LETTER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE WESTERLY BUSINESS MEN'S ASSOCIATION.

WESTERLY BUSINESS MEN'S ASSOCIATION,

Westerly R. I., January 13, 1885.

MY DEAR SIR: In behalf of this association I have the honor to submit here with certain facts and figures relative to the commercial interests of Westerly, which I trust will be of some service to you in estimating the needed improvements of navigation on the Pawcatuck River.

A committee appointed by the association have presented the following statement, which is submitted for your examination:

During the year 1884 15,473 tons of coal were freighted up the Pawcatuck River; 3,635,423 feet of lumber, 160,000 bricks, nearly 100,000 bushels of grain, about 1,200 tons of stone, 200 tons of salt and fish. There were more than 65,000 passengers carried on steamers up and down the river during the year, and 225 vessels and barges with cargoes towed up the river. No statistics have been obtained as to the number of schooners and sloops which has passed up and down the river. Thirty-two vessels laden with lumber, which was consigned to Westerly, had to be discharged at Stonington for the reason there was not sufficient depth of water, even at high tide, in the Pawcatuck River for the vessels to discharge their cargoes, thereby increasing the expense 75 cents on each 1,000 feet, which could have been saved if the vessels could have been brought up to the docks in Westerly. I have endeavored to give you a brief statement of the importance attending the navigation on our river. Our association, as a body representing the varied business interests of Westerly, regard it as a matter of vital importance that further necessary improvements should be made, and we trust that you will give the matter careful attention and assist us in so far as is consistent with your position.

Yours, very respectfully,

Col. GEORGE H. ELLIOT, U. S. A.

J. B. FOSTER,

President.

C 14.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF WARREN RIVER, RHODE ISLAND, WITH A VIEW TO THE REMOVAL OF OBSTRUCTIONS FROM THE CHANNEL.

ENGINEER OFFICE, UNITED STATES ARMY,

Newport, R. I., September 19, 1884.

GENERAL: In compliance with the requirements of the river and harbor act of Congress of July 5, 1884, and the order from the Chief of Engineers of the 4th September, I made a personal examination of Warren River, Rhode Island, on the 9th instant, and have the honor to report as follows:

Warren River is an arm of Narragansett Bay, north of the harbor of Bristol. It is about 1,000 feet wide in front of the town, and about onehalf mile wide at its mouth. Just above Warren, which is almost 2 miles from the bay, the river divides into two branches, the eastern branch being named Palmer's River, and the western branch Barrington River. The former is navigable to West Swansea, a distance of about 3 miles, but there is no commerce by water above Warren. There was formerly an extensive traffic at Warren with the West Indies, and many whalers were sent from here, but these businesses have decayed, and the principal occupation of the town now is manufacturing. There are several large cotton mills, giving employment to about 1,000 perThe supplies to these mills, and considerable quantities of coal, grain, and corn, are received at Warren by water and distributed to the surrounding towns. Vessels of about 11 feet draught can be carried to the upper part of the water-front of the town at high water, but the navigation is difficult and dangerous on account of obstructions, which deter commerce by water and increase the cost of freights.

sons.

The obstructions to navigation are

1st. A rocky reef below Little Island, off the upper part of the town; and,

2d. A large submerged bowlder near mid-channel, opposite the lower wharf, on the eastern side of the river.

There is a narrow channel through the reef just mentioned, through which vessels drawing about 11 feet can be carried at high water; but it is narrow, and vessels frequently strike on the rocks on either side and suffer damage. It is believed that the bottom is not ledge rock, but is formed of hard pan and gravel, on and embedded in which are numerous comparatively small bowlders. The distance across the reef is from 250 to 350 feet. Whether the reef is in whole or in part ledge rock, or, as is believed, it is composed of bowlders, more easily removed, can only be determined after a survey with boring apparatus and other proper appliances. In the latter case an increase in width of channel can be cheaply obtained by removing bowlders by means of a vessel with steam hoisting apparatus and the labor of its crew and a submarine diver. The expense of removing the isolated submerged bowlders from the channel opposite the lower wharves would probably not exceed $200 or $300.

My attention was also called to an ancient pier near the mouth of the river. This pier, which is about 80 feet long by 40 feet wide, was built for a foundation of a pyramidal masonry beacon, which marks some rocks just above the pier, called Allen's Rocks. These structures were erected by means of an appropriation of $4,000 in the river and harbor act of May 23, 1828. The top of the pier is not far above high water of ordinary tides, and in storm-tides in winter it is swept by the ice, which has carried considerable portions of it into the narrow channel which lies to the eastward, between the beacon and Jacob's Point. This has not as yet caused any serious obstruction to navigation, but if the further destruction of the pier is not prevented, and the beacon itself should fall into the channel, which it seems likely to do, the débris will no doubt endanger vessels beating in and out of the river. The beacon is in the beacon list of the third light-house district, and it and the pier probably now pertain to the Light House Establishment.

