St. Paul Harbor extends from this bridge for a distance of about 3.7 miles to a point just below Indian Mounds Park and will have a lowwater slope of about 0.41 foot per mile, with varying widths from 650 to about 1,400 feet. This section contains some islands and divisions of channel. From Indian Mounds Park the river front extends about 4.4 miles to the lower city limits at the outlet of Pigs Eye Lake, and the project width narrows to 300 feet with a low-water slope of about 0.84 foot per mile. At present the width is 400 feet with a strong probability of no further narrowing being required. To assist in controlling the low-water depth, some low wing dams have been placed on the right bank of the river below Smith Avenue, and also on the left bank below Indian Mounds Park. Three of these on the right bank are of the L type, and the balance are wing dams. The dams shown on sheet No. 2 were constructed about 1885 to 1889, of brush and rock, and aggregate about 6,920 linear feet in length, costing about $33,000. The elevation of these dams is about 4.5 feet above project low water. The width of channel between outer ends of wing dams and the opposite banks varies from 380 to 520 feet. 7. Mississippi River from Lock and Dam No. 1 to Minneapolis.Existing project: The existing project adopted by the river and harbor act of June 25, 1910 (H. Doc. No. 741, 61st Cong., 2d sess.), provides for the construction of a single high dam and lock in lieu of the two dams and locks contemplated by the previous project, and a powerhouse foundation, arranged for a maximum water-power development of 15,200 horsepower. Location: 4.86 miles below Washington Avenue Bridge, Minneapolis, Minn. Lock: Length, 350 feet between miter sills; width (clear), 80 feet; lift, 30 feet; depth on lower miter sill at low water, 7 feet; character of foundation, sandrock, sand, gravel, and broken limestone slabs. Dam: Length, 568 feet; kind, fixed; type of construction, hollow (modified Ambursen type); character of foundation, sandrock, sand, gravel, and broken limestone slabs. Power-house foundation: Size, 160 by 112 feet; foundation, sandrock. Estimates (original): Lock and dam...... Total.. It is now estimated that the total cost of the work will be.. $1, 198, 500 169,500 1,368, 000 1,918, 600 Present status: The dam has been completed except certain extensions of apron. There is also still required the filling behind lock wall, constructing lock-tender's house, and boom for power house. The pool was raised for the first time on April 3, 1917. It is expected that navigation through the lock will be possible in the early part of July, 1917. 8. Present harbor lines at St. Paul.-The existing harbor lines are shown on map No. 2. On the left bank the line extends from the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway bridge to Indian Mounds Park, a distance of 3.7 miles. On the right bank the line extends from the same bridge to the city limits at Annapolis Street, a distance of 5.6 miles. The width apart varies from 640 to 1,400 feet in the clear, the gross width being about 1,400 feet across Harriet Island, which itself is about 700 feet wide. Both Harriet Island and Raspberry Island have harbor lines around them. 9. Previous reports. (a) The river and harbor act of June 25, 1910, provided for an examination of "Harbor and channel at St. Paul, Minnesota." Reports on this examination were made November 3, 1910, and May 11, 1915, and are printed in House Document No. 488, Sixty-fourth Congress, first session. The plan of diversion therein presented (generally known as the Shunk plan) is shown in general on map No. 1 herewith, marked "Minor diversion." It began just below the Robert Street Bridge and entered the river again above the Terminal Railway bridge. The length of the new channel was 2.6 miles, and the greatest shift of channel was about 2,900 feet. At the head of the new channel there was to be a basin or harbor, about 5,000 feet by 1,000 feet, and 6 feet deep at low water, and the balance of the channel was to have a high-water width of 1,000 feet and a low-water width of 300 feet. The least radius of curvature was given as 4,000 feet and the shortening of the river was about 3,300 feet, resulting in a lowering of low water of 0.35 foot, and in addition a lowering of 0.40 foot due to the harbor area-or a total of 0.75 foot, which was to be corrected by contraction works. The work was to be done by the city of St. Paul, the cooperation of the United States being desired to the extent of enabling legislation and probably the expense of contraction works to correct the lowering of the water. As a result of the first report, a survey and estimate were authorized. In the meantime, final report in this matter was rendered unnecessary, due to a new act of Congress of February 27, 1911. A proposed modification of the plan, marked "Modified minor diversion," is shown as a curved line to increase the length of flow and reduce the slope. (b) Before the plans and estimate could be prepared under (a) above, new legislation