Green Bay, gives a fair idea of the railway system of the Northwest. (Copy not sent to Chief of Engineers.) The section is also traversed by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway and others, as shown on the general railroad maps. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, General JOHN NEWTON, President Board of Engineers. D. C. HOUSTON, E 1. CONDITION OF WORKS ON THE FOX RIVER, WISCONSIN, AND WORK NECESSARY TO BE DONE TO MAINTAIN EXISTING NAVIGATION ON THAT RIVER, WITH ESTIMATES. LOWER FOX. De Pere Lock (old).—This lock was thoroughly repaired a few years since, and with slight repairs annually can be maintained for some years. De Pere Dam (new).-No repairs will probably be required to this dam for some time. To complete it a backing of willow mats and gravel should be placed the whole length of the dam. Little Kaukauna Lock (old).-A leak through the left wall of this lock should be stopped. Slight repairs will be needed from time to time. Little Kaukauna Dam (new).-The abutment at the south end of this dam should be partially rebuilt and heavy stone placed in riprap around its end, and the embankment at each abutment repaired. Rapid Croche Lock (old).-This is a stone lock. Occasional repairs will be required to gates, capstan platforms, and the embankments in rear of walls. Rapid Croche Dam (new).—A washout around the south abutment will have to be built up this season and the upper end of the abutment rebuilt. Some filling will be needed in rear of the north abutment. Kaukauna fifth lock (old).-Slight repairs will be required from time to time to gates, platforms and embankments. Kaukauna fourth lock (new).-The gates of this lock have been recently repaired. But few, if any, repairs will be needed for some time. Kaukanna third lock (new).—A new lower gate has recently been built and hung and the other one repaired and strengthened. Slight repairs only will be required for some years. Kaukuana second lock (old).-This lock is in bad condition and will require frequent repairs. Kaukauna first lock (new).-This lock is completed. Kaukauna Dam (new).-Occasional filling will be needed in rear of south abutment. Little Chute combined locks (new).—Slight repairs only will probably be required. Little Chute second lock (new).-No repairs will probably be needed except in case of accident. Little Chute first lock (old).—This lock will be used only as a guard-lock. Slight repairs from time to time will be required. Little Chute Dam (new).—But few if any repairs are expected to be made to this dam. Cedars Lock (old).-The crib-walls of this lock are in bad condition. Repairs from time to time will have to be made. Cedars Dam (new).-A washout at the south end of the dam, between the abutment and the shore, is to be filled. No other repairs at present are required. Appleton fourth lock (old).-This lock is in bad condition, but can be maintained by watching and making slight repairs as needed. Appleton Lower Dam (old).-This is an old spar-dam, requiring repairs from time to time. About one-half of the crest-timbers, carried off by floods, will have to be replaced by new ones. Appleton third lock (old).-The chamber walls of this lock are in a weak and leaky condition, but can be kept up by repairs from time to time. Appleton second lock (new).-No repairs will be required except in case of accident. Appleton first lock (old).—This is in very bad condition, but is now replaced by a new stone lock. Appleton Upper Dam (new).-On completion of the alterations now in progress no repairs will probably be needed for years. Menasha Lock (old).—This lock is in bad condition, and should be replaced by a new one at as early a date as possible. Stone for its construction have been dressed and transported to the vicinity of the lock-site, together with a portion of the backing stone required for the walls. Menasha Dam (old).—The dam in its present condition will probably stand until the question of making the proposed alterations is decided. Should they be made as pro posed no repairs except to the old part will be required. The clay and gravel backing to the following dams will need repairs by refilling, viz: Little Kaukauna, Rapid Croche, Kaukauna, Little Chute, Cedars, and Appleton Lower. The canal banks throughout the line will require repairs from time to time. Boats drawing 5 feet can run, during ordinary low water, from Green Bay to Menasha. Thence to Oshkosh, owing to the rock bar in the Menasha outlet to Lake Winnebago, they should not draw over 44 feet. There are four steamboats running regularly on the Lower Fox, besides transient boats and tugs with scows, and were there any certainty that navigation would be maintained by the United States, more boats would be built for the purpose. They transport principally lumber, tanbark, salt, oil, sand, bricks, and poplar wood for the pulp-mills. One of them has carried from Menomonee to Oshkosh, in one load, 280,000 feet, B. M., pine lumber. Were there a connection by steamboats between Green Bay and Buffalo, flour and other manufactured goods destined for the eastern market would be transported by water. Shippers, however, realize a benefit from the river navigation indirectly, by having a great reduction in freight rates made by the railroads whenever water transportation comes in competition with them. The value of articles manufactured annually in the Lower Fox River Valley is very large, and is increasing constantly. New mills are being built, and the demand for facilities for transporting the goods by water increases. With the assurance that the public works will be kept up and a connection by steam made with Buffalo, a large proportion of heavy goods manufactured therein would be sent by water in preference to transporting them by railroad. UPPER FOX. Portage Canal.