QQ 7. IMPROVEMENT OF TONAWANDA HARBOR AND NIAGARA RIVER, NEW YORK. REPORT OF OPERATIONS. An appropriation of $3,000 was made by the river and harbor act of March 2, 1907, for removing the wrecked steamer Embury from the Niagara River near the Grand Island shore, about 1 miles above Tonawanda. Contract was made with William Anderson, of Buffalo, N. Y., May 13, 1907, for its removal. At the beginning of the fiscal year the work was in progress and was completed July 2, 1907, at a cost, including contingencies and inspection, of $2,920.20. No other work was done during the year. PROPOSED OPERATIONS AND REMARKS. No work is proposed for the next fiscal year. The project is completed, except at the Buffalo waterworks intake pier, where the width of the channel is about 100 feet, and from the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company's docks to the north line of North Tonawanda, where the depth is from 12 to 15 feet. Further work at these points is not urgent, and sufficient funds are on hand for emergencies. Money statement. July 1, 1907, balance unexpended.......... Received from collections... June 30, 1908, amount expended during fiscal year, for maintenance of improvement.... July 1, 1908, balance unexpended...... $32, 944.00 282.35 33, 226.35 2,995. 67 30, 230.68 FOR REMOVING WRECK OF STEAMER EMBURY FROM NIAGARA RIVER, NEW YORK, DATED MAY 13, 1907. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. [Furnished by the collectors of customs, Buffalo Creek and Niagara districts.] Arrivals and departures of vessels for the year ending December 31, 1907. Value of exports by lake, year 1907.. Total arrivals and departures: Number... Tonnage. Decrease in tonnage, 1907 under 1906. Amount of revenue collected, year 1907, on lake commerce.. Value of imports by lake, year 1907. Enrolled gross tonnage, Niagara district, 1907. Number of vessels passing International Bridge, Niagara River, 1907. Steamers... Total..... Season of navigation, April 1, 1907 to January 5, 1908.. a Furnished by State superintendent of public works. 50, 289 APPENDIX R R. IMPROVEMENT OF RIVERS AND HARBORS IN THE OSWEGO, NEW YORK, DISTRICT. REPORT OF LIEUT. COL. W. L. FISK, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1908. IMPROVEMENTS. 1. Harbor at Charlotte, New York. 4. Harbor at Little Sodus Bay, New 5. Harbor at Oswego, New York. (For letter of transmittal see Appendix Q Q.) RR 1. IMPROVEMENT OF HARBOR AT CHARLOTTE, NEW YORK. REPORT OF OPERATIONS. The act of March 2, 1907, appropriated $88,500 for rebuilding piers and maintenance of channel at Charlotte. A project for rebuilding 1,300 feet of the east pier was submitted, and approved March 26, 1907. Under this project materials were purchased, and the work started April 1, 1907. At the beginning of the fiscal year the work of reconstructing crib substructure and replacing the timber superstructure with concrete was under way with hired labor; the work being done in the manner described on page 1942, Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1906. The old timber crib substructure was removed by the United States dredge Frontenac, new cribs built and sunk in place, and concrete superstructure, consisting of concrete blocks for side walls and mass concrete for decks, placed on the new foundation. Work was continued in 1907 to December 10, and then suspended for the winter. Two hundred and seventy linear feet of pier had then been finished and 800 linear feet of new cribs sunk ready for concrete superstructure. During the winter, repairs were made to the derrick scow and dredge Frontenac. Work on east pier was resumed in April, 1908, and at the close of the fiscal year, 240 linear feet of old crib substructure had been removed by the U. S. dredge Frontenac, 200 linear feet of new cribs sunk in place, and a crib 100 feet long built ready to sink in place. The construction of concrete blocks for the new superstructure was resumed in June, 1908, and 8 blocks-80 linear feet-made and placed on cribs up to the close of the fiscal year. U. S. dredge Frontenac began the work of redredging the channel where required to restore depth of 16 feet at low water, June 15, 1907, the dredging to be done in connection with work required of the dredge on the pier repairs. Dredging was continued to June 26, 1907; resumed November 2, and continued to December 3, 1907, when laying up dredge for the winter was begun and completed on December 10. During the season the channel, between the piers, was dredged, where required, for a length of 3,150 feet, station 7 to station 38 +50, and width of 80 feet; dredged 10,835 cubic yards scow measure of sand, at a cost of $1,774.03. PROPOSED OPERATIONS AND REMARKS. Charlotte is the lake port of Rochester and has a large commerce in coal, brought by rail from Pennsylvania mines and shipped down the St. Lawrence River and to Canadian ports on Lake Ontario. Its commerce is growing, and the maintenance of its harbor to the full extent of the project is advisable. The channel maintained between the piers and to deep water in the lake is 3,800 feet long, and requires redredging annually on account of filling, caused by deposit during high water in the Genesee River of material in suspension, and also because of sand drifting into the channel from the lake. The crib substructure underlying about 2,900 feet of the piers was built in 1829-1834, and is of such poor construction that the crib wall timbers are gradually being washed out to the depth of about 10 feet below water, placing the piers in a dangerous condition. The timber superstructure of the piers is also becoming exceedingly rotten. It is proposed during the season of 1908 to complete rebuilding 1,300 feet of the east pier, for which funds are on hand. There will yet remain 300 linear feet at the inner end of the east pier having 1829-1834 substructure to rebuild at an estimated cost of $60 per linear foot, or $18,000, and 868 linear feet of the east pier and 870 of the west pier on which the decayed timber superstructure should be replaced with concrete as soon as practicable, at an estimated cost of $30 per linear foot, or $52,140; total, $70,140. Maintenance of the channel to June 30, 1910, is estimated at $6,000. The total amount required and recommended to be appropriated in the next river and harbor act is therefore, including engineering and contingencies, $80,000. |