21 cross-dikes, and the repairs and the completion of works, is shown in the following statement:

The work at Venice Bend was raising and extending Long Dike, and was in continuation of that commenced there during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1873.

Peculiar interest attaches to the extension of that dike, on account of the difficulties which had to be overcome in its construction. I therefore submit with this report diagrams showing the plan of its construction in detail. This plan is slightly modified from that originally intended, in this, that whereas the original contemplated having the cross-dike or T extended below as well as above the main dike, the upper branch only has been built; and as there is no scour below now, it is hoped that it will not be necessary to build that branch. Of this, however, nothing very definite can be said until after a low-water season shall have passed. If no scour exists, then a great saving will have been made in the cost of the dike by leaving off the lower branch of the T, and if scour sets in we will have only to build it as originally contemplated, and with no more difficulties or expense than would attend its construction

now.

The work was commenced on the 14th of October and pushed as rapidly as materials could be procured, and the necessary labor performed with the means at hand, until the 15th of December, when the high water rendered it impracticable to work; and before the flood passed the navigation became so hazardous that we had to suspend operations, not, however, until we had completed the foundation of the extension, including the upper branch of the T.

The work was resumed on the 10th of April, but, on account of the tempestuous weather and high water, very little progress was made until after the 1st of May, when, the weather and stage of water being favorable, the work wa spushed and good progress made until the 10th of June, when the high-water and consequent strong current caused a suspension until the 26th, when it was resumed.

The results are: The old dike is raised to 14 feet above low-water, and of the extension the foundation is all in, the construction of the dike well advanced, and the upper branch of the T built.

The following statement shows the expenditures made for labor and materials used in raising and extending Long Dike during the year:

Accompanying this report are two tracings, one a map of part of St. Louis Harbor, showing location of the works referred to at Sawyer and Venice Bends, scale 300; the other, plan and sections of the extension of Long Dike, Venice Bend showing details of construction; scale of plan showing entire dike, 19; scale of detail plan and sections, 7.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Col. J. H. SIMPSON,

Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.

D. M. CURRIE,
Assistant Engineer.

Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount.

Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. Amount. Price. A mount.

Report of Mr. Charles S. True, Assistant Engineer.

ST. LOUIS, MO., July 14, 1874. SIR: I submit to you the following report of work done under my supervision during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1874, for the improvement of the steamboat channel of the Mississippi River, at Horsetail Bar, which work was placed in my charge July 18, 1873.

On the 22d of July, 1873, the day your plan for the year's work was approved, the river was too high for work to be done advantageously, but about that time the water commenced falling rapidly.

A reconnaissance of that part of the river, including Horsetail Bar, made on the 11th and 12th of August, by Maj. C. J. Allen, Mr. R. E. McMath, and myself, showed that the water of the river at that time was too much diffused over the broad sandy bottom to mark out for itself any well-defined low-water channel. The water divided into three principal parts just below the southern limit of St. Louis, one portion following the Missouri shore into the bend below the mouth of the river Des Peres, a larger part crossing the gravel head of Horsetail Bar in a broad sheet too shallow for steamboat navigation, then flowing in a deep channel near the Illinois shore to the head of Carroll's Island, where it divided into two parts, one to go down the chute to the east of the island, and the other to again join the main river below Jefferson Barracks, while the main and only navigable part of the river passed between the high sand of Horsetail Bar and the rocky Missouri shore on which Jefferson Barracks stands.

The river had fallen to 12 feet above the low-water of 1863 on the 12th of August, and material could be profitably used in the construction of the proposed dikes. The contractor, Mr. Hackett, was therefore ordered to begin work immediately, and on the 15th of August he commenced operations. The first rock was put into dike No. 1 on

the 19th of August, and dike No. 4 was begun September 5.

