vation made by the scour, and it was not until a week later that the stone was found to have settled through the bottom of the cribs. Fortunately the cribs sunk bodily without capsizing, and having been temporarily strengthened and riprapped for security during the winter, are now in process of restoration by leveling and rebuilding of the superstructure. In addition, contract has been made for the construction of one 100-foot crib on the south pier in accordance with a revised design, intended to meet the possible recurrence of the events of December, and in fact desirable where constructions of this kind are to be placed in circumstances of such exposure in the open lake. Considerable repairs are becoming urgent to some of the older portions of the revetment. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.... June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year. $58, 422. 18 38, 296.85 July 1, 1892, balance unexpended.. July 1, 1892, outstanding liabilities 20, 125.33 $628.59 July 1, 1892, amount covered by uncompleted contracts... 14,058. 14 14, 686.73 July 1, 1892, balance available... Amount appropriated by act approved July 13, 1892 5, 438.60 90,000.00 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 K K 10.) 95, 438.60 35,000.00 11. Holland (Black Lake) Harbor, Michigan.-The outlet from Holland (Black) Lake was originally improved, at local expense, to some 5 feet depth, and the official project of 1866, amended in 1873, 1879, and 1884, was to provide 12 feet between piers and revetments 200 feet apart. In fact this depth has never been attained in spite of frequent and liberal dredging, the opposing causes being the insufficient projection of the piers, which terminate some 500 feet short of the 15-foot contour in the lake, and the permeability of the revetments to the inflow of sand from the banks. The entrance was thoroughly dredged to 14 feet in May and July, 1891, and again deepened to 16 feet in August, but on September 13 the depth was 13 feet, and on December 18 was so little as 7 feet. In May, 1892, this was again found to be the depth. It is evident that radical extensions of the project must be made if the navigation is to be maintained. The expenditure to July 1, 1891, was $267,786.50, and for the fiscal year $4,456.37. In addition to the dredge work repairs were made to piers and revetments, and sand fences constructed. 12. Saugatuck Harbor, Michigan.-The mouth of the Kalamazoo River has a natural depth in ordinary condition of 6 or 7 feet, and the project of 1869, revised in 1875 and 1882, proposed to deepen this to 12 feet and extend the entrance piers into the lake 200 feet apart. The works have never been completed, and are now, for the greater part, in a ruinous condition, while from the immense accessions of sand from the naked waste bordering the river on the north and the absence of proper protection the depth has not been increased to exceed 8 feet, with 10 feet as an exceptional and temporary feature. The river is an outlet for a considerable traffic during the fruit season even with all its disadvantages, but for several years past the Government aid has been confined to dredging when the navigation became entirely obstructed. The expenditures to July 1, 1891, were $138,981.10, and for the year, $113.55. 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 K K 12.) 30, 260.00 13. South Haven Harbor, Michigan.-The original improvement of the mouth of Black River was at local expense to secure a width of 85 feet and a depth of 6 or 7 feet. The official project of 1866, modified in 1869, 1872, and 1888, was to provide a 12-foot navigation, with a width of 180 feet, extending up the river to the highway bridge. The piers still lack 150 feet and 200 feet, respectively, of their projected extension, and in order to attain their object must in fact be considerably prolonged, as they do not reach beyond the general 10-foot contour in the lake, and the 15-foot contour lies some 300 feet farther out. Measures should also be taken to revet the naked banks of the north side of the stream, and this work should be done, as elsewhere, by the riparian owners or the local authorities. By use of the dredge a navigation from 10 to 12 feet has been gen. erally maintained. The total expenditures to July 1, 1891, were $195,101.06, and for the fiscal year $8,771.39. Considerable repairs and sheet piling to exclude sand were done on the north pier, and the channel was thoroughly dredged last season to 13 and 14 feet, but at the opening of navigation in 1892 the entrance had again shoaled to 10 feet, and further dredging was done to 14 feet in May and June. Much of the revetments are in need of rebuilding. 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. harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix K K 13.) $11, 898.94 8,771.39 3, 127.55 2,217.77 909.78 10,000.00 10,909.78 40, 426.80 14. St. Joseph Harbor, Michigan.-In its original condition, the entrance to St. Joseph Harbor was a shifting channel of 3 to 7 feet. In 1836, the locality was selected by the Government for improvement as a harbor of refuge, and the project of 1866, as modified in 1874 and 1875, contemplated a navigable depth of 16 feet and width of 270. The project has never been fully carried out so far as the depth was concerned, the best water attained being 15 feet, which of late years, from accretion of shoals near and outside the entrance and the depressed level of the lake, has averaged not more than 14 feet. During the past year the local conditions became so obstructive as to threaten a practical closing of the entrance and suspension of navigation altogether, as the accumulations of sand behind the north pier had grown to such extent as to overlap it and project directly across the entrance nearly connecting with those on the south