We also keep copies of the following gauge records : Place. Location. Character of gauge. Continuous record. Hermann, Mo. Saint Joseph, Mo. 300 feet above ferry landing. Inclined signal servic. Apr., 1873, to date. Foot of Delaware street ..do Standard wire Vertical pile. May, 1873, to date. Jan., 1882, to date. * Railroad company's gauge. As soon as funds are available it is the intention to put standard wire gauges on the following bridges: Sioux City (when completed), Nebraska City (when completed), Blair, Randolph, and Sibley. Owing to decrease in funds all the gauge observers were in March, 1888, put on half-pay, which was a hardship for them, as they are but poorly paid at best ($10 per month); the observer at the Saint Joseph bridge had to be discharged, and if a new appropriation is not available by August 1 all will have to be discharged. It is not necessary for me to call your attention to the real calamity to all interests connected with the Missouri River which such a cessation of gange-readings would be. I respectfully urge upon the Commission that the appropriations for preservation and observation of gauges should be continuous, and not dependent each year on the uncertain fate of a river and harbor bill. The importance of this system has been appreciated for the Mississippi River and should be extended to the Missouri River. MISCELLANEous. Complying with letter from the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, of February 15, 1888, a map was made showing the location of all bridges across the Missouri River, with outline cross-sections of river and bridges (hereto appended). A table was also compiled giving the important dimensions and data relative to the bridges. Copies were furnished the Chief of Engineers and members of this Commission. In April, 1888, a 100-foot steel tape was compared with our 300-foot standard for Lieutenant Carter, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, Savannah, Ga., his office bearing the expense, viz, about $25. In June a comparison under similar conditions was made of a 300-foot steel tape at the request of Captain Quinn, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, Duluth, Minn. A reference map of the Missouri River from Sioux City to the mouth, on a scale 1.000.000, with all information on file in this office, has been nearly completed. The intention is to lithograph this as soon as funds are available. The cost will be small, viz, about $50 for 500 copies. Under orders from the president of the Commission an inspection was made January 24, 1888, of location, plans, progress, etc., of the Omaha and Council Bluffs Railroad Company's bridge at Omaha. Report was submitted January 26, 1883. The report of the president of the Commission is given in Senate Ex. Doc. No. 83, Fiftieth Congress, first session. An inspection was also made under orders from the president of the Commission of protection works on left bank of Missouri River at Winthrop, Mo., opposite Atchison, constructed by the railroads whose property was there endangered. Report was submitted April 23, 1888. 500 miles secondary triangulation, at $90 per mile.... 500 miles topography, at $90 per mile $45,000 45,000 500 miles permanent level bench-marks, at $50 per mile. 25,000 Total.. 115,000 Drawings of steamers, barges, other plant specifications, etc.. Summary. Office and traveling expenses and salaries of Commission.. Physical data.. Publications Total...... COMMERCE. $5,000 500 260 3,240 1,000 10,000 $5,000 $20,000 115,000 10,000 5,000 150,000 The boating trade on the Missouri River is at present very small. It is practically confined to the distance Fort Yates to Fort Benton for the upper river, and Saint Louis to Glasgow for the lower. But these or any other facts as to the small actual amount of boating done on the river now have nothing to do with the question of the improvement of navigation on the Missouri River in its broad meaning and national bearing. For the General Government to foster local interests is supposed to be "foreign to our institutions," and will be clearly a source of political rivalry and intrigue, resulting in unevenly distributed favors from the national purse. But a national system of internal water-ways improvement should result in large gains of national wealth. Reduction in cost of transportation of supplies to market is a business-like method of increasing profits. Here is the Missouri Valley draining an immense grain-bearing (for one thing) district. Large quantities of surplus grain are ready to be put in the world's markets if it can be done for less than the selling price. No proof is needed of the statement that water transportation is cheaper than rail, especially for long distances. Moreover, facts given in my report on this subject to the Commission in 1886 (Annual Report 1886, page 318) show that the river has 600 times greater carrying capacity than a single track railroad. To improve the river, even between Kansas City and Saint Louis, to a low-water depth of 12 feet is deemed perfectly practicable, and at a cost per mile ($50,000) not exceeding that of a first-class