15. Operating and care of locks and dams on Muskingum River, Ohio.As originally improved by the State of Ohio, 11 dams and 12 locks were built on the Muskingum River, furnishing continuous navigation for 91 miles from the Ohio River at Marietta to Dresden, where a connection was made with the Ohio Canal near its middle point, this canal extending from the Ohio River at Portsmouth to Lake Erfe at Cleveland. According to old reports from the State board of public works, the locks were built with a length between hollow quoins of 180 feet and a clear width of 36 feet, except the upper lock between Zanesville and Dresden, which had a length of 120 feet and a clear width of 22 feet. The lifts as reported varied from 8 feet 10 inches to 12 feet 1 inch, but measurements made since the United States took charge show that none of the above dimensions were strictly accurate. The work cost the State of Ohio about $1,500,000.

The lock and dam above Zanesville is now in a state of ruin, but the 75 miles of slack water between the Ohio River and Zanesville has always been maintained; on this piece of river there are 10 dams, 11 locks, and 5 lateral canals with a total length of 33 miles.

The locks and dams were about worn out when they passed into the hands of the United States, and a general reconstruction was unavoidable. This work was very greatly retarded and increased in cost by the extraordinary rainfall of the summer and autumn of 1890, which repeatedly carried away cofferdams and drowned out the work. At the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, the reconstruction of Locks 3, 4, and 8 had been completed. The floods had a very disastrous effect on the dams; Nos. 1, 6, and 8 gave way, and a break took place around the abutment of Dam No. 4. The latter has been thoroughly closed, but it was impossible to do anything for the repair of the broken dams.

There had been expended on this work, up to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $741,863.03.

At the beginning of the fiscal year, the season being a favorable one for work, the repairing and reconstructing of the various locks and dams on the river was progressing.

The reconstruction of Locks Nos. 6 and 7 was completed; Locks Nos. 2 and 5 were completed so far as to admit of their use; the repairs to Dams Nos. 1, 6, and 8 were finished and minor repairs made to Dams Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10.

Through navigation, which had been interrupted by the closing of locks for repairs in May, 1889, was resumed with the opening of Lock No. 5, May 6, 1892.

An important decision was rendered by Judge Sage of the United States district court, southern district of Ohio, eastern division, relating to the changing of bridges by direction of the Secretary of War, under the provisions of the river and harbor act of September 19, 1890. The decision was in the case of the bridge crossing the Muskingum River at Taylorsville, Ohio, and will be found in full in the annual report of the officer in charge.

(See Appendix D D 15.)

IMPROVEMENT OF FALLS OF THE OHIO RIVER, OF WABASHI RIVER, INDIANA AND ILLINOIS, AND OF WHITE RIVER, INDIANA; OPERATING AND CARE OF LOUISVILLE AND PORTLAND CANAL, KENTUCKY.

Officer in charge, Lieut. Col. G. J. Lydecker, Corps of Engineers. 1. Falls of the Ohio River, at Louisville, Kentucky.-The improvements in progress under this appropriation contemplate increased facilities for passing the Falls of the Ohio River via the Louisville and Portland Canal by enlargements at its upper entrance and immediately above the locks, so as to form capacious basins, or harbors, at those points. The works involved in the enlargement at the upper end, are also closely associated with the improvement of the Indiana Chute, which seeks to provide a safe open-river channel over the falls, available for the largest tows, when the river is at, or above, a stage of 8 feet on the upper canal gauge.

The project for enlargement at the head was adopted in 1883, and modified, after full consideration, by a board of engineers in 1890. Under this project the width of the canal, now 90 feet, will be increased to from 210 to 325 feet for a length of 2,400 feet, and east of this the enlarged canal will expand into a basin 800 feet wide and 2,200 feet long; the work comprises, as its principal features, the excavation of about 325,670 cubic yards of solid rock, and 270,000 cubic yards of earth, the construction of about 5,200 linear feet of masonry canal wall, and dams, containing about 26,000 cubic yards, and the removal of 6,200 linear feet of old canal wall, dikes, and timber dams. The work accomplished to June 30, 1892, was 166,882 cubic yards of rock excavation; 213,068 cubic yards of earth excavation, and 10,307.5 cubic yards of masonry laid in new canal wall.

The enlargement above the locks was inaugurated in 1887, the purpose being to construct a basin wherein boats can lie, and tows be properly formed before or after passing the locks, without interfering with navigation through the canal. The result of the improvement will be a basin 1,500 feet long with a width varying from 210 to 250 feet. The work is nearly completed. The principal items of work done on this enlargement to June 30, 1892, comprised 141,593 cubic yards of earth excavation, 17,744 cubic yards of rock excavation, and 5,807 cubic yards of canal wall laid.

The total expenditures on these improvements up to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, were $618,689.43, of which the sum of $152,225.60 was expended during the last year.

Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project....... 550, 008.89 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and

harbor acts of 1866 and 1867.

(See Appendix E E 1.)

2. Indiana Chute, Falls of the Ohio.-The Indiana Chute is the main river channel over the Falls of the Ohio; originally it was very crooked,

filled with dangerous, rocky projections from sides and bottom, and with swift changing currents. It was safely navigable by skilled pilots only when the river was above a stage of about 11 feet on the canal gauge. Prior to 1890 some of the most dangerous projections had been removed, but in that year a project for the radical improvement of the chute was adopted; this project aims to secure a channel safely navigable for the largest tows, when the river is at, or above, a stage of 8 feet on the canal gauge. Work on this project was commenced last year, but operations were limited to a very short period during extreme low water. The amount expended on the improvement of this chute, to June 30, 1892, was $137,480.37.