I send herewith a statement of the amount of commerce of Warren, in consideration of which and of its probable increase, if the obstructions in the river be removed, as they probably can be at an expense not exceeding $2,500 or $3,000, I deem Warren River worthy of improvement, and recommend a survey of it, or as much of it as may be found necessary, with a view to the removal of the obstructions. I estimate the cost of the survey at $200.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Brig. Gen. JOHN NEWTON,

Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.

GEORGE H. ELLIOT,
Lieut. Col. of Engineers.

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.

WARREN, R. I., September 8, 1884.

DEAR SIR: In response to your inquiry, I beg leave to submit the following report:

The whole number of vessels arriving at this port for the year 1883, exclusive of

crafts plying on the river between this port and Providence and other points on the bay, was one hundred and thirty-six, which brought-

These figures do not include a large number of vessels which occasionally ply between this port and Providence and other places on the bay, with miscellaneous

cargoes.

The commerce on the river for the year 1883 is believed to be much less than the average during a number of years last past. That for the first eight months of the present year (1884) is estimated as much greater than the commerce for the corre sponding period of 1883, while the number of vessels arriving in 1882 exceeded the number for last year (1883) by more than 20 per cent.

There are two cotton-manufacturing corporations in town, which give employment to about 1,000 persons. These corporations obtain all their coal and a considerable portion of their cotton via Warren River.

Warren is the entrepôt for a large territory, and much of the coal, grain, lumber, &c., used in the towns of Barrington, Swansea, and Rehoboth is brought to this town via Warren River. All of the coal and nearly all of the grain and lumber used in the town of Warren are brought here via Warren River.

SURVEY OF WARREN RIVER, RHODE ISLAND.

ENGINEER OFFICE, UNITED STATES ARMY, Newport, R. I., January 12, 1885. GENERAL: I have the honor to submit a report of a survey of the upper part of Warren River, Rhode Island, made in compliance with the river and harbor act of Congress of July 5, 1884, and your instructions of the 21st November last.

In the report of my preliminary examination of this river, dated the 17th September last, I gave a description of it, and stated that

The obstructions to navigation are, first, a rocky reef below Little Island and off the upper part of the town; and, second, a large submerged bowlder near mid-channel opposite the lower wharf, on the eastern side of the river.

The survey, which was executed in the early part of December last, by Mr. George Alexander, assistant engineer, and a party in the United States schooner Surveyor, was confined to the obstructions above mentioned, and to the pier at Allen's Rock, near the mouth of the river. Mr. Alexander's report is appended hereto.

By reason of the small amount of money available for the survey, and the inclemency of the weather, which was likely to increase the expense of it, I adopted an examination of the reef by a submarine diver as the most expeditious and economical, and, under the circumstances, the most satisfactory method of determining its composition, whether it was ledge rock, or, as was supposed by the citizens of Warren, it was formed of bowlders embedded in hard pan.

The diver, who has been employed in this district from time to time in the removal of submarine rock obstructions, was engaged during two days in the examination, which, in respect of discovering the composition of the reef, was thorough and complete.

Beneath the bowlders, which cover the surface of the reef, there was found a solid ledge of rock, the existence of which had not been suspected, as there are no traces of it on the opposite shores. Between the bowlders, points of the ledge project through the material in which the bowlders are embedded.

A calculation of the cubic contents of that part of the reef which would be necessary to be removed in order to straighten, widen, and deepen the channel sufficiently to make it 100 feet wide and 12 feet deep at mean high water (the channel desired), gives us 1,650 cubic yards. The major part of this is ledge rock, and it is estimated that the cost of removing it would not be less than $20 per cubic yard, or $33,000 for the whole work.

The expenditure of this sum, considering the amount of shipping to be benefited, does not appear to be judicious.

Still, the interests involved are considerable, as will be observed from the commercial statistics which were appended to my preliminary report, and the labor of a large number of persons, operatives in the mills at Warren, is, in a measure, dependent on the cost of freights by sea to and from Warren River, which cost is enhanced by the danger of vessels striking on the reef and on the large mid-channel bowlder (Bushworth Rock), which I mentioned in that report. Vessels are frequently caught on the reef especially, and I am informed that one has struck upon it since the survey was made.

