provement of the harbor. The following proposals were received, and were opened September 23, 1884: NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF BIDDERS. Price per cubic yard. Hartford Dredging Company, Hartford, Conn.. Augustus B. Martin, Boston, Mass... J. H. Fenner, Jersey City, N. J.....,. P. Sanford Ross, Jersey City, N. J. John McDermott, Cohoes, N. Y.. J. Boynton, Newport, R. I., and Lyman Boynton, Boston, Mass.. Richard M. Payn, Albany, N. Y Moore & Wright, Portland, Me Elijah Brainerd and Thomas H. Benton, New York City.. Cents. 19 227 22 9.10 28 29 30 34% 35 35 40 With the approval of the Chief of Engineers the contract was awarded to the Hartford Dredging Company, the lowest bidder; contract dated October 4, 1884, to be commenced within thirty days from date of contract, unless otherwise agreed, and completed August 1, 1885. Work under the above contract commenced October 15, 1884, and with the exception of a short suspension during the winter was continued until the close of the fiscal year; 8,041.68 cubic yards were removed from the channel outside the harbor line in the southern part of the harbor; 24,147.31 cubic yards were removed in deepening the area southwest of Commercial Wharf to 13 feet at mean low water; 24,646.84 cubic yards were removed from the channel 15 feet deep and 750 feet wide around, and to the eastward of the Dolphin on Goat Island Spit, and 5,800.8 cubic yards were removed from the spit. In addition to the above about 36 cubic yards of bowlders were removed from the bottom of the harbor. Mr. Frank G. Bourn and Mr. John S. Engs, Jr., were local inspectors of the work; the former to June 1, 1885, and the latter since that date. AMOUNT EXPENDED AND PROGRESS DURING THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. The amount expended during the last fiscal year was $13,825.43, and the results were the widening to 60 feet and the deepening to 10 feet at mean low water, 1,080 feet in length of the channel outside the harbor line in the southern part of the harbor; an increase of about 5.72 acres in that part of the harbor designed to be deepened to 13 feet at mean low water; the completion of the channel 15 feet deep and 750 feet wide around and to the eastward of the Dolphin on Goat Island Spit (the area dredged at this place being 6.5 acres), and an increase of 224 feet in the width between the 15-foot curves at the southern entrance to the harbor. The area of the spit removed to a depth of 15 feet at mean low water in the latter work was about 2.75 acres, and at the end of the fiscal year this work was still in progress. OPERATIONS CONTEMPLATED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1886. With the available remainder of the appropriation of July 5, 1884, the removal of the spit south of Goat Island to a depth of 15 feet at mean low water will be continued; the bowlders uncovered in recent dredging within the harbor will be removed, and the jetty on the southwest shore of Goat Island will be repaired, raised and extended. The current contract is to be completed August 1, 1885. The current appropriation will be exhausted during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. WORK REQUIRED TO BE DONE TO COMPLETE THE EXISTING PROJECT. The work required to be done to complete the existing project is the remainder of the cutting away of the spit south of Goat Island to 15 feet depth, and northward to a line drawn from the Dolphin to clear the Permanent Dock at Fort Adams by 100 feet, the remainder of the excavation within the harbor of the anchorage area of 13 feet depth, and the excavation, also within the harbor, of the anchorage area of 10 feet depth. Also the completion of the system of jetties outside of Goat Island to arrest the drift of littoral sand and gravel into the harbor entrance. Newport is in the collection district of Newport, and is a port of entry. The amount of revenue collected in the last fiscal year was $2,554.72. The nearest light-houses are Lime Rock and Newport (Goat Island) lights. The nearest fortification is Fort Adams, Newport, R. I. MONEY STATEMENT. July 1, 1884, amount available...... Amount appropriated by act approved July 5, 1884 July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclu sive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884.. July 1, 1885, outstanding liabilities.... July 1, 1885, amount available.... $60 80 20,000 00 20,060 80 $11,217 13 2,608 30 13,825 43 6,235 37 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... 67,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1887...... 50 000 Submitted in compliance with requirements of Section 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. CUSTOM-HOUSE, NEWPORT, R. I. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of tho 15th ultimo. During the year ending June 30, 1885, about five thousand vessels of all classes have arrived at this port, either for a harbor or to discharge cargoes; this includes steam and sail vessels engaged in coasting trade, fisheries and yachting. During the year ending June 30, 1885, twelve vessels have arrived at this port from foreign ports and discharged their cargoes; nine vessels have cleared from this port for foreign ports. The cargoes from foreign ports consisted of— Spruce boards Spruce laths.... Hemlock boards.. During the same year there has been landed at this port, say Coal..... Shingles. Laths.. Lime. Cement.. Bricks.. Lumber.. ..feet.. 9,500,000 The amount of revenue collected in this district from duties on imports, tonnage tax, Marine Hospital tax, inspection of steam-vessels, and miscellaneous receipts during the year ending June 30, 1885, was $2,554.72; the decrease from previous years being on account of the law abolishing Marine Hospital tax, fees on certain work, and reduction of steamboat-inspection fees, and tonnage tax. There are 133 vessels owned in and hailing from this port, viz: 118 sail and 15 steam. The gross tonnage of the 133 vessels is 5,596.76. The net tonnage of the 133 vessels is 4,557.75. The tonnage of the largest vessel is 708.69 gross; 673.26 net. The tonnage of the smallest vessel is 2.75 gross; 2.17 net. The largest vessel draws 13 feet when loaded. Trusting that statistics above referred to are sufficient for your purposes, Lieut. Col. G. H. ELLIOT. J. H. COZZENS, LETTER OF THE SUPERVISOR OF THE OLD COLONY STEAMBOAT COMPANY. OLD COLONY STEAMBOAT COMPANY, DEAR SIR: Your letter of the 16th instant received. In reply I respectfully submit the amount of merchandise carried by the steamers of this line during the year ending May 31, 1885, to be 245,000 tons, and the number of passengers 260,000. Yours truly, Lieut. Col. GEORGE H. ELLIOT. GEORGE PEIRCE, Supervisor. LETTER OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NEWPORT AND WICKFORD RAILROAD AND STEAMBOAT COMPANY. Superintendent's Office, Newport and Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company, NEWPORT, R. I., June 18, 1885. SIR: Your letter of June 16 duly received and contents noted, and I would say in reply that the number of passengers carried by this line from August 31, 1883, to September 1, 1884, was 66,074, and the total amount of freight was 1,690 tons. Colonel ELLIOT, Yours truly, Engineer Office, U. S. A. THEO. WARREN, Superintendent. HARBOR OF REFUGE AT BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND. This island is a part of the State of Rhode Island. It is 14 miles east of Montauk Point, the eastern end of Long Island, and its nearest point is about 10 miles south of the mainland. Besides the wants of the mackerel-fishing fleet and the general coast navigation, the island is an important point on our shores for ocean navigation. It has a signal station connected by submarine telegraph with the mainland. Vessels are passing the island at all times and on all sides of it, and its position renders it of national importance. ORIGINAL CONDITION. Before the construction of the present harbor of refuge Block Island had no harbor which afforded protection for decked vessels. The only ones used were open boats, which, on the approach of storms, were hauled up on the beach by oxen. The largest of these boats were of about 10 tons burden. The mean rise and fall of the tide is about 3 feet. PLANS OF THE WORKS. The original project and its subsequent modifications provided for a harbor of refuge on the eastern side of the island, consisting of an inner harbor for the protection of small vessels and an exterior harbor for large ones. The former was to be about 250 to 300 feet in area, and inclosed, with the exception of an opening 60 feet wide in the clear on the sea side, by timber crib work filled with stones and resting on a riprap foundation. The exterior harbor was to be formed by a riprap breakwater designed to intercept the waves from the eastward, and the beds of both harbors to be cleared of bowlders. The next project (1881) was to build a masonry wall on the east side of the inner harbor in lieu of the old crib-work on that side, which was in danger of breaking down in storms, and also to protect the cliff which lies to the eastward of the harbor, the material of which was carried by the current into the harbor, decreasing its depth. The last project for the work, the one under which we are now working, provides for filling the gap in the main breakwater under the provisions of the act of Congress of July 5, 1884, appropriating $15,000 for "improving the breakwater." This gap, 200 feet in length, and 1,400 feet from the shore, had been left for the convenience of vessels getting in and out of the harbor, but it was found to let in too much of the sea in stormy weather, interfering with the usefulness of the harbor. A plat of Block Island, showing the position of the harbor of refuge and a plan of the works, will be found with the special report on the enlargement of the inner harbor which accompanies this report. AMOUNT EXPENDED, AND RESULTS, TO JUNE 30, 1884. The inner harbor and the main breakwater, built in prolongation of the eastern side of the inner harbor and extending 1,900 feet from the shore, were constructed in the years 1870 to 1879, inclusive. The utility of the work at once became apparent. In stormy weather the inner harbor especially was filled with fishermen and coasters, and it soon became necessary to increase its depth from 7 feet, to which it had been dredged in the first instance, to 9 feet at mean low water. In 1883 a strong jetty was built out from the cliff to the eastward of the inner harbor, and a masonry wall was constructed on the inside of the crib-work forming the eastern side of the inner harbor for the purposes before mentioned. The total expenditures up to June 30, 1884, including liabilities outstanding at that date, were $306,859.98. OPERATIONS DURING THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. At the beginning of the last fiscal year no work was in progress. In August, 1884, a survey of the bottom of the inner and outer harbors was made by Assist |