SURVEY OF MISSOURI RIVER FROM LEXINGTON TO BOONVILLE. Work was continued upon the maps of this survey and they are now completed. CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR OF PLANT. Work was continued during the season on finishing and outfitting the new plant, which is now in good condition and ready for service. July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883..... July 1, 1884, amount available...... GENERAL IMPROVEMENT. $16, 675 22 16,574 42 100 80 KANSAS CITY AND LEAVENWORTH DIVISIONS. These two divisions were consolidated for economical considerations and placed in charge of Assistant S. H. Yonge, whose report is appended. No field work was done during the season beyond caring for the public property and gauging the Missouri and Kaw rivers near Kansas City. Changes in the upper part of Kaw Bend caused the loss of about 1,000 feet of the revetment of 1882, which was outflanked and washed into the river. This destructive work is still progressing, and will continue until checked by an up-stream extension of the revetment. At Lexington there has been no change of movement, and the work done in 1882 still remains intact. At Leavenworth the river has made extensive inroads on the neck of land opposite the fort, but the means available did not justify beginning work at this point. SAINT JOSEPH DIVISION. No field work was done at either Saint Joseph or Atchison during the year beyond caring for the public property. No serious damage to the works has occurred, though their early extension will be necessary. Assistant S. W. Fox has been in charge of the division since the resignation of Mr. Church last March. On both divisions much office work has been done and maps and physical data have been put in good shape for reference. All the old plant, and a portion of the new, was wintered at Saint Joseph and Kansas City; the bulk of the new plant was, however, retained for safe keeping near Saint Louis, where it still lies, ready for work. Further operations on this improvement, as well as the preparations of estimates, devolve by law upon the Missouri River Commission, organized by act approved July 5, 1884. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available Amount received from sale of fuel to officers July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883.. July 1, 1884, amount available... .$150,200 08 116 98 150,317 06 116, 497 94 33, 819 12 REPORT OF MR. CHARLES 8. PEASE, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. OMAHA, NEBR., January 1, 1884. MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report for the season of 1883, July 1, 1883, to January 1, 1884. During July and August the watchmen and myself constituted the force employed, and no labor beyond the general work of maintenance and reducing a few sets of notes was done. In September, preparations for extending the Omaha revetment to the Union Pacific Railway bridge were begun, and plant being prepared, the actual work was commenced on September 30. Operations were continued through October and November, and finally completed in December. The plant and engineer property were then transferred to assistant D. W. Church at Saint Joseph, Mo. All notes and drawings, records, &c., were transferred to your office, and this charge closed. The details of the work of revetment of this season are as follows: The Missouri River has a channel contact of about 10,000 linear feet on the Omaha front, between two consecutive crossings, and as the United States and the Union Pacific Railway Company have already covered most of this frontage by substantial protection, it was decided to complete the work to the lower crossing at the bridge-the work of this season. The bed-rock underlies the bank throughout the whole front at a depth of about 30 feet below low water, and the bank varies in height from 10 feet to 15 feet. The plan adopted was to construct a continuous woven brush mattress, 10 inches thick, covering the bank to high-water mark, and extending out 50 feet beyond the low-water line, averaging in width 75 feet over all. The bank was graded on a slope of two to one, and the mattress woven continuously for the full length. In constructing the submerged portion of the work, a 15 by 60 feet scow, supplied with a 10 by 50 feet apron, was employed. This sloping apron was laid on trusses at the upper end of the scow, and at right angle with the bank; when the apron was quite covered by the weavers, the scow was dropped down-stream about 8 feet. Weavers were placed about 8 feet apart on the width of the mat, and made not more than 110 linear feet of mat, full width, per day. The brush was supplied from an island 3 miles above, by means of a sail barge, carrying about 20 cords per load. A satisfactory joint was made with the work above and with the Union Pacific Railway Company's revetment at the bridge, completing the revetment of the entire city frontage. During the progress of the work rock began to arrive as per arrangement with the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, and the mat submerged was ballasted with about 1,000 pounds of large rock (of 1 to 2 cubic feet) per linear foot. Later the upper bank was ballasted with crushed rock, about 1,500 pounds per linear foot, placed thickest at the ice line. Where the slope of the submerged work was too steep to permit of uniform distribution of ballast thrown on loosely, the pieces were bailed and strung on a small wire cable and dumped from a scow upon the mattress in lines normal to the water line. Three -inch cables were incorporated into the body of the mattress of the submerged work in lines parallel to the water line, thus giving considerable additional longitudinal strength. After the new work of 1,270 linear feet was finished, a patch of 800 feet in length by 35 feet in width, lapping the bank and low-water work, was placed where the ice had damaged the protection of 1830. Then the balance of the high-water protection of the United States work, which extends 1,700 feet above the new work of this season, was covered with crushed rock, the whole now presenting a fine and substantial appearance. I am, major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. CHARLES R. SUTER, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A, CHAS. S. PEASE. REPORT OF MR. SAMUEL H. YONGE, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 10, 1884. MAJOR: I have the honor to submit my report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1884, as follows, viz: In accordance with your instructions, no construction work has been carried on during the past year. The observation