The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

GOVERNMENT WORK ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. Capt. F. C. Boggs, government en- gineer with headquarters at Wheel- ing, W. Va., in his annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1907, thus reports the progress of work in his district: OHIO RIVER. Work in the Wheeling, W. Va., district consists of the construction Of tocks. and dams Nos. 8 11+ 13; 18, 19 and 26, the total amount ex- pended on these works being $1,686,- 037.67. The canalization of this section of | the river (Pennsylvania State line to ad- and, upon is not far enough vanced ~ to benefit' navigation, therefore, has had no_ effect freight rates. Cincinnati) It is difficult to obtain commercial statistics for this section of the river, and the information received from the different cities is of little value, as no accurate record appears to be kept of tonnage and passenger traffic. The following is a statement of the condition of the works: Dam No. 8--Work at this site was confined to the lock and guide walls and esplanade. 'The lock and guide walls were completed: for 6-ft.. navi- gation, and are being raised to meet the 9-ft. requirement of the last river and harbor act; paving of lock cham- ber was finished. About 85 per cent of the work contracted for is com- pleted. Plans for the dam are in prepa- ration. Dam No. 11.--Progress on the lock and guide walls, to which the work at this site is limited, has been very unsatisfactory. The following is the condition of the work: Entire land wall, 305 linear feet of river walls for upper and lower gate re- cesses, and 215 linear feet of lower guide wall are completed, except ad- ditional height to provide for a 9-ft. navigable depth; lock chamber paved for a width of 55 ft.; and considerable foundation work for: walls, gate 'tracks; ete," placed, Not over 45 per cent of the work contracted for is completed. Dam No. 13.--The lock walls, part of the. guide walls, paving of lock chamber, and a portion of the power- house foundation are completed. ; Under a contract for the construc- tion of the dam, the following por- tions have been completed: Retain- ing wall, abutment, foundations for both bear traps, Pier A, Pier B, and 179 linear feet of navigation pass (except wickets). Fully 40 per cent wall, 160 linear feet of. $75,000. 'TAE MARINE. REVIEW of the work contracted for is com- pleted. Dam No. 18--Masonry of lock and filling of esplanade are completed. Progress under contract for con- struction of dam has been very un- satisfactory. The contractor having failed, work is being carried on' by the receiver. At the close of the fiscal year the following portions were completed: Abutment, 569 linear feet of navigation pass (except the placing of 70 wickets), and part of the foundations for east bear trap and Pier ©. -Less than 50 ser cent of the work contracted for is completed. Dam No.- 19.--All the land for this site is owned by the United' States. Dam No. 26.--Preparations were made for locating the site. KANAWHA RIVER, The improvement of this river, which is practically completed, ex- tends 6-ft. navigation for a distance of 90 miles from the motith (Point Pleasant, W. Va.). It consists of tet locks and dams, two of which are fixed dams and eight movable of the Chanoine type. The total amount expended on this improvement is: $4,- 223,830.26 for construction, and $777,- 960.02 for operating and maintenance. The commerce for the calendar year 1906 amounted to 1,327,703 tons, of which there were 1,176,300 tons Of coal and 75,234" tons df: timber products. . Navigation on the river was prac- tically continuous during the fiscal year. = LITTLE KANAWHA RIVER. The government now owns all the locks and dams (five) on the _ river, having purchased locks Nos. 1 to 4 from the Little Kanawha Navigation Co: on Nov. 1,. 1905: at a cost of These locks were in very bad condition and.require extensive repairs. ee During the fiscal year lock No. 4 was repaired and preparations made for extensive repairs at locks Nos. 1 and 2. Congress, in the act of March 2, 1907,: provided for a number of bet- terments which, when completed, will greatly improve navigation on 'this river. -The amount expended to June 30, 1907, is $337,165.13 for improvement, and $50,855.53 for operating and maintenance. The structures provide 4-ft.. naviga- tion for a distance of 48 miles from the mouth of the river (Parkersburg, W. Va.). Flatboat navigation extends 19 to Burnsville, about 120 miles above Parkersburg. During the calendar year 1906, 70,- 289 tons, of freight passed lock No. 5. This is a considerable decrease to the former years, due to the closing of navigation through locks Nos. 4 and 5 for over three months. CLASSIFYING LAKE VESSELS. The Record of American and Foreign Shipping was started by the American Ship Masters' Association in 1867. At that time the Shipmasters' Association issued licenses to shipmasters, but later this function was taken over by the gov- ernment itself.- The American Ship Masters' Association was reorganized in 1898 and became known as the Amer- ican Bureau of Shipping and has con-_ tinued ever since to publish the Record of American and Foreign Shipping. As a classification for ocean vessels it is quite complete, but for some years past it lost prestige on the lakes owing to the fact that its rules' did not conform to lake 'practice. The American Bureau © of Shipping is now, however, arranging new rules for the classification of lake _ vessels. They will be published as soon as they have been properly formulated. | Twelve vessels are this year being built on the lakes under the inspection of Na- cey & Hynd of Cleyeland, who are the lake representatives of the American Bureau of Shipping, and will be classed' in this year's Record. JAPANESE ADMIRAL'S VISIT. Admiral the Baron Yamamoto, who was the Japanese Minister of Marine during the Russo-Japanese war and who has been spending several months in Europe studying naval improve- ments, arrived in New York last week on the Carmania. The admiral is ac- companied by five Japanese naval offi- cers and it is expected that they will, in pursuing their studies, visit the navy yards at New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Nor- folk and possibly one of two on the Pacific coast. The visit to the United States is to conclude the inspection tour of the world's naval powers. The United States Lake Survey has received word from Major Graham D. Fitch, United States Engineer at Duluth, that a bar is forming between the en- trance piers: at Lac La Belle, east side of Keweenaw Point, Lake Superior. The bar extends from abreast of the shore line outward, with from 10 to 12 feet of water on it, so that a boat drawing over 10 feet cannot enter. . This entrance channel is not maintained by the gov- ernment, but was dredged by the Kewee- naw Central Railroad Co. to reach its terminal at Mendota on the inner lake.