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APPENDIX F.-STATEMENT OF KEEPER OF BLOCK ISLAND LIFE-SAVING STATION.

THIRD U. S. LIFE-SAVING DISTRICT, Block Island Station, November 15, 1892. DEAR SIR: By your request I have made a note from my journal of all the vessels that have passed in sight of this station in the two years of 1890 and 1891.

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APPENDIX G.-STATEMENT OF KEEPER OF NEW SHOREHAM LIFE-SAVING STATION.

THIRD U. S. LIFE-SAVING DISTRICT, New Shoreham Station, Block Island, R. I., November 22, 1892. During the years of 1890 and 1891 I would respectfully say the number of vessels passed in sight of this station as follows:

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APPENDIX H.-STATEMENT OF KEEPER OF NEW SHOREHAM LIFE-SAVING STATION. THIRD U. S. LIFE-SAVING DISTRICT,

New Shoreham Station, Block Island, R. I., December 12, 1892. I would respectfully say the number of vessels passed this station during the last twelve years are as follows: 709,116. A. N. LITTLEFIELD,

Keeper.

APPENDIX K.-NUMBER OF VESSELS ENTERED PORT OF PROVIDENCE, PASSING BLOCK ISLAND, FROM FOREIGN PORTS.

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PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF STONINGTON HARBOR AND ITS ENTRANCE, CONNECTICUT.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER'S OFFICE.

Newport, R. I., June 12, 1893.

GENERAL: In accordance with the river and harbor act of July 13, 1892, and orders from your office dated July 14, 1892, I have the honor to submit the following report upon a preliminary examination of Stonington Harbor, Connecticut, and the entrance thereto :

This examination was made by Lieut. W. W. Harts, Corps of Engineers, under my orders. His full report is appended. My opinions, as below stated, are based partly on his report and partly upon my own personal knowledge, inspection, and careful study of this special locality. The statements as to the present and prospective demands of commerce are compiled mainly from replies to numerous letters addressed by me to the chairman of the United States Senate Committee of Commerce and of the United States House Committee of Rivers and Harbors, to the United States Senators and Representatives, in whose State and district the improvement lies, and to postmasters, collectors of customs, and to such other prominent persons of the neighborhood as were supposed to be interested therein, all of whom were requested to give addresses of other interested parties and to contribute such information and assistance as was at their disposal.

Stonington Harbor (see Coast Survey Chart No. 358) is one of the important harbors of eastern Connecticut. It derives its importance

to-day, first, as a harbor of refuge (being the harbor nearest to the ocean end of Long Island Sound), and next as a place of trans-shipment of passengers and freight from boat to rail on a through route (the Stonington Line) from New York and the west to Boston and the east. As a harbor it has a good protection on three sides by the mainland and on the fourth side by a couple of breakwaters built by the General Government between 1872 and the present date; but its wharfage depth is limited to only about 12 feet at mean low water, although vessels of 18 feet draft can find shelter behind its breakwaters.

The present water commerce of the harbor is reported as about 70,000 passengers and 200,000 tons freight ($83,000,000) per year; almost all of this being a through travel over the combined steamboat and railroad line. This commerce is estimated at having developed nearly 80 per cent in the last thirteen years, or about 6 per cent per year.

This harbor has been since 1828, and is now, under improvement by the General Government; during which time $338,000 have been spent in obtaining its present good harbor protection and its present 12 to 18 feet depth of harbor and anchorage. (Some work still remains to be done upon its breakwaters to complete the already approved projects for the improvement of this harbor; but such work is already provided for by such past projects.) During the interval from 1828 up to the present time the size of vessels and steamboats has steadily increased and the needs of increased facilities of navigation have increased in equal ratio. To-day it appears desirable to straighten the entrance to the harbor by a cutting across Noyes Shoal, and to dredge a channel of at least 200 feet width and 17 feet depth up to opposite the city docks. The practicability of the cut across Noyes Shoal will depend upon the nature of the bottom (easy dredging on its surface, but untested below), only to be determined by a special survey. This cut, if made deep enough to allow of use during heavy swells and rough weather will probably require the excavation of from 200,000 up to 800,000 yards of material.

The steady increase in the use of this harbor during past years, combined with the present large amount of commerce, and the fact that this commerce is mainly a through traffic between different States, all these are regarded by me as excellent and strong reasons for additional improvement by the General Government.

I have therefore to state my opinion that for the reasons above given, this harbor is worthy of further improvement by the General Government and to submit my estimate of $1,200 as an amount that will enable me to make a survey and report, including a project, with estimate of the cost of the improvement proposed.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Brig. Gen. THOS. L. CASEY,

Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.

W. H. BIXBY,

Captain, Corps of Engineers.

(Through Col. Henry L. Abbot, Corps of Engineers, Division Engi neer, Northeast Division.)

[First indorsement.]

NORTHEAST DIVISION ENGINEER OFFICE,

New York, June 15, 1893.

Respectfully forwarded to the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army.

For the reasons stated by the local officers I regard Stonington Har

bor worthy of improvement by the General Government; also that the cost of the needful survey and detailed project may properly be estimated at $1,200.

HENRY L. ABBOT,

Colonel of Engineers,

Bvt. Brig. Gen., U. S. A., Division Engineer.

REPORT OF LIEUT. WM. W. HARTS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Newport, R. I., May 12, 1893.

CAPTAIN: In compliance with your instructions of December, 1892, I have the honor to submit a report upon the examination of Stonington Harbor, Connecticut, with a view to its further improvement by the General Government.

