Money statement. July 1, 1876, amount available.... Amount appropriated by act approved August 14, 1876.... July 1, 1877, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1877, amount available...... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... $2,221 12 5,000 00 7,221 12 749 03 6.472 09 10,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1879. 10,000 00 GG 7. IMPROVEMENT OF LITTLE SODUS HARBOR, NEW YORK. No work has been done here during the past year except closing a breach which had been formed through the west beach; about 70 linear feet of crib work were required for this purpose. By act of Congress approved August 14, 1876, the sum of $5,000 was appropriated for the improvement of this harbor, but it was not until May, 1877, that this money became available, and it was then too late to do anything with it before the close of the fiscal year. This money will be applied during the present season to the repair of the west pier,. and to the extension shoreward of the inner end of the east pier. Authority has been given to do this work by purchase in open market, and by the employment of hired labor. The only work yet remaining to be done under the original scheme of improvement is the connection of the inner end of the east pier with the shore, which will require the unappropriated balance of the original estimate, namely, $12,000. A part of the money heretofore appropriated for this work has been necessarily applied to the repair of damage which has occurred from time to time in the work already constructed, and it may become necessary to call for additional funds to replace those so applied. A history of this improvement, accompanied by a sketch of the harbor, will be found in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876. Little Sodus Harbor lies in the collection-district of Oswego, about 15 miles west of Fort Ontario, at Oswego. The harbor is lighted by a fixed white light of the fourth order, placed near the head of the west pier. The following statement of the commerce of the port is furnished by the records of the custom-house: Revenue collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877 Value of imports Value of exports Number of vessels cleared Their tonnage, tons.. $3,154 68 22,544 00 86,111 00 226 18, 258 Number of vessels entered Their tonnage, tons.. 213 13, 417 Money statement. July 1, 1876, amount available $1,289 96 Amount appropriated by act approved August 14, 1876.. 5,000 00 6,289 96 July 1, 1877, amount expended during fiscal year..... 433 39 July 1, 1877, amount available 5,856 57 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... 12,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1879. 12,000 00 GG 8. IMPROVEMENT OF OSWEGO HARBOR, NEW YORK. Operations at this harbor during the past year have been confined to the construction of the superstructure, 210 feet long; of the six cribs sunk in the extension of the outer breakwater; to the placing one counter-fort in rear of the exposed end of the break water; and to extensive repairs to both breakwaters, which had been much damaged by the action of the sea. The repairs to the new breakwater consisted in removing the deck-plank where the structure had settled materially, (the settlement in many cases being 3 and 4 feet,) leveling up the timber-work, filling in with stone, and replacing the deck-plank. Over a large part of the work the stone filling had settled to such a degree that it was necessary to remove the deck-plank, fill in with stone, and then replace the plank. This latter operation, in which no leveling of the timber was required, had to be done over 917 linear feet of the lake arm of the breakwater, and over 413 linear feet of the west half, and 174 linear feet of the east half of the shore arm of the break water. About 700 linear feet of this structure had to be levelled up by bolting additional timbers upon those which had settled. In the old breakwater, parts of the protecting cribs and counter-forts had to be rebuilt, and the superstructure of the breakwater itself had to be rebuilt from the water-line, on the exposed side, for about 303 feet, while new planking has been laid over 133 linear feet of it. Beside this, it has been necessary to strengthen this old breakwater in many places by building bulkheads, placing smaller cribs inside the older work, and sheathing the old work outside with plank. In all these operations there have been expended about 562,000 feet, board-measure, pine. 110,000 feet, board-measure, hemlock. 1,396 cords of stone. 112,000 pounds of iron. At a total cost of $40,588.48. A history of this work and a sketch of its condition at the close of the last fiscal year will be found in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876. The total length of this break water, as now constructed, is as follows: Shore arm Lake arm Total........ 910 feet. 2,782 feet. 3,692 feet. And under the project as approved it is to be extended about 2,000 feet more to the eastward, or until its eastern extremity is about on the prolongation of the outer part of the old break water. The original estimated cost of this work was $1,162,682, of which amount there has already been appropriated the sum of $515,000, leaving $557,000 yet to be appropriated, but much of that already appropriated has been applied to the repair of damages to both breakwaters occasioned by storms, as in the past year, where over $20,000 have been so applied, and it is probable that the money thus diverted from original construction will yet be needed before this work is completed. By act of Congress approved August 14, 1876, the sum of $90,000 was appropriated for the improvement of this harbor, but only so much of this was made immediately available as was necessary for repairing damages already done to the work and for putting it in condition to withstand the action of the usual fall and winter gales. In September $25,000 were allotted for this purpose, and in November an additional sum of $5,000; and nearly the whole $30,000 were applied to this purpose before winter set in. The remaining $60 000 were made available in the month of May fol lowing, and shortly after authority was given to apply this money to the improvement by the purchase of material in open market and by the employment of hired labor. Nothing was accomplished, however, before the close of the fiscal year, excepting making the necessary arrangements for the supply of materials required. The amount of the appropriation now