July 1, 1892, balance available.... Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893..... 2,974.43 10, 000. 00 12, 974. 43 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project....... 13, 000. 00 harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 12.) 13. Inland water way between Beaufort Harbor and New River, North Carolina. The application of the appropriations has been restricted to the 24 miles in Bogue Sound from Beaufort Harbor to Swansboro, because that is the more important part of the route, and because the other part, 22 miles long, from Swansboro to New River, is provided for by a special appropriation. In 1888, when the United States began to improve the channel through Bogue Sound from Beaufort to Swansboro, there were several shoals aggregating upwards of 43 miles in length, over which not more than 18 inches could be carried at low water; elsewhere the channel was not less than 3 feet deep. The project of 1885 is to dredge a channel 100 feet wide and 3 feet deep at mean low water through the shoals at an estimated cost of $50,000. ERRATUM, Page 163. 33d line, for mean low water. read and 4 feet deep at mean low water and 5 feet deep at widening it to 100 feet through its entire length of 938 feet, and in dredging a cut 2,800 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 3 to 4 feet deep at mean low water through the shoal at Broad Creek, thus completing a channel not less than 40 feet wide and 3 feet deep at mean low water through all the shoals between Beaufort and Swansboro. 10, 048. 26 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893.... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project....... 10,000.00 harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 13.) 14. Inland water way between New River and Swansboro, North Carolina. When the first appropriation was made, September 19, 1890, for its improvement, the crooked and intricate bayou which this water way follows, 22 miles through the marshes between the mainland and outlying sand banks, had, at low water, a minimum depth of about 6 inches upon the shoals or "divides" where the tides meet between the four inlets to it from the ocean and varied from 12 to 1,000 feet in width. The project of 1889 is to dredge a channel 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep at high water through the shoals at a cost, estimated in 1891, at $52,000. To June 30, 1891, $509.76 had been spent in surveying the shoals. At that date the work of improvement had not been commenced. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, no work has been done, because the Wrightsville and Onslow Navigation Company claims to control the water way under an act of the State of North Carolina of February 13, 1889. (See House Ex. Doc. No. 26, Fifty-second Congress, first session; reprinted in Appendix L 14.) July 1, 1891, balance unexpended... June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1892, balance unexpended..................... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project............ Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 14.) $4,516.00 133.75 4,382. 25 38,000.00 15. New River, North Carolina.-In 1886, when the United States be gan to improve it, there was a long and tortuous channel 50 feet wide and 3 feet deep at low water through extensive marshes and beds of oyster rock just within the inlet from the ocean. From the marshes up 23 miles its navigation was unimpeded for vessels of 5 feet draft, and there was a depth of about 4 feet at mean low water through the channel on the ocean bar. The project, matured in 1885, is to dredge a straight channel 150 feet ⚫ wide and 4 feet deep at mean low water 1,210 feet long through Wrights Island, and 5,710 feet long through Cedar Bush Marsh, and avoid the crooked and tortuous natural channel through the marshes and beds of oyster rock, at an estimated cost of $40,000. To June 30, 1891, $19,688.03 had been expended upon this work. At that date a straight channel had been dredged through Cedar Bush Marsh 5,800 feet long, 40 feet wide at bottom and 4 feet deep, excepting at the lower end, where its depth was 3.1 feet, and 1,210 feet long through Wrights Island to the depth of 4 feet at mean low water, and variable widths of 90, 100, and 120 feet. To June 30, 1892, no further dredging has been done, and the cut at Cedar Bush Marsh has shoaled at each end so that it can be used only by vessels of very light draft. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.. June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year. $8, 343. 04 121.19 July 1, 1892, balance unexpended.... July 1, 1892, outstanding liabilities 8, 221.85 $2.00 July 1, 1892, amount covered by uncompleted contracts.. July 1, 1892, balance available...... Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892. Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893....... 1,719.85 5,000,00 6, 719.85 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 15.) $7,000.00 16. North East (Cape Fear) River, North Carolina.-When the United States began to improve it in 1890 it was easily navigable from its mouth up 48 miles to Bannerman's Bridge, and its channel depth was not less than 6 feet at low water; for the next 40 miles to Hallsville its depth was about 3 feet at ordinary stages, and 13 miles farther to Kornegay's Bridge its depth and width were suited only to pole boats and rafts; everywhere above Bannerman's Bridge it was badly obstructed by snags and by overhanging and fallen trees, so as to completely block navigation at all ordinary stages of water. The project of 1889 is to clear the channel to its natural depth and to good width for small light-draft steamers up to Hallsville, and for pole boats to Kornegay's Bridge, at an estimated cost of $30,000. To June 30, 1891, $3,173.60 had been expended upon this work. At that date the channel to its natural depth and a width of 40 feet had been cleared merely of the worst obstructions to a high-water navigation from Bannerman's Bridge up 313 miles to Chinquapin. With the amount applied during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, 33 logs and snags and parts of an old steamboat, scow, and boiler were taken from the channel near the mouth, and gauge observations kept at seven points. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.... June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1892, balance unexpended.. July 1, 1892, outstanding liabilities. July 1, 1892, balance available... Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892, Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893 ... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 16.) $1,866. 40 674.61 1, 191. 79 35.50 1, 156. 29 5,000.00 6, 156.29 20,000.00 17. Black River, North Carolina.-When the United States began to improve it in 1887 the channel, from the mouth 24 miles to Point Caswell, was fairly cleared, and not less than 4 feet deep at low summer stage, and was roughly cleared 62 miles farther to Lisbon, with a least channel depth of 2 feet at low stage in the 10 miles from Point Caswell to Haws Narrows; thence 52 miles to Lisbon the depth at low summer stage was 18 inches to 3 feet on the shoals, and 10 to 12 feet in the pools. The project of 1885 is to apply at least $10,000 to removing logs, snags, and overhanging trees from the bed and banks, and rounding off a few of the sharpest bends from its confluence with the Cape Fear River up 86 miles to Lisbon. To June 30, 1891, $2,997.40 had been expended upon this work. At that date navigation was unobstructed from the mouth 34 miles to Haws Narrows, excepting a few trees in the channel and leaning from the banks in the 6 miles next below Point Caswell, and between it and Haws Narrows, through which shoals of sand, formed by logs, reduced the depth to 18 inches. In the next 14 miles to South River Narrows navigation was not obstructed, but thence 34 miles to Lisbon was badly obstructed by snags, logs, stumps, and overhanging trees. Excepting the appropriation by act of July 13, 1892, the $3,000 appropriated August 5, 1886, is the only appropriation made for this improvement, and no work has been done upon the river since September, 1889. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.... June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892. (See Appendix L 17.) $5.93 5.93 10, 000. 00 18. Cape Fear River, North Carolina, above Wilmington. -When the United States began to improve it in 1882 the depth of water was always ample and navigation unimpeded by shoals from Wilmington 49 miles up to Hungry Neck; thence 66 miles to Fayetteville there were many shoals on which the water was not more than 12 to 14 inches deep during the low stage; from Indian Wells Landing, 37 miles above Wilmington, 78 miles to Fayetteville the river was badly obstructed by snags, logs, and overhanging trees. The project of 1881, as matured in 1885 and 1886, is to secure at all times of the year a depth of 4 feet from Wilmington 73 miles to Elizabethtown, and of 3 feet thence 42 miles to Fayetteville, by removing snags and rock from the bed and overhanging trees from the banks, by contracting the channel by jetties on the shoals, and by a little dredging at a bar of clay, at an estimated cost of $472,700. To June 30, 1891, $94,350.43 had been expended upon this work. At that date a channel 100 feet wide was fairly cleared from Wilmington 73 miles to Elizabethtown, and 80 feet wide 42 miles farther to Fayetteville. The least channel depth during the entire year was 4 feet from Wilmington 46 miles to Kellys Cove, 3 feet thence 27 miles to Elizabethtown, and 2 feet 42 miles farther to Fayetteville. With the amount, $5,520.93, applied during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, the worst snags were taken from the channel in the 22 miles next below and 26 miles next above Elizabethtown; 793 linear feet of brush and stone jetties were built in the 123 miles next below Fayetteville; the shoal at Elizabethtown was surveyed and the construction of jetties upon it commenced. