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6 AIDS TO NAVIGATION. THE TWENTY-FOOT CHANNEL PROJECT. Col. J. G. Lydecker, Rugineer Corps, U.S. A., sta- tioned at Detroit, has filed with Chief of Engineers Craighill his annual report, describing the progress made during the year ended June 30, upon the twenty- foot channel project. He first refers ‘to Section 1, a channel 21 feet deep and 300 feet wide at Round Island Shoals, St. Mary’s River, and calls attention to the ex- posed locality, stating that here the channel should be deepened to 23 feet and widened to 800 feet to serve the best interests of navigation. The work on Section 2, for which was provided a channel 21 feet deep and 300 feet wide in Little Mud Lake, between the lower end of Sugar Island and the lower end of the ‘‘Dark Hole,’’ will have been com- pleted, says the report, by August 1. Section 3, a channel 21 feet deep and 300 feet wide through a reef at Sailors’ Encampment, will be finished by October, at the latest. On Section 4, a channel 21 feet deep and 300 feet wide through a shoal in Mud Lake, 1% miles below Sailors’ Eyncampmest, the work is practically completed, with the exception of a smail portion of the shoal left on the west side of the channel. The work on Section 5, which consists of a channel 21 feet deep and 2,400 feet wide at the foot of Lake Huron, will be completed by September, and the east half of the channel has already been thrown open to navigation. Section 6 is achannel 20 feet deep from deep water in St. Clair River, through St. Clair Flats canal, to deep water in Lake St. Clair, with a width above the canal not greater than 650 feet, thence for the full width ofthe canal for its entire length, thence gradually widening to 800 feet in Lake St. Clair. The improvement in the canal, which contemplated driving a row of sheet piling along the channel face and dredging the area between the dykes to a depth of 20 feet, continuing the depth above and below to deep water, has been practically completed, except the deepening of the channel to 20 feet. The superstructure has become badly decayed and is much in need of repair, but the funds at present available are entirely insufficient to watrant any undertaking in the direction of renewal. ‘The canal,’’ says thereport, ‘‘is now much: too small to furnish proper facilities for the increasing commerce passing through it; for the commerce is practically identical with that through the Detroit River, which, during the season of 1895, comprised more than 36,100 vessels carrying 25,850,000 tons of freight.”’ Section 7 is a channel 20 feet deep and 800 feet wide through Grosse Pointe Flats, Lake St. Clair. It is be- lieved that this work will be finished during the present season. Section 8, a channel 21 feet deep and 800 feet wide through the bar at the mouth of Detroit River, is nearly finished, and the east half has been thrown open to navigation. The remaining work is chiefly of a clean- ing up character. A hydrographic survey was made of Sections 1, 2, 3, 4,5, and 8 during the winter of 1894-5, and for the pur- pose of estimating and controlling the improvement work ice surveys were again made of Sections 2, 3 and 8 during last February and March. A topographical survey was made of the mouth of Detroit River at odd times between 1894-6, Col. Lydecker’s report refers at some length to the canal traffic, the new lock and Hay Lake channel, and goes on to say that the rapid increase in the number of boats adds largely to the danger of accidents during the night navigation of the Middle Neebish, and makes the project of widening the channel, through the rock at that locality to 400 feet, one of great importance. It is also important that a portion of this channel, adistance ‘THE MARINE RECORD. of 2,500 feet, which has been improved to a depth of 20 feet, should be deepened to 21 feet. The work of the entire project is so far advanced that no additional ap- propriation will be necessary to complete it. The report devotes special attention to the improve- ment of Detroit River, and reviews most of the work done. An examination of the channel between Bal- lard’s Reef and Limekiln Crossing, on each side of Grosse Isle lower ranges, was made in 1893, which showed the channel to be obstructed by large boulders and other material, limiting the draft of vessels to 16% feet. A contract was subsequently entered into with Carkin, Stukey & Cram, on October, 1894, for the re- moval of shoals near Ballard’s Reef. Work was com- menced November 17, 1894, and continued to June 30, 1896, being suspended during the winter months only. The channel. was to be completed by December 1, 1895, toa width of 600 feet and a depth of 20 feet. Owing to unforeseen difficulties, which developed during the progress of the work, this contract has been found unjust to the contractors, and its termination with the payment of all the retained percentages has been authorized to take effect when the eastern half of the channel has been cleared up to a depth of 20 feet. The time for the completion of the contract has been ex- tended to October 1. Up to June 30, 16,097 cubic yards, scow measurement, have been removed, clearing the channel to 18 feet over a width of 600 feei. The upper 2,200 feet, east of the center line, have been), dredged and cleaned up to a depth of twenty feet ; andi