The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-11-19
WESTERN RIVERS.
Government improvements On the MIS-
sissippi Above st. Louis.
COL. xAooHDs RHPoRr OF TIE "ohA
ON THE DEsN0INEs RAPIDS.


COL. xAoorp's RHpoRr OF TIE WohA
on THE DRsHoYNEs RAPIDS.
p...uu.,..,,,,. Made for the Coming Year.
r...,.n.,asnce of the ST. Louis Republican.
W.smyaroy, Nov. 14.-Col. j. N. Ma,
oomb ia charge of the Mississippi river
improvements above St. Louis, makes the
following report to the engineer bureau re-
lative to the work under his supervision
DEsMoINEs RAPIDS.
On July l, 1873, there remained On
hand a balance of $66, 300. " to prosecute
this work, to which could be added S4oo'
900 appropriated March 3, 1873.
The project for carrying on the work was
ne follows: To finish the masonry CT the
lower and middle locks. To build and baii
by hired labor the necessary Golfer dams at
both ends of the canal to facilitate the OK
cavation of the channel at the entrances
IL construct by hired labor sluices at the
middle and lover locks, purchasing the
necessary material in open market 10
complete by contract labor, as near as pos.
sible, the earth and rock excavations o,
the canal aud channel at the entrances, and
build as much Of the rip-rap wall as could
be done with the suitable stone taken from
the excavations, s..t. -
The work in progress at the beginning OF
the year was the construction OF the mid
die lock and lower lock and delivery OF the
stone and cement for the same. The work
on the middle lock was being performed
under the contract Of Willard johnson,
and was continued up to August %, 1873,
at which time the masonry Of the lock was
finished, the excavation in the prism OF
the canal above the lock section COMPLETED,
and all the slope wall laid within the lock
section where the enbaukment had set
tied and was sufficiently firm to receive IT,
The project having been approved anc
authority granted to construct slulce iol
wasting the surplus water discharged dur
inc heavy rains into the canal between the
middle and guard locks, tie work was IN
dertakcp and prosecuted entirely by labor
EMPLOYED by the United States. The ex
cavatlop of the sluice required the removal
of nearly all the stone remaining over from
constructing the lock before any excava
ton could be made. The necessary torct
was employed. Excavation for the sluic'
and dressing stone began in March, and OF
the 23d of November laying OF the slulct
wall was commenced and the work
PROGRESSED FAvORABLY.
The work on the lower lock was also IL
progress The work consisted in breaking
a small amount Of macadam, laying nag
ging around the gate recipes and coping Of
the upper vertical walls. This finished m
masonry Of the lower lock, and left at TIM
point only small amount of work in fin
ishing the slopes, grades, ETC., which coul'
not be well done at this time. In Novenl
Der began the work of excavating for tn
sluice By hired labor. This work was cal
ried on until March, 1874, when work wa
stopped for few days, because of the sud
den rise of the river. In May it becam
necessary to place a steam pump at tn
upper end of the sluice, so great was tn
seepage of water through the banks. Sine
the erection of the pump there has bee
no interruption to the work. On accout
of difficulty 10 finding room for the depos
of material excavated, little more tin
and some additional expense has been il
Cured on this part of the work.
AT the end of the year about tire,
fourths of the excavation was completed
and as the delivery of stone commenced
small force of workmen begun cutting
The laying of stone in the sluice wall begun
on the 18th of June, and has continued
satisfactorily without interruption. Thu
present season has been unusually favor
able, and if nothing serious happens to 10
terrupt the work for a few weeks longer
the sluice walls will be completed, and al
work remaining to be done to complete the
lock banks and grounds, such us building
few yards of slope wall and breaking
macadam, will be done this season.. Or
July 2ist a contract was awarded for The
construction of the guard lock, section
work and
CHANNEL EXCAVATION,
J. W. Little 4 Co. being the lowest re-
sponsible bidders, the work was awarded
to them, but owing to strong opposition
made by competing bidders the contrac
was not awarded to them until Aug. 22d
and they were unable to get to work unit
the ID of September. In the meantime
force OF government laborers were engaged
in building Golfer dam around the pre-
posed channel excavations at the head c
the guard lock, and another force in stol
ping the leak through the bedrock Of th
IlNcI uuuCE tUC W
so, and opening the drains and cross bank
through the prism OF canal from Nashvill
to Pierce's creek to facilitate the drainap
of the work, and if possible avoid the t.
pense of pumping. These side operation
by government laborers were all finishe
before the contractors were ready to beg
the work, so that by the I'd of Septe mbt
the coffcr.dam was finished and pumpet
anI fhora nnfhtpn IN dalav Mas or
Little q Co. going to work at once.
During the months of September an
October the contractors succeeded in re
ting fairly to work, their plant of two nal
row gauge locomotive and fifty cars, tie.
etc, was received, and the work OF excav;
ton in the channel above guard.lock pr
ceeded but not as rapidly as it should
Strong hopes were entertained that Il
work in that particular portion of the III
provement would be finished BY the en-
of November, SO that the pumping mi
machine and contractors force could |
removed to
THE GOLFER DAM at THE LOWER END
Of the canal and finish that excavation b,
fore the spring foods. But the work di
not progress with the rapidity that coul
be desired. and on the 18th of Novembe
1873, orders were received from Washin!
ton to widen the excavation 40 feet at ii
lower end of the new channel and continu
the same up to the guide pier at the hea
Of the channel This necessarily delaye
the completion of the work, but the CO..
tractors placed all the men they could VOL
upon the new excavation aud removed tt
material as fast as possible. During Il
time more men being available than cou
.rnrE adr.nntar.. l. - &.