annum on the actual cost of the road and equipment; and no dividends to be made exceeding 12 per cent. per annum, any surplus earnings over the amount so divided being carried to a surplus account, to be applied to future dividends, producing corresponding abatements in the traffic-rates.

And your petitioners will ever pray, &c.

II.-STATEMENT OF MESSRS. G. W. BISSELL AND RORERT J. HACKETT.

To the Board of Engineers:

GENTLEMEN: We herewith submit our report of the commerce passing through the Detroit River in 1872. This report is made from information derived from the customhouses, and boards of trade, at Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Tonawanda, and Welland Canal.

Our statements are from absolute data, except as to "general merchandise." This item we believe to be much larger than we have estimated it. Our information as to the number, tonnage, and value of the different classes of vessels is from the underwriters' books; but there are some 100 scows not on their books, and consequently not here reported. There were 52 foreign vessels that entered the port of Chicago during the season of 1872, not included in this report.

We beg leave to call your attention to the statements of Captain Mott, (hereto appended,) who has charge of the St. Clair Flats Canal. We think the facts given by him, as to the delays and difficulties at that place, conclusive as to the damage to navigation that would result from four or five bridges across Detroit River.

For Detroit
In rafts...

Detailed report of the commerce passing through Detroit in 1872.

For Toledo.
For Sandusky
For Cleveland.

For Erie.

For Buffalo.

For Tonawanda

For Welland Canal.

From Sandusky
From Cleveland

From Erie

From Buffalo...

From Welland Canal

314,540

349,933

385, 387

From Chicago..
From Milwaukee

From Detroit..
From Du Luth..

From Racine ..
From Sheboygan

46,000

GRAIN.

59, 354, 268 bush.
13, 579, 101

1,692, 198
412,000
56,000

From Detroit.
From Chicago..
From Milwaukee

1, 109, 196

Entered at the port of Detroit full cargoes, part cargoes, and no cargoes

not included heretofore:

4,897 entries of vessels of 150 tons and under.. 2,271 entries of vessels over 150 tons...

.....

876,789

328,717 1, 182, 472

9, 116, 570 tons

There were 3,630,000 tons more freight carried down than were carried up.

Condensed report of the commerce passing through Detroit River in 1872.

Average freight per ton on grain from Chicago to Buffalo....

Average freight per ton per mile, 2 mills.

9, 116, 570 609,787

$36, 765, 000

$2.33

The vessel business both in numbers and capacity is increasing quite as rapidly as the railroad business.

ST. CLAIR FLATS CANAL, July 16, 1873. DEAR SIR: I can safely say that thirty vessels per month get aground in the old channel over the St. Clair Flats during the entire season of navigation; this is on either bank, exclusive of what ground in the center of the channel.

W. H. MOTT, Custodian St. Clair Flats Canal.

L. W. BISSELL.

ST. CLAIR FLATS CANAL, July 11, 1873.

At the request of Mr. J. B. Bloss, I make the following statement in regard to the detention of vessels at the canal. When a number of tows are coming down at the same time, some of them have to round to, and wait for the first to get through. When a tow is going up through the canal and tows are coming down, the downward-bound tows have to round to, causing much detention. In a beam-wind while in the canal, vessels often sheer so as to strike one side of the bank of the canal, while the tug which is hauling them is on the other.

In a strong beam-wind they are obliged to break up their tows and take a part of the tows through at a time. There have been several cases in entering the canal from above in which the sheer of the vessel caused them to strike the dikes at the head of the canal, damaging both the dikes and the vessels. And it became necessary to drive heavy piles and bind them with heavy chains to avoid danger in future.

A raft came down a short time since and was swung by the winds entirely across the head of the canal, blocking it up entirely for twenty-four hours. There have been a number of similar cases before. The same difficulties are liable to occur at any time. When there is a fog tows do not attempt to pass through the canal, but round to and wait until it clears off. The largest class of vessels have taken the old channel on account of drawing more water than there is in the canal, and as the United States Government are now deepening the channel of the canal, no tows pass through at the present time.

W. H. MOTT, Custodian of the St. Clair Flats Canal.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

1st. How many vessels have passed Fort Wayne, both ascending and descending, during the season of navigation, annually, in the last six years?

Answer. We have not the actual count. Our estimate is from 125 to 150 per day. 2d. What was the tonnage-amount of these vessels for each year?

