coal-boat at Williamson's Island, 138 miles below Pittsburg; a brickboat at Blannerhassett's Island, 183 miles below Pittsburg; detained there from July 15 to 22. At Belleville Island, July 23, 202 miles from Pittsburg, they encountered a strongly-framed model barge, which gave them a great deal of trouble, the work being interfered with by high water and the passage of numerous tow-boats; the tow of one of these boats broke loose above them and set the snag-fleet adrift, compelling them to lose their hold of a partially-raised wreck, which again sunk. Leaving Belleville, August 11, they next proceeded to Buffington Island, 214 miles below Pittsburg, where they were several days engaged raising a boat, loaded with boulders. September 1, at Guyandotte, they were working at a drift pile, which they burnt and tore up completely; it was very much in the way of ascending boats of all kinds. The rise in the river, September 10, caught them at Portsmouth, 370 miles below Pittsburg. Waiting until October 3, the river showing no signs of falling to a reasonable working stage, the Greenback was ordered to return to Pittsburg. On the trip down, from June 5 to September 10, they raised in all fifteen wrecks, and removed, besides drift and several small snags, 85 large snags, four stumps, and nineteen logs; also several rocks, and cut down a number of trees likely to become snags. After her return to Pittsburg, the river having again fallen, Mr. Roberts dispatched the Greenback down again with one crane-boat and a half crew to work at a number of snags, &c., which had been reported to this office, and removed such other obstructions as they might find in the way. They left Pittsburg October 21, the marks showing but two feet of water; and, the water being clear, they were able to see everywhere anything at all dangerous in the way of snags, wrecks, &c. Having no extra boats with them, they got along rapidly, reaching Portsmouth, where they had left off before, November 3, where another rise overtook them. On the way down they removed 41 snags and one stump, besides cutting off three trees. The steamer left Portsmouth upward-bound November 4, and reached Pittsburg November 16, where she laid up finally for the winter.

On

Operations of the wrecking steamer Zebra, contractors Cole and Spencer, under B. J. Caffrey, United States inspector.-The Zebra began at Cincinnati, Ohio, July 21, and made fair progress, removing troublesome logs and snags in that vicinity, until she came to pieces of wrecks, being steamers Magnolia and Wild Hoosier, pieces of which were strewn about in a number of places for several miles. From the 5th to the 10th, on account of high water, the inspector laid the boat up. August 15 she succeeded in getting out most of the wreck of the Magnolia. By the evening of the 19th they had moved the wreck of the Hoosier sufficiently away from the channel. August 29 the party were working at the bow of the Magnolia, which, after her explosion, had drifted down to North Bend, fifteen miles below Cincinnati. Being heavily plated and bolted with iron, and firmly imbedded in the sand, it gave a great deal of trouble. They used fires to burn up those parts standing out of water. September 12, the river rising rapidly, the work stopped, and there being no prospect of its soon falling, October 2, the inspector was ordered to cease work. The Zebra cleared out the river from Cincinnati to Aurora, Indiana, a distance of twentysix miles, removing seven wrecks, twenty large snags, with several smaller ones, and four troublesome logs.

Operations of the snag boat Petrolia, Captain James Routh, contractor D. M. Druden.-The Petrolia began work at Evansville, Indiana, about >w Pittsburg, July 27. The work assigned her was mostly

770 m

upon the removal of snags, which are large and much more numerous in the Lower Ohio regions than they are above. By the end of July the Petrolia had moved down thirty-four miles, having in the mean time removed sixteen snags, some of which were quite large. From the 1st to the 15th of August they had removed twenty-seven snags in ninetyeight miles, (inspector's estimate of distance.) The river being rather high, some snags, troublesome to low-water navigation, could not be found; these they intended to remove on their return up the river. From August 15 to August 25 the boat was laid up, on account of high water at Paducah, mouth of the Tennessee River. Returning upward from Paducah August 25, they removed twenty snags in the distance of twelve miles, by the end of the month. By the middle of September they had moved up thirty-one miles, to Hurricane Island, removing thirty-six snags. Writing from Hurricane Island, under date of Sep. tember 13, the inspector says: "We arrived at this place in good season. There are one hundred snags in the water here, all with their ends in sight above water; they are deeply imbedded in the sand and mud; unfortunately the river is raising again, there being six feet on Walker's Bar, five miles above here, and we may not be able to reach all. We will take out fifty of the worst snags here, and cut them up on the river bank, if the water permits. The snags are all very heavy, and have to be cut up into short pieces and taken to the bank, or, when convenient, dropped into deep holes out of the way. The average size of the snags is from 2 to 5 feet through at the butt, and from 6 to 120 feet in length, and are mostly tough wood, consisting in the greater part of oak, sycamore, pecan, elm, and cottonwood; some of them require both crane-boats to raise them. One that we took out, a monster pecan, was 5 feet in diameter and 120 feet in length. We worked at this snag four days, it being solid as mahogany, breaking chains and wearing out saws, but we suc ceeded in getting entirely rid of it. The river having raised to 30 feet in the channel, the Petrolia left Hurricane Island September 29, reaching Evansville, Indiana, October 1; and October 2 Mr. Roberts telegraphed the inspector to quit working for the season. From Evansville, Indiana, to Paducah, Kentucky, a distance of 136 miles, between July 27 and September 15, the Petrolia removed 99 snags, besides cutting down a large number of over-hanging trees, likely to become snags.

