it until sufficient funds had been appropriated to accomplish some good results, which could not be done with the amount of the first appropriation alone. There were no expenditures during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, and no work was done. The river is in the collection district of Portland and Falmouth. The nearest light-house is on Halfway Rock. Money statement. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended July 1, 1892, balance unexpended 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. $10,000.00 10,000.00 16,000.00 26,000.00 10,000.00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30,1894 10,000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. A 15. IMPROVEMENT OF PORTLAND HARBOR, MAINE. The commercial importance of Portland was recognized in the early days when Congress began a system of internal improvements for the country. The first appropriations were made for the construction of a breakwater on Stamford Ledge in Portland Harbor, according to the plan of John Anderson, of the Corps of Engineers, in 1836. Subse quent appropriations ran the aggregate up to about $166,000. The breakwater was completed in 1875, according to the plans of Col. B. S. Alexander, which plans had been submitted to and approved by a Board of Engineers, consisting of Col. H. Bache, Lieut. Col. George Thom, and Maj. T. L. Casey, in 1867. The first regular appropriation for deepening the waters of the harbor was made in 1870, though by joint resolution of Congress, approved June 5, 1868, the Chief of Engineers was authorized to expend so much of the unexpended balance of the appropriation of 1866 for the breakwater as he might deem proper in excavating the middle ground near said breakwater and in otherwise protecting and improving the channel, so that the appropriation of 1866 for the breakwater and subsequent appropriations for improving Portland Harbor were expended partly on the breakwater and partly in dredging. The first regular project for dredging the harbor was submitted by Col. George Thom, June 30, 1868, in which he recommended the excavation of a channel 300 feet wide through the southern slope of the middle ground to a depth of 20 feet at mean low tide and the removal of the bar off Grand Trunk Wharves to the same depth. The project was approved. The estimated cost was $28,600. The estimated cost of completing the breakwater at the time this report was made was $59,984, and as $92,000 of the appropriation of 1866 was at that time available, no additional funds were needed over what had already been appropriated. In 1869 an extension of the breakwater 190 feet was added to the project, and subsequently a further extension of 200 feet was ordered, In 1870 the project for the channel improvement was amended so as to provide for a channel 400 feet wide, instead of 300, and in 1871 it was still further added to by making it 500 feet wide, the extra cost of these additions to the project being $65,000. The act of Congress of June 10, 1872, made an appropriation of $45,000 for Portland Harbor and Back Bay. The approved project for this latter improvement was estimated to cost $15,000. The improvement contemplated was the enlargement, by dredging, of the channel leading from Tukeys Bridge southwardly to the stone wharves. In December, 1872, there was added to the project a plan to dredge the inner harbor to a depth of 16 feet up to the harbor commissioner's lines, beyond which several wharves extended. The estimated cost of this additional improvement was $110,000, but it was not designed to expend it until the outer ends of the projecting wharves had been removed. By 1876 all the work projected for the improvement of the harbor had been completed except the dredging in the inner harbor in front of the harbor commissioner's lines, above Merrills Wharf. The total expenditures up to 1876 had been $306,908.07, which expenditures had been of great benefit to the commerce of the city. No appropriation was made between 1875 and 1881. A resurvey of the harbor was made in 1880, which showed that the dredged channels up to that time had not deteriorated. A new appropriation was made in 1881, and with a view to the further improvement of the harbor a project and estimate for the removal of the entire area of the shoal known as the middle ground to a depth of 21 feet, at an estimated cost of $160,000, was adopted. The work on this latter project was continued until 1885, when it was completed. The total expenditures on the entire harbor up to June 30, 1885, were $427,929.21. In 1886 the Board of Trade and other parties interested asked for still further improvement of the harbor to a depth of 29 feet at mean low tide. A project for this improvement, at an estimated cost of $135,000, was approved in 1886. In 1890 the project was extended to include some dredging in the upper harbor to 16 feet, at an estimated cost of $5,000. Work on the amended project is now in progress. The following appropriations have been made: July 4, 1836, for breakwater.. March 3, 1837, for breakwater. July 7, 1838, for breakwater.. $10,000.00 25,000.00 26, 366.00 June 23, 1866, for extending breakwater, but unexpended balance made available for excavating middle ground by joint resolution of June 5, 1868 105, 111. 05 July 11, 1870, for improving harbor 10,000.00 March 3, 1871, for improving harbor. 40,000.00 June 10, 1872, for improving Portland Harbor and Back Bay 45,000.00 March 3, 1873, for improving harbor. 50,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 20,000.00 35,000.00 30,000.00 30,000.00 August 11, 1888, for improving harbor. September 19, 1890, for improving harbor. 