One season's work will probably be required to complete this work, making the total cost.... $1.000 5,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 9,000 9,000 RAFT NAVIGATION. Rafting is, at present, the only traffic done on the river, though several boats have been up the stream. Lumber and railroad ties are rafted in various quantities year by year. It is estimated that 80,000 ties were rafted in the year 1879. Not much lumber came down; due, probably, to the very low-water and the small demand for that article. At low-water this business is difficult and expensive, rafts frequently being broken up and destroyed. Undoubtedly, this business would be a large one in this river if the rafts could be taken out at a reasonable cost. The present greatest width of rafts is 32 feet; in order to pass some shoals, it is necessary to split them in half longitudinally. A channel-way that allows this width of raft to be increased cannot be considered practicable in this river; it remains, then, to make it deep enough to allow the thickness of rafts to be increased; the present thickness under water scarcely exceeds 8 inches. The rafts are always long-about 200 feet and their trouble lies in getting through crooked channels. Some benefit would occur from rectification of the channel in various places; the cost of auxiliary works necessary to maintain such a channel would make the total cost, approximately, very close to the cost of the works for boat navigation. It is believed best, on this account and the importance of the raft trade, to fix a quality of raft navigation at such as will be a consequence of the boat channel proposed. VALUE OF THE PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT. The benefit to be derived from the improvement of this river would be to afford cheap and convenient transportation for the products of a large portion of Maries, Osage, and Gasconade Counties in Missouri, and to make further development of the country profitable; wheat and corn are grown in large quantities. The mineral resources of this region are almost wholly undeveloped; iron ore is plentiful. An outlet would be afforded for much oak and pine lumber. No reliable statistics of the products of this region exist. It is recommended that this work be done in one year, as being economical, and that the $50,000 be expended during the next fiscal year. Attention is respectfully called to the condition of the bridge of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, near the mouth of the river (sheet 31); it has no draw-span, although the piers are constructed for one; at low-water, in both the Missouri River and the Gasconade, the lower chord of this bridge was 32.83 feet above the water surface. The channel-way either side of the pivot-pier is obstructed by the remains of a former trestle bridge. Attention is also called to the existence and operation of a grist-mill, as shown on sheet 20 of the map. Respectfully submitting the above to your consideration, I am, Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. CHAS. R. SUTER, Corps of Engineers, U. S. 4. THOS. T. JOHNSTON, Assistant Engineer. |