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended........ June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1892, balance unexpended. July 1, 1892, outstanding liabilities. July 1, 1892, balance available.... Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892 $10, 070.92 5,520.93 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project............. Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix L 18.) 4,549.99 530.30 4, 019.69 15,000.00 19, 019.69 158,000.00 19. Cape Fear River, North Carolina, at and below Wilmington.—The United States began to improve the river between the bar and Wilmington in 1829 and the channel on the bar in 1853. In 1829 the river was so obstructed that vessels drawing more than 10 feet were obliged to anchor 14 miles below Wilmington and discharge a part of their cargoes into lighters. In 1853, at low water on the bar, the least midchannel depth was 7 feet in the western channel, 75 feet in the eastern channel, and 8 feet at New Inlet, 7 miles above the mouth. The original project of 1827 was to deepen the channel through the shoals in the 8 miles next below Wilmington by contracting it by jetties and by diverting into it water from Brunswick River and from Fishing and Rodmans creek. The project of 1853 was to straighten and deepen the channel on the bar by building jetties and a wing dam, by dredging, by diverting water through it from New Inlet, by building a jetty at Federal Point, and by closing two small breaches in Zekes Island. The project of 1870 was to deepen the bar channel by closing the breaches between Smiths and Zekes islands, with the ultimate closure of New Inlet in view. The project of 1873, to deepen the channel through the bar, added to that of 1870, to dredge in the Baldhead (eastern) Channel, to extend across Zekes Island and beyond it into the river, the dam then being built to close the breaches between Smiths and Zekes islands, and to close New Inlet, commencing with the building of a jetty from Federal Point. The project of 1874 was "to get 12 feet at low water as high as the city of Wilmington" by dredging a channel 100 feet wide through Horseshoe Shoal below New Inlet and through three other shoals near Wilmington. The project of 1881 was to dredge a channel 23 miles in length through Horseshoe Shoal, and through eight other shoals above it, 270 feet wide and 16 feet deep at mean low water from deep water at Smithville (Southport) to Wilmington. The project of 1891 was to secure a channel 20 feet deep from Wilmington to the bar, by dredging a cut 270 feet wide and 20 feet deep at mean low water an aggregate length of 17.2 miles through ten shoals, and to increase the depth in the channel on the bar to 20 feet at mean low water, and secure it by the possible construction of stone jetties at an estimated aggregate cost of $1,800,000. The present project, of June 9, 1892, is to obtain with the United States suction dredge Woodbury as great a depth as practicable, not to exceed 18 feet at mean low water, in the channel on the bar, and to dredge a channel 18 feet deep at mean low water through the shoals, thence to Wilmington, and as wide as the funds available in the next two year will permit, it being left to the experience of the next few years to decide whether it be necessary or expedient to work for a greater depth. To June 30, 1891, $2,519,035.46 had been expended upon this work. At that date New Inlet had been closed and a continuous stone dam 3.3 miles in length had been completed, extending across the inlet, Zekes Island, and the breaches between Zekes and Smiths islands; crossing the bar, there was a tortuous channel having a minimum depth of 17 feet at mean low water; thence there was a channel 16 feet deep at mean low water and 233 to 270 feet wide through all the shoals to Wilmington; at the shoal at Wilmington a cut 2,100 feet in length had been dredged to the width of 270 feet and depth of 20 feet at mean low water. With the amount applied during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, a channel has been completed 20 feet deep at mean low water, 270 feet wide and 3,200 in length, through Wilmington Shoal; to the same depth, |