The contract will be awarded to the lowest bidder, Mr. D. V. Howell, on his furnishing evidence of his ability to perform the work, and satisfactory bonds. THE PROBABLE OPERATIONS DURING NEXT FISCAL YEAR. Will be the continuation of the dredging above Field's Point to make a depth of 20 feet at mean low-water and a channel of 23 feet depth and 200 feet width through Pawtuxet shoal and the removal of Bulkhead Rock to a depth of 20 feet at mean low-water. The amount of money estimated necessary to complete this improvement is $390,000, of which $100,000 could be expended judiciously during the next fiscal year. IMPORTANCE OF THE IMPROVEMENT. Providence is a city of about 100,000 inhabitants and is the second city in size and importance in New England. It is a manufacturing city of importance. Large quantities of arms of war are made here. It is a very convenient distributing point, and its fine approaches from the ocean will give it a large opportunity for foreign trade as soon as the contemplated deep channel is secured. The total number of vessels that arrived at the port of Providence during the year 1978 was 5,580, of which 1,975 were steamers from Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Fall River, and Newport; 3,440 were barks, brigs, schooners, sloops, and barges from various American ports, and 112 foreign barks, brigs, and schooners. Providence is in the Providence collection district, and that place is a port of entry. The amount of revenue collected there during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1879, was $145,187.79. MONEY STATEMENT. Improvement of Providence River and Narragansett Bay. July 1, 1878, amount available...... $50,000 00 Amount appropriated by act approved March 3, 1879.... July 1, 1879, amount expended during fiscal year. 10,532 69 831 62 11,364 31 July 1, 1879, amount available.. 98.635 69 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project..... 390,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30th, 1881..... Improvement of Providence River-Removal of Bulkhead Rock. July 1, 1878, amount available.. July 1, 1879, amount expended during fiscal year. July 1, 1879, amount available... 100,000 00 $5,000 00 5 20 4,994 80 Improvement of Block Island Harbor, Rhode Island. ITS LOCATION AND SIZE. It is placed on the east side of the island toward its south end. It consists of an inner harbor of about 14 acres having a mean low-water depth of 7 feet. This little harbor is composed of stone up to the level of low-water, and then of a timber crib filled with stone, the inner side being lined with piling to protect the vessels. It is entered by an opening 60 feet wide. Outside of this is a larger sheltered place secured from gales except in the northeast quarter, (which are not serious,) and from which a partial shelter suffices. This outer harbor is formed by a breakwater of rip-rap granite, extending out about 1,100 feet beyond the inner harbor; then there is an opening of 200 feet with a depth of 18 feet at mean low-water; then a detached piece curving to the westward which is 300 feet long terminating in about 24 feet depth at mean low-water. Another piece detached again can at some future time be added extending towards the shore so as to greatly increase the completely sheltered area, and by dredging the depth can be made 24 feet at mean low-water. The mean rise of the tide is about 3 feet. A steamboat wharf has been built just outside the inner harbor, and all the facilities necessary to the local wants of the island, and its use as a summer resort, are provided. The lighting of its approaches is now in charge of the Light-House Department. This harbor is an enlarged modification of the original design of a harbor for local purposes. The first plan was to build it of riprap up to low-water and surmount this with a cut-stone parapet. The change permitted the enlargement of the area and a reduction of the cost. IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK. Block Island is about 9 miles long and 4 miles broad with a permanent population of about 1,400 souls. Heretofore their means of living was by fishing and farming, and their want of harbors made them very isolated. There are no rocks in situ to form long projecting headlands and sheltered areas, the formation being of sand, clay, gravel, and ancient glacial deposits, gradually undermined by the waves and leaving a dangerous surf-beaten shore. The island is about 10 miles from the mainland at Point Judith, about 13 miles from Montauk Point on the west, and about 39 miles from No Man's Land and Martha's Vineyard on the east. A depth of water for the largest ships exists all around it. Since the harbor was begun a first-class light-house and fog-signaling apparatus has been erected on the southeast part of the island, making it a most desirable point to correct the ship's reckoning on approaching the shore, since a safe lee can be made on one side or the other of the island, and pilots found ready to conduct them to port. Here the government has also provided a life-saving station in the shelter of the breakwater. A light-house has for a long time existed on the north end of the island, and there only appears to be wanting now a good fog-signal on the southwest end of the island, to guide vessels coming out of the Long Island Sound and going to sea between the island and Montauk light, and also the coasters going eastward outside of Long Island, on their way to Vineyard Sound and Buzzard's Bay. More wrecks are made on this southwest shore than on any other part of the island. The completion of the inner harbor led to the acquirement by the islanders of several decked schooners, which they could not have before, no craft being admissible that could not be hauled on the shore in storms beyond the reach of the waves. Fishing-smacks from great distances also seek shelter here, and thus the capacity of the harbor is fully tried at times. Were a larger harbor constructed it would often be filled with coasters, to which it would furnish a much needed shelter between Long Island and Vineyard Sounds. The deep water all around the island always makes it possible for vessels to find shelter behind it from any winds; but the sudden changes which generally occur from heavy