Mr. F. Crawford, who owns the principal interests in Caseville, furnished the following statistics of shipments from and to the port: 50,000 barrels salt, 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 feet B. M. lumber, 12,000 tons pig-metal, 50,000 bushels wheat, and about $200,000 worth of general produce shipped out by water each season; 20,000 tons of iron ore, 1,500 cords of limestone, and about $200,000 worth of merchandise shipped in by water each season. Mr. F. Crawford offers, in case the Government will improve the harbor at and beyond the present entrance, to dredge out the channel between the present piers to a depth of 12 feet at his own expense. A rough estimate from the data at hand shows that the improvement wanted will cost $15,000 to $20,000, exclusive of the dredging between the present piers, which Mr. Crawford offers to do. In addition to the mills, stores, and salt blocks owned by Mr. F. Crawford, the principal interests of the place are an iron furnace, owned by the Lake Huron Iron Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and the railroad (standard gauge) now building from Caseville, south, toward Toledo. In connection with the latter a line of steamers across the bay is projected. I have written to each of these interests asking information relative to the importance of an improvement of the harbor at Caseville. The reply from the iron company is submitted herewith. The railroad company has not been heard from to date. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. F. U. FARQUHAR, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. C. P. GILBERT, LETTER OF THE LAKE HURON IRON COMPANY. CLEVELAND, October 14, 1882. DEAR SIR: Your favor of the 11th instant at hand, and in response to same will say, I can hardly state at this time the actual requirements at Caseville, except in a general way. The approach to the town has a sufficiency of water to enable all-sized vessels to come almost to the docks. The hindrance is being occasioned from immediate entry, except for a lighter draught vessel of 8 or 9 feet, by the accumulation of a saud-bar almost at the mouth of the river, by extending the present docks and making a sort of guard or break water. With some additional dredging this can be readily and easily overcome and make Caseville a very important town and harbor on the Saginaw Bay, which will result largely to the advantage of Huron County, the State of Michigan in general, and the city of Detroit in particular. Steamboats and vessels can run in connection with the railroad now building and all kinds of supplies can be shipped directly across to Tawas City, Oscoda, aud beyond, return with lumber and timber to be shipped to Detroit, &c. Timber could also be brought across to supply any of the saw-mills that may now be at Caseville, and then shipped either by vessel or rail. By making a good port of entry these manufactures will undoubtedly spring up, the salt interest be extended, and such products as grain, lumber, flour, salt, and iron would be shipped in larger quantities, which will go to benefit the State and its interior cities. In regard to our company assisting in this enterprise, we have only a leased dock from Mr. Crawford, but have our vessels so constructed as to allow us to load and unload without any drawback from the said bar, bringing us all the ore we may require and shipping our pig metal as fast as made, so that the immediate help to us would not be very large. The parties outside of the residents who are, and will be, the most interested belong to the new railroad company, called the Pontiac, Oxford and Port Austin, who will make direct connection to Chicago, Toledo, and Detroit and will desire to transfer freight to and fro across the bay, as well as through passengers to the lumber districts. In conclusion, if you will write to Mr. Emil Baur, of Ann Arbor, he can and will give you most all of the data you may want, from the fact he is the agent of the colony company who have lands near Caseville, and who I think obtained quite a little amount of data last summer regarding the importance of a proper harbor at Caseville. I remain yours, truly, C. P. GILBERT, United States Assistant Engineer. D. E. STONE. K K 16. REPORT IN REFERENCE TO PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF SEBEWAING HARBOR, MICHIGAN, WITH A VIEW TO OBTAINING TWELVE FEET OF WATER IN CHANNEL FROM SAGINAW BAY. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Detroit, Mich., August 17, 1882. GENERAL: Referring to your instructions of the 11th instant, in regard to a resurvey of Sebewaing Harbor, Michigan, having in view a projeet to obtain 12 feet of water in channel from Saginaw Bay, I have the honor to report that no resurvey is needed, all the data necessary to supply the information desired by Congress being already at hand on the files of this office. From the Lake Survey chart of 1860, which tallies with notes of examination made under my direction for improvements lately effected, it appears that to obtain 12 feet of water in channel from Saginaw Bay a canal, lacking 200 feet of 34 miles, must be constructed. A channel 12 feet in depth, to be at all in proportion to the commerce such depth would be intended to accommodate, should be at least 200 feet in width and protected by piering or revetments which is tantamount to constructing a new harbor at Sebewaing, as the existing improvement would be a