The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-09-02
BEDS Of BIG RIVERS
Recent Successful Engineering Ex.
veriments MADE On the Mis-
Asippi River.
DRE0GEBoA1s, PORTABLE ,ETfiEs.
rainsEnn L Taken by the Gov.
ernmenu toNkecp Rivers Open
for Naviaation.-Appara-
tus Described.

tus Described.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat: Maio
Thomas II. Hamburg, in charge of TIL,
corps OF engineers engaged in Missis
s'ppl improvement in this district ha
just completed his annual report t,
the chief of engineers for the fisca
year ending June so, in which som,
interesting and successful expert
ments with Jet d~redgeboats and port
able jetties are described.
During the past two low water
seasons says Major Handbury, EEK
Periments have been made with chea1
devices designed to concentrate TIL.
water at shoal places and, by increas.
ing its velocity. induce u scour that
will give a depth of channel sufficient
Tor the passing needs of navigation
these devices to be removed as soon
as they have effected their object OF
the river has risen. The results OBJ.
tanned last season were very crafty,
ing and have led to the adoption of a
system which may be briefly described
as follows: Having determined upon
the direction that should be given to
the jetty in order to produce the best
SSNAS oAo II " llC cuSleSl rIOSSl-
BILE construction, piles are driven firm
~ into the bed of the river along this
line at distances apart varying from
ten to twenty feet, depending upon
h depth of water and the strength
OF current. In extreme cases, instead
OF single piles, clumps of two or three
may be driven. Along these piles at
. proper distance above the water sur
face other piles are made fast longitu-
dinally either by Wire or rope. They
are TO support the upper ends of COR
rugated sheet steel panels, the lower
ends OF which are to rest upon the bot
tom OF the river. Each panel is ten
feet in width, measured in the direc-
ton OF the jetty, and from ten to
twenty feet long, depending upon the
depth OF water in which it is to be
used. 1t is made of No. II United
States standard gauge corrugated
sheet steel. Suitable links or clevices
are provided for handling the panels.
70 prevent scour taking place along
the lower edge of the panels, and thus
permitting them to swing through be-
tween h piles, a mattress from eight
to ten feet wide is made by placing
small fascines side by side. This is
tied to the lower edge of the panels
and sunk with. At the end of the low
water season the jetties are removed.
Inc panels are taken out, cleaned,
painted and stored. The piles are
also removed, to be used in future
work.
WORK WITH PORTABLE JETTIES
During the last low water season
portable jetties were constructed and
removed in the following localities:
Turkey island, 1850 feet; Ste. Gene
We've, 1850 feet; Shinneman's 1000
feet; Goose island, $50 feet, and
Hecker's bend, 1880 feet, making in
all $500 feet. The field expenditures
Tor this work amounted to SIS, sO1.25,
equal to SAL per lineal foot. Add to
this the proportionate expenses for
plant. repairs, deterioration, towage,
officers, engineer depot, etc., which
amount to $13,049.06, or S1,9e per lin
cal foot, the total cost was $2S,s5O.31,
OF $4.40 per lineal foot. The cost of
the piles and panels not recovered was
$2,499.27, an average of 80 cents per
foot. Had these been recovered the
total cost per lineal foot would have
been $4.o2.
In each Of the localities where let
ties were constructed, except at Sew
enty-six landing, their effect was has
tened by the aid of No. / Jet dredge
or the steamer General Abbot. The
channel depth was increased from one
three feet at points as follows: AT
Turkey island, two and th%ree-fourths
feet; Ste. Genevieye, one foot; Sew
enty-six landing, two feet; Shine
mans three feet; Goose island, one
one-half feet, and Hecker's bend.
one foot. These measures are after
allowances has been made for differ
ences in the stage of water. The least
channel depth at any of these locali-
ties where the jetties were removed !
was eight feet.
THE foregoing facts and figures
fully demonstrate that 1t is practi-
cable, within reasonable limits of ex-
penses, to maintain a nayigable chan
mel six feet in depth at all stages of
watch between St. Louis and the
mouth of the Ohio river by means of
portable jetties, aided by dredges, pro-
vided that the permanent contraction
works now in process of construction
be maintained and proceeded with,
and there is every reason to believe
that a channel depth of eight feet can
be maintained by this means, when
the whole reach of the river has been
contracted within the
limits contemplated in the project for
it's general Improvement"
TIE JET DREDGEBOAT,
In his last annual report, Major
gave a brief description of
jet dredgeboat then in process of
construction. "This boat" he saws,
was completed and commenced oper-
atoms about September 1 on the D
proach of low water. From this date
until the end of October, when the
commenced to rise, it was in
commission. Work was done by 1t at
Harrisonville crossing, Calico island,
Stanton Towhead, Grand Tower bend
and Shinneman's. AT all Of these To- |
the channel was materially
improved by its operations, the depth
being increased from one to three
feet. This outfit consisted Of the
a~redgeboat, atquartersboat, q pile driv-
er, a barge with supply of coal and
piles and n of the steam tenders,
The dredpe was furnished with a don.