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MARINE REVIEW: 7 at ANOTHER MILLION FOR DREDGING. ;BALANOGE.OF 20-FOOT CHANNEL FUNDS TO BE EXPENDED--UNSATISFAOCTORY CONDITIONS IN LOWER PART OF THE DETROIT RIVER. ° i - .. When contracts for the several sections of the 20 and 21-foot ship- canal between Duluth, Chicago and Buffalo were let in 1894, the firm of L. RB. & J. A. Smith of Cleveland was awarded that part of the work known as section 8, at the mouth of the Detroit river. Upon completion of their section of the work last fall, the Cleveland firm sought an.exten- sion of contract to include a large amount of dredging between: Bar point uight-ship and Ballard's reef.'*"Vhis would include tie stretch of Canadian channel between Bois Blanc island and Amherstburg, and.on up the river through the Lime-Kilns crossing--just the part of the Detroit river where groundings of steel ships have occurred repeatedly during the past two seasons, and where the greatest obstructions to deep navigation exist at: the present time. was not sufficiently provided for. in the 20-foot channel appropriations. Deep draft in lake navigation, was limited last year, and will be delayed for some time to come, on account of the conditions existing at this point. oycln view, of. these conditions. the Cleveland. dredging, contractors..were supported by the owners of large vessels.in their effort.tosecure an extension, of; contract... It was:known that there was in. Washington a balance of. about. $950,000, which. was appropriated: for: different parts of. the.20-foot channel. work, .and which,was over' and above the figures at which .contracts'-had. been accepted by. the. dredging 'concerns... 'The Cleveland, firm-has been: quietly at, work for three or.four months' past tryingjto convince. the chief of engineers of the right of the department te-expend: this, large,;sum of mioney:on further improvements, and: espe- cially.the, improvements, for which they sought an extension of: contract. General Alger, who is fully acquainted with the valuable results that would be derived from cleaning up shoal places not provided for in regular ap- propriations, was inclined to favor the proposition, but the chief of en-- gineers held out against the money being expended, even on the basis of competitive -bids for further work. --- The Smiths were not successful in their effort to secure an extension of contract, but their agitation of the subject has led to a ruling in the department that will admit of the $950,000 being expended on parts of the ship-canal where, in the opinion of the engineers, it is most needed. This surplus fund will go a great way towards removing obstructions at poirits that-were not fully covered in the 20-foot channel project, but the diffi- culties that have existed at Amherstburg and in the vicinity of the Lime- Kilns will still be a source of great annoyance to deep-draft vessels. .- The-situation regarding improvements in this patt of the river was fully discussed while this: matter of expending the surplus funds was un- der: way. water. a the Lime-Kilns cut when the water surface stands at datum. But there were frequent occasions, even last season, when the water was -- about a foot below the datum. stage, and this is why vessels are known to have struck in the cut when drawing only 17 feet. completed in 1890, it was announced that the depth, at the stage-of water on which the engineers base their calculations, was full 20 feet. Now it is admitted by the engineers that the depth, according to the same stage of water, is only 18 feet. - This great difference in the depth of the channel as announced in- 1890 and as found after examination last spring, has béen a subject of considerable comment among vessel.men. The only explanation given is that boulders have found their. way into the channel. The depth would have been even less last season but for the removal in the spring of a large number of rocks having less than 18 feet (datum stage) over them. : ea Since this question of additional improvements under the 20-foot channel scheme has been brought up in the war department, attention has Séen "directed especially to the unsatisfactory condition of channels: in tlie immediate vicinity of the Lime-Kilns, as it is admitted. that little advantage is to be derived from deep water elsewhere in the rivers as - long as shoal spots remain in these channels. Some of the correspond- ence of the war department on the subject has been submitted to repre- sentatives of the 'shipping interests in congress. One letter fom. Col. Lydecker of Detroit to