-The top timbers of the revetment of this work are somewhat decayed, but with slight repairs will last five or six years, when they will have to be renewed. To replace these timbers, when necessary, will require 675,000 feet of pine, which can be bolted to place for about $18 per thousand feet, or for $12,150. Portage City Lock.-This is a wooden lock, and is in good order. With slight repairs to the gates and planking it will last for years. Fort Winnebago Lock.-This is a wooden lock, and is in good condition. With slight repairs to the gates and working gear it will last for some time. Governor's Bend Lock.-This is an old crib-lock, and is unsafe and unserviceable. It will require extensive repairs. Governor's Bend Dam.-This is a timber dam, and is in good condition. It will need only slight repairs for some time. Montello Lock.-This lock is an old crib-lock. It could be used another year as it is, but to put it in good working order it should have the chamber relined with timber and plank, and new gates. About 20,000 feet of plank are now on hand at the lock suitable for these repairs. On account of the large stone used in constructing this lock the repairs would cost less than at Governor's Bend Lock. Montello Dam.-This is an old dam, and is a combination of piling, crib-work, and spars. It is not very safe, and it leaks at each end about the abutments, but with some annual repairs it will probably last for some time. Montello Levee.-This levee should be strengthened in weak places, and will have to be watched closely during high water. By employing a dredge for this work the expense of keeping it in repair and strengthening it would not be very great. Grand River Lock.- This is a new stone lock, and will need only slight repairs to gates and working gear to keep it in good order. Grand River Dam.-This is a brush dam, and has settled considerably. It should have a timber crest resting on a single row of piles and connected with brush by planking and brush mats. With this addition it will be all the dam that will be required at this place for some years. Princeton Lock.—This is a new stone lock, and will need only slight repairs to keep it in working order. Princeton Dam.-This is a brush dam with a timber crest. It will require slight repairs to the abutments and shore protections from time to time. White River Lock-This is a new stone lock. It will require very few repairs to keep it in good working order. White River Dam.-This dam is similar to Princeton dam, and will only require slight repairs. Berlin Lock.-This is a new stone lock with slight repairs to the gates and valves; it will be in good working order for a long time. Berlin Dam.-This is a brush dam with a timber crest. The river banks above this dam are very low and will require some work each year to protect them from cutting during high water. Eureka Lock.-This is a stone lock and is in good condition. It will require very few repairs to keep it in good working order. Eureka Dam.-This is a timber dam with stone piers, the whole resting upon a pile foundation. It has a navigable pass 50 feet wide at the north end, which is also used as a sluice-way during high water. It is in good condition and will require only slight repairs to keep it so. Dredging. For navigation to derive very much benefit from the above-mentioned works, a large amount of dredging should be done, and the benefit will be in direct proportion to the amount of dredging. By employing one dredge, the existing channel, which is 3 feet deep at ordinary low water, and 34 feet deep the greater part of the season, could maintained. A portion of the time dredge could be devoted to repairing the dams and canal banks, if necessary. By working the seven dredges now on the work to their full capacity for a few seasons the depth of the low-water channel could be materially increased, and the greater depth once obtained could be maintained by one dredge. It is difficult to obtain statistics of the business on the Upper Fox River. The freight business is large and would increase very much if those interested could be assured that a navigable channel would be kept open. There are the present season four steamboats running on the Upper Fox exclusively, besides occasional trips made by other boats. One of the four boates makes daily trips between Berlin and Oshkosh. The others tow barges and run principally above Berlin. The whole length of the river from Portage to Oshkosh is used regularly by them. Extensive granite quarries are being opened on Lake Puckawaig, which will be dependent on the river for an outlet to market, and will add another to the list of articles which are handled cheaper by water. Annual maintenance, including pay of assistant engineer, overseers, lock-tenders, watchmen, repairs, and renewal of lock-gates, spars, boats, &c., $25,000. Annual maintenance, including pay of overseer, lock-tenders, watchmen, repairs, and dredging, $20,000. These estimates are approximate, but cover all that is necessary to put the works in good working order and for maintenance. |