A resolution of the House of 13th instant, relative to a report on the improvement of the harbor of Alton, Illinois. APRIL 21, 1868.—Referred to the Committee on Commerce and ordered to be printed. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, April 18, 1868. SIR: I have the honor to send herewith a communication, of April 17, from the Chief of Engineers, with a copy of a letter from General G. K. Warren, corps of engineers, transmitting H. C. Long's report on the improvement of the harbor of Alton, Illinois, called for by a resolution of the House of Representatives, dated April 13, 1868. Your obedient servant, EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. Hon. SCHUYLER COLFAX, Speaker of the House of Representatives. : HEADQUARTERS CORPS OF ENgineers, SIR In compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 13th instant, referred to these headquarters for report and herewith returned, I transmit a copy of the letter of Major and Brevet Major General G. K. Warren, corps of engineers, of the 9th instant, forwarding the report of H. C. Long, United States civil engineer, on Alton harbor, Illinois, made in pursuance of General Warren's instructions, together with a copy of the report of Major Long. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. A. HUMPHREYS, Brigadier General of Engineers, Commanding. Hon. E. M. STANTON, WASHINGTON, D. C., April 9, 1868. GENERAL: I have the honor to forward herewith the report of United States Civil Engineer H. C. Long, concerning the present condition and requirements of the harbor of Alton, Illinois. This harbor is on the Mississippi river, just above where it is joined by the Missouri river, and the influence of both rivers is probably concerned in producing the unfavorable condition of the harbor now existing. At low water boats are prevented by a dry sand-bar from landing at the levee along three-fourths of the river front, and apprehension is felt for the remainder of the landing from the tendency of the river to enlarge the channel between the Missouri shore and the island opposite the city of Alton, so as to entirely leave the Alton landing at low water. Other evils are thought to be a probable consequence of the changes going on, which may seriously injure the harbor of St. Louis and the banks of the river between that city and Alton. This report gives an account of these things at some length, and furnishes a map, made at the expense of the city of Alton, to illustrate it. An improve. ment is also suggested which will cost about $112,000. The engineer, however, deems further surveys will be required to decide upon the exact plan to adopt to remedy the existing evils, and reserves the right to somewhat modify his recommendations if these surveys should call for a modification of them. With the reservations made by him I submit his report with my approval, and express also my satisfaction with the prompt manner he has carried out my directions, and my belief that he has presented the subject as completely as the circumstances admit. This report was made by him in obedience to my instructions, which were given on authority of the Chief of Engineers, to whom I had submitted the application of the Board of Trade of the city of Alton to have such examination and report made. Yours, respectfully, G. K. WARREN, Brevet Major Gen. U. S. A, Major of Engineers. Brevet Major General A. A. HUMPHREYS, Brigadier General and Chief of Engineers. REPORT ON ALTON HARBOR. ALTON, ILLINOIS, March 15, 1868. GENERAL I herewith submit a brief report of examinations at Alton harbor and the conclusions arrived at. These were undertaken in accordance with your instructions of February 1, 1868, a copy of which is as follows, viz: HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES ENGINEer Office, St. Paul, Minnesota, February 1, 1868. The SIR: The following are your instructions: 1st. You will proceed from here to Alton, Illinois, and make such examination of that harbor and vicinity as you can at this season. object will be to report to me the wants of the river navigation, as complained of, and their supposed cause, the proposed remedy, and the cost of effecting the same. Should you be unable to do this without making additional surveys, you will so report and present an esti mate of the expense, and the time when they can best be made. You will consult freely with such citizens of Alton as can aid you in these duties. 2d. You will proceed to St. Louis to inquire into the cost and facility of making such machinery for, and alterations in the boats we have, as you think will probably be required during the coming season. 3d. It is understood that these duties are not to prevent your exercising all necessary supervision over the party at work on the Mississippi, under Mr. D. S. Stombs, that may be called for by any emergency that may arise, and to aid you in your work, Captain N. F. Webb will be directed to report to you for instructions. Yours, respectfully, H. C. LONG, G. K. WARREN, Brevet Major General U. S. A., Major of Engineers. United States Civil Engineer. In obedience to the foregoing instructions, I left St. Paul February 3, and arrived in Alton February 6. As no government funds were placed at my disposal for making surveys, I availed myself of the liberality of the city council of Alton, who appropriated, at my suggestion, $250 for this purpose. This amount was of course too small for the prosecution of any extended surveys, but was deemed sufficient for measuring the existing sand-bars; making a few triangulations across the Mississippi to determine its width; general location and extent of islands, tow-heads, &c., and their relative positions with reference to the city and harbor of Alton. Besides I wished to save time in laying this report before yourself and the proper authorities at Washington, and improve the favorable opportunity presented for examining into the condition of the river affecting Alton harbor, afforded by a low stage of water which prevailed at the time of my arrival. These preliminary surveys were made by Messrs. Swift & Long, city engineers. The result is the accompanying sheet or chart, which, for convenient reference, has been platted on a scale of 400 feet to the inch, giving the appearance of the Mississippi river and harbor of Alton at the period referred to in the report, viz: February 5, 1868, to March 5, 1868. (See drawing No. 1.) As your instructions have defined my duties with admirable perspicuity, I shall treat the subject in the order therein set forth, viz: "1. The wants of