the chief of engineers, Gen. John M. Wilson, is especially interesting, as it was written since the close of navigation last season and goes into details regarding all of the channels from Bal- lard's reef down to Lake Erie. Col. Lydecker is of the opinion that a 20-foot channel of 600 feet least width, from a point just below the lower end 'of Bois Blane island, to and through. the Lime;Kilns, crossing, ¢lim- inating abrupt, bends. and. providing, all.that is requisite, for, safe navigas tion couldbe provided, for $500,000... Elis, summary of the, present: cons dition of this part of the-riyer, will, be read, with, interest. by vessel masters. ek ak It may be well to note at the outset that all depths pertain to the stage of water that has been taken as datum. for. Jocal improvements, which is about one foot above the*average sfage of the 1897 season of navigation. | Col. .Lydecker saystod liccca bua | Reg eo ehe <tmn ek aren ae CF sc A Bhe total jengthsofchasinels trom Ballard's' reef to the foot Of séc- tion 8 of the 20 and 21-foot ship-canal (which is wellcout into Lake' Erie) is 56,000 feet, or about 10.6 miles, comprising (1) Ballard's reef. channel, 11,850 feet long; (2) Lime-Kiln crossing, 2,600 feet; (3). Bois Blanc bg land, upper range, 1,700 feet; (4) Amherstburg reach, 7,050 feet; ta), ac ett range, 13,000 feet; and (6) Bar point shoals, 19,800 feet.. This gee division marks primarily the six different sailing courses that must be successively followed by deep-draft vessels, but it also corresponds se the changing physical conditions in the different sections; these con a tions are summarized below because. of their controlling influence in the matter im ents. ai. kd , Meee ee ar. this section of the Detroit river was gabeitly . €xamined in 18938, it was not believed that much work would be ee to obtain a wide channel there with a navigable depth pt 2 icc F charts indicated a general depth. greater than that, for ac aS awe th o _ from: 1,000. to-3;000. feet, except at a-few scattering points. | me eer amination of 1893 showed. that the whole area was studded with boulders reaching in many places to within 16% feet of the water surface; and in Are S7 This is the part of connecting lake chanels that It developed the fact that there is not more than 18 feet of: When this cut was the progress of subsequent improvements it has been found that the clear depth in most of this channel does not exceed 18 feet; bed rock with only 17.3 feet of water over the highest' point has been removed at several points, and there is no doubt that it will be found at-'many others. The project of improvement adopted in 1893-was to clear the channel to a navigable depth of 20 feet for a width of 400-feet oft edch side of the central range-line, thereby making the full width of cleared channel 800 feet. . Work thus far done 'has been confined to widths of 300 feet on the west and, 150 feet on the east side of the central range, and has resulted in making a channel 450 feet wide in which the general depth is 20 feet, but there still remain a number of spots within the limits of this 450-foot channel where the depth does not exceed 18 feet. Operations have to be carried on with a comparatively small plant in order that the vast passing commerce be not too much obstructed; the result is that progress is slow, © and this, combined with the scattering and scraping character of the work, makes the unit of cost of improvements here a maximum. "Lime-Kiln crossing.--This is an artificial channel cut through a ledge of lime-stone rock; the work was completed in 1890, to a depth of 20 and width of 440 feet. The channel was examined last spring, when it was found that the depth had become reduced by boulders or rocks hav- ing been moved into the cut; such as had less than 18 feet of water over --them were removed, and that may now be taken as the least. present depth in this section. Spi ry ... Bois Blanc range--In' this short reach the general depth is 20 feet or over, and the least known depth in a channel about 600 feet wide is 18% feet. The abrupt changes of course where this reach connects with those adjoining it constitute the chief danger to navigation here. _. Amherstburg reach--This reach occupies the narrow section of river included between Bois Blanc island and the main Canadian shore;. the general depth of water through it is 20 feet or more, but scattering bould- ers reduce the navigable depth to 18 feet; so far as known the least. width of channel in. which that depth obtains is about 450 feet. The improve- ment of this section so as to give