A statement is given in the report of the Chief of Engineers of the action taken during the year upon such plans and locations as were submitted, by parties interested, of bridges proposed to be built over navigable waters under authority of Congress, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War. Examinations were also made, whenever requested by committees of Congress, of proposed bills authorizing the construction of bridges, upon which the views of the War Department were desired; of bills so examined during the last session of Congress fifteen originated in the Senate and forty-three in the House of Representatives. A statement is also given of the work accomplished in the removal of wrecks obstructing or endangering navigation, general provision for which is made in the river and harbor act of June 14, 1880, enlarged by provisions of the river and harbor act of August 2, 1882. In consequence of the provisions of section 2 of the river and harbor act of July 5, 1884, which require the Secretary of War to report to Congress whether any bridges, causeways, or structures erected or being erected interfere with free and safe navigation, and, if so, to report the best mode of altering or constructing them, the Chief of Engineers was instructed to submit reports covering all facts necessary to enable a compliance with the terms of the act, and a communication enumerating all instances reported to date, of interference with free and safe navigation was transmitted to the Senate December 18, 1885.

The small appropriation asked for the next fiscal year for surveys required for military purposes and for the publication of maps for the use of the War Department is earnestly recommended.

IMPROVEMENT OF SOUTH PASS, MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

In the last annual report of the Department the record of this work was brought down to September 9, 1885. The channel has been maintained as required by law for a full year within the period from September 10, 1885, to September 26, 1886, both dates inciusive, for which Mr. Eads has been paid $100,000, and also $50,000 for one year's interest on the $1,000,000 retained, making the total expenditures to September 26, 1886, inclusive, $5,300,000. During seventeen days of this time there was not a legal maintenance of the channel, for which period no payment has been made.

The funds appropriated by the act of July 5, 1884, for testing the depth of water and width of channel were exhausted at the end of November, 1885, and the employés voluntarily continued work for seven months without pay, relieving the Government from any obligation unless Congress should appropriate funds for the purpose. As the law requires the examinations and surveys, in order that payments may be made to Mr. Eads for the legal maintenance of the channel, it is recommended that the appropriation for the expenses thereof be made as an independent measure.

WATER SUPPLY OF WASHINGTON, D. C.

The work for increasing the water supply of Washington, D. C., has been continued. The dam across the Potomac River at Great Falls is nearly completed, and the whole work will be finished during the present season. The tunnel has been excavated for a distance of 5,010 feet, making the whole length of excavation 18,538 feet, and leaving unfinished 2,150 feet at the close of the fiscal year. The sum provided in the general deficiency appropriation for continuing this work is $395,000. The ultimate cost of completion, however, will probably exceed this amount, in consequence of the suspension of the work, which continued for a period of six months, the available funds having been exhausted February 1, 1886. Work on the reservoir was continued during the year, and it is believed that the amount appropriated in the general deficiency act, viz, $160,000, will be sufficient to complete it in all its essential features.

RECLAMATION OF THE POTOMAC FLATS.

The project for the improvement of the Potomac River in the vicinity of Washington was adopted by act of Congress of August 2, 1882, and has for its object the improvement of navigation, the establishment of harbor lines, and the elevation of the flats in front of the city. The expenditures for the improvement have thus far amounted to $739,574.

The work has been retarded by the great number of freshets occurring during the year, and by the failure to make an appropriation in 1885. It is of the utmost importance that large appropriations should be made in the early stages of a work of this character and magnitude. It is now in such a state of progress that it is liable to great damage from freshets, and it should be pushed rapidly to a point nearer completion. The sum of $700,000 could be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, in continuing the work in accordance with the project.

BRIDGES OVER NAVIGABLE WATERS.

