The Portland daily press., 1899-11-03

From the government printing ofiics
there has been recently Issued the annual
report OF the chief Of ems ineers OF the
army for 1859. Included In the report II
that OF Major 5. W. Koessler. In charge
cf the work In this district. The report
takes up In detail the operations az vari-
Gus points In the district, giving q great
deal Of iniorm alton ssto the progress OF
the work, stc. OF special interest is that
portion Of the document which treats Of
he Improvement Of Portland harbor.
concerning which the report says:
The entrance TO the main part of the
harbor of Portland. or the anchorage.
has always been good. hut prior to the
I'm pr oyements made by the Government
the approach to the inner harbor was OBJ
siructed by shoal known rs the middle
ground, over which the depth Was only :
to ~ feet at mean low tide. while between
&c and Stamford Ledge the greatest avail
able depth was only ~ feet Besides. the
best part Of the wharf front Of the city
was exposed TO the swell from the ATTAIN
tic. which sometimes made 10 dangerous
for vessels to lie at the docks, and the
depth along this front was in some piacos
as little as feet. making part OF IL un-
The nrst work Of impro sement under
taken by the Government WAS the con.
strUotion OF the break water. This was
begun us early as 1886. 1t was completed
in 1874.
The project for the improvement Of the
harbor by deepening its watsrs was first
undertaken by Authority of act Of Con
sress Of 1868. The project at that time
was to excavate channel 800 feet wide
through the southern slope of the middle
around to q depth OF 20 feet At mean low
tide and the removal of The bar OF the
Grand trunks wharvas to the same depth
In 1870 the project was anne ndod 80 as TO
provide for channel iOO feet wide, and
In 1871 it was again amended so as to
prot 10 for width Of 500 feet.
In 1879 she improvement Of Back Cove
was added to the project, and In Decem-
ber OF tnat year the project was further
amended by providing for the dredging 9
of the inner harbor mp to the harbor com
inissioners' lines to depth Of 10 feet. by
1875 all the contemplated improvements
b ad been executed except some dredging
In the inner hartor.
In 1881, Congress made an appropriation
for the further Improvements OF the har-
Dor, and u projeot was adopted looking to
the entire removal Of the snoal known As
the middle ground. at an estimated cost
of $160, 600 The Tro1sot was completed
In 1885.
In 1885 the Board Of Trade Of Portland
asked for the fr rrther Improvement Of the
narbor to a depth Of % fest at low tide,
and In 1856 this project WAS adopted, the
estimated cost being $685. Under
approval Of the Secretary OF v dated
February 20, 1890, this project 8 ex-
tended to include smail quantity of
dredging In the uppsr harbor, estimstsd
to cost s., 600, making the total estimated
cost OF the project $14O, In February,
1894, IL was extended to cover the widen
ing Of the upper end Of the 29-foo channel
and the dreaging of 25-ioot channel to
connect the deep water in the lower part
Of the narbor with that In the upper part,
but without addition TO the estimated
cost. In November. 1894, all the work
proposed for Portland Hsroor up to that
time was completed
BY the actsof 1896 Congress adopted a
project for dredging to depth OF 30 fest
ut mean low tide over the greater part OF
the area OF the hArbor This work was
act ombined with 1t the project for i'm
pro, ing Eack Cove. which was PARTLY
com pleted. The total estimated cost of
the combined project was made s9s6, ESQ.
The act Of June 5. 1896. appropriated
SO, 0O0 Tor this wtrk and authorized the
making Of contrasts for Its oompleti3n,
but limited such contracts to. SSl0, 600 In
addition to the amount appropriated.
The language Of the act is Ms follows:
Improving Portland Harbor, Maine,
according to the report OF the Chief OF
Engiuesrs dated April seventeenth, sigh-
teen hundred and ninety-six. ana con-
tinuipg improvement Of back Cove. 20.
cording 70 existing project, twenty thous-
and dollars, Provided, That contracts
may be entered Into by the Secretary of
War for such materials and work as may
be necessary for the completion OF such
projects, to be paid for rs appropriations
may from tins to time be made by law,
not to exceed In the aggregate eight hun
hred and ten Thousand dollars, exclusive
OF the amount herein appropriated.
The total amount expended on Portland
Harbor, including Back Cove, up to June
80, 1895, was $3.50, 254.67. these expendi-
lures resulted In giving by means Of the
break water. partial projection TO vessels
at the lower wharves, and an available
depth OF 20 feet at mean low tide up to
said wharves. Thence q depth of not le IS
than % feet could be carried up the mid
die OF the harbor to the bridge. Besides
this, under the proiect for dredging to 30
feet at mean low tide, an arsa about
=. 100 feet long and 200 feet wide In front
Of the Grand Trunk wharves had been
tredgei to that depth, and the channel
in Back Cove had been dredged to Its full
projected dimensions except In the upper
part, where 1t ha snoaled.
Ihs expsnditur es during the fiscal year
1899 resulted in continuing the work
under q contract with George M. Valen-
tins 81 Go. for doing all the dredging
covered by the project. Work was con-
tinusd until April 10. 1899. when opera
been resumed by the contractor. The
greater part OF the plant was attached
and has since been sold under decree by