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from 1,000 to 1,100 feet wide, the normal width of the lower portion of the river, and in 1868, when I had occasion to sound it, was 10 to 14 feet deep.

The pool was somewhat bowed or crescent-shaped or an arc of great radius, practically straight. On this occasion the Allegheny broke up at a stage of only 5 feet. while, on the other hand, the Monongahela was in a flood stage, and there is no doubt that it ponded back the Allegheny and checked its current considerably above Fiftieth street. When the gorge formed in this place the bed of the river for 10 miles above became entirely choked up with ice piled to the height of between 25 and 30 feet, covering the bottoms in places. It remained intact for several weeks, during which period the pent up water excavated outlets for itself beneath the ice. The effect of these powerful jets of water was to dig up and carry away the gravel from the bed of the river from a half mile above Fiftieth street, and deposit it in the form of a bar in mid-river below the gorge. This bar and shoal, containing 6 to 8 acres, yet remains, its top showing above low-water surface. This, then, is a case of a bar and shoal being created where before there was deep water and a fine, wide channel. The quantity of ice held by this gorge may be approximately estimated at 25,000,000 tons.

There are a number of exceptions along this river to the general rule of the deepest water appearing in the bends. At some places, where there are islands, the channel in the bends is entirely dry at low-water, being choked up with gravel two or more feet above the water surface; while the low-water course is seen struggling among rocks and approaching the convex shore. The reason for these exceptions to the rule can, I think, be only properly ascribed to the action of ice-gorges. These form more solidly in the bends, being drawn there with most violence by the high waters usually attending the breakups. The weaker ends of these ice dams first break, or are undermined, and thence result the formation of a channel along the convex shore inte which the low-water naturally draws.

Such being some of the effects produced by the almost irresistible agency of ice ir this river, the engineer, in proposing plans for its radical improvement by the use of either movable or permanent dams, will be called upon to provide extraordinary means for their security, and for the permanent maintenance of a navigable depth in their pools. The future must of course take care of itself, but I have thought in view of the damage annually done to steamers and to other craft by ice from this river. which is the heaviest that reaches the Ohio, that it would be quite practicable, and possibly advisable, to construct several movable dams at intervals to Oil City, with several others on the Kiskiminetas, the Clarion, and the Red Bank, for the sole purpose of being maneuvered during the winter with the object of preventing hard freezing. The lowering of these dams would, I believe, create flood-waves sufficiently strong to break up and carry off the ice. If one of the dams near Pittsburgh was made a permanent structure, its overfall would tend to further break up the ice-fields, and make the pool of the Davis Island dam a much safer harbor of refuge for the thousands of barges and steamers which will seek it after the completion of that important improvement.

BRIDGES AND OTHER ARTIFICIAL OBSTRUCTIONS TO NAVIGATION.

Special reference to the obstructions to navigation on this river in the shape of low bridges with short spans, the result of injudicious State legislation, having been made in your report of last year (Ex. Doc. 21, Forty-fifth Congress, third session), I append herewith a tabulated statement of these structures, from which it becomes evident that the language employed was amply justified by the facts.

In the column of channel widths a deduction in every case for the bridges below Warren should be made of at least 30 feet to allow for the thickness of piers and the riprap thrown around them. The measurements here given are from center to center of piers.

Tabulated statement of bridges crossing the Allegheny River in New York and Pennsylvania

below Olean to Pittsburgh.

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In addition to the above, there are a number of ponton bridges maintained in the upper portion of the river in the State of New York, but they allow rafts to pass in times of freshets. No other navigation exists or is at present contemplated on that part of the river, so that these ponton bridges, as well as the low bridges above Warren, can probably be tolerated for many years to come. A steamer once actually ascended the river from Pittsburgh to Olean, but it must have been before the days of bridges, as no boats are constructed low enough to pass under several of the bridges above Warren. A height of at least 25 feet at Olean, 35 feet at Franklin, and 40 feet below that point, should in my opinion be given to bridges on this river.