party, organized in June, 1883, was engaged in collecting physical data in this vicinity until November 6, 1883, when this work was discontinued and the party discharged. A small force was employed during the year in caring for the boats and other property at Kaw Bend. The force in the office was employed in working up the notes of physical data taken in the vicinity of Kansas City, Mo., and Leavenworth, Kans., and in miscellaneous office work. Changes of considerable importance have taken place in the river on the reach under my charge, the most important being the following, viz: At latan, Mo., the old bed of the river has shoaled up, and at and below a stage of ordinary low water the whole discharge passes through Cow Island Chute. A very severe erosion of the left bank has occurred below the mouth of the Bee Creek. The accompanying map of this locality shows the changes in the position of the shore line. The average width of the erosion for a distance of about 7,300 feet is 324 feet. The river now shows a tendency to leave the Missouri shore at Bee Creek and to cross directly from that point to Fort Leavenworth, Kans. It is probable, however, that this tendency will disappear as soon as the stage of ordinary low water is again reached. Several short rock dikes have been constructed in this locality by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company during the last few weeks to check the erosion in Bee Creek Bend. Their effect cannot be judged until a lower stage of water is attained. Changes in Parkville, Quindaro, and Kaw bends have been going on simultaneously, those in the upper bends influencing more or less those in the lower. The erosion in Parkville Bend covers a length of about 9,000 feet, with a maximum width of 240 and a mean width of 72 feet. In Quindaro Bend the maximum erosion of the right bank is 130 feet, with a mean of 68 feet for a length of 10,900 feet. An important change has taken place in the upper part of Kaw Bend. The left bank of the bend here consists of very light material and cuts rapidly when exposed to the direct impact of the stream. In the latter part of June, 1883, a pocket began to cut out, which gradually extended down-stream for a distance of about 6,000 feet to the upper part of the revetment. In the hope that this cutting would be only temporary, an attempt was made to check it by strengthening the head of the revetment in various ways, which was successful for a time only. The cutting has continued intermittently throughout the year, resulting in the river's flanking about 1,000 feet of the revetment, and is still in progress. In case the erosion continues further down-stream for a distance of about 1,500 feet the bend will be in fair shape for carrying out the improvement of Kaw Bend, but if it should extend still further the projects submitted heretofore will have to be essentially modified. As au effect of the erosion in the upper part of Kaw Bend about 5,600 feet of the left bank in the lower part of this bend has been cut away for an average width of 116 feet. Owing to changes in the regimen of the river above Kansas City, Mo., and also to dumps of waste earth, refuse, &c., placed in the river just above the Kansas City bridge during high water, changes have occurred in the channel of the river below 5908 EN-97 the bridge, which have caused the left bank at and below Harlem, Mo., to cut severely for a length of about 6,000 feet and an average width of 75 feet. The parties placing the dumps referred to in the river were requested to discontinue doing so, and some of them have complied with this request. The changes in the shore lines in Parkville, Quindaro, and Kaw Bend are marked on the accompanying map. The Kansas City, Saint Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Company has raised its road-bed between Line Creek and Harlem, Mo., above a stage of overflow, and it is believed that this will prove a valuable adjunct in the improvement of Kaw Bend by preventing a flow of water across the peninsula between Harlem and Kaw Bend during high stages of water. The same company has also constructed several rock spur-dikes in the pocket of the upper part of Kaw Bend for the purpose of protecting its tracks. The changes at Lexington, Mo., have been very slight. Some cutting of the left bank has, however, taken place below the foot of the revetment, causing the bar in front of the town to extend further down-stream. This cutting has an average width of 36 feet for a length of 1,800 feet. The general condition of the revetment at Kaw Bend is very good, none of it having been destroyed excepting that part of it which was flanked as stated above. The work at Lexington, Mo., seems to be in fair shape. About 50 feet of the revetment at the lower end of the work has been destroyed. The duties performed by the assistants employed during the year were as follows, viz: Mr. R. H. Bacot has had local charge of the floating and other property at Kaw Bend. Mr. E. F. Hermanns has assisted in the preparation of the various reports and accounts, and in computing notes of physical data and the investigations relating thereto. For this latter work Mr. Hermanns has shown special aptitude and zeal. Mr. E. L. Cooley has assisted in computing and platting notes of physical data and making some necessary surveys. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. CHARLES R. SUTER, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. V 3. SAMUEL H. YONGE, SURVEY OF THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM ITS MOUTH TO FORT BENTON, ΜΟΝΤΑΝΑ. The field work of this survey had been carried to Fort Pierre at date of last report, a total distance from the mouth of 1,174 miles. During the past season the reduced maps of the survey have been completed and published, and the large maps nearly completed. A reconnaissance made by the assistant in charge shows that there still remain about 1,000 miles to be surveyed, in order to carry the work to Fort Benton. The report of Assistant D. W. Wellman, in charge of the survey, is appended. The further prosecution of this work is devolved by law upon the Missouri River Commission. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available.. July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883 .... July 1, 1884, amount available...... $15, 612 04 5,221 70 10,390 34 REPORT OF MR. D. W. WELLMAN, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, MAJOR: I have the honor to submit herewith the following report relative to the "survey of the Missouri River from the mouth to Fort Benton," Montana, for the year ending June 30, 1884. |