There are still remaining 435 miles of the river to be worked upon, and several points included in that already worked over omitted on account of high water.

Respectfully submitted.

Bvt. Maj. Gen. G. WEITZEL,

THOMAS P. ROBERTS, Assistant United States Civil Engineer.

Major of Engineers United States Army,

In temporary charge Ohio River Improvement, Louisville, Ky.

Logs.

N 1.

OFFICE OF OHIO RIVER IMPROVEMENTS, Pittsburg, February 12, 1869. GENERAL: In obedience to instructions from Headquarters Engineer Corps, dated October 21, 1868, I respectfully submit the following special report on the subject of the improvement of the Ohio River at Wheeling Island. In 1868, at the date of September 9, I had the honor to recommend, among other improvements along the river, the construction of a riprap dam at the head of Wheeling Island, designed to improve the water in the channel generally used, on the left or Virginia side of the river, which it was proposed to do by closing the channel at the head of the right or Ohio chute, by a low dam, which, at moderate stages, would throw nearly all the water to the Virginia channel. This plan was approved and proposals were received for furnishing and putting in the riprap stone, and the contract was awarded October 10, 1868.

About the same time that proposals were being received, a number of the citizens of Bridgeport remonstrated against the building of a dam on the Ohio side. A committee of gentlemen interested in Bridgeport and vicinity called at the United States engineer's office, in Pittsburg, and stated their views, referring at the same time to the interests which they believed would be seriously affected by the construction of the proposed dam. This led to my letter to the Engineer Department, dated October 16, 1868, and to the letter of instructions to me, dated October 21, 1868, requiring a special report on the subject. Meanwhile no work, excepting the quarrying of stone, (which could, if deemed advisable, bé made applicable at some other point on the river,) was undertaken at that place; the lateness of the season rendering this circumstance of comparatively little consequence. At favorable periods since, I have had careful examinations and additional surveys, and an elaborate chart of the place made from the new surveys, drawn on a scale of five hundred feet to an inch, which chart accompanies this report.

These examinations and surveys were made by Mr. Thomas P. Roberts, assistant United States civil engineer, assisted by Captain George W. Rowley, United States consulting pilot, with the party belonging to the government inspection steamer "Tidioute." The reports made to me from time to time, aided by my personal familiarity with the locality, have enabled me to understand the case thoroughly, and my views on the subject may be briefly expressed.

There can be no doubt that, if no private interests were to be affected or considered, the proper mode for improving navigation at Wheeling Island would be to throw the dam across the Ohio chute, as proposed.

There are, however, some private interests which may be injured thereby, although, in my opinion, the injury will be much less than has been anticipated and stated by the parties interested on the Ohio side, residing in and near Bridgeport.

The accompanying chart is so complete in itself that it may be referred to as part of this report, and as a means of shortening it.

Owing to the existence of a low bridge, with piers about two hundred feet apart, running from the island to Bridgeport, which has existed for many years-long before the erection of the suspension bridge over the main channel on the Wheeling side-the navigation in the Ohio chute may be regarded as entirely of a local character, which is only used locally for the passage of rafts and flats, &c., and which cannot be navigated by the ordinary steamers, coal fleets, &c., running the main river,

because in very low water they could not run there, and in higher stages they could not pass under the low bridge.

By reference to the chart it will be seen that on the Ohio side above the proposed dam no injury will accrue; on the contrary, the ferry there will be improved by getting an increased depth of water, which the back water of the dam will give.

Whatever injury there might be would, therefore, occur below the dam, to interests along the Ohio shore, and it would be mainly confined to those above the low bridge. The nail-keg factory, and the coal shipping tipple, are the two most materially interested. Their positions are shown on the map, above the bridge.

It is true that log rafts and other rafts for local consumption at the saw-mill on (Ohio) Wheeling Creek, below the bridge, and in Bridgeport and its vicinity, can now run down the Ohio chute at a certain stage, say about three to five feet of water, which they could not do after the completion of the dam, excepting at a six feet stage, (or any greater depth,) which would enable them to pass over the low dam. But at nearly all times when such log rafts or other rafts can now safely pass down the Ohio chute, they could be towed up from the lower end of the same chute as far as the low bridge. It is thus far optional. In low water there is no navigation through that chute.