side. Furthermore, these accumulations rose in the open lake nearly a quarter of a mile from the piers, and it was evident that the protecting works are in urgent need of large extensions, if the harbor facilities are to be maintained, and the established lines of lake traffic to continue to do business. In 1880 the control of the navigation was extended to include the canal, built at private and State cost, which connects Benton Harbor with the lake, and through this 13 feet is to be maintained, the canal having a total width of 100 feet. Since the construction of the Chicago and West Michigan Railway Bridge in 1870, the harbor has ceased to be one of refuge, and vessels . seeking shelter from stress of weather run for other points, but the interior navigation has been fairly well maintained for local commerce, with the aid of considerable dredging, and several transportation lines have been established. The total expenditure to July 1, 1891, was $263,009.56, and for the past year $9,821.73. Dredging continued in 1891, until the end of October, at several points between Benton Harbor and the bar, to depths of 13, 15, and 17 feet. Repairs were made to the more ancient and feeble parts of the works, mainly to prevent inflow of sand to the channel. Pursuant to renewed complaints of obstruction due to the railway bridge, the Secretary of War directed the company to dredge out and thoroughly clear the draw passages of the bridge, and this work is still in progress. Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893.. (See Appendix K K 14.) 648.58 60,000.00 60, 648.58 15. St. Joseph River, Michigan.-The improvement in question covers a distance of 25 miles from St. Joseph to Berrien Springs, and this was to be effected by the project of March, 1889, to the extent of securing 3 or 4 feet depth by the removal of snags and bowlders, and the building of small wing dams of cheap construction. The results have been satisfactory to the limited commerce interested, but are not likely to be permanent without further measures. The total expenditure to July 1, 1891, was $2,496.82, and for the past year, $953.45. The river and harbor act approved July 13, 1892, provides that $1,000 of the appropriation for improving St. Joseph Harbor may be expended on St. Joseph River. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended....... June 30, 1892, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1892, balance unexpended (See Appendix K K 15.) $1,003. 18 953.45 49.73 16. Michigan City Harbor, Indiana.-The works of this harbor consist 1. Of the improvement of Trail Creek, by entrance piers 100 feet apart, and dredging the creek bed to 13 feet, local authorities and riparian owners attending to the revetment and securing of the banks; and 2. Of extensive pier and breakwater constructions in the open lake. Thus far the outer constructions, constituting the "outer harbor," have been of no practical benefit, owing to the basin being filled with sand, and otherwise unserviceable from exposure to the weight of the north and northwest gales coming through an opening of 400 feet in the outer works. The present and actual harbor of Michigan City is the creek designated officially the "inner harbor." Outer harbor.-For these works the total expenditures to July 1, 1891, were $678,920.12. The older portions of the works, inclosing the "basin," are rapidly decaying, and the new "outer breakwater," designed to have a total length of 2,000 feet, is now completed for 500 feet of its length. The expenditures of the past year were $27,668.83. The superstructure over the 500 feet of outer breakwater was completed by the construction of 6 courses of timber, after the subsidence of 4 to 6 feet into the lake bed had been leveled up. *Of which $1,000 may be expended on St. Joseph River. 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. $12, 954.88 27,668.83 15, 286. 05 1, 905. 71 13, 380. 34 30,000.00 43, 380. 34 249, 613. 50 Inner harbor.-The total expenditures to this account to July 1, 1891, were $102,532.49. The navigation has been practically maintained as projected and gradually extended towards the upper limit by frequent dredging. The expenditures for the year were $3,390.57. 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 (See Appendix K K 16.) $6,842.51 3,390, 57 3,451.94 1, 371.96 2,079.98 15,000.00 17, 079.98 EXAMINATION AND SURVEY, MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPTEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examination of Grand River, Michigan, below Grand Rapids, with a view of determining the existence or nonexistence of underlying rock, the hydraulics of the river, and the detailed topography of the valley subject to overflow, was made by the local engineer in charge, Major Ludlow, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Maj. Ludlow and of the division engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, Maj. Ludlow was charged with and has completed its survey, and submitted report thereon. The project recommended contemplates improvement of the river to provide for open 10-foot navigation, at an estimated cost of $670,500. The reports were transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 197, Fifty-second Congress, first session. (See also Appendix K K 17.) IMPROVEMENT OF CERTAIN RIVERS AND HARBORS IN EASTERN MICHIGAN. Officer in charge, Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, with Lieut. Charles S. Riché, Corps of Engineers, under his immediate orders. 1. St. Marys River, Michigan.-The project for obtaining a navigable channel of 16 feet depth between Lakes Superior and Huron had been barely completed when the demands of commerce so enormously increased that the work of obtaining a depth of 20 feet throughout was undertaken with the full sanction of both legislative and executive authority. |