For driving 720 piles, at $2 each For 65 cross-ties, 14 feet long, 12 inches square, 910 feet, at 24 cents per lineal foot.... For 13,680 pounds of 14-inch iron bolts, 30 inches long, at 10 cents per pound $1,440 00 218 40 1,368 00 For 2,433 pounds of 110-inch iron bolts, 12 inches long, at 10 cents per stringer ... 243 30 For framing and bolting 3,530 feet, at 12 cents per lineal foot.. Add 10 per cent. for contingencies. Total cost 423 60 5,959 60 595 96 6,555 56 D.-Estimated cost of dredging a channel 250 feet wide to a depth of 12 feet. For dredging 60,000 cubic yards outside the point to sink the Total cost of dredging. To build 2 cribs, 32′ x 25' x 20', as per estimates A Total cost $30,000 00 17,962 60 47,962 60 6, 430 94 191, 622 48 6, 555 56 252,571 58 Respectfully submitted: WM. T. CASGRAIN, Assistant and Superintendent of Surveys. APPENDIX B. Annual report upon the several civil works under the charge of Brevet Major General T. J. Cram, colonel of engineers, for the fiscal year commencing 1st July, 1866, and ending 30th June, 1867. 1.-SEA-WALL AT BUFFALO HARBOR, NEW YORK. 1. This work was commenced several years since. I find a small specific appropriation of $349 made for it in 1863. It has by some means, but how derived I do not know, been extended from the south pier along the sandy shore southeasterly for a distance of 5,400 feet; (sketch A.) The design seems to have been to make this construction along nearly parallel to and coextensive with the city ship canal for a total length of 7,050 feet, or about 1 mile. 4,081 feet is built with a coping, 1,319 is built without the coping, and foundation is laid without anything above it for 321 feet more, leaving about 1,020 feet of the original design upon which nothing has been done. The part of the wall which has been erected under the late Major Tardy's charge is much better constructed than any of the previous work. The cross section of the wall is here shown. The foundation rests upon clay, underlying the sand; the clay is met nearly at the level of the lake water; the foundation is of concrete, made of cement and beach gravel; the wall is laid upon it with rough rubble stone in cement. The coping is of flat stone, hardly as wide as the top of the wall; the land edge of the coping is bolstered up on "spalls," giving the top of the coping an incline towards the lake. In those parts which were built in the first year of the construction, the mortar is seen to be yielding to the influence of the climate. In 1864 there was a specific appropriation of $37,500, and in 1866 another of $31,000, for this work. 2. Under the appropriation of 1864, the late Major Tardy commenced operations upon the sea-wall in October, 1864, and from that time until June 30, 1866, expended $35,554 55. 3. The operations under that officer, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1866, were as follows: Length of wall laid without coping, 160 running feet ; laid in wall above foundation, 245 cubic yards; laid concrete in foundation upon which no wall was built, 221 cubic yards. Total expenditure in this fiscal year for wall and foundation, $9,194 06; made up of materials purchased, $1,035 87; labor, superintendent and foreman included, $6,345 12; contingencies, $1,813 07. Hence, up to the termination of this fiscal year there has been expended a total of $44,748 61. This, deducted from the sum of the appropriations of 1864 and 1866, leaves the available amount to carry on the work for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1867, $23,751 39. It seems that the late Major Tardy carried on the work not by contract; but as the law of 1866 required all to be done by contract that can be so done, it strikes me that the balance of the available means for this work should be done by contract, under the immediate supervision of a competent inspector. 4. Amount over and above the amount on hand required to be appropriated to complete the work to the extent of the original design, according to the rate of cost of the wall for the last fiscal year, $46,920. I have not thought it advisable to recommend operations on this wall the present season, as there are other works of much more practical necessity to make preparation for at Buffalo. In fact, I see no particular necessity of extending this wall any further than it now is. It would be well, however, to complete the parts up to the present extent of the foundation which has been laid. 2.-HARBOR AT BUFFALO, N. Y. This work was placed under my charge by orders from engineer department, March 28 last. After carefully examining this highly important harbor I submitted a special report upon the plan which I thought should be adopted, to adapt it not only to the present wants of commerce especially belonging to Buffalo, but likewise to the future enlarged demand of the lake commerce for vessels intending to discharge at this port or seeking refuge there during heavy blows so prevalent at that end of the lake. (See sketch B.) The plan proposed consists of the following items: 1. Repair and protect the existing south and north piers. 2. Extend the south pier three hundred to six hundred feet on the line of its present direction. 