CONTRACTS, EXPENDITURES, ETC. The following contracts have been in force during the fiscal year: Contractor. For Date. Remarks. P. M. Church & Co.. Ship chandlery and hardware. Apr. 27, 1893 Closed Dec. 31, 1893. .do Do. On March 8, 1894, proposals were invited for stationery, ship chandlery and hardware, lumber, meats and ice, groceries, and vegetables. The bids received were pub licly opened on March 28, 1894, but contracts have not yet been awarded. The following articles of engineer property have been received during the fiscal year, viz: 1 Buff & Berger railroad transit, No. 245; 3 stadia rods for same; 2 binocular field glasses; 2 Buff & Berger plane tables, complete; 1 telescope, monocular (lake survey, No. 7) (since lost by burning of tug Mystic); 4 heliotropes; 2 tripods for same. The following statement shows the expenditures during the fiscal year and the work to which they pertain: For the continuation of work on the resurvey of St. Marys River $40,000 can be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1896. This is for fieldwork and office computations alone, and does not include the final drafting of charts, nor does it include other work of like character elsewhere on the lakes. If this amount were appropriated to be available until expended, as is done for other work under the Engineer Department, a great saving both in time and money could be effected for the Government, and work would not have to stop in the best part of the season, as is now often the case. This method of appropriation has worked so well in the river and harbor work of the Corps of Engineers that it would seem very desirable to have it applied generally to all surveys made by the Engineer Department. The work done during the past fiscal year has shown that very considerable natural and artificial changes have taken place in St. Marys River and its shores during the forty years that have elapsed since the original survey was made. The importance of the river to navigation has increased over a hundred fold during this time. Where 100,000 tons of freight passed through the river in 1855, over 10,000,000 tons passed in 1893. The vessels carrying this freight have greatly increased in size and cost; the narrow channels of the river are frequently crowded with them, and accidents are by no means rare. Surely such commerce as this is deserving of all the aid possible. The amount of the estimate ($40,000) is small in comparison to the advantages which would result to this commerce by the early publication of new charts showing the channels to be run and the dangers to be avoided in the difficult navigation of this portion of the greatest commercial waterway of the world. In conclusion, I desire to express my appreciation of the services rendered by all employed on the survey during the fiscal year, and particularly by Messrs. Morley, Haskell, Russell, Von Schon, Molitor, and Balch, who have been in the charge of the various portions of the work. I must again express my appreciation of the many courtesies received from the engineers and others employed upon river and harbor works in this vicinity, and must again acknowledge my indebtedness to Assistant Engineer E. S. Wheeler for valuable suggestions and advice. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Col. O. M. POE, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. CHARLES S. RICHÉ, First Lieut., Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. |