June 28, 1887.

Respectfully returned to the Secretary of War, inviting attention to the accompanying report of the Board of Engineers, appointed with his sanction by Special Orders No. 60, current series, from this office, to consider and report upon the plans submitted by the Ohio Connecting Railroad Company for their proposed bridge across the Ohio River at about 1 mile below the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh, Pa. The report of the Board is concise in terms, and shows that the subject has received the careful consideration which the importance of the interests involved demands. The Board states "that, after careful study of the drawings and of the ground, the Board have concluded that the site selected by the bridge company is unusually unfavorable to the river interests." They "also find that the line of the proposed bridge is not normal to the current at all stages, as required by law, but departs from such a line by an angle of 130,

"After mature deliberation the Board feel constrained to state that, in their best judgment, any bridge at the locality selected by the Ohio Connecting Railway Company, except one spanning the whole width of the river, would be objectionable, but they believe that with a change. in axis, as recommended, and a clear opening of 800 feet, measured on the low-water line, a bridge at the site selected would be admissible. The increase in channel space should be given by moving the south channel pier nearer to the south shore."

In conclusion, the Board recommends "that the site selected by the bridge company be accepted on the condition that the axis of the bridge be changed as recommended, and that the channel space be increased to 800 feet, but that otherwise the site be rejected. They also recommend that the company be notified that the location which crosses Brunot's Island, as indicated above, will be acceptable to the United States, and that they are at liberty to bring up other sites for examination in case neither of the two named is accepted under the conditions herein imposed."

The views of the Board are concurred in by this office, and it is recommended that a copy of their report be furnished the Ohio Connecting Railway Company for their information.

It may be proper to invite attention to the letter of Lieut. Col. William E. Merrill, in which it is stated that the duplicates of maps and papers required by the rule of the War Department will be sent by the company direct to this office.

J. C. DUANE,

Brig. Gen., Chief of Engineers.

FIRST REPORT OF BOARD OF ENGINEERS.

JUNE 25, 1887.

The Board of officers of the Corps of Engineers appointed by Special Orders, No. 60, dated Headquarters Corps of Engineers, Washington, D. C., May 27, 1887, to "consider and report upon the plans of the proposed bridge across the Ohio River about 1 mile below the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, submitted by the Ohio Con

necting Railway Company," would respectfully submit the following report:

The Board met at Pittsburgh on the 14th of June, in accordance with the call of the senior member, and held a public session in the Monongahela House, of which public session due notice and invitation to be present was given to all interested persons by advertisement in two newspapers in the city of Pittsburgh and in two newspapers in the city of Cincinnati.

At this session the Ohio Connecting Railway Company was represented by the chief engineer and by the general manager of the lines of the Pennsylvania Company west of Pittsburgh, and the river interests were represented by a number of leading coal operators.

The orders convening the Board were duly read, and the maps were examined and informally discussed by those present. Meanwhile the coal operators had arranged to take a tow of empty barges down to the site of the proposed bridge in order to illustrate, as far as practicable, the method of navigating that part of the river by coal tows, and the bridge engineers had marked by buoys the location of the proposed channel-piers. .

In the afternoon the members of the Board and the representatives of river and rail transportation met, by invitation, on a tow-boat belonging to Mr. Simpson Horner, to which a tow of nine empty barges had been attached, and proceeded down the river to the head of Brunot's Island. As the river was about 3 feet below a barge stage, causing a slack current in the natural pool above Brunot's Island, and as an upstream wind was blowing, it was not practicable to handle a tow of empty barges as would have been done with a loaded tow; but the method of navigating this piece of river was very clearly pointed out. Owing to the swiftness of the current through the Glasshouse Channel it was considered unadvisable to take the fleet below the head of Brunot's Island, and accordingly it was dropped at Brown's Landing, and the tow-boat, with its passengers, proceeded to a point near the foot of the island, where an examination was made of a bridge site which was considered by river men as the least objectionable of any in this section of the river; from this point the party returned to Pittsburgh.

