Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-08-04
DUTY OF DIKES.
To Keep the Missouri River Within
Bounds-The OfieiaI Report Filed.

To Keep the Missouri River Within
Bounds-The Official Report Filed.
WASHINGTON, July SoL-A rerort fled
in the war department shows for the
Missouri river that work in the field
below Sioux City consisted in detached
surveys to supply information not col
leeted by the general survey of 1890 and
to obtain information at special locali-
ties This work was mainly carried on
in the fall of 1891. In the spring of the
current year two parties were in the
field to run line of prize levels be-
tween Sioux City, Ia, and St Charles
No, which latter point is already con-
nected with similar work done by
the Mississippi river and United
States coast and geodetic survey. The
work of these parties progressed favor
ably, and it is expected that it viii be
completed during the current 'season-
No field work was done during the
year. At Sioux City, Ia, the effect OF
the dike7 constructed to protect the
town continues to be good and no fur
Their work seems to be needed. At
Omaha the revetment of the left bank
OF the river near Council Bluffs was ex-
tended down stream 9,2a0 feet during
the months OF August, September and
October, 1891. This work with that
previously constructed viii, it is
thought, sufficiently protect the bank
and nothing more than occasional
repairs will hereafter be need
ed No work was found neces-
sary at Nebraska City, Neh., during the
season and the plant was transferred to.
St Joseph for surveys at that point,
$4,000 OF the balance of allotment for
this place being transferred to the work
at Benton bend At St Joseph, No.
work was resumed on the revetment OF
Belmont bend in the latter part OF Au-
gust. 1891, and was carried On during
the fall and to some extent during the
winter and spring, Il, 246 feet of rs<et-
ment being constructed and junction
effected with the work of the previous
commissions At Elwood, Kan, the
| work was not entirely completed and
suffered considerable damage during
! the high water of the current year. As
the original allotment for the work was
about exhausted additional sums were
transferred from the allotment for the
Council Bluffs revetmsnt and such re-
pairs were made as were necessary to
prevent further damage, the total ex-
pense of which cannot be ascertained
until the water falls
Repairs We're also made to the revet-
| ment in Benton bend. in which the con-
struction of 5000 feet of newrevetment
and numerous minor repairs proved
| necessary. Work was also carried on
to some extent on the pile dikes, above
J the St Joseph waterworks- The sue
cess of this work is not as yet assured
| No work has been done at=Atchison,
Kan, during the year. The cut of at
Doniphan point. alluded to in the last
report, has so far changed the regimen
of the river that the works previously
| put in to direct and control the chan
mel above the railroad bridge have SUI
! fered considerable damage, and their
Sntire destruction seems to be only a
question of time Just what the final
/ effect viii be can not as yet be deter
| mined. but the direction OF the flow
through the bridge still remains favor
able.
Work in the ne;ghborhood of Kansas
! City, No, has been confined to repair
ing and completing the work OF former
years. and was as follows:
At Little Platte bend !, $50 feet of re-
vetment was constructed, closing an
open gap between the bikes at the up
per end of the bend and the revetmenf
already built at the lower and The
bikes themselves received slight repairs
and mattress aprons wereplaced around
the upper ends to protect them Al
Kaw bend repairs were made to the re
vetment constructed in 1885 wherever q
weak place had developed, and the
work was placed in frSt-class shape
! At Harlem a revetment about :, 40:
| linear feet above the left bank was built
The Harlem system of dikes was pro
tected by the revetments during the
fall Of 1891