3. Endeavor to obtain the consent of the legislature of New York, during next winter session, for the United States to remove two hundred or four hundred feet of the south end of Erie Basin breakwater. 4. Construct a breakwater, B2, which should be about four thousand feet long and eight feet high above water. This would stand in twenty-five feet water to cover the harbor from the prevailing winds and secure a large space between it and the shore for refuge. 5. To make examinations and a report in full for opening a ship channel from the lake, at what is denominated "South cut," directly to the Buffalo creek. The reply to this plan from the engineer department, dated July 9, was as follows: The department inclines to the approval of the project submitted in your report of the 20th ultimo, and directed operations for the present season to be confined to items 1, 2 and 3, in accordance with my plan, and to preparing detailed plans and estimates for the remaining improvements proposed by me. 6. Anticipating the approval of this or some other plan, I found it necessary to order my assistant, Captain F. Harwood, brevet lieutenant colonel, to make numerous measurements and examinations in order to obtain the condition of the parts of the piers requiring repairs, many lines of sounding in order to obtain an exact practical idea of the shape of the bottom, also many borings in the bed of the lake to ascertain the nature of the ground upon which the works are to rest. All these data it was necessary to obtain in order to intelligently draw the detail plans of the kind of construction, and before knowing what was to be advertised for proposals for furnishing materials and doing the work. These examinations have more than occupied the party up to the expiration of the fiscal year to which this report belongs. I have no doubt, however, that they will be completed in season to enable me to perfect the plans, which it will take time to do, and put much of the work under contract the present season, so that materials can be accumulated and the work vigorously commenced by the spring of 1868. It takes a long time to collect sufficient materials for such an extensive work. The amount of the available funds for this work at the close of the fiscal year was $200,000, nothing having been expended of this up to that time. 3.-DUNKIRK HARBOR, NEW YORK. This was also placed under my charge 28th March last. After a careful examination of it, aided by my assistant, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel F. Harwood, and I had obtained the requisite data, I submitted a special report upon the plan which I thought should be adopted, June 20, 1867, (see sketch C,) and which was-1st. To commence and rebuild upon the old under-water work, which remains as a foundation, the west pier P, and extend the work quite to the beacon light 2d. Afterwards, when we get appropriation sufficient for the whole work, to commence the breakwater B and complete it. Both to be built of timber cribs and timber superstructure filled with rubble stone and planked over, instead of a superstructure of concrete masonry. These views were approved by the engineer department in its reply June 22, 1867, with the exception that it preferred 20 to 18 feet for width of the breakwater. I shall give to it a thickness of 20 feet. The working plans and bills of materials in detail were made for P, and the materials and labor for classes for each were advertised for proposals. The proposal came in and the contracts have been made. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR. The cost of P, as per the contract, augmented by 10 per cent. $37,439 00 The cost of constructing the breakwater B, according to prices in Total cost of P and B.. The amount available of the appropriation for this at expiration Required yet more to be appropriated to complete the plan...... 148, 584 00 100,000.00 48, 584 00 Owing to the long time necessary after a contract is made to accumulate sufficient quantity of materials, not more than 300 feet of P can be put in this season. 4.-ERIE HARBOR, PENNSYLVANIA-(Sketch D.) At the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1866, there had been expended out of the $15,000 allotted to this work from the general appropriation of 1864, not requiring advertising for proposals for material and labor, in repairs of the old north and south piers only, $5,854 36. needed to be done in repairs of the old work, exclusive of the east breakwater. Up to that time this was all that was In my inspection in the fore part of June last, I found that, since those repairs were made, several other holes and breaches had occurred in the under-water old timber work, and the stones fallen out into the harbor, caused by the old wooden pins, with which the timbers were bolted, being cut off by the action of the sand as if they were sawed, and by bad framing otherwise. To make the repairs required to stop, effectually, these holes, and to replace all decayed timber in both of the old piers, will require about $10,000. Again, see on the sketch the line of old break water, constructed under the direction of Major Maurice, corps of engineers, many years ago, extending from south pier to shore. thoroughly examined during this last fiscal year, and we find I have