The following reallotments of funds have been made during the year: From Lower Yazoo levee district to plant, Third district.. From Upper Yazoo levee district to White River levee district. $20,000.00 50,000.00 7,648.33 18, 932.86 From special allotment for Cape Girardeau levee, Upper St. Francis levee district, as follows: To plant, First and Second districts... To Walnut Bend, Ark.. To Upper St. Francis levee district, general levee work. To Plum Point reach... From Porter Lake to Plum Point reach... $5,200 4,800 20,000 15,000 From Porter Lake to Kempe Bend, La.. 25,000 From Caruthersville, Mo., to Walnut Bend, Ark. 25,000 From dredges and dredging to surveys, gauges, and observations.. From rectification of Red and Atchafalaya rivers to plant, Fourth district. From Natchez and Vidalia harbors to rectification of Red and Atchafalaya rivers for repairs to dredge The Ram........ 2,500 1,500 10,000 20,000 Details of the expenditures of the various allotments are appended hereto. MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION. No change has occurred in the membership of the Commission during the year. The following changes were made in the personnel of officers in charge of works under the Commission: First Lieut. C. H. Knight, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, relieved Capt. G. R. Lukesh, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, of his duties as secretary of the Commission on November 30, 1908. Maj. M. L. Walker, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, has been in charge of the first and second districts since December 9, 1908. Capt. Wm. D. Conner, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, was in charge of these districts until October 31, 1908, and Capt. G. R. Lukesh, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, was temporarily in charge from that date until relieved by Major Walker on December 9, 1908. Capt. H. Burgess, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, has been in charge of the fourth district since August 28, 1908, when he relieved First Lieut. W. Willing, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, who had assumed charge of that district on July 1, 1908, relieving Maj. J. F. McIndoe, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. Three sessions of the Commission were held during the year, the one hundred and seventh and one hundred and eighth, on board the steamer Mississippi during the low-water inspection of the river October 21 to November 1, 1908, and during the high-water inspection April 8 to 17, 1909; the one hundred and ninth at the offices of the Commission in St. Louis, Mo., June 25 and 26, 1909. At all of these meetings public hearings were given to the representatives of the navigation, commercial, and other interests of the river. SURVEYS, GAUGES, AND OBSERVATIONS. Surveys. The field work of the general survey of the Mississippi River from Head of the Passes to the headwaters was completed in July, 1904, and the reduction and platting of the field notes of the last two field seasons have been partly completed. The extent and character of the general survey is given in the annual report of the Commission for 1905. The field work of the low-water survey from Cairo to the mouth of the Arkansas River was completed in November, 1904, and the reduction and platting of the field notes were completed in the office in 1906. The cross sections of this survey are now being prepared for comparison with those of the earlier general survey of this stretch, with a view to determining the changes that have taken place in the river bed. Owing to the discrepancy of about 1 foot found to exist in the earlier line of precise levels from the Gulf to Fort Adams, Miss., in 1900, as stated in previous annual reports, the rerunning of the precise levels northward was continued and by January, 1907, had reached mouth of White River. During the past season, 1908-9, this work was extended from mouth of White River to Memphis, Tenn., where it was closed on account of high water. The reduction of the last season's field work is now in progress. This releveling now extends from the jetties to Memphis, Tenn., a distance by river of about 840 miles, not including the side line of 87 miles from Biloxi to New Orleans. It is proposed to carry this work northward from Memphis. Many of the permanent marks of the general survey of the river having been destroyed in the many years that have elapsed since they were set, a party was put in the field in the fall of 1905 to restore the system. The work was begun at Cairo and completed to Carriola, Ark., a distance by river of about 506 miles, during that and the two following seasons. Field work was resumed by this party at Carriola early in October, 1908, and was carried to a point about 22 miles below Natchez, Miss., where work was closed for the season about the middle of February, 1909. The field notes of this last season's work are now being reduced. It is proposed to continue the field work. Maps.