Three pile-drivers, built for work on the improvement of the Mississippi River, were turned over to the contractor at Horsetail Bar August 22, and on the 8th of September pile driving at dike No. 1 was commenced. Three hundred feet of the western or Missouri end of this dike is founded on solid rock, while all the outer portion rests on sand. The part founded on rock was built in a narrow ridge raised 8 feet above lowwater, the top finished 5 feet wide, and the sides sloped at an angle of about 45°. On the sand foundation, where piles could be driven, an apron of green brush, 2 feet thick and 25 to 30 feet wide, was laid just below the dike, to prevent the overflow of water from undermining it. To hold this brush in the current and admit of its being sunk in its proper place two rows of piles were driven, 10 feet apart, and with the piles 7 feet apart in the rows; the brush was then placed on top of the water, interlaced among the piles, and loaded with rock till it sunk to the bottom, and enough additional rock was put on to hold it in place. A heavier mat of brush was put in as a foundation for the main part of the dike, and held in place by one row of piles. Rock was put on this foundation till the dike was raised 8 feet above the low-water line of 1863, and finished 5 feet wide on top.

At the outer or channel end of dike No. 1 a cross-dike or T-head, 75 feet wide and 210 feet long, was built on a foundation of brush. To lay this foundation, piling was driven in rows across the T-head, beginning at the down-stream end, and the brush was put in in sections. This part of the work was done in a strong current of water from 12 to 20 feet deep, and the brush was put in and sunk in thin layers, as the piling would not stand against the pressure of a large body of brush.

During the month of September the weather was fine and the stage of water the best that could be had for successful work on the dikes. Everything that could be done by the officers of the Government in charge to hasten the work was done, yet the progress made was not as great as was desirable. Before the foundation of the T-head was in, or that of the main stem of dike No. 1 finished, it became evident that the contractor could not carry out his contract, and that sooner or later he must suspend work entirely. Foreseeing this, you had asked for authority to annul the contract and to continue the work by purchasing material and labor in open market, if it should become necessary to do so. At the close of September it was decided to annul the contract, but Mr. Hackett was allowed to continue work till the 6th of October and until arrangements could be perfected for continuing the work by the hire of labor and purchase of material in open market.

By application through the Chief of Engineers authority of the Secretary of War to quarry rock for the work on the Government reservation at Jefferson Barracks was granted October 2, 1873. On the 7th of October a steam tow-boat was chartered, with the privilege of purchasing her, and two barges were bought and six hired, to transport brush and stone; and on the 8th work was resumed by the United States on the main stem and T-head of dike No. 1 and on the shore ends of dikes No. 3 and No. 4.

The eastern ends of dikes No. 3 and No. 4 were built on a steep bank of alluvion, and the bodies of the dikes were founded on sand. To prevent the water washing around the shore ends, a small dike 250 feet long was built parallel to the shore at the foot of the bank, and three spur-dikes were built from this over the top of the bank.

The main parts of dikes No. 3 and No. 4 were carried out in line with the central spur-dikes, and were built with aprons and foundations of brush similar to dike No. 1. As necessity for more barges arose, two were hired and four bought for the work, and on the 1st of December the steamer Anita, which had been chartered for a towboat, was bought by the Government.

In the latter part of November the outer end of dike No. 3 reached the deepest part of the eastern channel, where the water was 25 feet deep and the current quite strong. The work of putting in piling and brush there was slow, and it was decided to continue the dike of rock only. An apron of small stone, some two feet thick and extending 70 feet below the line, was first laid, and the dike raised by putting in rock on line and letting it find its own slope.

A rapid rise in the river began December 10, and on the 13th the water was so high as to stop all work. The chartered barges were returned to their owners and the Government boats and barges all laid up in a safe winter-harbor.

The work done during the season of 1873 was: Dike No. 1, completed. Of this dike 416 feet was built wholly of rock and 755 feet was built with a brush foundation. Dike No. 3 had its shore end built of rock, 400 feet of the main dike finished on a brush foundation, and a foundation of small rock carried out 250 feet further. Dike No. 4 had shore end built of rock, 525 feet of brush apron, and foundation put in, and the dike on it nearly completed.

During the winter some work was done on the steamer Anita, and barges No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 were docked and recaulked. The river remained open all winter Work at the quarry was commenced again the 7th of April. The foundation of dike No. 3 was extended to the sand-bar, of rock only, and the dike has since been raised to nearly its full height. Work on dike No. 4 was begun May 20, and a rock apron was built out 400 feet. The stage of water during the spring and thus far during the summer has been uncommonly low for the time of year, and favorable for work in the

river.

