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APPENDIX S S.

IMPROVEMENT OF RIVERS AND HARBORS IN THE THIRD SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., DISTRICT.

REPORT OF MAJ. S. A. CHENEY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1911.

Sacramento and Feather Rivers.

IMPROVEMENT.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
San Francisco, Cal., July 16, 1911.

SIR: I have the honor to forward herewith the annual report of the board of engineer officers for the improvement of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers, Cal., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911.

Very respectfully,

S. A. CHENEY,

Major, Corps of Engineers.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY.

REPORT OF BOARD OF ENGINEERS.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, San Francisco, Cal., June 30, 1911. SIR: The Board of Engineers created by the act of Congress approved June 3, 1896, "for the purpose of making surveys and examinations" of the Sacramento and Feather Rivers, to "submit the most feasible plan for the improvement of said rivers and the maintenance of navigation thereon, and to have charge of the work by them recommended as appropriations are made therefor," has consisted during the past fiscal year of Col. John Biddle, Maj. S. A. Cheney since April 12, 1911, Capt. Thos. H. Jackson to April 12, 1911, and Capt. Charles T. Leeds, Corps of Engineers.

For general information concerning the project for improvement attention is invited to the summary of this report.

For details concerning the operations during the past fiscal year attention is invited to the accompanying report of Maj. S. A. Cheney, Corps of Engineers, secretary and disbursing officer of the board, in immediate charge of the work. Great areas of land along the river are under a high state of cultivation, and practically all the territory along the river is dependent upon the stream for the transportation of passengers and freight. Much of the freight carried is of a perishable nature, and it is important that the navigable channels should

not be permitted to deteriorate so that they can not be used to transport the products of the country to market promptly when ready for shipment.

Several of the companies operating regular lines of steamboats have added additional boats to their service during the past year, and several more boats, now building, will be added to the service during the coming year.

In its last annual report (printed in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1910, pp. 2367-2368) the Board referred to the fact that the channel in the 61 miles of the Sacramento River between its mouth and the city of Sacramento showed signs of becoming impaired, by reason of the natural decay and deterioration of the wing-dam system built in the years 1899 to 1903. On account of the impaired condition of some of the wing dams, navigation was seriously interfered with in July and August, 1910, and it became necessary to resort to dredging in order to maintain the projected channel depth of 7 feet at Sacramento Bar and Brickyard Bar, short distances below the city of Sacramento.

It is estimated that the sum of $40,000 will be required for the Sacramento River improvement during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1913. Of this sum it is estimated that $17,500 will be needed to restore 3,500 linear feet of wing dams, at $5 per foot, and that the remainder will be needed to operate U. S. snag boat Seizer in removing snags, during six months, at a monthly expense of $3,750.

JOHN BIDDLE,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers.
S. A. CHENEY,

Major, Corps of Engineers.
CHAS. T. LEEDS,

Captain, Corps of Engineers.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY.

REPORT OF MAJ. S. A. CHENEY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS.

During the past fiscal year the work of maintaining the navigable channels called for by the existing project in the 258 miles of the Sacramento River from its mouth to Red Bluff has consisted of removing obstructing snags, logs, and stumps from the channel, cutting trees on the banks, constructing temporary wing dams at Monroeville chute and Bowers Bar, dredging a shoal immediately above the bridge of the Southern Pacific Co., at Sacramento, dredging shoals at Sacramento Bar and Brickyard Bar, partially restoring the wing-dam system below Sacramento, and repairing U. S. snag boat Seizer. The operations in detail were as follows:

Removing obstructions.-The work of removing obstructing snags, etc., was carried on by hired labor, the U. S. snag boat Seizer with a crew of about 32 men being employed on this work during 72 days, at a total cost of $12, 689.12. The following is a statement of the obstructions, etc., removed during the fiscal year by the snag boat and crew:

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Constructing temporary wing dam at Monroeville chute.-During the month of July, 1910, a temporary wing dam was constructed, at a cost of $690, to concentrate the flow at Monroeville chute, about 5 miles below Chico Landing. This wing dam was built by the crew of the snag boat Seizer, the piles and brush for the dam being cut in the vicinity by the crew. This wing dam was 225 feet in length. It resulted in increasing the channel depth at Monroeville chute from 2 feet to 3 feet. The materials used in constructing the dam were as follows:

Piles, willow, 8 inches in diameter, 8 feet long....
Lumber, 2 by 6 inches....

Spikes.

Brush.

Gravel..

90

.feet b. m.. 360 ..pounds.. 50 .cords.. 170 ..sacks.. 45

Constructing temporary wing dam at Bowers Bar.-During July, 1910, a temporary wing dam was constructed, at a cost of $1,207.50, to concentrate the flow at Bowers Bar, about 10 miles below Chico. Landing. This wing dam was built by the crew of the snag boat Seizer, with piles and brush cut in the vicinity by the crew. This wing dam was 300 feet in length. It resulted in increasing the channel depth at Bowers Bar from 24 feet to 5 feet. The materials used in constructing the dam were as follows:

Piles, willow, 8 inches in diameter, 8 feet long..
Lumber, 2 by 6 inches...