As a substitute for the proposed dam, it has been suggested that dredging of the bars in the Virginia channel, on the city of Wheeling side, would sufficiently improve the main channel of the river, without interfering with the private interests along the Ohio chute on the Bridgeport side.

Doubtless the channel can be improved by dredging the gravel bars as indicated. There exists, however, a special objection to any considerable extent of dredging at the upper end of the main chute. Burlington Bar, only one and one-half miles above, (see Captain Sanders's chart, sheet No. 12,) is a troublesome place now, and if the channel at the head of Wheeling Island is dredged low enough to draw the whole flow into that side, it will necessarily reduce the surface of the pool between Wheeling Island and Burlington Ripple, and increase the low water difficulty at the latter point. Dredging at the head of any bar on a descending stream must, inevitably, in the nature of the case, lower the surface of the immediately adjoining pool above.

One of the reasons assigned by Captain Sanders, and I believe sustained by Captain Hughes, both of the United States Engineer Corps, was that a dam at the head of Wheeling Island would raise the pool above, and consequently benefit the shoal navigation at Burlington Ripple shoal.

The examining engineer party, in the autumn of 1868, gauged the flow of water in both chutes, and found in the Ohio chute, passing per minute, forty-three thousand cubic feet, and in the main or Virginia chute, one hundred and thirty-seven thousand cubic feet, an aggregate of one hundred and eighty thousand cubic feet, at that time, which was called a fourteen-inch stage; the lowest water of the year, but not so low as it has occasionally been.

A riprap wing dam had been proposed or suggested by Captain Sanders at Burlington Ripple, unless the completion of the proposed dam at Wheeling Island should render it unnecessary. The same may be said now. If the channel at Wheeling Island be improved solely by dredging, without a dam on either chute to concentrate the water, it will be necessary to construct a dam at Burlington Ripple; otherwise the expenditure at Wheeling Island might be worse than useless to the main

navigation of the river, and be only a partial local advantage to the city of Wheeling for its low-water river trade below the city, though at the same time injuring its own low-water trade above-to Steubenville, to the Erie Canal at Beaver, and to Pittsburg, &c. It would be literally robbing Peter to pay Paul, with profit to no interest, private or public.

I could not, therefore, recommend the abandonment of the proposed dam at the head of the Ohio chute, and the dredging at the head in the Virginia chute, without at the same time recommending work to be done at Burlington Ripple.

I am well aware that the Engineer Department entertains only the desire to improve the navigation at the least practicable cost, and so as to be productive of the greatest benefit to the general public, with no wish to interfere unnecessarily with any private local interests, but, on the contrary, to help them so far as it may be consistent with the predominant interests of the river commerce. Here is a case where these two come somewhat in conflict, and it is rather a delicate task to decide to what extent either or both should be compromised. Being familiar with the details and surroundings on the ground, I am naturally expected to make up a decision or special recommendation of some sort for your consideration.

Before doing this, it may be proper to advert to the several duties which have been devolved upon me, as an engineer acting under your instructions, and referring to some of the general circumstances which belong to the consideration of the subject, and which may have a bearing on the present decision. Three distinct or different duties have been ordered: first, the general survey, involving a full general report and maps of the entire nine hundred and sixty-seven miles in length; (of which two hundred and seventy-one miles were surveyed by Major Sanders;) second, the removal of all movable obstructions along the whole length; third, the locaton and construction of riprap dams, excavation of channels, &c., chiefly for the improvement of the low-water navigation at the points where most needed.

The surveys of the river may be regarded as preliminary to the thorough consideration of the several plans which have been proposed for the radical improvement of the Ohio. These surveys are now substantially completed; only a few soundings, and perhaps a week or ten days of levelling at certain points on the upper two hundred and seventyone miles, or the portion surveyed many years ago, remain to finish the necessary field data. Without now referring to any particular plan for the radical improvement of the river, it is known that on any plan or combination of plans the cost will be a number of millions of dollars. No appropriations looking to such an expenditure or such radical improvement have yet been made by Congress, excepting the small amount applied to surveys, which of course appertains to any and to all of the improvements of the navigation in the past, and for the future.

Meanwhile, during the progress of these surveys in 1867 and 1868, in their low-water periods, we have been engaged in removing snags, logs, sunken boats, wrecks of steamers, &c., thus clearing a large portion of the river from the same, and to that extent rendering the navigation more safe. And during the same season we have prosecuted those minor improvements along the stream, designed chiefly to improve the lowwater navigation and incidentally to make it better and safer for coalfleets, steamers, &c.

The appropriations being comparatively small, we were obliged to make the best distribution of the fund that the circumstances would allow. Thus last year's appropriation for the entire Ohio River, for the