a channel 600 feet wide with a navigable depth of 20 feet, would bring the edges of the chanriel quite close to nat- ural shore lines at some points. The material to be removed would be principally sand and clay with some gravel, 1oose stone and bouiders, but it is probable that some bed rock might be encountered in the removal of what is known as the New York shoal, which projects into. the channel 'trom the east side. "Hackett range--On this range the general depth is over 20. fect, ~~ and but little is required to make a channel of that navigable dep:h 60) "Capt, H. Warwick was in' Cleveland last week on his return: from a feet wide. The principal work would be in removing the Boston shoal, which is composed of clay, loose stone, or boulders, and projects into the west side of the channel near its upper end. For a distance of about 5,000 feet from the upper end the least depth now kuewn, in a chaune! _ about 500 feet wide, is 19 feet; the remainder of this range constitutes a part of section 8 cf the 20 and 21-foot channel, and it has been vleared of obstructions to the prescribed grade of that section... : 'Bar point shoals.--The work of dredging this section to a navigable depth of 20 feet has recently been completed, the width of cleared chan- nel being 800 feet. This channel and the lower 8,000 feet in length of the Hackett range section combine to form what. was originally aesig- nated as section 8 of the 20 and 21-foot channel. The width of cleared channel in section 8 is 800 feet for a distance of about 27,500 feet. north- ward from the Detroit river light-house, and 600 feet for the remaining distance of about 1,000 feet, this reduced width having resulted. from pro- test filed by Canadian property owners in that locality against further dredging on the east side of the channel. "From the foregoing it is seen that section 8 of the ship-channel has been improved to a width of 800 feet for a length of about 27,500 feet, and for a further length of 1,000 feet the width of improved channel is 600 feet; the total length of channel to be improved under the contract for this section, to a width of 800 feet, was but 26,500 feet; the extension - throtigh the length of 1,000 feet, with width of 600 feet, brings the channel to a point beyond which that width is about all that can be obtained - without conflict with Canadian property owners, or an expenditure that would be incommensurate with benefits to navigation. An improved channel with a width of 600 feet from the upper end of section 8 of 'the ship-channel to and through the Lime-Kiln crossing would eliminate ab- rupt bends and provide, in this sheltered reach, all that is requisite for safe navigation. Bea | _."T regret that I am not now able to present a detailed' estimate of cost attaching to such improvement, but from data now available it would _ probably be about $500,000; the cost of making the channel 800 feet wide would probably. approximate $1,500,000, and 'in either event. the work would 'be wholly-in Canadianwaters. 'Extensive surveys have been made during the: progress of work in this locality, and as sdon as résults can be plotted and reduced I will be able to submit more precise estimates; but. itis) now my opinion and recommendation that we should not under- take-at present to' make' the width 'of' improved channél between 'the 'head of-section 8 and foot of Ballard's reef. greater than 600 feet." ~ Avg Tt. q Asie i be iSeries Lys } oy ik i b roca wmpames ty 77 adsl zeviodT 'ooci: et Trade' Note'. ue) bc dred airing! aio trip around the lakes in the interest of H. H. Baker & Co., Buffalo. Fire department officials of Chicago have asked for bids on the new fire boat designed by Mr. W. J. Wood, naval architect with the Goodrich Transportation Co. , ; The Gas Engine & Power Co. and Charles L. Seabury & Co., Con- solidated, of New York, are-to complete for L. D. Fiske of Hartford, Conn., a twin-screw naphtha yacht of large dimensions within sixty days of the time of signing contract. The yacht is to be 64 feet over all, 11 feet beam and 3 feet draught, and is to be elegantly finished throughout. She will haye twin naphtha engines of 12 horse power each.. see The Lake Shore Chemical & Oil Co., 72 Wood street, Cleveland, is calling attention of vessels owners and marine engineers to a boiler com- pound that is giving general satisfaction in stationary work, A chief engineer of a large fleet.who knows something of its ingredients has given a favorable opinion of it. The company also manufactures a disinfectant that is valuable for passenger steamers. . 510) PROD, 5 3