Next to the bridges, the rivermen complain most of the refuse from oil refineries and acid works which is permitted to be wasted into the river. The oil refuse is a tarry substance which contaminates everything with which it comes in contact. It does great damage to the rafts of sawed lumber, and even the shingles piled on the rafts are frequently damaged by this substance being dashed over them by the waves of passing steamers. The horses employed by the guyper men in the seasons of lowwater, in towing their boats of limestone, staves, barrels, &c., become smeared with this tar; while at other places the unfortunate animals have their legs cut with the acid. This acid (refuse of vitriol), diluted as it is in the river, still accumulates in places sufficiently concentrated to disintegrate the fibers of cables, which frequently break as though cut with a knife. For a long distance below one of these manufac tories it is unsafe to bathe in the river. The case of a loss of life from this cause was reported last year as occurring at Oil City. It certainly is a gigantic nuisance to which thousands can testify, and which should be abated. As the oil refuse will burn, it could easily be destroyed in that way.

Many rivermen have called my attention to these annoyances, with the hope, I suppose, that mentioning them in a report might aid them in securing them relief.

Many years ago a high and low-water line was established by the city of Pittsburgh, beyond the outside limits of which it was forbidden to extend embankments. But

notwithstanding the ordinance many establishments persist in building out with their furnace clinkers obviously beyond the prescribed limits. Pipe lines for the conduit of oil laid in the bed of the river occasionally obstruct the low-water navigation. These examples, however, will suffice to show the need of an efficient revision of affairs on this river for the public benefit. No unity of action can be expected from those interested in the navigation. The individuals concerned are groping in the dark and feel that they have no legal status, and will continue to feel so until more specific legislation establishes their rights. A case in point will illustrate the vagueness of the knowledge which even officials have in regard to the rights of navigators. A furnace company in 1878 persisted in throwing red-hot cakes of cinder, the pieces often being the size of one-half cubic yard, over the bank, where they rolled down to the water's edge. Horses in towing boats past this place were often severely burned (I believe some of them died). The owners made complaint at the custom-house. They were referred by the officials there to the mayor of the city, who desired to know whether the furnace company was filling out on their own property or beyond the line where the jurisdiction of the United States is supposed to begin. As this point could not be settled, nothing was done until members of the Oil Exchange remonstrated and secured relief for the boatmen.

TRADE AND COMMERCE OF THE ALLEGHENY.

The rafting of lumber, as before said, is the sole business done on the river above Warren. Below that point steamers occasionally use the river for the transportation of coal, &c., in flat-boats, to the Venango County, Pennsylvania, oil regions. The transportation of oil by rail and by pipe-lines has effectually destroyed the river shipment of this extensive article of commerce, except for that portion destined for the Ohio Valley, or which seeks the favorable competing outlet from Huntington, on the Ohio, via the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, to Richmond, Virginia. A powerful steamer and fleet of bulk oil boats, each boat carrying 2,600 barrels or 7,800 for the fleet, makes constant trips up the river to Parker's and elsewhere, whenever the water will permit. The proprietor of this line assures me that a large increase in the trade would result from the improvement of the river, particularly by the removal of the dangerous rocks which cause them to withdraw, while there may otherwise be for weeks a reliable depth in the channel. Besides this line, five other steamers are engaged in the trade from the oil regions to Pittsburgh and Wheeling.

The miscellaneous business transacted on the river near Pittsburgh is very extensive, particularly that which is connected with the large barrel factories, and also with the work-house, 9 miles up. The superintendent of the work-house calculates that their direct loss is over $50 a day, when they cannot receive their staves and deliver their barrels by boat, which mode of shipment is always preferred to the railroads. The furnaces at Pittsburgh, chiefly located on the Allegheny, consume annually thousands of tons of limestone, which is brought to them in barges from above. The honorable Harry White, member of Congress, has estimated the quantity of lumber annually transported down the Allegheny to Pittsburgh at 200,000,000 feet, not including staves, &c.