southeast gales to equally strong ones from the northwest, prevent any ordinary coasting-vessels seeking the northwest side to escape the southeasters (which are the most destructive on account of high-tides and waves), for unless manned by large crews, as the mackerel men only are, the sudden changes would catch them before they could escape from the lee shore. The island, however, would readily furnish this shelter to a fleet of war steamers ready to move with a change of the wind, so that the objection sometimes made to constructing a large harbor here because it might be of advantage to an enemy in war has but little weight. The immediate effect of the new harbor has been to much increase the fishing facilities and wealth of the island, and to furnish a means of convenient landing for an ocean summer resort that is increasing in importance at a very rapid rate. It has led to increased facilities for ocean navigation, and when connected with the main land by telegraph, as it probably soon will, will be the advanced post to signal the approach of European vessels to our shores. It is probably but the beginning of a greater harbor of more general value to the coasting navigation. WORK DURING THE PAST FISCAL YEAR. Under a contract before made, some riprap stone was being deposited to fill up places that had settled during the storms of the previous winter. This was completed during the last season, 2,927 tons having been deposited. This completed the harbor as constructed for local purposes. In the beginning of 1879 the LightHouse Department assumed charge of lighting the entrance; our superintendence over the structure ceased, and the public property employed on the work was transferred elsewhere or disposed of by public sale. A small remainder of the appropriation will be used in preparing a detailed account and drawings illustrative of the work when the present season's work elsewhere closes. No other work is now anticipated, and no further appropriation is recommended. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE IMPROVEMENT. The breakwater was commenced in October, 1870, and completed in November, 1878. The amount of stone used in its construction was about 95,000 tons. The inner harbor was built in 1871 and 1872. The crib work contains about 320,000 feet (board measure) of timber and 6,000 tons of stone. This inner har bor was dredged to 7 feet depth at mean low-water in 1872 and 1873. The depth before dredging was from 0 to 4 feet. There has been removed from the sheltered anchorage about 3,000 tons of bowlders. Block Island is in the Newport collection-district, and Newport is the nearest port of entry. The amount of revenue collected there during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1879, was $1,811.01. MONEY STATEMENT. July 1, 1878, amount available.. July 1, 1879, amount expended during the fiscal year... .$5,554 72 5,209 19 July 1, 1879, amount available... 345 53 Improvement of Little Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and Connecticut. LOCALITY OF IMPROVEMENT. Little Narragansett Bay is at the mouth of Pawcatuck River and is between Stonington and Watch Hill. It is separated from the ocean by a narrow sand beach extending from Watch Hill toward Stonington, a distance of about 3 miles, leaving an opening between its end and Stonington of about 1 mile. The water in this bay is shoal; 4 feet at mean low-water is the greatest depth that can be carried across it. The Pawcatuck River, navigable to Westerly, a distance about 5 miles from its mouth, can only be approached through this bag; this river has been improved by the general government under my direction so that there is now a channel 75 feet wide and 54 feet deep at mean low-water up to Westerly. The mean rise of the tide is about 2 6-10 feet. HISTORY OF PREVIOUS IMPROVEMENT. The river and harbor act of March 3, 1875, directed a survey of this bay, which was made during the summer of 1875, and reported on November 30, 1875. (See Annual Report for 1876, Part I, pp. 217 et seq.) The improvement recommended in this report was for a channel 200 feet wide and 74 feet deep at mean low-water, extending across the north shore of the bay from Pawcatuck Point to the deep water near the mouth of the bay opposite Sandy Point, and the removal of dangerous rocks in the channel near Rhodes' Folly and Watch Hill The estimated cost of this improvement was $51,000. Congress by act of August 14, 1876, appropriated $5,000 for the work. This money was expended in removing the rocks near Rhodes' Folly and in dredging and removing rocks from the east end of the proposed channel at Pawcatuck Point. WORK EXECUTED DURING FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1879. By act of Congress approved June 18, 1878, an appropriation of $10,000 was made for the continuation of the improvement. Advertisements for proposals for excavation were issued August 5, 1878. The following tenders were received in answer to the advertisement: Abstract of proposals received at the Engineers Office, U. S. A., Newport, R. I., on Tuesday, August 20, 1878, for excavation in Little Narragan sett Bay, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Abstract of contract for excavation in Little Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and Mr. Seward arranged with Mr. S. A. Hammond, of Bridgeport, to do this work for him. Operations were begun August 30, with a dredge and dumpscows, a tug, and a stone-scow with steam hoisting apparatus. The work was continued until December 23, when it had to be suspended because of the cold weather. It was resumed again April 3, 1879, and continued until June 30, when the contract was completed. There were removed under this contract 19,776.85 cubic yards of material, including bowlders of 1 cubic yard, and 348.60 cubic yards of bowlders of a larger size than one cubic yard. The channel completed around Pawcatuck Point is 74 feet deep at mean low-water, about 900 feet long, and 185 feet wide. It is thought that the work done embraces all the difficult excavation that will be encountered, with the exception of 15 feet additional width necessary to make the required width of channel of 200 feet. This work has been under the superintendence of Mr. H. A. Bentley, assistant engineer. |