In view of the urgent necessity for legislation to prevent the obstruction of the navigable waters of the United States, I quote the remarks upon the subject in my last annual report:

Under the act of Congress of July 5, 1884, the city of Saint Paul was authorized to construct bridges across the Mississippi River at that city, upon plans subject to the approval of the Secretary of War. The plans of a bridge designed to be erected by the city were submitted to me for approval in March last, according to the provisions of the act. After consultation with the Chief of Engineers I was unable to approve them; but at the request of the authorities of Saint Paul I submitted the question to the Attorney-General, and in his opinion the plaus were not in conformity to the provisions of the act. During this investigation it appeared that directly below the main span of the proposed city bridge, which, in accordance with the act, was 300 feet in width, there had been erected in the middle of the navigable portion of the

stream, by the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad Company, a large pier 40 feet in width, which was to form a part of a bridge across the river about to be built by that company. This fact was accordingly reported to the Attorney-General, who replied that "in the existing state of the law the facts of the present case afford no ground for a judicial proceeding on behalf of the United States against the railroad company, and that until Congress makes some adequate provision upon the subject the officers of the United States can in this case take no action to enforce the rights of the Government and give effect to the duty resting upon it to protect the navigation of the Mississippi River." This railroad bridge above referred to has not been officially reported upon by the Engineer Department, because, not having been authorized by act of Congress, it is not under the jurisdiction of this Department; but it is believed to be an obstruction to navigation. The railroad company claims authority to erect it under the act of the Territorial legislature of Minnesota of 1854, and asserts that the authority to build bridges across the Mississippi River and its tributaries within the State of Minnesota under the authority of the laws of that State has been exercised in several cases.

The Attorney-General, in the decision above referred to, remarks: "As the Mississippi River above, at, and for some distance below the city of Saint Paul is wholly within the State of Minnesota, the principle enunciated by the Supreme Court of the United States in Wilson v. the Blackbird Creek Marsh Company (2 Pet., 250); Gilman . Philadelphia (3 Wall., 713); Pound v. Turck (95 U. S., 459); and Escanaba Cómpany v. Chicago (107 U. S., 678) applies to this case, namely, that until Congress acts and by appropriate legislation assumes control of the subject, the power of a State over bridges across navigable streams within its limits is plenary."

The only general power which the Secretary of War has to act in the matter of bridges which obstruct navigation is found in section 8 of the river and harbor act of July 5, 1884. This law does not prevent the erection of bridges which obstruct navigation, but prescribes that the Secretary of War shall require such aids to the passage of the draw-openings or raft-spans of such bridges as he may deem necessary.

This recital discloses the fact that a private corporation, acting under the authority of a Territorial act, is obstructing the main navigable channel of the Mississippi within a few hundred feet of the spot where Congress, in authorizing the city of Saint Paul to build a bridge, provided there should be a span over the channel leaving a clear water-way of not less than 300 feet in width. It has been thought proper to call the attention of Congress to this question.

This pier is an obstruction to navigation, and would seem to fall within that class of cases which it is the duty of the Secretary of War to report to Congress under the last paragraph of section 4 of the river and harbor act of August 5, 1886.

ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT.

The national armory at Springfield, Mass., during the last fiscal year manufactured 39,527 rifles, carbines, and shot-guns, in addition to the repair of arms, the manufacture of swords, sabers, and other miscellaneous articles. The magazine guns issued to the Army for trial last year were thoroughly tested in competition with each other and with our present arm, the Springfield rifle. The result was declared to be strongly in favor of the Springfield, in preference to any of the others. The remarks of the Chief of Ordnance on the subject are very much to the point:

"After a careful examination of these reports I am satisfied that neither of these magazine guns should be adopted and substituted for the Springfield rifle as the arm of the

service. I have been and am an advocate for a magazine gun, but it would seem the part of wisdom to postpone for the present any further efforts towards the adoption of a suitable magazine arm for the service. The Springfield rifle gives such general satisfaction to the Army that we can safely wait a reasonable time for the further developments of magazine systems."

The new model rod-bayonet Springfield rifle, with improved sight, is now upon trial in the hands of the troops. Our metallic ammunition, already very excellent, has, during the past year, been materially im proved.

The demands upon the Ordnance Bureau for materials for rifle practice have very much increased, showing a great interest throughout the Army in this important branch of a soldier's education. All demands have been promptly and liberally met, so that the rifle ranges at posts throughout the country are now better equipped than ever before. The facilities offered to our soldiers in this respect are, it is believed, greater than those enjoyed by other armies.