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 E E 2.)

$48,885.20 21, 361. 44

27, 523.76 14.63

27, 509. 13 35,000.00

62, 509. 13

57, 249.53

3. Operating and care of Louisville and Portland Canal, Kentucky.The canal was open to commerce throughout the past year, except on twenty-three days, when the locks could not be operated because of high water.

Traffic through the canal during the year comprised the passage of 6,027 boats, with 1,620,586 tons of freight, 1,232,998 tons of which was coal.

Operations relating to the care of the canal comprised dredging about 100,000 cubic yards of mud, sand, and rock from the canal and its approaches; the completion of two new middle gates; the partial reconstruction of the machine shop, which had been destroyed by fire, and such repairs as were needed from time to time to the locks, bridges, boats, buildings, and machinery.

(See Appendix E E 3.)

4. Wabash River, Indiana and Illinois.—The improvement of this river has for some years past been carried on under two different appropriations, one of which was applicable only to that portion of the river below Vincennes, Ind., and the other above.

a. Below Vincennes.-The principal work in the project for this improvement has been the construction of a lock and dam to pass the Grand Rapids, near Mount Carmel, Ill. The lock was completed last year, as was also the abutment for the dam, the work done during the the year comprising 2,097 cubic yards of masonry laid, 3,074 cubic yards of earth and mud excavated, and 5,776 cubic yards of earth hauled and embanked behind lock walls and abutment of dam. Besides this work, the snag boat removed from this section of the river 429 snags, weighing 1,786 tons.

After the dam near Mount Carmel is completed, the improvement of this section of the river calls for the excavation of channels through shoals, and the construction of dams to properly concentrate the lowwater flow. This will put the river in fairly navigable condition at ordinary low-water stages.

The amount expended to June 30, 1892, on the improvements of this

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.

$41,800.77 34, 886.36

6, 914. 41 434.68

6, 479.73 60,000.00

66, 479.73

40,000.00

b. Above Vincennes.-The work of improving this portion of the river is precisely similar in character to that contemplated on the lower section, after the completion of the lock and dam at Mount Carmel; channels must be excavated through shoals, the low-water flow concentrated by dams or dikes, and the river cleared of snags. At present the river is navigable for very light draft only, at ordinary low water, and the channels are badly obstructed by snags. No work was done on this section during the past year, because the United States had no snagging outfit available, and no satisfactory arrangements could be made with private parties for doing the work. Material for rebuilding the old snag boat was procured, and the work thereon commenced toward the close of the year.

The completion of the lock and dam at Mount Carmel will establish free communication between the upper and lower sections of the river. The amount expended on this section above Vincennes to June 30, 1892, was $72,172.02.

Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project..... Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of riyer and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867.

(See Appendix E E 4.)

15,000.00

5. White River, Indiana.-The river is badly obstructed by shoals. and snags, and without a very considerable expenditure it is not practicable to make it available for navigation except at high and medium stages of water. Channels might be excavated through some of the worst shoals, but no material increase in navigation would thereby result. If all the snags which obstruct existing channels are cleared out, the present commercial interests on this stream will be fairly accommodated.

During the past year operations were limited to improving the channel through Kellys Ripple by constructing a guiding dike 350 feet long from the south channel dike to the adjoining river bank.

The amount expended on this river to June 30, 1892, was $104,519.96.

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 E E 5.)

2,950.04

5,000.00

7,950.04

7,500.00

IMPROVEMENT OF GREAT KANAWHA, ELK, AND GAULEY RIVERS, WEST VIRGINIA, AND OF NEW RIVER, VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA.

Officer in charge, Col. William P. Craighill, Corps of Engineers.

1. Great Kanawha River, West Virginia.-This river flows through a fertile and picturesque region, filled with mineral wealth, especially coal and salt. It is by nature divided into a number of pools, some of considerable length and depth, separated by shoals of gravel and coarse sand, which were the principal obstructions to navigation in low water, there being often on them at such seasons but a few inches of water. In some of the pools were found shallow places, also obstructing navigation. There were also snags and loose rocks in the channel. The navigation was almost suspended in summer.

The coal and salt were generally sent out on rises, which enabled the boats to pass safely over the obstructions that otherwise would stop their movements entirely. The use of the river for the movement of these valuable products was therefore unsatisfactory and intermittent. By the agency and superintendence of a board acting under the State, first of Virginia and then of West Virginia, considerable improvement in the river was from time to time effected, tolls being charged on the commerce for the payment of expenses.

The object of the improvement, begun several years ago by the United States, was to give a constant navigable depth of at least 6 feet throughout the whole length of the Kanawha to its mouth at the Ohio River, to be accomplished by large locks and dams.

Those already built have been about 300 by 50 feet above Charleston and about 340 by 55 below.

The peculiarity of most of the dams is that they can be lowered when the stage of the water in the river will suffice over the shoals. This gives them the name of "movable dams," and enables an open river to be had when the water is high enough.

Dams 3 and 2, above Paint Creek, are fixed, as the declivity of the river in that section is too great to permit the advantageous use of the movable system.

Up to June 30, 1891, the amount expended was $2,182,670.65. At that date the finished works were Locks and Dams 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. An appropriation of $300,000 was made September 19, 1890. The following list of contracts indicates in a summary manner the principal work in progress during the fiscal year:

Contract dated November 26, 1888, with Carkin, Stickney & Cram, for building Lock No. 7, completed in February, 1892.

Contract with C. Irwin McDonald, dated August 20, 1889, for building Lock No. 8, completed in February, 1892.