After careful study of the drawings and of the ground the Board have concluded that the site selected by the bridge company is unusually unfavorable to the river interests. From the Smithfield Street Bridge to Brunot's Island is the natural pool in which coal boats and barges are held until a rise in the river permits their passage to southern markets. The whole length of the southwest banks of the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, within the length named, is usually lined with loaded coal boats and barges, and a few are held against the right bank. When a rise comes these barges and boats are rapidly tied up into fleets and pushed down the river. The channels on either side of Brunot's Island are difficult and dangerous to run. The regular or right-hand channel has a very abrupt turn at its head, into what is known as the Glasshouse Channel; but after making this turn there is no further trouble, as the channel is nearly straight for many miles. The left-hand or back channel is easy and straight at the head, but it is very crooked at the foot, especially at McKee's Rocks, where it is necessary to make an abrupt turn through more than a right angle. Moreover, this channel is impassable in low water on account of a low riprap dam just below the mouth of Chartier's Creek, and as a rule it is never used except in cases of necessity. As matters now stand the

right-hand or Glasshouse Channel is the channel that is actually used by coal fleets and barges, and it must therefore be considered as the present channel of the Ohio River at this locality.

The Board find as statements of fact that Ohio River coal fleets are always made up of boats and barges tied and chained together so as to make a solid mass, with the tow-boat at the stern, firmly fastened to the fleet, with about two-thirds of its length projecting to the rear as a huge rudder; that the tow-boat is always a stern-wheeler, handling her tow mainly by use of the currents; that fleets are made up in the harbor of Pittsburgh with their heads up stream; that as they float down they throw their sterns into still water and their heads into swift water, in order to turn the tow and head it down-stream; that the operation is usually carried on by throwing the stern over to the right bank; that, owing to the limited length of the pool, boats frequently drift down to the head of the Glasshouse Channel, with their tows crosswise of the river, almost touching either bank; that when just above the head of Glasshouse the stern is backed up against the right or Allegheny shore, and the fleet, swinging on the stern as a center, describes the arc of a circle until the current draws the head into the Glasshouse Channel; and the rest of the tow is then allowed to follow. The Board also find that fleets sometimes miss the turn into Glasshouse and are compelled to make their way down by the back channel, and that sometimes when swinging into Glasshouse they can not hold up strong enough against the right bank, and are drawn onto the bar at the head of Brunot's Island.

From these facts it is evident to the Board that at every coal run the great majority of the fleets actually and necessarily pass over the spot selected for the left-hand channel-pier, and the creation of such an ob stacle at such a place would not only cause great loss of property, but would ultimately force the abandonment of the present method of making up coal fleets, and compel the passage of this place by a few barges at a time, transferring to some point below the assembling into fleets for passage down the river. As the natural pools in the upper end of the Ohio River are very short, this necessity would create great embar rassment, would add considerably to the cost of transportation, and would reduce the amount of coal that could be shipped during short summer rises, on account of the impossibility of getting it ready during the limit of time available.

The Board also find that the line of the proposed bridge is not nor mal to the current at all stages, as is required by law, but departs from such a line by an angle of 130. Assuming the south end of the proposed bridge to be fixed, the axis should be swung to the east through an arc of 130 in order to be at right angles to the current.

It has been suggested that if there were several movable dams on the Ohio fleets would no longer be made up in Pittsburgh, but at points below, and that there would then be no valid objection to the proposed bridge. The Board agree with the suggestion, provided the axis of the bridge were changed as indicated, but do not feel at liberty to antici pate the future; and therefore consider themselves to be under the necessity of basing their report and recommendations on what now exists at the location in question.

After mature deliberation the Board feel constrained to state that in their best judgment any bridge at the locality selected by the Ohio Railway Connecting Railway Company, except one spanning the whole width of the river, would be objectionable; but they believe that with a change in axis, as recommended and a clear opening of 800 feet,

measured on the low-water line, a bridge at the site selected would be admissible. The increase in channel space should be given by moving the south channel-pier nearer to the south shore.