Spikes...

Brush..

Gravel.....

120

.feet b. m.. 480

..pounds.. 75

...cords.. 265

..sacks.. 75

Dredging shoal at Sacramento. To maintain the channel depth of 4 feet required by the existing project, it became necessary in July, 1910, to dredge 17,549 cubic yards of material at a shoal above the bridge of the Southern Pacific Co. at Sacramento. This work was done by the Vulcan Dredging Co., of San Francisco, under oral agreement. The dredging was begun July 7 and was completed July 12, 1910. The cost of this dredging was $544.02.

Dredging at Sacramento Bar and Brickyard Bar.-Early in August, 1910, steamboats drawing 5 to 6 feet of water experienced difficulty at Sacramento Bar and Brickyard Bar, short distances below the city of Sacramento, and to maintain the channel depth of 7 feet required by the existing project it became necessary to dredge 29,100 cubic yards of material at those two bars. This work was done by reclamation district dredge No. 551, under an oral agreement. The dredging

was begun August 15 and was completed August 31, 1910 The cost of this dredging was $1,746.17.

Rebuilding wing-dam system below Sacramento.-In the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1910 (p. 2368) mention was made of the necessity of rebuilding the more important portions of the wing-dam system below Sacramento, in order to maintain the channel depth of 7 feet required by the project. The necessity of beginning this work became urgent in July, 1910, the channel having become so impaired, on account of the decayed and deteriorated condition of some of the wing dams, that steamboats drawing 5 to 6 feet of water experienced difficulty in navigating. In order to do this work it became necessary to use funds which it had been intended to use to remove snags and other obstructions in the river above Sacramento. The wing-dam system built in former years at Sacramento Bar, Sutterville, Edwards break, Brickyard Bar, and Pocket Pump, all lying in the 10 miles of the river next below Sacramento, was restored by hired labor, and with materials purchased by circular advertisements and under oral agreements. In this work of restoration 11 wing dams were built, aggregating 1,576 linear feet, at a cost of $6,795.10. Each wing dam consisted of a double row of piles 4 to 5 feet apart, the piles in each row being 4 to 5 feet apart. The space between the rows of piles was filled with brush held in place by sand in sacks and waling strips. This work was begun in July, 1910. It was necessary to suspend the work on September 30, 1910, in order to assure that there would be some funds left available for removing snags and other obstructions in the river above Sacramento during the spring and summer of 1911.

Repairing U.S. snag boat Seizer.-The hull of the snag boat from the fireroom to the stern was practically rebuilt in 1909. The remainder of the hull, from the fireroom to the bow, was rebuilt during the past fiscal year, at a cost of $7,350.10. This work was done by hired labor, 25 men being ordinarily employed on the work. The materials for the repairs were purchased by oral agreement. The repairs were begun in March and completed in May, 1911.

The least low-water channel depths in the Sacramento River of 7 feet from its mouth to the city of Sacramento, and of 4 feet from the city of Sacramento to Colusa, required to be maintained under the existing project have existed during the past fiscal year, except during short periods in July and August, 1910, when steamboats experienced difficulty in navigating on account of bars above the railroad bridge at Sacramento, and at Sacramento bar and Brickyard bar, short distances below Sacramento.

The projected low-water channel depth of 3 feet from Colusa to Chico Landing has been maintained during the past year, although the unusually low stage to which the river fell in the summer of 1910 interfered more or less with the free navigation of that portion of the stream. As in previous years, from Chico Landing to Red Bluff, the projected least low-water channel depth of 3 feet existed during only a portion of the year, from January to July, 1911. On account of natural conditions it has not been four d practicable to maintain the projected least low-water channel depth of 3 feet between Chico Landing and Red Bluff all the year around.

Estimate of additional funds required.

Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1913, for maintenance of improvement...

1

APPROPRIATIONS.

1 $40,000

Previous projects: Acts of Mar. 3, 1875, to Aug. 18, 1894, inclusive................. $760,000.00

Present project, act of—

Mar. 3, 1899...

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CONTRACTS IN FORCE.

There were no contracts in force during fiscal year ending June 30, 1911.

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.

The freight and passenger traffic on the Sacramento and Feather Rivers is handled by approximately 50 steamboats, 75 gasoline boats and launches, 45 barges, and in the lower portions of the Sacramento River by a number of gasoline and sail schooners. The freight carried during the year ending December 31, 1910, was as follows:

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Number of passengers carried during the year, 184,406.

1 Exclusive of the balance unexpended July 1, 1911.

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