The following are the statistics of the lumber trade of the portion of the river covered by the survey; they were obtained from the mill owners at the various points designated:

Tabulated statement of sawed lumber and other products of timber shipped annually by the Allegheny River.

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There yet remain to be developed valuable quarries of building-stone, of limestone for furnaces, and of glass-sand, mines of coal and of iron ore, and thousands of acres of hemlock timber, the bark of which is extensively used for tanning.

The market is near, but the extensive development of such natural resources must await cheaper transportation, which can only be obtained by an improved river.

PROPOSED METHOD OF IMPROVEMENT-ESTIMATE OF COST, ETC.

The proposed system of improvement in view of the present commerce to be benefited, which, though considerable, is still relatively limited, which I recommended last year, viz, the removal of rocks from the channel and the construction of wingdams at the shoals, still appears to me the most advisable. It is a cheap system, but one which meets the present demands and which in time will create the necessity for a better method.

I have, in the general description of the river above Warren, designated a number of places which could probably be improved by the construction of wing-dams, but as the lumber trade is gradually declining new industries above that point must arise before, in my opinion, any considerable expenditure would be justified. It would be proper, however, to make an exception of the case of the dam at Corydon, Pa., near the State line.

At that place certain saw-mill owners have erected a crib-dam entirely closing the river, the descent over which is 34 feet. At some stages rafts passing over the dam dip their heads so as to strike the bottom, and in consequence many have been broken up and destroyed. The upper rivermen have been persistent in their efforts to have this dam removed, or so modified as to permit them passing it with a greater degree of safety, but so far the local courts have not found a way to afford the raftsmen any relief.

There may come a time, also, when it will be desirable to radically improve the river to Olean in order to take advantage of the remarkably low summit existing between the Allegheny, near that point, and the waters of the Genesee River. The Genesee Valley Canal, constructed by the State of New York, but recently abandoned, connected the Allegheny River via this route with the New York and Erie Canal at Rochester. The distance via the canal to Rochester is 107 miles; distance from Olean to the summit level 14 miles; to reach which six locks only were required, overcoming a lift of 67 feet. From the summit to Rochester the descent is 980 feet, but as 301 feet of this fall occurs in one division of 12 miles, and 530 feet of it in another section of the same limited length, it is quite probable that hydraulic inclined planes, such as you proposed for the Trans-Allegheny Canal (see Report of Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., 1876, vol. 2, p. 82), could be resorted to as a means to avoid the delays attending excessive lockage. The water-supply at the summit, I understand, can be considerably enlarged.

There is depth of at least 3 feet in the channel of the Allegheny to Warren on an average of 100 days in each year, and a depth of 2 feet on an average of 130 days. In 1878 I showed by the records kept at Oil City, 57 miles below, that the removal of rocks and the construction of wing-dams would add about six weeks to the duration of a 2-foot stage to that point. We may with safety assume that the improvement will add one month of 2 feet water (the least practicable depth for steamboats) to the duration of navigation to Warren, thus making an annual navigation of 160 days. It must be borne in mind that the 130 days during which the river is now navigable cannot all be relied on, as the presence of rocks practically cuts off from safe navigation all the time that the river is actually below a depth of 3 feet. In effect, therefore, the improvement will add fully two months to the period of each year, during which steamers and barges can ply on the river as high as Warren. This much secured, the bark industry and others to be benefited could be managed in the same manner as the coal trade from Pittsburgh, which keeps relays of boats, some of which are always at the mines in readiness to depart whenever a rise comes.

In selecting places for improvement I have paid no attention to shoals or ripples which have naturally 1 foot depth, and are otherwise clear of obstructions. It is not possible, I beileve, to maintain in extreme low-water a depth of over 1 foot by any system of wing-dains in this river which will leave open a space wide enough for the passage of towboats with three barges abreast. A boat and three barges, one ahead and one on each side, makes a safe Allegheny River fleet.