single-track railroad. Even with the present unimproved channels of the Missouri and Mississippi it is not less than 6 cents cheaper per bushel to transport grain from Saint Louis to Liverpool by way of New Orleans than by way of rail to New York. The saving thus made in one year would more than pay the estimated cost of improving the Missouri River to Kansas City. The river once improved and insurance on Missouri River barges being then a profitable business (it does not and can not exist at present), the saving per bushel would probably be even greater than it is now. All these possibilities, which are safe predictions, only receive greater weight from their present non-realization. "The failure by Congress to make appropriations for the continued improvement of the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries has cost the people of these valleys enormous amounts of money by higher freights, larger risks and increased insurance, wrecks and delays of transportation; and, if continued, will dishearten our river men, if not destroy the business, and thus leave the commerce of the Mississippi Valley to a single method of transportation and practically at its mercy. The result in such a case is not difficult to foresee. The permanent improvement of our waterways is imperatively demanded in the interest of cheaper transportation to the sea and intercommunication between points on these water-courses. "Mr. Fink, in his testimony before the select committee on interstate commerce of the United States Senate, admitted the effect of the Mississippi River, the lakes, and the Erie Canal in the regulation of rates to the sea-board, in competition with railroads; and the Interstate Commerce Commission, in their report to Congress this year, refer to the value of water navigation in the regulation of freight rates to all competing points on or near the water-ways. The permanent improvement of the Ports. 1882 1883 1884 great Mississippi River water system, affording 15,000 miles of water navigation, will secure lower and more stable rates of freight than most legislation, and will do it by the laws of competition between different modes of transportation." (President Gaiennie's report to Merchants' Exchange of Saint Louis, January 3, 1888, page 12.) "The river trade, though hampered during the past season by low water, is developing yearly, and forms a very important ontlet to the sea for our foreign grain trade. "The foreign trade, taken as a whole, via New Orleans and via the eastern sea-board, has been large, showing that Saint Louis is known in all the markets of the world." (Report for 1887 of Secretary Morgan, of Saint Lous Merchants' Exchange, pages 21 and 22.) This, too, while the great feeder, the Missouri River, is practically idle." Report Merchants' Exchange, Saint Louis, 1887, page 64.-Saint Louis and Missouri River, 1887: Steamers arrived, 161; steamers departed, 171. Receipts in tons, 27,700; shipments in tons, 14,580. Receipts in tons for 1886, 32,620. Page 73.-Shipments bulk grain, Saint Louis to New Orleans, 1887: Wheat, 3,973,737 bushels; corn, 7,365,340 bushels; total, 327,092 tons. Page 107.-Receipts at Saint Louis by Missouri River: 27,700 tons in 1887; 32,620 tons in 1886; 16,875 tons in 1885; 28,825 tons in 1884. Shipments: 14,580 tons in 1887; 24,255 tons in 1886; 10,330 tons in 1885; 15,285 tons in 1884. Page 131.-Direct shipments, Saint Louis to foreign countries, by river to New Orleans: 325,442 tons in 1887; 232,352 tons in 1886; 231,552 tons in 1885; 175,126 tons in 1884; 301,629 tons in 1883; 176,583 tons in 1882; 389,587 tons in 1881. Page 159.-Sources of supply for three years: The West by rail and Missouri River, 11,164,929 bushels corn in 1887; 11,350,690 bushels corn in 1886; 18,055,357 bushels corn in 1885; 7,128,371 bushels wheat in 1887; 5,337,732 bushels wheat in 1886. Shipments: Europe via New Orleans and river, 7,365,340 bushels corn in 1887; 7,501,730 bushels corn in 1886; 8,180,039 bushels corn in 1885; 3,975,017 bushels wheat in 1887; 743,439 bushels wheat in 1886; 50,000 bushels wheat in 1885. Page 132.-Average rates of freight on wheat per bushel from Saint Louis to Liverpool: Wyoming. Amount of freight either carried past or handled at various Lower Missouri River ports for the season 1887-'88. NOTE 1.-General Meade made eleven trips to Osage River during 1888; cargoes up were merchan. dise, and down, grain and stock. No estimates of amount obtained. NOTE 2.-Steamer New Haven also ran to Chamois and New Haven with merchandise and returned with grain, but no estimates of cargoes were given. ENG 88-146 Dora. Total. Amount of freight either carried past or handled at Upper Missouri River ports for the season 1887-'88. Tons moved on the Lower Missouri River, 1887-'88. Tons. Tons. Wyoming.. Dacotah General Tompkins. General Meade 6, 036 6,928 447 1,575 75 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 120 172 80 1,695 82 53 1,452 38 A. S. Willis. 7,019 338 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Cases. Compa- Tons. 72 2 92 26 30 nies. 20 5 Steamer Missouri.. Lumber. Wheat. Beer. Soldiers. Oats. |