Captain Lyle of the Ordnance was sent last spring, under orders of the War Department, to Spezia to witness the trial of Gruson's chillediron armor. The trial demonstrated the ability of this armor to successfully withstand the impact of forged-steel projectiles fired from the heaviest guns.

It is hoped that Congress will take action, during its next session, to place the Army on an equal footing with the Navy in the matter of the manufacture of guns. The Gun Foundry Board earnestly recommended that the Government establish two gun factories, one for the Army and the other for the Navy. The Board on Fortifications or other Defenses indorsed this recommendation, and Congress gave partial effect to it by legislation which has enabled the Navy Department to establish a factory at the Washington navy-yard. The Senate passed a bill at the last session containing, among other valuable provisions, the establishment of an Army gun factory at Frankford Arsenal. This bill, however, did not obtain the concurrence of the House of Representatives, and is still in conference. It is hoped that it will be passed at the coming session.

With the exception of work on existing contracts, continued from last year, the operations of this Department with regard to the armament of fortifications have ceased, owing to the failure of the fortifications appropriation bill to become a law. This has caused serious injury, not alone from the stoppage of work but also from the loss of skilled workmen, who have been discharged for lack of funds to pay their wages. It affects the Government, as well as the Army. for the economical, as well as the efficient, performance of technical work, for bids its being done in an intermittent manner. There will be great difficulty in procuring good men upon a resumption of work, for those formerly employed will have sought employment elsewhere.

Owing to the failure of the bill mentioned to become a law, the completion and test of the various experimental guns, the development of

powders and explosives, the alteration of carriages for existing guns, and nearly all the work of the ordnance proving-ground have been suspended, and much valuable skilled labor for a long time employed at that station has been lost to the Government. During the past year experiments were continued with the 12-inch cast-iron B. L. rifle, until 137 rounds were fired. It was then found that the erosion of the bore was so great that the gun was thought to be unsafe. The result of the firing was to show that the power of this gun is about equal to that of the 10-inch steel rifle, which is 21.5 tons less in weight.

Experiments upon rifled mortars to determine the comparative merits of the breech and muzzle-loading systems still continue.

It is gratifying to state that the results of trials and tests of powder and of steel for gun making, furnished from the Du Pont, Midvale, and Cambria Works continue to fully answer our expectations, so that there is no reasonable ground to doubt that these two important branches of military industry, upon which reliance must be had in case of war, can with due encouragement from Congress be brought to the highest standard maintained abroad.

I deem it my duty to invite attention to the present state of our field artillery. The Chief of Ordnance reports 500 serviceable 3-inch wrought-iron M. L. guns on hand, in addition to the new steel 3.2inch guns, of which 25 will be completed by the end of November. There are practically no carriages for any of these guns. The wooden carriages made years ago for the wrought-iron guns are no longer serviceable, and if serviceable would not answer for the new steel guns. The metal carriages designed for the latter will serve equally well for the iron guns, and can be replaced by the steel carriages as fast as supplied. At present the needs of our field artillery are most pressing. Experiments with the Powlett pneumatic gun-carriage, and with steel siege guns, and experiments to develop an effective system of defense for torpedo lines, have been carried on during the year, and still continue.

The law makes it the duty of the Secretaries of War, Navy, and Interior to cause and require every contract made by them severally on behalf of the Government, or by their officers under them appointed to make such contracts, to be reduced to writing and signed by the contracting parties, with their names at the end thereof.

It is to be observed that this applies to every contract, without regard to its amount or the time of delivery of the articles to be bought. There are numerous small contracts for which proposals must therefore be invited by advertisement, many of them for amounts less than $500, and where immediate delivery is required. The reduction of such contracts to writing not only delays the public business, but is a matter of additional expense to the Government. Each contract is made in quintuplicate; one copy is retained by the officer, the second by the contractor, the third is sent to the chief of the proper bureau of the War