It was suggested that a site at Saw-mill Run, with a central span somewhat greater than that called for by law, would not be seriously objected to by the river interests. The Board have not investigated this site in detail, as the railroad authorities protested against it, and stated that the objections to it from their point of view were insuperable.

A third line was suggested, which crossed the back channel 3,100 feet below Cork's Run, and runs in a straight line across both channels at Brunot's Island to a point about 50 feet north of the center of the stock-yards. It was stated by the representatives of the river interest that such a line, if provided with a 400-foot opening over the back channel and a 500-foot opening over the main channel, would be acceptable to them. In that case the southern pier of the 400-foot span in the back channel should be located about 60 feet north of the intersection of the axis of the bridge with the pool-line of the Davis Island Dam at that locality, and the northern pier of the main-channel span should be placed about 100 feet south of the corresponding intersection on the right bank of the main channel.

In conclusion, the Board would recommend that the site selected by the bridge company be accepted, on the condition that the axis of the bridge be changed as recommended, and that the channel-space be increased to 800 feet; but that otherwise the site be rejected. They also recommend that the company be notified that the location which crosses Brunot's Island, as indicated above, will be acceptable to the United States; and that they are at liberty to bring up other sites for examination in case neither of the two named is accepted under the conditions herein imposed.

Respectfully submitted.

WM. E. MERRILL, Lieut. Col. of Engineers.

J. W. BARLOW,

Lieut. Col. of Engineers.
AMOS STICKNEY,

Maj. of Engineers.

E. J. SPENCER,

First Lieut. of Engineers,

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.

Recorder.

LETTER OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE OHIO CONNECTING RAIL

WAY COMPANY.

ОПIо CONNECTING RAILWAY COMPANY,

Columbus, Ohio, September 7, 1887. DEAR SIR: In accordance with the report of the Board of United States Engineers of June 25, 1887, which accompanied your letter of June 30, 1887, to myself, I submit herewith plans of the revised location of a bridge for the Ohio Connecting Railway, over the Ohio River at Brunot's Island, near Pittsburgh, Pa., as recommended by the Board. These plans consist of

(1) A map of the Ohio River on a scale of 200 feet per inch, showing high and low-water mark and shore topography and contour lines of the river bottom.

(2) A map of the Ohio River, showing the current lines and velocities above and below the proposed bridge site on a scale of 200 feet per inch.

(3) A plan and profile of the proposed bridge on a scale of 40 feet per inch.

(4) A plan and profile of the proposed bridge on a scale of 40 feet per inch, indorsed by a committee of the Coal Exchange of Pittsburgh. In compliance with the law, duplicates of each of the foregoing are also inclosed herewith for file in the office of the Chief of Engineers. Yours truly,

Hon. WILLIAM C. ENDICOTT,
Secretary of War.

M. J. BAKER,
Chief Engineer.

[First indorsement.]

OFFICE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,

Respectfully returned to the Secretary of War.

U. S. ARMY, September 15, 1887.

It is recommended that the Board of officers of the Corps of Engineers which considered the original maps and plans submitted by the Ohio Connecting Railway Company for a bridge across the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, Pa., be reconvened, with the exception of Lieut. E. J. Spencer, recorder, at Pittsburgh, Pa., upon the call of the senior member, at such time as the other duties of the members will permit, to consider and report upon the plans now submitted by that company. If approved by the Secretary of War, the Board will be reconvened by orders from this office.

Previous papers herewith.

J. C. DUANE,

Brig. Gen., Chief of Engineers.

[Second indorsement.]

WAR DEPARTMENT, September 15, 1887.

The recommendation of the Chief of Engineers in the first indorsement is approved.

By order of the Acting Secretary of War.

L. W. TOLMAN,

Acting Chief Clerk.

LETTER OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM E. MERRILL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, TRANSMITTING SECOND REPORT OF BOARD OF ENGINEERS.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Cincinnati, October 14, 1887.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the second report of the Board of Engineers on the proposed bridge of the Ohio Connecting Railway Company, this Board having been reconvened by Special Orders No. 74, current series, from the headquarters of the Corps of Engineers.