Answer. The tonnage of vessels for 1872 was 609,787 tons.

3d. What is the height of the top of the topmast of the largest of these vessels above the surface of the water, and the height of the top of the mainmast?

Answer. One hundred and seventy-two feet to the top of the topmast, and 106 feet to the top of the maiumast.

4th. Please furnish me with a list of about twenty or thirty of the vessels which have the highest masts, with the height of the latter in each case, and the height of the top of the mainmast above water, and the same, and the tonnage of each?

Answer. Schooner A. B. Moore, mainmast 101 feet, topmast 174 feet, 1,099 tons; schooner Emma C. Hutchins, mainmast 106 feet, topmast 1:7 feet, 736 tons; schooner Nelly Redington, mainmast 106 feet, topmast 172 feet, 817 tons; schooner Scotia, mainmast 105 feet, topmast 164 feet, 904 tons; schooner B. F. Bruce, 671 tons; schooner Bridgewater, 706 tons; schooner Alva Bradley, 649 tons; schooner City of Painsville, 601 tons; schooner W. S. Crosthwaite, 671 tons; schooner F. L. Danforth, 715 tons; schooner S. H. Foster, 720 tons; schooner Helvetia, 793 tons; bark Homer, 513 tons; bark J. S. Mastin, 620 tons; schooner Marengo, 648 tons; schooner Lucerne, 727 tons; schooner E. A. Nicholson, 721 tons; schooner S. S. Osborne, 655 tons; schooner Joseph Page, 625 tons; schooner Pathfinder, 635 tons; schooner Thomas Quayle, 644 tons; schooner Red Wing, 722 tons; schooner Thomas P. Sheldon, 669 tons; schooner Aunie Sherwood, 622 tons; schooner Kate Winslow, 733 tons.

The exact height of the masts of the above list of 23 vessels we cannot give, but it is safe to say that the mainmast will average 100 feet or over, and the top of the topmasts 160 feet above the surface of the water.

5th. What is the character of the freight carried by these vessels?

Answer. Grain, flour, lumber, staves, salt, coal, iron-ore, and general merchandise. 6th. What has been the average cost of transportation per ton for one mile of the freight carried by them in the different months?

Auswer. On grain from Chicago to Buffalo, in 1872: April, 2.54 mills; May, 1.66 mills; June, 2.10 mills; July, 2.45 mills; August, 2.54 mills; September, 2.94 mills; October, 5 mills; November, 3.53 mills. Average through the season, 2.74 mills, or for the entire season, $2.33 per ton from Chicago to Buffalo.

What would be the average delay caused to each vessel in the following cases, viz : 6-1. In case of a bridge with 400 feet spans, 135 feet high, and the same bridge with 800-feet spans ?

Answer. Twelve hours each time they go under the bridge. This, we think, much below the time the large vessels would be delayed, but taking into account the small vessels that would not have to lower the topmast, we estimate twelve hours as the average delay. This estimate is based on time occupied in preparing to go through and putting gear in place after getting through—not estimating the delays caused by collisions with the piers, which, we think, would be at least one every day; and that 25 per cent. of the collisions would sink the vessels. The delay in case of the 800-feet spans would be the same as the 400 feet, from the fact that the estimate is based on time occupied in lowering topmast and putting it in place again. But the risk of collision with the piers would be very materially reduced.

6-2. In case of a bridge with 400-feet spans and 100 feet high? Answer. This case we should estimate the same as in the 400-feet spans and 135 feet high, so far as the vessels could get through at all, many of the large vessels having 100 feet or over mainmasts, besides a much larger number that could not get through with their topmasts up; these would in case of a bridge 135 feet high. We think it would be quite low enough to estimate this delay at fifteen hours each time of passing the bridge.

6-3. In case of a bridge with three pivot-draws, with six openings, each being 160 feet in the clear, and also in case of the same bridge with two pivot-draws and four spans?

Answer. In this case of course no lowering of the topmasts; but the draw being only 160 feet wide it would involve the necessity of breaking up the tows and taking each vessel through separately, which of itself would take considerable time; and some part of the time vessels would have to come to anchor above and below the draw before the tow would be prepared to move on. We think four hours per vessel each time of passing the draw would be a low estimate, and this for one bridge only. To give permission to build one bridge means four bridges, to wit, one at Detroit, one at St. Clair, one at Port Huron, and one at Malden, making a detention of sixteen hours each time a vessel passes through the river.