40,000.00 40,000.00 546, 477.05 The total expenditures up to June 30, 1891, were $505,360.40. Before the improvement of the harbor was begun the greatest depth at mean low tide across the bar between the middle ground and Stam ford Ledge was 16 feet, while the depth on the middle ground itself was only from 8 to 10 feet at mean low tide. The depth in the inner harbor along the front of the wharves was in places no more than 4 feet. The expenditures have resulted in removing the entire area of the middle ground up to the harbor commissioner's line, giving a wide and commodious entrance 29 feet deep at mean low tide, also in giving a depth of 16 feet at mean low tide within the inner harbor along the wharves and up to the harbor commissioner's lines and a breakwater to protect the anchorage. The expenditures in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, have been $4,302.44. This expenditure has been in continuation of the 29-foot project, and when the existing contract is completed it will give a channel entrance 500 feet wide and 29 feet deep, which will complete that part of the project. There only remains a small amount of dredging in the upper harbor to complete the entire project. The total amount of dredging done in the harbor up to the end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1892, has been about 1,382,215 cubic yards, exclusive of what has been done under the existing contract. The total amount of stone built in the breakwater is about 45,000 tons. The harbor is defended by Forts Preble, Gorges, Scammel, and a battery at Portland Head. There is a light-house on the breakwater and one at Portland Head, 3 miles distant from the city. The harbor is in the collection district of Portland and Falmouth, of which Portland is the port of entry. July 1, 1892, amount covered by uncompleted contracts.. 33,856.74 34, 619.83 Number of arrivals in calendar year 1891. Steamers, coast trade, from 1,100 tons to 1,500 tons each Sailing vessels, for refuge only Total Vessels entered at the custom-house Vessels cleared at the custom-house *810 32 998 5,573 7,413 628 568 A 16. IMPROVEMENT OF CHANNEL IN BACK COVE, PORTLAND, MAINE. The first work done in Back Cove was ordered in the river and harbor act of 1872. The project was for dredging a channel in "Back Bay" 100 feet wide and 8 feet deep at mean low water, from Tukeys Bridge to the "Stone-shed Wharves." The estimated cost was $10,000. The work was completed in January, 1874. The act of August 5, 1886, appropriated $26,250 for continuing the improvement of Back Cove. A survey was made in 1886, and a project adopted having in view the straightening and deepening of the channel to a depth of 12 feet at mean low tide and to a width of 300 feet, following the harbor commissioner's lines along that part of the cove which borders the city, a distance of about 5,600 feet, with a turning basin at the upper end. The estimated cost of this project was $181,000, which, in 1888, was revised in consequence of a trifling modification in the location, and put at $180,000. This project is now in process of execution. The following appropriations have been made: Act of June 10, 1872, for improvement of Portland Harbor and Back Bay.. Act of August 11, 1888 Act of September 19, 1890. $45,000 26, 250 25,000 25,000 When work under the existing project was commenced the channel had a depth at low tide of about 8 to 10 feet for about one-half its length; in portions of the remaining length the depth at low tide did not exceed 1 foot. The expenditures to the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, under the existing project, amounted to $51,634.31. At the latter date the channel had been extended for a distance of 4,050 feet, 12 feet deep at low tide, and 90 feet wide, and a turning basin, 400 feet wide, excavated. The expenditures during the past fiscal year were $57.30. No work was in progress, but during the present season dredging will be commenced under a contract made in 1891 with the National Dredging Company. Back Cove is a part of Portland Harbor, and is therefore in the same collection district; is defended by the same forts, and the same light-houses are near it as are given for Portland Harbor. *This does not include a number of steamers which ply from Portland to points in Casco Bay, 3 to 12 miles distant. July 1, 1892, balance unexpended....... 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 ... $24, 615.69 57.30 24, 558.39 22,500.00 2,058.39 20,000.00 22,058. 39 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project ... 83,750.00 50, 000. 00 Number of vessels arrived in calendar year 1891. Sailing vessels from 500 tons to 1,000 tons each.. Total.... A 17. IMPROVEMENT OF SACO RIVER, MAINE. The first appropriation made for the improvement of the Saco River was in 1827, when $7,000 was appropriated for the erection of piers, placing beacons and buoys, and removing obstructions at and near the entrance to the harbor. With the expenditure of these funds it appears that twelve piers were constructed within the river, the object of which was to keep vessels from drifting on to the rocks and ledges, and two outside piers which were evidently intended for breakwaters. No further appropriations were made until 1866, when an appropriation of $40,000 was made for continuing the repairs of piers in the Saco River. In 1866 a plan was proposed by Mr. George Davidson, of the Coast Survey, for the construction of two stone piers conducting the river to the sea in a northeasterly direction, at an estimated cost of $40,000. In the same year Maj. B. S. Alexander, of the Corps of Engineers, submitted a plan for the construction of a breakwater between the two outside piers, 2,915 feet in length, 12 feet above low tide, the outer face to be of cut granite and the inner of rubble stone, the estimated cost of which was $192,500. The project of Maj. Alexander was modified at the suggestion of Col. George Thom, Corps of Engineers, by adding to it the repairing and rebuilding of the inside piers, the total cost of the entire project being estimated at $211,701. The latter project was approved March 28, 1867, with the condition that the position of the breakwater should first be determined by a Board of Engineers. Such a Board, consisting of Maj. Casey, Lieut. Col. Thom, and Col. H. Bache, approved the location proposed by Maj. Alexander, Corps of Engineers. |