had this that there is a portion, commencing at the pier and going towards the shore, of 705 running feet, in which all the crib-work seems to have been swept away, except some of the piles. The average depth of water along this is about four feet, and if this part be rebuilt, it should be raised to a height of four timbers above water, filled with stones, and planked over, and should be twelve feet wide, which, at $20 71 per running foot of piering, including ten per cent. for contingencies, would cost $13, 408 00 The remaining part of this breakwater, (779 running feet,) as we go towards the shore, shows a width of eight feet, and placing the old timbers in place upon which we could build a new work eight feet wide and three timbers above water, and drift-bolt the new down to the old under-water timbers, fill. with stones, and plank over. This repair would average five timbers in height, two below and three above water, which, at $12 62 per running foot of plering, including ten per cent. for contingencies, would cost. It would also require a brush, stone, and timber construction to close the space between the inner extremity of this breakwater and the shore, which would cost about.... Total cost of re-establishing the old breakwater... 9, 831 00 500 00 $22,739 00 In regard to the old line of west breakwater seen on the sketch, the sand has filled in so much between it and the lake that there is no necessity of rebuilding that work. We thus have an estimate for the thorough repair and completion of all the harbor works to the amount of $33,739. This will have to be appropriated to accomplish all these repairs. The plan decided upon for the improvement of this harbor, under the appropriations of 1866 and 1867, was to extend the north pier 500 feet out into thirteen feet depth of water below lowest stage, and to dredge out the whole space between the piers called the outer bar, so as to allow a uniform depth over that space of twelve feet below lowest known stage. The amount of these two appropriations was $61,961, and required to be expended under contract to the lowest responsible bidder. Considerable time was necessarily consumed for making the contracts before we could begin the actual work at the harbor. On about the 20th March, 1867, the contracts were made, and from that time to. June 30, 1867, there was expended $6,214 91. The cost of extending the north pier, including ten per cent. for contingencies, will be $34,339. Hence there will be left available out of those appropriations, for dredging and other purposes, $27,622. This is one of the harbors which I reported February 1, 1867, as being worthy of improving to a condition of allowing vessels of fourteen feet draught at all times to enter and depart, and I now give the estimate of the additional appropriation required to be fade to all former appropriations for attaining this object, including ten per cent. for contingencies, $35,000. Dredging outer bar-This was begun on the 16th day of April, 1867, and during the remainder of that month 1,878 cubic yards were raised and dumped. From that time to 30th June, 1867, (end of fiscal year,) no more was done, because of the stipulation in the contract that no dredging of the outer bar should be done in advance of the progress of the extension of the north pier. The dredging will be resumed and carried on in accordance with this stipulation. 5.-CONNEAU'D HARBOR, OHIO-(Sketch E.) The appropriations of 1866 and 1867 for this amounted to $30,513, both requiring to be done under contracts which were made October 1, 1866; and during the fiscal year in consideration there was expended to June 30, 1867, $3,134 81; leaving July 1, 1867, available, $27,378 19. The plan fixed upon for the improvement was to thoroughly repair the old piers, and extend the west pier into twelve feet water, and dredge the interior between the piers and outer bar to obtain twelve feet water throughout at low stage. The cost, according to the contract of the thorough repairs of the old piers, including the building up of the breached flaring 130 feet of east pier on a straight course for the same extent out into the lake, will be $9,064, including 10 per cent. for contingencies. I advertised May 17, for proposals for dredging A very high single bid was received at $125 per yard, owing to doubts entertained upon the character of the earth to be dredged, and the bottom upon which the extension of the west pier for 350 feet is to be built. I had, after I inspected the work, 1st June last, borings made into the bottom. The auger penetrated to rocks, showing a regular dip to the northward of 7.7 feet in 360 feet, or a dip of one-fourth of an inch vertical to one foot horizontal. But in no place did we strike rock until we had descended more than twelve feet below low-water stage. Sand is the material to be dredged, and at the proposal I received, ($1 25 per yard,) the total dredging contemplated in outer bar would cost, including 10 per cent. for contingencies, $10,265. I considered that bid, based upon a different view entertained by the bidder from my own concerning the character of the bottom, unreasonably high. I have therefore not made a contract for the dredging, but concluded postponing |