Name of harbor. There have been some modifications of details which have in all cases, however, been submitted to, and approved by, the Chief of Engineers. At each harbor there is stationed a foreman, whose duties are to be present at the work during all working hours and see that the contractors comply strictly with all the specifications under which they work, and to take charge of all public property belonging to the work. * * Recapitulation, showing amounts appropriated, amounts unexpended July 1, 1869, total amount expended on work to June 30, 1869, amounts to be expended during fiscal year ending June 30, 1870, and amount required for fiscal year ending June 30, 1871. Name of harbor. Names of contractors. Abstract of contracts made during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869. Stone, per cord of 128 cubic feet. $15 00 ...... 12 90 12 90 513 13 98 1 491 49 512 212 $18 14 34 17 00 4 50 2 50 517 72.00 12 89 1 50 67.5 3 00 3 00 $0 35 $3.00 $1 2 50 15 Surveys have been made of the mouth of the Aux Becs Scies River, mouth of White River, and the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. The result of these surveys are shown on the sketches attached to the report on each of the localities. A party is now engaged on the surveys of the other harbors under my charge, and as soon as maps can be made copies will be forwarded. I would respectfully call attention to the fact that when the improvements at a harbor are completed there is no one who is responsible for the proper care of the piers. The Vessels at times in want of ballast will take it from the piers. piers are used as docks, and ties are broken in being used in the place of snubbing posts to make fast to. I would suggest that it would be well that a law should be enacted by which the finished portion of the work be placed under the supervision of the collector of customs, who should see that the piers are not used for any private purposes, and who should have power to enforce the collection from vessel owners of amounts expended in repairing damages caused by vessels running to, or tying up to, the piers. There is no reason why this care should be of any extra expense to the government, and would in many cases save the cost of repairing the piers. For the history of the various works under my charge, and the importance of the localities where they are, I would refer to the reports of the Chief of Engineers for 1866, 1867, and 1868. Under the authority of the Chief of Engineers, a dredge and dumpscows are being built at a cost of $15,500, and a tug will be bought at a cost of $6,000. The cost of this dredging machinery will be distributed as follows: From amount allotted to improvement of White River Harbor. From amount allotted to improvement of Pentwater Harbor.. Total.... $8,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 1, 500 21,500 I have no doubt that in less than two seasons more that the whole cost of the dredging machinery will be saved by the government dredging with its own machinery. Could the appropriations for the works of harbor improvements be made in the early part of the winter much money would be saved in the price of the lumber to be used, as a great deal, if not all of it, has to be hauled for some distance, which can be done much more easily when the ground is covered with snow. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Captain U. S. Engineers and Bvt. Lieut. Col. U. S. Army. Brevet Maj. Gen. A. A. HUMPHREYS, Chief of Engineers U. S. Army, Washington, D. C. B 1. AUX BECS SCIES HARBOR, (FRANKFORT.) The work done at this harbor for the last fiscal year was as follows: 12,641 cubic yards of earth removed from between piers; 114 cords of brush filling put in piers; 382 cords stone filling put in piers; 165 cubic feet of timber furnished. Owing to the lateness of the season (1869) work commencing, not much progress was made during the last fiscal year. It will be seen by the accompanying tracing that much of the dredging of last year has again to be done during the present year. May 20, 1869, a contract for doing the work at this harbor was entered into with Messrs. Whitwood and Hubbell. They did not get their dredging machinery in place until the 18th of June. The following are the prices paid: Timber-pine 12 inches square, per cubic foot....... 128 cubic feet for slabs, per cord... For framing, per cubic foot of timber used in construction, the framing to include placing, filling, and sinking of cribs and leveling bottom.. For driving piles, each.... For dredging, per cubic yard. $0 17 *2.75 17 00 4 50 2 50 3 00 The work proposed for the present season is to carry out the north pier extension 320 feet, to build two short wings to protect inner ends of pile revetments, and to dredge out the channel between the piers to a depth of 10 feet. To make a good harbor of refuge, (and it is much needed as such,) both piers should be carried out to the 12-feet curve, a further extension of 390 feet, and the channel dredged to a depth of 14 feet, which would cost $60,000. This amount can be profitably spent during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1871. Aux Becs Scies, or Frankfort, is in the collection district of Michigan, and the nearest point of entry is Grand Haven. Its nearest light-house is on Point Aux Becs Scies, or Point Betsie, as it is generally known. Number of arrivals and departures of vessels and estimates of the amount, kind, and value of imports and exports of Aux Becs Scies Harbor, Michigan, (Frankfort,) from June 1, 1868, until June 30, 1869. B 2. MANISTEE HARBOR, MICHIGAN. The south pier was extended 256 feet, and the north pier 96 feet during the last fiscal year. It is proposed to extend the north pier 160 feet, and the south pier 96 feet during the present season. * The contracts for this season's work were let to Granville D. Jennings for framing and furnishing stone, and to Hasbrouck and Conro for furnishing timber and iron. Abstract of bids received and opened February 23, 1869, for furnishing stone for improving harbor at Manistee. Abstract of bids received and opened January 10, 1869, for improving the harbor at Manistee. Putting stone in cribs constituted part of the labor of framing, and the cost thereof is to be included in the total cost of framing. Charles J. DeGraw declined to enter into a contract to furnish stone, and therefore. proposals for furnishing the stone were invited. |