5. December 5, to Robert Pettis for the extension of his wharf at Starvegoat Island.

HEARINGS, ETC.

In addition to the ordinary hearings at the regular meetings of the board, public bearings have been held as follows: January 6, in relation to the bridge of the Boston and Providence Railroad Company at India Point. February 28, in relation to a harbor line from Point street to Henderson street in Providence. June 12, at Wickford, in relation to a harbor line for Wickford harbor. June 21, in relation to proposed action by the city of Providence in reference to the reconstruction of Washington bridge, the Harbor Commissioners declining to approve the action.

JURISDICTION.

The waters immediately bordering upon the towns in Newport and Washington counties and the harbors of those counties are not within the jurisdiction of the Harbor Commissioners. Complaints have, however, been made by citizens of Westerly relative to encroachments on the river, and the attention of the Commissioners has been invited to the subject by officers of the U. S. Engineering Department. No action can be taken by the Commissioners unless the General Assembly extends their powers over those waters.

Application by numerous citizens of Wickford for the establishment. of a harbor line in Wickford harbor was necessarily refused for want of jurisdiction. In this case, however, the Commissioners are designing a harbor line under a special Act of the General Assembly.

DRAW BRIDGES.

The Commissioners renew their suggestion that further legislation is needed to regulate the times for opening draw-bridges, and as to blocking the approaches to draws.

BOUNDARY LINE.

It seems desirable that the boundary line of tide water between the State of Massachusetts and Rhode Island should be defined by law.

Action in this matter has been taken in Massachusetts, and an Act was passed by the Senate of the last General Assembly, but no action has yet been taken by the House.

WORK UNDER LIGHTHOUSE BOARD.

A new lighthouse to be known as Sakonnet Light-Station is established on Little Cormorant Rock about nine hundred feet north-west of West Island, near Sakonnet Point, on the east side of the mouth of Sakonnet river, where a lighthouse is now building by the General Government. This will make the number of lights in Rhode Island waters and Narragansett Bay twenty-six.

WORK UNDER U. S. ENGINEER.

The work under the Engineer Department of the U. S. Government in Rhode Island waters has been prosecuted by Col. George H. Elliot, who divides the deep channel work into reaches, of which the upper three, viz. the Fox Point, the Sassafras Point, and the Field's Point, have been excavated 25 feet deep to the full proposed width of 300 feet; and the lower three reaches, viz. the Pomham, the Pawtuxet, and the Gaspee, have not less than 200 feet of the proposed width of 300 feet and depth of 25 feet.

The survey of Pawtucket river has been executed. The jetty on the south-east shore of Block Island and the harbor wall in the Inner Harbor of Refuge have been completed.

By the courtesy of Col. Elliot we have been furnished with a report of the work done in Rhode Island waters since June 30, 1883, which will be found in the appendix, together with extracts from reports of Col. Elliot to the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., in relation to a survey of Pawtucket river and in relation to the ordinary work under his charge previous to July, 1883.

Respectfully submitted,

J. HERBERT SHEDD,
LUCIUS B. DARLING,
HENRY C. BRADFORD,

Harbor Commissioners.

APPENDIX.

ENGINEER OFFICE, U. S. ARMY,

NEWPORT, R. I., January 2, 1884.

J. HERBERT SHEDD, Esq.,

Prest. State Board Harbor Commrs., Providence, R. I.

SIR: I take pleasure in complying with your request of yesterday for a résumé of my works in Rhode Island since the date of my last annual report to the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army.

These works are as follow:

Providence River and Narragansett Bay.

Pawtucket River.

Newport Harbor.

Block Island Harbor.

Little Narragansett Bay.

1st. Providence River and Narragansett Bay.

The report just mentioned brought the work down to the 1st of July last, and we were then at work on the Pawtuxet reach of our 25 foot channel. A width of 200 feet having been gained in this reach, the Fox Point reach was enlarged from 180 feet to the full width of 300 feet; the Sassafras Point reach from 230 feet to 300 feet; the Field's Point reach from 200 feet to 300 feet; and the work of widening and straightening the 25 foot channel in the Pomham reach had been commenced when the contract under the last appropriation by Congress, for the improvement of Providence River, was completed on the 21st of November last. In addition to the above there were removed between the eastern limit of the 25 foot channel in the Field's Point reach and a line 150 feet eastward of this channel 43,016 cubic yards of material.

Everything in this area that was found dredgable, above a depth of 20 feet

below mean low water, was removed; but on a part of "Long Bed” which projects into it from the eastward, the bottom was found extremely hard and could not be dredged to the full depth of 20 feet. My assistant, Mr. Eayrs, who subsequently made a careful survey of the areas dredged during the last season, reported that he found ledge rock underlying this shoal and projecting slightly into the 25 foot channel, but so close to the eastern side and so deep that it will not interfere with its full use.

From the above, and from the report above referred to, of which I had the honor to send you a printed copy, you will observe that the upper three of the straight reaches into which I have divided the new 25 foot channel, viz.: the Fox Point reach, the Sassafras Point reach and the Field's Point reach, have been excavated to the full width of 300 feet; and that in the lower three reaches of this channel, viz.: the Pombam reach, the Pawtuxet reach and the Gaspee reach, we have now not less than 200 feet of the projected width of 300 feet.

2d. Pawtucket River.

The survey of this river, directed in the River and Harbor Act of August 2, 1882, has been executed, and as soon as I receive copies of my printed report I will send you one.

3d. Newport Harbor.

No work has been done in this harbor since the completion of the last contract, on June 20, 1883, for want of funds.

4th. Block Island Harbor.

The jetty on the south-east shore of the island, and the harbor wall in the Inner Harbor of Refuge, referred to in my last annual report to the Chief of Engineers, have been completed.

5th. Little Narragansett Bay.

No work has been done in this bay since the completion of the last contract and of the project for improvement, on May 26, 1883, except the removal of all of the bowlders left in the dredged channel, and of a large number from the Watch Hill channel, leaving the latter channel in a greatly improved condition.

Very respectfully,

GEORGE H. ELLIOT,

Lieut.-Col. of Engineers.