available is sufficient to permit the extension of the new breakwater between 400 and 500 feet; and it is hoped that this may be accomplished during the present working-season. This is not certain, however, as there is always difficulty in getting supplies of such timber as is needed in such structures at this season of the year. Twelve-inch timber is rarely kept in stock, and when wanted it is usually necessary to send into the woods and have it cut. This should be done in the winter, as it is a difficult and expensive thing to get it out in the summer season; yet our appropriations are usually so made that this becomes necessary. Oswego Harbor is in the collection-district of Oswego, and is lighted by a fixed white light of the third order, and by a red beacon-light at the outer end of the old breakwater. Fort Ontario is situated a little to the east of the east pier, and commands the harbor. The following statement of the commerce of the port is furnished by the records of the custom-house: Revenue collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877. Value of imports. Value of exports Number of vessels cleared.. Their tonuage, tons Number of vessels entered.. Their tonnage, tons.. $430,748 59 4, 122, 876 00 1,096, 905 00 2, 131 390, 620 2, 128 390,251 Money statement. July 1, 1876, amount available.... $9,058 49 Amount appropriated by act approved August 14, 1876.. 90,000 00 99,058 49 July 1, 1877, amount expended during fiscal year.......... 40,588 48 July 1, 1877, amount available...... 58,470 01 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project...... 557,000 00 300,000 00 GG 9. IMPROVEMENT OF OGDENSBURG HARBOR, NEW YORK. The history of this work will be found in previous reports, and a sketch of its condition at the close of the last fiscal year will be found in the Report of the Chief of Engineers for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876. The original scheme of improvement provided for the dredging of cer tain parts of the channel and harbor, and for the construction of pilepiering to prevent the waters of the Oswegatchie from wasting their force by spreading over the shoal which lies in front of the city. The dredging has been essentially completed, and there appears to be no present necessity for constructing the proposed pile-piering, the esti mated cost of which is about $70,000. Nothing has been done in this improvement during the past year, as there was no working balance available at its beginning, and no appropriation has since been made for it. Ogdensburg Harbor is in the collection-district of Oswegatchie, about 120 miles from Fort Ontario, at Oswego, and is lighted by a fixed white light of the fourth order. The following statistics of its commerce are furnished from the records of the custom-house: Revenue collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877. Value of imports.... Value of exports.......... Number of vessels cleared Their tonnage, tons Number of vessels entered. Their tonnage, tons... Money statement. July 1, 1876, amount available.. July 1, 1877, amount expended during fiscal year.... July 1, 1877, amount available...... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.......... $74,567 83 468,476 00 790,883 00 927 165, 004 948 160,799 $59 10 44 02 15.08 70,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1879. 70,000 00 GG 10. IMPROVEMENT OF WADDINGTON HARBOR, NEW YORK. The history of this improvement will be found in the Reports of the Chief of Engineers for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876, and a sketch of the harbor in its present condition will be found in the last-named report. The work of improvement is completed as originally designed, and nothing more is needed here. No work has been done during the past year, and the small balance of $42.72 on hand at the beginning of the fiscal year has been expended in office supplies. Waddington Harbor is in the collection-district of Oswegatchie, on the Saint Lawrence River, about 20 miles below Ogdensburg, where the nearest American lighthouse is situated. It is about 100 miles from Fort Montgomery, at Rouse's Point. The following statistics of its commerce are furnished by the records of the custom-house: Amount of revenue collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877... $3,075 14 Value of imports.. Value of exports.. 32, 277 00 5, 453 00 APPENDIX HH. ANNUAL REPORT OF MAJOR G. H. MENDELL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1877. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, San Francisco, Cal., July 7, 1877. GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose the annual reports for the year ending June 30, 1877, of the works of river and harbor improvement under my charge. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Brig. Gen. A. A. HUMPHREYS, G. H. MENDell, Major of Engineers. Chief of Engineers U. S. A. HH I. IMPROVEMENT OF OAKLAND HARBOR, CALIFORNIA. The operations for the past year have been mainly directed to the attainment of a convenient depth in the channel between the jetties, which is very much needed by the growing commerce of Oakland. It was proposed to excavate a channel 200 feet wide from the 10-foot curve in San Francisco Bay to the 10-foot curve in Oakland Harbor. The length of the line of dredging is 6,300 feet. This channel has been opened for a width of 100 feet, and the second cut of the same width is now nearly completed, only 900 feet remaining to be excavated, involving about 15,000 yards. The dredging was commenced under a contract with John A. Ball at the rate of 24 cents a yard. This contract was nullified on the 12th September, 1876, in consequence of the failure of the contractor to prosecute the work at the rate provided by the terms of the agreement. Between July 1 and September 12 the contractor excavated 3,744 cubic yards with a single dredge. The Western Development Company undertook the work, after it was taken out of the contractor's hands, at the price he had received, namely, 24 cents per yard. The company placed two dredges at work, and some time subsequently added a third, by the aid of which the work embraced in Mr. Ball's contract was nearly completed in the required time, viz, April 1, 1877. In the mean time the growing demands of commerce seemed to require a greater width than 150 feet, which was the width originally contemplated, and it was thought advisable to give a width of 200 feet to the channel. The company continued to work under the |