6-4. In case of a low bridge with two spans 400 feet in the clear removed during the season of navigation, leaving a bare pier not more than 25 feet high, and a draw near the American shore with two openings each 100 feet in the clear?

Answer. We think two hours' detention would be a just estimate. We make the detention in this case less than the three pivot-draws of 160 feet spans. From the fact that more tows will go through without breaking up, we estimate the detention in this case one-half of what it would be with three pivot-draws. In case of 6-1, allowing

that the lowering of the topmast would be done but once during the passage of the river on data of twelve hours' detention, the loss to vessel-owners in one season would be $1,516,000; to add to this would be a large amount for damage caused by vessels colliding with the bridge, and with each other.

7th. What would be the total loss to the whole navigation produced by this delay in each of the cases mentioned above; and upon what data are your estimates based? Answer. In case of the 160-foot-draw bridge on the lowest estimate of the number of vessels, 125 per day, and detention of four hours each at each bridge, the daily loss in time would be twenty-one days each, twenty-four hours for one bridge only, or 50.40 days in the season, which, at the estimate of $100 per day, would be $504,000 for the season. This estimate of $100 per day is low; and to give you some data to judge by we would say the daily expense of most of the steamers is $140, and of moderate size and large sail-vessels $100 per day, making our estimate of $100 per day within the actual value of the time alone in passing the four bridges $2,016,000, to say nothing of the large amount that would be required to pay damages caused by colliding with the bridge and each other in the process of getting through the draws, which of itself would amount to millions of dollars. In addition to the estimated loss of $2,016,000, we believe it would not be an unusual thing for the large class of vessels in colliding with the bridge to sink themselves and throw the bridge off the abutments into the river, causing great detention both to vessels and to railroad-trains.

8th. What number of each of the following classes of vessels pass and repass Fort Wayne:

8-1. Vessels with masts and without steam-power?

Answer. Ninety-five daily.

8-2. Vessels with masts and with steam-power? Answer. Thirty daily.

8-3. Without masts and without steam-power?

Answer. One-half of one per cent. of all.

9th. What is the aggregate tonnage of each of these classes of vessels for each of the last six years?

Answer. For 1872, sail-vessels, 338,924 tons; steam-vessels, 136,863 tons; new vessels, sail and steam, 134,000 tons-aggregate 609,787 tons; average tonnage of sail and steam craft 277 tons each.

10th. What is the total amount of freight carried by each class past Fort Wayne annually during the last six years?

Answer. The amount of freight is about equally divided among the sail and steam craft in proportion to their capacity, except the general merchandise is mostly carried by the steamers, and coal and salt on sail-vessels. The total commerce of the Detroit River for 1872 was 9,116,570 tons.

11th. What is the value of the freights carried in each of these classes of vessels annually during the last six years?

Answer. We have no means of determining the proportion of value of freights carried by sail and steam vessels, but we think it safe to say that the total value is $500,000,000.

12th. What is the value of these vessels ?

Answer. Thirty-six million seven hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars. The data for the valuation is the underwriter's valuation, with 25 per cent. added. This estimate will come below the true value, as we have verified by many cases within our personal knowledge.

13th. How many of them carry passengers?

Answer. Ten per cent. of all steam-vessels.

14th. What is the number of passengers?

Answer. We have no means of ascertaining.

15th. What is the number which are towed, and what is the number of tows? Answer. Seventy-five per cent. are towed.

16th. What percentage of those towed number eight vessels in a tow or more? Answer. One-tenth.

17th. Please furnish the estimate of cost of special apparatus for lowering topmasts, and the time and cost of one such lowering and raising with the apparatus in passing the bridge for a three-masted schooner of 1,000 tons.

Answer. We have applied to ship-builders for an estimate of the cost of such apparatus, but as yet have not been able to obtain it.

18th. Please furnish us with any information which, in your judgment, will have any bearing on the questions before us.

Permit us to call your attention to some considerations which, we think, have an important bearing on the policy of bridging the Detroit River:

1st. The increase of tonnage of vessels navigating the river and lakes is 20 per cent. annually, and there is every reason to believe it will increase in the same ratio for the next decade. This increase is quite equal to if not greater than the increase of railroads in Michigan or the Western States.