The condition of the dikes June 30, 1874, was: No. 1, completed; and it stopped the lower currents from following the Missouri shore, and thus concentrated the water in the main channel. Dike No. 3 joined the main Illinois shore and the sand-bar, and had assumed the nature of a dam. It was not raised to its full height, but it had the effect of stopping a large part of the water that otherwise would have gone down the chute and forcing it back into the main channel. Dike No. 4 had not been extended far enough to have any action on the main channel, and acted only as an auxiliary to No. 3 in stopping the channel next the Illinois shore.

The lengths of dikes built and the total amount of material put into them during the year are:

Dike No. 1, 416 feet, of rock only, and 755 feet of rock on brush foundation, using 1,755.25 cords brush, 11,149 linear feet of pile-timber, 12,323.78 cubic yards rock for riprap.

Dike No. 3, shore-end 208 feet, built of rock, 400 feet of main dike of rock on brush foundation, and 800 feet partly built of rock only, using on the dike 371.80 cords brush, 7,053 linear feet pile-timber, 16,983.35 cubic yards rock for riprap.

Dike No. 4, shore-end 201 feet long, of rock, 525 feet of main dike nearly completed, of rock on a foundation of brush, and 400 feet of rock foundation put in for extension of dike, using 792.26 cords brush, 8,064 linear feet pile-timber, 10,278.68 cubic yards rock for rip-rap.

I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

Col. J. H. SIMPSON,

CHARLES S. TRUE,
A-sistant Engineer.

Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.

Commercial statistics.

CUSTOM-HOUSE, ST. LOUIS, Mo.,
Surveyor's Office, July 28, 1874.

SIR: Respectfully acknowledging receipt of your communication of 24th instant, I would reply to its inquiries as follows:

1. St. Louis is a port in the collection-district of New Orleans, though entirely independent of that port.

2. The revenue collected through this office for the year ending June 30, 1874, was $1,434,224.75, from the following sources:

Import duties .............

Steam-vessel inspections..

Hospital fees from seamen

$1,407,910 33

15,471 62 10,842 80

Which compares with the tonnage in the year 1870 as follows:

This comparison is interesting, too, as showing the growth of barge-transportation; a growth which will, in my opinion, be more rapid still from this time forward. Trusting the foregoing may be of some slight service,

I am, very respectfully,

Col. J. H. SIMPSON, U. S. A.

JOHN F. LONG,

Surveyor of Customs.

K 2.

IMPROVEMENT OF OSAGE RIVER, MISSOURI.

The plan of operations for improving the Osage River during the fiscal year ending June 20, 1874, was the same as that followed during the preceding year, viz, the construction of cross-dams and trainingdikes, together with the excavation of the channel, with a view to obtain at all times, if possible, a depth of water at the shoalest parts of at least 2 feet at the lowest stage of the river.

As stated in my report for last year Mr. Howard Cook, the contractor for dredging, having procured a dredge which he felt confident would perform the work under his contract, asked for an extension of time in which to execute the work. This was granted under the authority of the Chief of Engineers, to include the 31st of December, 1873; but after diligent efforts upon his part to carry on the work, he found that he was unable to do so, and asked to be relieved from his contract. Being assured that the retirement of Mr. Cook would not be detrimental to the interests of the Government, as hired labor could do the work more suitably, and, as I believed, at a cheaper rate and with more economy, and as the current caused in the channel by the erection of dams was expected to erode the bottom, and thus diminish the amount of dredging, I recommended that he be relieved from the obligations of his contract. This was granted under date of September 2, 1873, by the Chief of Engineers, and payment made of the amount due thereon.

The entire work then was prosecuted by the hire of labor and purchase of material in open market.

Operations were carried on under a balance of $50,594.74 of the three appropriations of $25,000 each, approved respectively March 3, 1871, June 10, 1872, and March 3, 1873, and the work confined to the improvement of Dixon's Round Bottom, Burd's, Lockett's Island, Lockett's, General Bolton's, and Shipley's Shoals.

At Dixon's Shoal the work previously commenced was continued, and resulted in the completion of a training-dike 2,003 feet in length, 34 feet above low-water, and with a slope of 1 to 1, on the channel-side, and on the opposite side a slope of 2 to 1, and a flat surface on top of