-Detail charts Nos. 243 to 251, scale 1 to 10,000, extending this series to above Leech Lake River, 1,265.5 miles above Cairo, were published during the year. New editions of detail chart No. 76, scale 1:20,000, and of inch-tomile maps No. 14, both of the river below Cairo, were published during the year. Charts Nos. 252 to 260, drawn to scale of 1 to 5,000, extending this series from above Leech Lake River to Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota, about 1,297 miles above Cairo, have been prepared in part for the publisher. Nearly all of the office force in the drawing division have been engaged on work for the Board on Examination and Survey of the Mississippi River and in consequence only slight progress has been made on the reduction of field notes and mapping of the general survey of the river near its headwaters. Gauges. The regular gauges, high-water gauges and tide gauges have been maintained during the year, periodic inspections being made for the purpose of making needed repairs to gauges and bulletins and testing the gauges. During the low water of 1908 water surface elevations on the Mississippi River at points about 5 miles apart were determined from Cairo to Memphis, and a profile of same has been prepared. During the high water of March and April, 1909, reports were received from the high-water gauge observers and a profile of the high water has been prepared from Cairo to the Head of the Passes. The profile of the high water of 1908, not before published, is shown on the same plate. Discharge observations.-At the date of the last annual report discharge observations were still in progress on the Red River at Alexandria, La. These were completed early in July, 1908. The maximum stage reached was July 6, 41.84 feet on the Alexandria gauge, which was 3.59 feet higher than the previous high record. The measured discharge on July 6, 1909, was 207,745 cubic feet per second, which was greater than any previously observed at that station. During the low-water season of 1908 the discharge of the Mississippi River was measured at Columbus, Ky., in October and November, 1908, and at Grafton, Ill., early in January, 1909. The discharge. of the Missouri River at St. Charles, Mo., was also measured early in January. During the high water of March and April, 1909, the discharge of the Mississippi River was measured at Columbus, Ky., Helena, Ark., Chicot, Ark., Vicksburg, Miss., Red River Landing, La., and Carrollton, La. During the high water the discharge of the Atchafalaya River at Simmesport, La., of the Black River at Jonesville, La., and of the St. Francis River were also measured. The reduction of these observations is now in progress. For further details concerning the foregoing, attention is invited to the report of First Lieut. C. H. Knight, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, secretary, appended hereto. DREDGES AND DREDGING. Project. A statement of the project under which the hydraulic dredges of the Commission have been built, maintained, and operated will be found on page 8 of the Annual Report for 1904; the tenth dredge, the B. M. Harrod, therein referred to, has since been constructed, and was accepted from the contractor in May, 1908. Nine dredges are now available for operation under this project, and the preparation of plans for another dredge has been authorized. The success attained in dredging and the importance of unfailing maintenance of the channel is discussed in the reports of 1905 and subsequent years, and the recommendations made therein for ample funds to carry on this work continuously as required is again renewed. In order to test the practicability of securing and maintaining a channel 14 feet in depth at low water, experimental dredging for this purpose was authorized in November, 1906; this authority was extended to include a width of 500 feet in June, 1908. Season's operations. The stage of the river below Cairo during the low-water season of 1908 was lower than for several years past, the low stage was also of unusually long duration and the utmost efforts of the dredges that were available were required to maintain navigable channels through the troublesome bars, which extended this year over about 700 miles of river. At a few crossings, before a dredge could be sent to the locality, the controlling depths were less than that required by the adopted project. At Salem Crossing, 564 miles below Cairo, which was the shoalest crossing found during the season, there was only 6 feet before the arrival of a dredge. This depth, however, was quickly increased to over 9 feet after the dredge began work. At four other crossings from 7 to 8 feet were found, but these unfavorable conditions existed at these bars for a few days only. With the above exceptions, there was not less than 9 feet of navigable water below Cairo throughout the season. Before the beginning of the regular dredging season of 1908 three dredges had been temporarily assigned to some other work, and on their return to the fleet were in need of repairs, which detained them for some time after the opening of the regular dredging season; also, another dredge, the Henry Flad, was not in commission this season, as the rebuilding of her cabin, destroyed by fire in January, 1908, was not completed. These circumstances, which will probably not exist another season, caused a shortage in the available plant at a time when a great number of crossings needed immediate attention, and accounts in part for the delay in the cases stated in restoring the full project depth and width of channel. Dredging under the experimental 14-foot project was done at three selected crossings, Linda, Pecan Point, and