was obtained by the act of February 27, 1911, which directed that * * The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to permit such changes of harbor lines and diversion of the channel of the Mississippi River at Saint Paul, Minnesota, as may be necessary to provide for the improvement of navigation, for suitable levees, transportation terminals, and landing places for shipping in said city *: Proided, That the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers shall submit to Congress an estimate of the amount, character, and cost of any work deemed proper to be done by the United States in connection with the improvement berein authorized, * * This act placed the initiative on the city of St.Paul, and included provisos covering estimate of the amount and cost of any work deemed proper to be done by the United States, provided that no expense or obligation was to be incurred by the United States without further direction of Congress, and provided further that as a part of proposed plan, the levees and landing places would remain under ownership and control of the city of St. Paul, unless otherwise authorized by Congress. On account of the many complexities of the situation and the delay of the city in submitting plans, the report was held in abeyance for some time. However, in 1914, the city presented plans of their proposed changes. To further consider those plans, a board of Engineer officers was convened by the Chief of Engineers, February 19, 1915. This board reported on April 27, 1915, and recommended, under certain conditions, moving the right bank harbor line below Robert Street Bridge landward, and correspondingly moving the left bank riverward, reducing the existing width from 800 to 700 feet for 3,000 feet along the city front, and increasing it from 650 feet to 800 feet immediately below the 3,000 foot length. The city was thus to obtain an increased width of 300 feet to its levee from Sibley Street to Robert Street, a distance of 912 feet. From Robert Street to Market Street, an increase of 30 feet in width, and above Market to retain its control of the water front. Below Sibley Street the river bank was to be extended riverward a maximum of 400 feet, and the ownership was to be in the Union Depot Co. These proposed changes are shown on map No. 1, marked as "Union Depot plan." A more radical departure was suggested by the commercial club at the time-moving the left bank, opposite Essex Street, a maximum of over 1,200 feet-also shown on map No. 1. Flood conditions were generally considered improved except at the Chicago Great Western Railway bridge, where provision was suggested to remove two piers. Two other bridges were also considered as requiring changes, viz, the Robert Street Bridge and the Wabasha Street Bridge. Clearances for these were suggested at 55.5 feet above an elevation of 17.7 on the Weather Bureau gauge, with clear widths of 250 feet in the channel span. Dredging to a depth of 15 feet and as great a width as practicable was to be made between the harbor lines to provide the necessary fill, and the low water slope was to be maintained by means of wing dams placed on right bank, at an elevation of 4 feet above low water, and to extend to a distance of 400 feet from left bank harbor line. The proposed work was to be done at no expense to the United States. Application was made by the city of St. Paul, but the expense was mainly to be borne by the St. Paul Union Depot Co. Some requirements as to drawings, ownership, bond, and navigation benefits were considered lacking by the War Department. In the meantime, the city withdrew its plans, and supplementary report by the board was made July 22, 1915. In view of the requirements of the river and harbor act of July 27, 1916, quoted in paragraph 1 of this report, final report under act of February 27, 1911, has been canceled and the board dissolved. (c) An additional plan for the improvement of the harbor was prepared for the city by Mr. M. G. Barnes, consulting engineer, of New York. This plan contemplated advancing the left bank harbor line from the Robert Street Bridge for a distance of about 2.5 miles, the maximum advance being about 200 feet. It also contemplated the use of Pigs Eye Lake for a harbor and basin, with outlets at upper and lower ends, and a wholesale business district on the left bank in the rear of the railroad tracks. No action was taken on this nor was it presented formally to the United States. 10. Navigation season, difficulties, etc.-The navigation season is from about the middle of April to the middle of November. Access to the St. Paul Harbor from above extends only a short distance above Washington Avenue Bridge, Minneapolis, just below the foot of St. Anthony Falls, a distance of 13.5 miles from Robert Street Bridge, via the new Lock and Dam No. 1. There is no lock in the St. Anthony Falls Dam. Downstream continuous navigation is possible to the Gulf. Difficulties of navigation are mainly due to low water and to ice in winter. The improvement for low water consists in dredging and wing dams in the river itself, and also in furnishing a better and more regular water supply by the operation of the reservoirs at the headwaters of the Mississippi River. 