Huron. The object at St. Joseph is to provide a chan- nel 16 feet deep to the upper limits of the St. Joseph harbor, and 13 feet from thence to Benton Harbor. The work was begun in 1836, and up to date $460,835 has been expended—$19,438 during the past fiscal year—in dredging and rebuilding a part of the north pier. Col. Lydecker says that revetments should be built up in both sides of Benton Harbor canal, in order to make any dredged channel permanent, but that this should _ not be done at government expense, as the canal is 3 purely for local benefit. A little dredging was done at South Haven and Saugatuck. Operations at Holland were confined to dredging and pier improvements. At Grand Haven the south pier was repaired and new revetments built. At Muskegon a 15-foot channel was obtained for $5,305. Dredging at Pentwater tncreased the depth temporarily from 9 to 13 feet. ‘The piers at Manistee were repaired for $1,348. The Manistee & Northeastern Railroad Co. was allowed, in 1893, to occupy a government revet- ment on condition that they would keep it in repair, which they have not done. At Frankfort, $14,194 was spent in extending the north and south piers. The har- bor of refuge at Portage Lake has been dredged and the north pier repaired. Operations at Charlevoix were confined to dredging the channels from Lake Michigan to Round Lake and thence to Pine Lake. The north and west breakwaters at Petoskey were nearly com- pleted during the year. At Cheboygan, $15,441 was spent, giving a channel 110 feet wide and 16 feet deep. Op- erations on Saginaw River have been confined to repairs of dykes, dredging shoals, etc., giving at its mouth a channel 125 feet wide, 700 feet long, and 16 feet deep; a few minor repairs were made fon the harbor of refuge fat Sand Beach, Lake Huron. No work has been done in Black River since 1893, but it is proposed to re-dredge that part of the shoal which adjoins the through channel of St. Clair River at the mouth of Black River. No work was done on Rouge River, and the channel is said to be slowly shoaling. No work has been don upon the turningbasin at the mouth of Rouge River, the appropriation cf $5,000 for acquisition of land — and beginning construction being considered too small. : ‘ WORK AT CHICAGO. THE OLD AMERICAN LOCK. Its use has been discontinued but it will be kept ready for emergencies. the upper 1,000 feet, west of the center line, have been dredged to 20 feet. The east half of the channel will probably be completed previous to October. A large number of boulders were removed from the channel be- low Limekiln Crossing during May and June, clearing the channel to a depth of 18 feet and a width of 600 feet. Assistant Engineer Dixon, in charge of Section 8, makes a supplementary report giving minute details of a line of levels run from the United States beach mark at Trenton, Mich., to Bar Point, to determine the eleva- tions above mean tide at New York, and the location of beach marks and water gauges. These elevations vary from 572,795 at the Limekiln Crossing, at the old M. C. R. slip, to 604,541 feet at Martin’s stone dwelling, abreast of Limekiln Crossing. Under contract with J. A. Smith, 970,769 cubic yards of material have been removed-up to June 30, 1896, in the Detroit River channel, and the work is completed except some cleaning up. : ©The Canadian schooner Mary, sunk in St. Clair River in collision, was removed as.an obstruction to naviga- tion last October, at a cost: of $1,202. The report also refers to the harbor lines established at Detroit and Grosse Isle. THE COAST OF*MICHIGAN. Col, Lyydecker has also filed his annual report regard- ing the river and harbor improvements on the esst coast of Lake Michigan and the west coast of Lake Major W. L. Marshall, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., who hascharge of Illinois, river and harbor work, states in his annual report that at Chicago harbor the unfinished portion of the breakwater, to be repaired, was completed. The 2,200 linear feet of new superstruc- ture contracted for were constructed and the, as yet, uncovered part of the breakwater was provided with decking, consisting of 6-inch pine timbers. Dredging in the channel at the mouth of the river was also carried on and practically completed in May. ‘The sum of $60 754 was expended during the year and there remains an available balance of $83,602 to be used at this point. I is proposed to use this amount in maintaining the present works and dredging Chicago River. é The channel between the piers in the Calumet harbor has been maintained at the required depth, but the in- crease in size and draft of vessels makes 16 feet depth no longer sufficient. There is an available balance of $77,844. ‘The improvement of the Calumet River, say the report, in connection with the development of Calu met harbor, has been followed by immediate result which fully justify the expenditures made. } LAKE SUPERIOR IMPROVEMENTS. The report of Major Clinton B. Sears, Corps of En gineers, U.S. A., in charge of river and harbor im provements on Lake Superior, shows that there is available balance of $27,960 for continuing the improve ments at Ashland harbor. ‘The work at Two Harbor will be completed by next November, and encouragin, progress has been made on the work at Duluth an Superior. The total cost of improvement of the harbor at Ont