Information as to this harbor was asked by circular letters sent to persons supposed to be interested in its improvement. To these letters but a few replies have been received. The information embodied in the following report was principally obtained from a visit to the locality, from inquiries of steamboat captains and from maps and previous reports. (For maps of this harbor, see Coast Survey Chart No. 358, and Report of Chief of Engineers for 1882, p. 593; for 1884, p. 632, and for previous reports, see Annual Report of Chief of Engineers for 1872, p. 917; for 1881, p. 585.)

Description.-Stonington Harbor lies on the northern shore of Fishers Island Sound, Connecticut, and toward its eastern end, and is an indentation in the mainland of Connecticut about 10 miles east of New London, Conn., and about 40 miles west of Newport, R. I. This harbor is naturally protected on the north, east, and west by the mainland and only partially on the south by Fishers Island and the other islands lying in this sound. The Atlantic Ocean is but a very short sail from this harbor, and because of this and the protection afforded in easterly and northerly storms, this harbor was used in very early times as a refuge for coasting vessels. The harbor later was artificially protected by stone breakwaters, one small one extending west from the town, one extending south and east from Wamphassuck Point, and another lying farther to the south and east, extending from Bartlett's Reef to Middle Ground. These breakwaters, with the natural protection, have formed a safe harbor for all storms, which harbor is now extensively used by coastwise sailing vessels. As a place of refuge it is easily accessible and well located with regard to the ocean and Long Island Sound.

There is a depth of about 12 feet over a large area of the inner harbor near the docks, increasing to about 20 feet near the eastern breakwater. The mean rise and fall of the tides is 2.7 feet. On a peninsula forming the east side of this harbor is located the town of Stonington, a village at present of about 8,000 population. The town was formerly the headquarters of very important whaling industries and is now the terminus of the Stonington steamboat line, a point of transshipment of freight and passengers from New York to Boston and other eastern towns. There are valuable quarries of granite and brownstone near the town. There are no manufactories of any note, and except the before-mentioned industries there are no local enterprises of special importance.

Navigation. The lights and buoys make the navigation of this part of Fishers Island Sound a comparatively easy task to a fairly experienced pilot. Vessels drawing 11 feet can easily reach the city docks and vessels drawing up to 18 feet can take shelter behind the breakwaters. There are, however, several shoals that are troublesome to deeper vessels entering by the west passage and some further shoals within the harbor proper, all of which, more or less obstruct its easy navigation. Since the construction of the breakwaters there has been some shoaling in this harbor, due possibly to their checking the outward flow of the sediment-bearing currents. This shoaling with the steady increase of draft of the vessels that navigate this harbor have of late years made it impossible for many of these vessels to carry their maximum load of freight, compelling them at certain stages of the tide to leave the harbor only partially laden.

Commerce. The commerce of this port is of considerable value and has always been large for the size of the town. The fisheries are an important industry and much brownstone and granite is shipped for building and paving. The Providence and Stonington Steamship Company use this harbor as a freight and passenger terminus. They own and use eight vessels, valued from $600,000 to $1,000,000 and carrying about 70,000 passengers annually and about 200,000 tons of freight. About 25,000 vessels

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annually pass the lightship at the entrance to the harbor. From statistics furnished by the collector of the port, Mr. C. T. Stanton, and estimates from previous years where better information could not be had, it is thought that the following estimate of the port for 1892 is a fair one:

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Passing through harbor (from water to rail, or vice versa):

68, 442 passengers, at $2.17 per fare.

206, 000 tons merchandise, at $400..

Total exports and imports

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In the above table the quantities have been received from reliable sources, but the prices have been estimated as near as possible from the information at hand. The increase in business may be shown from a comparison of the business of 1877 and 1890, as furnished by the collectors of customs in those years:

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Former improvements.-This harbor having been in use by the merchant marine of the United States since very early times, it was likewise at a very early date that improvements here were first made by the General Government.

Formerly an open harber, some protection against southerly storms for the vessels frequenting it, was so much needed that in 1827 Congress ordered its examination and survey. This was made in 1827 by Lieut. J. Prescott, First Artillery, who recommended an improvement and furnished a project providing for the construction of a stone pier on the east side of the harbor, extending in a westerly direction, to act as a breakwater, at a cost of $44,000. Congress, acting on this report, appropriated, in 1828, $20,000 "towards erecting piers or other works at or near Stonington Harbor, in the State of Connecticut, for the purpose of making same a good and safe harbor." In 1830, $16,491.67 was further appropriated for this purpose. From these appropriations the pier was built substantially as recommended by Lieut. Prescott, being 740 feet long and about 12 feet wide on top. Nothing further was then done for many years.

In 1871, to meet a demand for better harbor protection and anchorage area, Congress ordered another survey, which was made in the same year under direction of Gen. Warren, of the Corps of Engineers. In his report upon this survey (see Annual Report of Chief of Engineers for 1872, p. 917) Gen. Warren recommended the construction of a breakwater extending out from Stonington Point to the south and westward, a sea wall or second breakwater on Wamphassuck Point extending to the south and eastward, and a certain amount of dredging to increase the depth of channels and anchorages.

Congress appropriated, in 1873, $25,000 for deepening and dredging the approaches to this harbor; and in 1874, $20,000 more to continue this improvement.

In 1875 $25,000 was appropriated; in 1878, $40,000; and in 1879, $37,500; all of which money was expended in constructing the breakwater from Wamphassuck Point. This breakwater was completed in 1881 at a total cost of $103,190. It is 2,025 feet long and contains 94,158 gross tons of granite.

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