Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-23

eral other localities between ST. Paul
and Fountain City
The total amount expended for snag
boat service to June 80, 1909, was
$1.O49,5S4
The total quantity of freight trans
ported on the upper Missippi river
during the calendar year 1908 was
about 1851, S57 tons and the ton miles
227.761, 1856; in 1907, 1913, 44O tons, and
532 1896, 223 ton miles. The amount ex-
pended during the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1909, was s25,GOO.
Through Navigation
Mississippi river between Missouri
river and Minneapolis, MINI; between
Missouri river and ST. Paul MINI:
Under this head is carried on the I'M
provement of through navigation and
also such special harbor or levee work
as is provided for by congress. Sys-
tematic work was begun in 1878, and
such good results have been secured
as to demonstrate that with a contin-
uance of operations under liberal ap-
preparations the low water channel of.
the Mississippi river between st. Paul
and the Missouri river can be made
sufficiently deep, available and perma-
nent to satisfy the demands of com
MERGE.
The original condition of the chan
mel between the Missouri river and
st. Paul was such that in low stages
the larger boats were unable to pro-
coed farther upstream than La Crosse
or Winona, and in many seasons at
points much lower down their progress
was checked or seriously hindered.
THE original project for the i'm
provement. adopted in 1879, proposed
the contraction of the channel or water
way by means of wing and closing
dams to such an extent as. by means
of the scour caused, to afford a chaa-
mel of sufficient width and of a depth
of Az feet at low water. There was
expended under the original project
and the provisional modified project
in June 80, 1909, $12, 1O4, 097.72, of
which about $750,OOO was applied to
maintenance. At that date, and for
many years previous, the condition of
the channel was such as to permit the
passage of the largest river boats at
very low stage to ST. Paul. 1t should
be noted that of the amount above
stated, $1,O58.OO0 has been expended
for harbors and levees not connected
with through channel Improvement,
and that there is still available for
these purposes $5,1O5.O1.
Six-Foot Channel Project
''The existing project, for the pur-
pose of ultimately securing and main
tanning a depth Of six feet, was adopt
ed by congress March 2, 1907. 1t pro-
vides for further contraction of the
channel, for auxiliary dredging, for a
lateral canal at Rock Island rapids
and deepening Des Moines rapids
canal, for repairs to existing work and
for maintenance during construction.
The estimate of cost, which does not
include work between st. Paul and
Minneapolis, is $2O, osO, 900, provided
it be completed within 30 years, and
for care and maintenance after COM
pletion, $500, 600 per annum. The said
act appropriated $500, 900. and author
lied contracts for prosecuting this
work to the amount of $500, 600 ad-
ditional, of which $500, 900 is yet to be
appropriated, and limited the cost Of
work for each year to S500,0 for
three years. To June 30, 1909, the
amount expended on this project was
s911, 42O.62.
During the past year work has been
carried on by hired labor and use Of
government plant IN vicinity of Alma
and Pine Island, between Minneopa
and La Noble. at Rtchmod island, in
vicinity of North Buena Vista, Gutten-
berg and Eagle Point at Rock Island
rapids, in vicinity of Gilberts island,
at Atlas island and Hickory chute,
and under formal contract In Cass-
Vile Chute and Gutenberg channel
above New Boston, at Benton island. |
and In vicinity of Buzzard, Hadley,
Fabius ana Armstrong islands. At all
localities, where work was performed
good results were obtained.
Deepened I'm Several Localities
With the expenditure during the
past year an increased depth was OBJ
tanned at several localities. Needed
repairs were made TO dams and shore
projections that were broken, settled.
or otherwise damaged
The maximum draft that could be