Corona, respectively 82, 196, and 204 miles below Cairo, but only to a limited extent, as the available dredging plant was mainly engaged on the adopted 9-foot project. Eight dredges, the Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Iota, Kappa, and B. M. Harrod were in commission during the season and dredging was done by them at 17 bars, from Medleys, 29 miles below Cairo, to Salem, 564 miles below Cairo. The season's dredging operations began about the end of July, 1908, and the last of the dredges was withdrawn from the field and laid up at West Memphis, Ark., on January 19, 1909. For further details concerning the dredges and dredging, attention is invited to the report of First Lieut. C. H. Knight, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, secretary, appended hereto. CHANNEL WORK, BANK PROTECTION, AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SEVERAL DISTRICTS. First district, from Cape Girardeau, Mo., to the foot of Island 40 (270 miles). Headquarters: Custom-house, Memphis, Tenn. District officer, Maj. M. L. Walker, Corps of Engineers. Construction works for channel improvement, protection of caving banks, and harbor work in this district are located at Columbus and Hickman, Ky., New Madrid and Caruthersville, Mo., and Plum Point reach, together with certain isolated works, consisting of low-water channel dikes at different points throughout this district. Columbus, Ky., 21 miles below Cairo, left bank. The work at this point was done in 1889 and 1890, and consists of five submerged dikes, protecting about 2,200 feet of harbor front. No repairs have been made since and no work other than possible minor repairs is projected for the coming season. Hickman, Ky., 36 mil s below Cairo, left bank.-The work at this point consists of 1,450 feet of effective continuous revetment placed in 1889, 1892, and 1894 to prevent caving along the lower portion of the town. Slight repairs were made in 1900 on account of injury to the revetment from local drainage. The work is now in good condition, and nothing additional is at present contemplated. Slough Landing Neck, Tennessee, 60 miles below Cairo, left bank.-The river is threatening to make a cut-off at this locality, the width of the neck having now been reduced to 7,400 feet; the caving since last report amounts to about 300 feet on each side of the neck. New Madrid, Mo., 71 miles below Cairo, right bank. This work consists of bank revetment extending along the river front of the town, of continuous fascine mattresses 260 feet wide below low water, with riprap paving on the graded bank above low water. Nine hundred feet of revetment were constructed in 1893, and afterwards extended as follows: Seven hundred feet in 1894, 500 feet in 1896, 1,573 in 1898, and 1,000 in 1900. The present effective revetment is 4,450 feet long and is in good condition. For the present no additional work will be required at this point. Caruthersville, Mo., 110 miles below Cairo, right bank.-The work at this point consists of one spur dike and a continuous revetment for the protection of the caving bank in front of the town. There is now about 2,400 feet of effective revetment at this point. A small break in the revetment, referred to in last report, was repaired during the past working season. Plum Point reach, 147 to 186 miles below Cairo.-The works in this reach comprise about 67,400 feet of revetment for the protection of caving banks, the partial closure of the chutes behind Elmot bar and Island 30 with a brush and stone dam, the closure of Osceola and Bullerton chutes with pile dikes, and a levee along the left bank to confine the flood waters more nearly to the low-water channel. The object of all these works was to increase the navigable depth at low water in a reach of river which had been noted for years for its obstructing sand bars. As a result the banks have remained practically fixed within prescribed limits, and the navigable depth at low water has been increased to such an extent that little or no difficulty has been experienced in navigating this reach since the works approached completion. At no time since the works were well under way has navigable depth reached as low a point as it did nearly every low-water season prior to the construction of the rectification works. Considerable repairs to the revetment were made during the past working season in Fletchers Bend, Luxora front, and Osceola front, which work it is contemplated to complete during the coming season. Abattis dikes.-These dikes are used for the purpose of closing secondary chutes and for contracting the low-water channels by building up sand bars. No work of this kind was done in the first district during the past season, but it is recommended to close the chute behind Island 26 by an abattis dike as soon as sufficient funds and necessary plant are available for the purpsoe. For further details concerning work in the first district see report of Major Walker, appended hereto. Second district, foot of Island 40 to White River (173 miles).—Headquarters: Custom-House, Memphis, Tenn. District officer, Maj. M. L. Walker, Corps of Engineers. This district includes the protection of caving banks and harbor work at Hopefield Bend, Arkansas, Memphis, Tenn., and at Porter Lake, Helena, Walnut Bend, and Old Town, Ark., and also the dredging of Wolf River, Tennessee. |