Work on the improvement of the Allegheny was undertaken for the first time during the past season, $10,000 having been appropriated for that purpose. With this sum two wing-dams were constructed and the channel was tolerably well cleared of rocks (several thousand having been removed) for 30 miles above Pittsburgh. To extend the work already begun up to Warren would cost as follows:

First division—Pittsburgh to Brady's Bend, 69 miles.-The improvement to Brady's Bend would enable oil boats to load with oil from the Butler or lower oil regions and would be of the first importance to the limestone trade. It would also enable

rafts from the Kiskiminetas, the Red Bank, and the Mahoning Rivers to descend with safety at the lowest stage in which they can float. For this division I would estimate as follows:

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Second division-Brady's Bend to Oil City, 61 miles.-This division would extend to the heart of the middle oil fields, and be of benefit to the populous towns of Parker City, Emlenton, Franklin, and Oil City. It would also develop a large coal trade, and enlarge the stave and lumber business, from the Clarion River, French Creek &e. This division would require—

10 dams, costing $2,500 each Removal of rocks, &c

Total......

$25,000 3.000

28,000

Third division—Oil City to Warren, 58 miles.—The improvement of this division would be of great benefit to the lumbermen, and an advantage to the thriving towns of Tionesta, Tidioute, and Warren. It would no doubt be the means of developing an extensive trade in hemlock bark.

For this division I would estimate as follows:

19 wing-dams, at $1,500 ...

For the removal of rocks, &c......

Total.......

$28.500

2.00

30,50

The total for the improvement of 188 miles of river, allowing 10 per cent. for engineering and contingencies, and including $10,000 already expended, amounts to $133,650, which makes an average of less than $700 per mile.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ALLEGHENY RIVER BETWEEN OLEAN, N. Y., AND

FRANKLIN, PA., 132 MILES.

The survey was begun at the mouth of Olean Creek August 22, 1879. Olean Creek enters the Allegheny River from the right at the town of Olean, Cattaraugus County. New York. Below the junction of the streams there is a detached bar on the right. from the head of which to the upper end of Hoop's Island, 500 feet, the channel is narrow and crooked, but has a depth of 1.1 feet in low-water. The channel passes down to the right of Hoop's Island. There is no trouble at this point, the ripple being scarcely appreciable. About 1,500 feet below the starting-point, the Allegheny is crossed by an open highway bridge. It is a through iron truss 240 feet long. divided into 3 spans of 80 feet each, elevated in the clear 16.5 feet above low-water surface. The rafting channel is under the middle span. The high-water of 1873_rese 15.8 feet above low-water mark, or to within a few inches of the bottom chords of this bridge. Thence the channel continues in mid-river, with a depth of over 2 feet, to Parker's dam.

On

The

Parker's dam, 1.11 miles below Olean.-This is the remnant of an old mill-dam. the left, a portion of the crib-work remains standing 2 feet above low-water. channel past this obstruction is 150 feet wide and 24 feet deep in low-water. The descent in a distance of 300 feet is 1.42 feet. For the present no work seems to be necessary at this point.

Warren and Bradford Narrow-Gauge Railroad Bridge, 1.33 miles below Olean.—This is a wooden Howe truss through bridge. The abutments and piers are timber resting on piles driven into the soft gravel, which for many miles below Olean forms the bed of the Allegheny. This bridge has 3 spans of 100 feet in length each; height in clear above low-water, 20 feet. The channel-way passes under the central span. Thence the river is clear of obstructions and easy to navigate to Allegheny Station.

Allegheny Station, 4.43 miles below Olean.—This is a station on the Erie Railroad, on the right bank of the river. The river is here crossed by a highway bridge of four spans, each 100 feet in length. One of the shore spans is built of wood, but the other three are iron bow-string girders. The bridge is 19.4 feet in the clear above the lowwater surface. The channel under either of the central spans is taken by the raftsmen. Thence, after passing three ripples, with a least depth of 7 inches and a scarcely appreciable fall (see tables of ripples), the channel remains good to Vandalia Station.

Vandalia Station, on the right bank, 10.4 miles below Olean.-The station is about half a mile distant from the river, across a low, flat bottom. A bridge crosses the river

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