11. Bridges. The following is a list of bridges over the river between Lock and Dam No. 1 and the St. Croix River: 12. Dams and water power.-The following is a list of dams near Minneapolis: At St. Anthony Falls: Upper dam; spillway at Sixth Avenue south, Minneapolis; head, 35 to 50 feet; power generated, 47,000 horsepower, of which the flour mills use 35,000 horsepower, and the Twin City Rapid Transit Co. about 12,000 horsepower. Lower dam; just below Tenth Avenue south, Minneapolis; head, 20 feet; power generated, 10,000 horsepower, used for electric power. The average development of these two dams totals about 48,000 horsepower. Lock and Dam No. 1, near Minnehaha Creek, 30 feet head. The discharge at Lock and Dam No. 1 varies from 1,800 to 54,000 cubic feet per second. The proposed maximum development is 15,200 horsepower. No power installation has yet been made. (a) Regarding any dams or water power in the river below Dam No. 1: There has at times been considered the advisability of such a dam, either just below or above the St. Paul Harbor. While such a dam below the harbor would insure good water up to Lock No. 1, it would necessitate an additional lockage for all vessels reaching St. Paul or Minneapolis. A dam of 15 feet head would develop with a discharge of 3,500 cubic feet per second about 5,800 theoretical horsepower. So far as the present report is concerned, no further consideration to this matter is deemed necessary. 13. Commercial statistics.-Commercial statistics for the season of 1915 for the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and the mouth of the Missouri River follow. (See Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1916, p. 2623.) Lumber. The lumber business, formerly of great magnitude on this river as connected with the movement of logs and lumber has, owing to the destruction of the pine and hemlock forests in Wisconsin and Minnesota contiguous to the Mississippi River and tributaries, dwindled so that in 1915 there was only a small quantity of lumber and lath floated from St. Croix River, chiefly to Fort Madison. The lumber cut at Minneapolis during 1915 was 64,797,760 feet b. m., lath 10,963,750 pieces, but none of this product was floated on the river below the Falls of St. Anthony, although it is believed that on completion of Lock No. 1 a considerable part of the Minneapolis product will find its way down the river. Steamboats and freight.-There were employed during 1915 between St. Paul and St. Louis 22 packets, 53 towboats, 25 ferryboats, 134 pleasure boats (not including small motor skiffs), with a gross tonnage of about 18,119 tons. In addition to above there are about 500 unregistered barges used for transporting miscellaneous freight and construction material. The principal steamboat lines on the upper Mississippi River are the Streckfus, the Eagle, the Carnival City, Wisherd, and the Northern. The number of passengers carried by all boats (including the ferries, 779,683) in 1915 was 2,008,560. The quantity of freight carried by all boats, including the rock, brush, lumber, and other materials and supplies loaded on barges and used in Government work, and also including logs and lumber floated down the stream, is shown in the following table, together with approximate ton-miles and valuation: Most of the above was hauled by the Streckfus and Northern Steamboat companies, plying between St. Paul and St. Louis and intermediate points. There is an increase from 1914 of 115,407 short tons in miscellaneous freight. The ton-miles increased 11,489,183 and the value $11,461,077. The river commerce at St. Paul amounts to about 20,000 tons annually, consisting of miscellaneous freight. During the present season this is expected to be greatly augmented by receipts of coal and shipments of iron ore, and by miscellaneous freight not only at St. Paul, but also at Minneapolis as Lock and Dam No. 1 is expected to be in operation by. July 15, 1917. 14. Terminals and railroads.-The following railroads have direct entrance over their own lines to St. Paul: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Chicago Great Western. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha. Great Northern. Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie. St. Paul Bridge & Terminal. Twin City Rapid Transit Co. (electric). In addition there are about 10 other railroads and several electric lines that have connections with St. Paul. These railroads generally enter St. Paul by way of the left bank and the Phalen Creek Valley, located below Robert Street. Two of them, the Rock Island and the Chicago Great Western, have also tracks on the right bank. 15. Riparian ownership.-The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. claims riparian ownership on the left bank from Sibley Street to Indian Mounds Park, a distance of about 8,000 feet; and HD-66-1-vol 32-7 |