The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-12-01
THE GOVERNMENT WORK.
Progress of the Improvement
How Money is Expended
Statistics.

Captain L w. SymDnS, OF the UNI
ted States engineer corps, furnishes an
interesting annual report of the i'm
provement of the entrance to Yaqulna
bay, from which the following extracts
are made:
The usual prevailing depths over the
bar at low water, before improvement:
were from seven feet to eight feet.
Three distinct channels existed, known
as the north, middle and south chan
nels. The south channel was the one
mostly used, but was rendered danger
Gus by the presence If rocks. The
middle channel, thou III free from
rocks, was usually the shoalest of the
three, and 80 was little used. The
north channel, besides being long and
tortuous, was so studded with rocks as
to be considered unnavi gable. Owing
to the shifting nature of the bar these
channels are constantly changing both
in position and depth. The mean rise
of the tide was IL feet.
The project adopted in 1881 was to
\ run out dixie or jetty on the south
isouth channel to shoal uo and the flow
TO be DETECTED northwarl, with view
to opening and maintaining the central
channel with least depth of seventeen
feet at high water
AS originally projected the dixie was
to start from near low water line and
run out into the sea distance of $500
feet and was to rise to two feet above
mean low water. The leach on the
line of the jetty from hi:;h-water level
was TO be protected by sinking gablons
in the beach with sand heaped over
them, and by covering the surface with
layer of mattresses and stone.
The stone for the jetty was to be
deposited in place from barges, and
cribs were to be used if practicable. 1t
was found, however, that cribs could
not be used on account of the strong
currents and high seas, and that the
ocean swell, even in quiet weather, was
too great to permit the use of stone
barges. Accordingly the jetty had to
be built from the shore end by carrying
the stone out over a tramway, and was
begun at high tide line instead of at
low-tide line, thus making the total
projected length of the jetty in 1881,
3,7OO feet.
In 1884 the jetty was extended
shoreward distance of SIG feet to
close gap that had been washed out
by the sea, making the total projected
The present project, adopted in 1888,
is to raise the south jetty to full high
water without extending it seaward,
thus making its total length 3,748 feet,
and to construct mid-tide jetty on the
north side of the entrance about $500
feet IN length extending rom the north
head along and behind the reef putting
out from the head to a point opposite
the end of the south jetty and distant
from 1t about 81 900 feet. The project
of 1888 was modified during the past
year by the requirement that the north
jetty be raised to full high tide. The
project of 1888 was further modified
during the past year by providing for
FIVE esgroins built out channelwards from
the south jetty.
The appropriations SO far amount to
$635,000. The amount expended on
the project to June 80, 1892, was
$535,34S26. During the year 1891
80, the moth jetty was extended $40
feet. Of this, 4O5 feet was in an
incomplete condition at the end OF the
year. A large portion of the south
jetty was completed by bringing the
enrockment up to full high tide. The
results obtained by the work done were
highly satisfactory. The extension of
the north jetty prevented the formation
OF a sand bank under the lea of the
south jetty, and the entrance channel
was continuously straight The bar
depth of eleven feet at low water
reported the previous year was ma
terially increased. During the win
ter it was constantly reported by the
pilot in charge of the bar tug that
there was from twelve to fifteen feet on
the bar at low water. The amount
expended during the fiscal yeal ending
June 30, 1898, was $65,50l So.
RESULTS OBTAINED TO JUNE 80, '93.
The north jetty has been built to its
full length, but not yet finally COM
pleted. The south jettv tramway has
beeu repaired and the groins previously
mentioned have been partially COM
pleted. ....
A survey made in September and
October, '92, shows bar channel with
minimum depth of IA feet at mean
low tide. This depth has been main
tanned throughout the year. No YES
sci has been bar-bound during the
year. While the conditions of the
entrance has been very satisfactory to
all concerned, new complication has
arisen by the formation of an inner bal
about 1000 feet inside of the ends oi
the jetties. This inner bar will be
more fully noticed hereafter.