the river navigation, as complained of, and their supposed causes." Very serious apprehensions are entertained by persons competent to give an opinion in such matters, who have watched the operations of the Mississippi in the vicinity of Alton for several years past, that at any of the annual floods such changes in the current and general course of the river may take place as to entirely prevent steamboats from approaching the landing during ordinary and low water stages at least two-thirds of the year, thus greatly injuring the commerce and consequent prosperity of the city. At Alton the Mississippi river is bounded by high limestone bluffs on the Illinois side, approaching the river margin at the upper landing, and extending northerly 20 miles to the mouth of the Illinois; while below the city the bluffs, receding from the river an average distance of five or six miles, run nearly parallel to its course to the mouth of the Kaskaskia, embracing an area of about 360 square miles of land of wonderful fertility, well known as the "great American bottom." The general direction of these bluffs is as well represented on the sketch as its limits will permit. On the Missouri side the natural surface is but little if any above high-water mark, and all that tract of land situated between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, comprising the easterly part of St. Charles county, is subject to overflow daring excessive floods. The dry bar AA is about 5,000 feet long by 1,500 feet in width, and nearly overlaps the head of the island below. It has been gradually working down. stream, and it is feared that a connection will be formed with the island, and the water making its way behind both, the main body of the river and lowwater channel will be permanently changed to the Missouri shore, the bar forced over towards Alton, and the city absolutely blockaded. At the time of my examination (the river then being about three feet above ordinary low stages) there was more water passing down the slough DD than on the Alton side of the island. There was a depth of 12 feet entirely through the former, with ample width for the passage of the largest sized steamers; while there was but six or seven feet through the latter, and in places the channel was quite narrow, inconveniently and dangerously so should large boats attempt to pass each other at these contracted points. There is no natural obstacle on the Missouri side which will prevent the Mississippi river from making a wide and permanent passage-way in the direction apprehended, should it at the next or any subsequent rise force its way around the head of the bar AA, and along the slough DD. This Missouri shore is composed of the same light sandy alluvium through which the Missouri river is constantly shifting and changing its outlet, at one time working up, at another down the Mississippi, in the most capricious and unaccountable manner. Since 1852 the mouth of the Missouri has been working its way down stream, and is now at least one mile below where it was at the date mentioned. Whether it will now remain stationary or again alter its position it is impossible to predict, and can only be known by observation, for, as before intimated, there is nothing in the nature of the soil at its mouth which can in any degree control its impulses, or make permanent its point of junction with the Mississippi. By a further reference to the sketch it will be seen that the main channel of the Mississippi river (shown by dotted black lines) leaves the rocky shore on the Illinois side near a point marked Hop Hollow, and crosses diagonally to the opposite side, then returns again to the Illinoi sside near Lock's Upper Limekiln, and is again thrown back towards the bar. The river can make no impression on the rock, but is constantly being reflected to the Missouri shore, where there is nothing but light sand to oppose its progress; and as I understand the expla nation of the pilots and river experts who have watched its operations for many years past, the channel is constantly abrading the Missouri shore, and increasing its tendency to force a passage in that direction, and around the head of the bar, and along the chutes and sloughs, as explained in a foregoing paragraph. A growth of young cottonwoods, grass, and willows is springing up near the centre of the bar AA, shown on the sketch, and a lodgment of drift-wood taking place, indicating unmistakably the permanent form that the bar is assuming, and the probability that in time it will become an island. The drag bar BB, below the city, has been extending upward and outward, for several years past; at its greatest width, at the time of my examinations, February 5th to March 5th, there was a water space of only 800 feet between the bar and Ellis's island, with a depth of "seven feet scant" in the channel, the latter being not over 250 or 300 feet in width. In the last five or six years there has been an accumulation of sand on this bar averaging 3 feet in depth over its entire surface. This is ascertained by measurements along the railroad track extending across the bar by the Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis Railroad Company, for the purpose of obtaining ballasting for their road-bed. This bar (BB) is encroaching rapidly upon the city, landing, extending along its front and connecting with the main Illinois shore, until it has monopolized three-fourths of the levee, entirely obstructing the low-water harbor for that distance. A considerable portion of this bar is occasioned by the mud, sand, and city scourings brought down by the Piasa creek, which has its outlet through an arched culvert at H. This culvert also serves the purpose of a main sewer to Alton, extending through one of the principal streets of the city for a distance of four thousand feet. The bar now under consideration (BB) acts as a dam to a very considerable degree, and by partially checking the flow of water and balking it, assists the current deflected from the rocky shore at Hop Hollow and the upper limekilns in forcing a large portion of the river on each side of the towhead E, and through the sluices FF. The depth of water in these two sluices was found to be 12 feet, with a width of 250 feet in the upper, and 350 feet in the lower one, with a strong current, and constant abrasion of the head of this island and towhead. In fact, at the time of observation, the main body of water in the slough DD was supplied by the sluices FF. It has been intimated that the projecting points of loose and fragmentary |