The channel in the upper part of the barbor is deep enough, but it is not straight and it lacks in width.

The removal of even a single bowlder, or the blasting down of a single point of the ledge on the side of the channel, would lessen the danger to which vessels are now subject. Precisely how much of benefit would accrue from the expenditure of a moderate and specified sum of money in this way cannot be determined without a more minute survey than could be made with the sum allotted. At the mouth of the Pawtuxet, on the other side of Narragansett Bay, I have been enabled by means of a small appropriation made in the act of July 5, 1884, to accomplish results which gave much satisfaction, by employing, under an inspector of good judgment, a vessel with steam-hoisting apparatus and a subma rine diver, with directions to straighten and widen the channel by clearing away the bowlders to the right and left of the deepest water as far as the money appropriated would allow.

Should Congress deem it advisable to make an appropriation for the improvement of Warren River, the same plan should be adopted. In a case such as is here presented the amount of benefit is nearly in proportion to the amount expended. A few hundred dollars would remove several of the submerged bowlders which project farthest into the channel. Five thousand dollars would doubtless remove Bushworth Rock and all of the bowlders in the narrow part of the channel below Little Island, within a width of 100 feet, and sufficient of the ledge to make navigation comparatively safe and easy.

In my judgment, therefore, the "improvement proper to be made" in this case is the removal of obstructions in the channel as far as it can be done with an expenditure of $5,000.

I have not included in this estimate the repairs on the ancient beacon and its foundation at Allen's Rock, or the raising of the latter, since these structures pertain to the Light-House Establishment, and the stones which are removed from them from time to time by ice and sea do not obstruct navigation.

Commercial statistics of Warren accompanied the report of my preliminary examination of the river.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEORGE H. ELLIOT,

Lieut. Col. of Engineers.

Brig. Gen. JOHN NEWTON,

Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.

REPORT OF MR. GEORGE ALEXANDER, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.
ENGINEER OFFICE, UNITED STATES ARMY,

Newport, R. I., January 2, 1885.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit here with a plat and the following report on the survey of the Warren River, Rhode Island, which I have made according to your verbal directions, with reference, first, to the widening and deepening of the channel between Little Island and the eastern shore of the river at the upper end of the town of Warren; and, second, to the removal of Bushworth Rock, which is situated in mid-channel, at the lower end of the town.

The survey also includes an examination of the Allen's Rock beacon, with reference to making an estimate of the cost of rebuilding the pier, &c.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RIVER AND LOCALITY.

The Warren River is one of the tributaries of Narragansett Bay. Taking its rise in Southeastern Massachusetts, its course is southerly and southeasterly through Massachusetts into Rhode Island, where it empties into Narragansett Bay, only a few miles to the eastward of the mouth of the Providence River. On the west shore of the river is the town of Barrington, mostly farming lands along the river bank. On the eastern shore is situated the town of Warren, having a population of about 4,000.

The town contains large cotton and woolen manufactories which form the center of attraction of a considerable commerce. The river is not navigable above the town of Warren.

At the upper end of the town the river is spanned by the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad Company's bridge. The passages between the piers and abutments of the bridge are very narrow, which makes the current of the river swift and irregular during the ebb and flow of the large volume of tide-water to and from the receiving basins above, and greatly interferes with navigation.

About 2 miles from its mouth the river is joined by the Barrington River, a small unnavigable stream, and it is at the juncture of these two rivers, and opposite the town of Warren, that Little Island is situated. It is a small piece of marshy land, at the southeastern extremity of which a reef covered with gravel and bowlders (some of which are bare at low water) projects out into the channel, narrowing it to a width of about 70 feet between the 9-foot curves at low water. Vessels drawing 10 or 12 feet of water can pass through this channel at high water, but owing to the swift and irregular current before mentioned they are liable to be swung around upon this dangerous reef and to be seriously damaged by the projecting bowlders.

#

By removing the surface bowlders and the projecting points from off a portion of this ledge, making the surface generally level, it is thought that the channel will be made considerably better for the passage of vessels, as the swift current of the river would then carry away the loose sand and gravel from the ledge and still further increase the depth of water. Although this portion of the river would not be as deep as the channel, still vessels would be much less liable to damage than on the jagged surface of the ledge as it now exists.

BUSHWORTH ROCK.

This rock is situated in mid-chaunel, just below the village of Warren, and is on the prolongation of the line of the south side of the lower wharf on the east side of the river and about 225 feet from the front face of this wharf.

It is a very dangerous obstruction in the channel, as there is only about 8 feet of water on it at mean low water, while the depth of water around it is from 12 to 15 feet.