mere drop in the bucket in aid of a scheme of this maguitude, which would cost at least $300,000, and probably $500,000. Its benefits to Sebewaing would be undoubted, as it would transform it from a mere local port of Huron and Tuscola counties into a Michigan main port of shipment for the products of the same counties, all products shipped from Sebewaing into general commerce at present being transshipped at Bay City. My successive annual reports with accompanying data establish, however, the fact that the existing commerce of Sebewaing, however large and growing in population to the shipping facilities now offered, is purely local and subsidiary to the main port of shipment at Bay City and cannot be regarded as national in any sense. Basing my judgment, therefore, on these facts and data, I have the honor to report that, while Sebewaing Harbor might be worthy of improvement to the limited extent indicated in my last annual report, it is not worthy of improvement to the extent contemplated in the resurvey desired, nor is such improvement a public necessity. I therefore respectfully request to be relieved from further consideration of the subject. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A. F. HARWOOD, Major of Engineers. APPENDIX L L. IMPROVEMENT OF HARBORS ON LAKE ERIE WEST OF ASHTABULA— IMPROVEMENT OF SANDUSKY RIVER. REPORT OF MAJOR L. COOPER OVERMAN, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1884, WITH OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE WORKS. 1. Monroe Harbor, Michigan. 2. Toledo Harbor, Ohio. 3. Port Clinton Harbor, Ohio. 4. Sandusky City Harbor, Ohio. 5. Sandusky River, Ohio. 6. Huron Harbor, Ohio. IMPROVEMENTS. 7. Vermillion Harbor, Ohio. EXAMINATION. 12. The channel known as the old river bed, leading from Cuyahoga River to the harbor of refuge at Cleveland, Ohio. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, GENERAL: I have the honor to submit herewith the annual reports of the works of river and harbor improvement under my charge for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1884. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, L. COOPER OVERMAN, The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A. Major of Engineers. L L I. IMPROVEMENT OF MONROE HARBOR, MICHIGAN. The harbor of Monroe, Mich., is situated at the extreme westerly bend of Lake Erie, about 13 miles west of the old mouth of the Raisin River, and about 3 miles from the town of Monroe. This improvement was commenced in the year 1835, at which time the Raisin River was considered an important stream, and Monroe was a 5908 EN-131 place of some prominence. The plan of improvement consisted in straightening the river and making direct connection with Lake Erie by a canal 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, through a sand peninsula. A description in detail of the operations heretofore carried on for the improvement of this harbor will be found in Annual Reports of 1880 and 1881. OPERATIONS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. At the opening of the fiscal year there was but a balance of $494.39 available of the $1,000 appropriated by act of August 2, 1882, and no further appropriation was made during the fiscal year. During the months of August and September, 1883, materials were purchased in open market and repairs both to piers and revetment made by hired labor. Work was stopped September 27, 1883, as funds were entirely exhausted. The repairs consisted in removing broken and worn-out deck plank and deck joist and replacing same with new material, in cutting out decayed and broken pine timbers from faces of the superstructure of piers and renewing same, in stopping hole in crib with sheathing plank, in refilling three "half-empty pockets" of cribs with stone, and in general repairs to piers. Along the United States canal 798 feet (linear) of the revetment was generally repaired by putting in new waling pieces, new sheathing plank, and new cap-pieces wherever needed. In all the above repairs the following materials were used: Pine plank... Oak deck joists. Spikes feet, B. M.. 2,227 ..do.... 432 ....do.... 5,276 ...cords.. - pounds.. 5 And, in addition, whatever old spikes and other material that could be utilized in the repairs. Total amount expended for materials, labor, and incidental expenses was $494.39. The piers and revetment were left in fair repair. The whole amount appropriated for this harbor to date has been $213,515.27, all of which has been expended. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE HARBOR AND PROPOSED PROJECT OF IMPROVEMENT. An examination of this harbor was made in August, 1883, extending from the docks at Monroe to the 14-foot curve in the lake. The soundings showed but slight changes in depth of channel from lake to Monroe, but the bar in lake beyond end of south pier had increased somewhat, having a least depth of 81 feet for a short distance. The following depths were found in August, 1883: Least depth of water in channel entering the harbor.. Least depth of water in United States canal... Least depth of water in channel from United States canal to city canal Least depth of water in channel from city canal to docks. Feet. 104 11 10 13 10 10 The piers and revetment of canal are generally in bad condition, and portions of the piers below ordinary low water are badly rotted. Gen. eral and thorough repairs will cost, according to previous estimates, |