached party was located there to remove the remaining obstructions by blasting; the water still being at a stage of 5 feet on the rapids, it was found impracticable to bore the piles as is usually done to secure lodgment for the charge. We, instead, used one-fourth inch iron bent into rings to fit the piles; to these rings from 2 to 4 cartridges of giant powder were made fast with fuze attached; they were then dropped over the piles and placed at the bottom and discharged; in this way the remaining piers were effectively removed, giving a free channel. The banks on the right at this point should be protected by revetment, they being soft and easily destroyed by the rapids. A jetty or training-dam would, I think, secure a permanent channel. Work was resumed on repairs of west je ty October 4 and completed' October 1 1884. The following week work upon the new jetties at Durand was commenced. Two jetties were constructed, the upper one located 700 feet below Goodrich's Point, the lower one located 1,100 feet farther down-stream and 800 feet above the highway bridge. The jetties extend 500 feet from the right bank and confine the channel to a width of 700 feet at low water. The water at the upper jetty has a head (March 5) of .5 foot and has about the same elevation as at Goodrich's Point, 700 feet up-stream. In constructing the jetties bulkheads were placed at the axis of jetties, joining them well into the banks; for this we used brush 24 feet long well anchored with stone. We used the same length of brush for the greater portion of the jetties, giving them a base of 38 feet. The Durand Bar or crossing has been greatly improved by the construction of these jetties. There now exists in its place 6 feet of water (at low stage), with a permanent channel. Sandstone of good quality was obtained at Rocky Point, some 5 miles up-stream. The jetties are substantially built, and can be maintained at a slight cost for repairs. Work was completed November 22. The same day we left with steamer and barges for Read's Landing. Some difficulty was encountered the day following in getting through, the light rain of the 22d turning to snow that evening, the mercury indicating -7° the next morning, with ice running. We, however, succeeded in getting out without damage. Upon the discharge of steamer and barges, the work of repairing the revetment at Three-mile Prairie was commenced, some 400 feet requiring renewals, this, as also some repairs to Battle Island Dam, was completed during the month of December. During the month of January the bank at the head of east jetty, mouth of Chippewa River, was revetted for a distance of 120 feet from the head of the jetty up-stream, making that work secure from flanking by high water. The dam at Dead Lake cut-off was repaired against greatest damage by high water by placing brush and stone at its point of greatest settlement, near the lower bank. During the season of 1884 most difficulty to the passage of rafts occurred at Flower Pot Bar, foot of Battle Island, Mark's Bend, and mouth of Bear Creek. Flower Pot Bar might be improved by extending the Little Missouri Dam down-stream 150 feet to cut-off and turn the water (which strikes there from the upper Flower Pot Dam) to the right and main channel, which runs nearly parallel with the lower Flower Pot Dam, while a narrow channel runs close to the Little Missouri Island. The channel at Bear Creek Bar was very narrow. At Mark's Bend the river is wide and the bar very "flat." All existing works are in good condition to withstand the spring freshets. VINE D. SIMAR, Assistant Engineer. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS, CHIPPEWA RIVER, 1884. 298,344,591 feet B. M. lumber, at $14 per M feet.. 88,905,520 laths, at $2 per M.. 160,133,000 shingles at $2.50 per M. 1,840,278 pickets, at $12 per M.... 534,674,176 feet B. M. logs, Beef Slough, at $10 per M feet. $4,176,824 27 177, 811 04 400, 332 50 22,083 34 5,346,741 76 10, 123, 792 91 Steamboats commenced running April 14, 1884, and ceased running November 16, 1884. Two steamboats were engaged in the freight and passenger business. Freight carried, 750 tons. The steamboat that plied regularly between Read's Landing and Dunnville reports 5,000 passengers carried. The other steamboat made only one hundred trips in all, but does not give the number of passengers carried. The amount received for freight and passengers is given at $9,908. AA 5. IMPROVEMENT OF CHIPPEWA RIVER, AT YELLOW BANKS, WISCONSIN. The object of this work is to prevent the wearing away of the high sandbanks or bluffs on the Chippewa River, below Eau Claire, and thereby relieve this river and the Mississippi, below the junction of the two rivers, from the masses of sand contributed by these banks. The original estimate of the cost of this work was $64,102.50, as given in the report upon the cost of improving the Chippewa River, January 30, 1875. This estimate was increased, for reasons given in the Annual Report of 1883, Appendix X 5, page 1443, to $96,000, instead of the former figures. The plan of protection authorized February 7, 1883, consists in rows of piles driven at the foot of the slope at distances of 5 feet apart from center to center. Between these piles and between the line of piling and foot of the slope are laid fascines of brush with sand well incorporated with them. The finished brush-work is carried up to a height of 10 to 12 feet above low-water mark. On top of the brush saplings are laid parallel to the line of the piling; across these saplings are ties, two for every 5 feet in length of protection wall, firmly spiked to the piles and to pickets driven in rear of the protection wall. Willow slips were planted at the foot of wall and sand scraped up behind it. It is expected that the sand from the banks will keep a tight packing against the brush-work so as to obviate the necessity of using any large quantities of rock or gravel, which are expensive. The summit, however, should be crowned with rock. A few mill-edgings were used at the outset of the work, but they proved as expensive as brush, if not more so, and not so effective. The condition of the work may be stated as follows: At Waubeek Yellow Bank, 2,989 feet long, the protection has been completed. At Rumsey's Yellow Bank, 4,500 feet long, the piles are all driven, and 1,850 linear feet of the protection completed. At Mary Dean Yellow Bank, 6,900 feet long, 625 feet have been piled and 130 feet of the protection completed. Two banks near Eau Claire, aggregating 8,300 feet in length, have been untouched, leaving a total of about 14,575 linear feet, upon which no work has been done. Some slight repairs to the Waubeek Bank protection were made during the past fiscal year by hired labor. The sum of $30,000 can be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, in continuing the protection, especially of Rumsey's and Mary Dean banks. This work is in the collection district of Milwaukee, Wis. The collection for this district for the year ending December 31, 1884, amounted to $206,032.42, of which amount $191,341.92 was for duties, and $14,690.50 for custom-house fees. Revised estimate of cost of improvement.. $96,000 00 30,000 00 66,000 00 29,7 ,703 41 Total amount expended to June 30, 1885, including outstanding liabilities. Money statement. July 1, 1884, amount available. $785 12 July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884. $483 86 July 1, 1885, outstanding liabilities... 4 67 488 53 July 1, 1885, amount available.... 296 59 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project........ 66,000 00 30,000 00 A A 6. IMPROVEMENT OF SAINT CROIX RIVER BELOW TAYLOR'S FALLS, MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. The original project for the improvement of this river, adopted in 1878, was based upon the results of a survey made in 1874, and contemplated the removal of snags, bowlders, wrecks, leaning trees, and sandbars between Taylor's Falls and Prescott, and the contraction of the low-water channel between Taylor's Falls and Stillwater into one of nearly uniform width by means of brush and stone jetties, and dams of same material to close island chutes and secondary channels. |