TRANSPORTATION LIBRARY º 2. º 5 A 4. & - // . ºf. */ - * - º/~\/… 20th £oNGREss, [Doc. No. 7 6.] Ho. of REPs. 2d Session. War Dep’t. HARBOR OF ST. MARK’S, FLORIDA. LETTER riauxi "THE SECRETARY OF WAR, Tru ANs Mitºi'ING 3 Survey and Estimate for the Improvement of the Harbor and River of St. Mark's, in Florida. Jarvarar 17, 1829.-Read, and referred to the Committee on Commerce. DEPARTMENT of WAR, January 16, 1829. SIR : In obedience to a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 13th instant, I have the honor of transmitting herewith the survey and estimate for the improvement of the harbor and river of St. Mark’s, in Florida, as directed by an act of the last session of Congress. I have the honor to be Your obedient servant, - - P. B. PORTER. Hon. ANDREw STEvenson, Speaker of the House of Representatives. ENGINEER DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 14, 1829. SIR: I have the honor to lay before you the report of the Agent of this Department, who surveyed the river and harbor of St. Mark’s, in Flori- da, with a view to ascertain the practicability and expense of deepening the same, which was called for by a resolution of the House of Represen-y tatives of the 18th instant. Y * I am, sir, very respectfully, - Your obedient servant, C. GRATIOT, Col. Eng. º To the Hon. P. B. Portºrer, Secretary of War. - - --- - transportatiºn -- Library - T-C - - 2 a.º. 5 [Doc. No. 76.] ..º is º d BIEN wºn UE, on Lock Acray, NEAR TAL LAHAssee, F. - - September 11, 1828. SIR : In obedience to the orders of the Engineer Department of the 30th of June last, I proceeded to make a survey ºf the river and harbor of St. Mark’s, Florida, with the view of ascertaining the practicability and expense of removing the obstructions to the navigation of the same. com- menced my operations at the natural bridge of the St. Mark's. (a distance of 18 miles from the junction of the St. Mark’s and Wakully Rivers, and the point to which the navigation of small craft has already extended, and at which it must, of necessity, stºps) and proceeded as far as the extreme point of the shoals in the Bay of Appalachie, embracing the whole of the objects contemplated by the acts of Congress on this subject. The River St. Mark’s rises suddenly from the ground, and forms a beautiful basin of two hundred and fifty yards wide, and nearly a quarter of a mile in length, presenting to the delighted spectator a bold substantial stream of one hundred yards wide, and continuing, with occasional varia- tions in its width, to its confluence with the Wakully. Its general course is southwest. - I have found the obstructions in this river and harbor to be of two kinds, natural, and casual or accidental. In the first six miles there are two obstructions of the first class, or order; one a mile below the basin, and the other about two miles further dºwn the river. They both consist of a stratum of soft limestone rock, running entikely across the river, about one hundred yards in width, and leaving only a depth of three feet water for the passage of keel boats. They would require a very consider- able sum to remove them ; but inasmuch as I did not consider this class of obstructions embraced within the act of Congress or my instructions, I made no attempt to form any correct estimate of the amount required to remove them to the depth that would render the river, thus high up, sus- ceptible of navigation fºr vessels frequenting the tide water below. A channel of twenty feet wide and three feet deep, cut out of the rock, allow- ing a passage for boats drawing six feet water, would cost not less than three thousand dollars. - Many logs and trees have fallen from the banks on each side, which, in one instance, at a small island, have nearly dammed up the river, ren- dering the passage for keel boats very difficult, and somewhat hazardous. They can easily be removed; at a trifling expense. These last obstruc- tions appertain to the second class; About three quarters of a mile below the town of Magnolia, there is a casual obstruction of about one hundred yards long, and twenty feet broad, lying at the bottom and parallel with the river, on the right bank, con- sisting of a deposite of mud and grass, the removal of which would make the river navigable for vessels drawing ten feet water at high tide. The eculiar locality of this deposite has thrown the whole volume of water on the left bank, and caused an increase in the current, so as to form a very considerable rapid. The removal of this casual obstruction, so as to make the river, thus far, in high tide, navigable for vessels drawing ten feet water, would cost five hundred dollars, an inconsiderable sum, when the difference in draft of water to be obtained is considered. Vessels drawing over six feet water are now under the necessity of lightening their cargoes before they can reach Magnolia, their port of destination. /a ºr -º/7 - [Doc. No. 76.] 3 three-fourths of a mile above. The river from this place presents no se- rious obstructions, if we except a few remnants of fallen timber near the banks, which the enterprising citizens of Magnolia have accidentally left in clearing the river of these accidental impediments to the navigation. At Fort St. Mark’s the depth of water in low tide is ten feet. The tide here ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, and rises not less than three, nor more than four, feet each tide. These are phenomena which do not occur in any of the rivers or harbors on the northern side of the Gulf of Mexico. The tide, in all the other principal bays and rivers in this great estuary, ebbs and flows only once in twenty-four hours, and ne- ver rises over two feet perpendicular, in ordinary tides. - The next obstruction in the river (at this place called the Appalachie, after its junction with the Wakully) is at the Middle Ground, so called, about three miles distaat from Fort St. Mark’s ; and is one of those ob- structions originally contemplated to be removed by the framers of the act of Congress, but subsequently extended to the St. Mark’s river, pro- perly so called. It must be observed, that the channel of the river St. Mark’s runs, and is nearly co-equal with its width, and follows it uni- formly in its meanders, except at the points forming rapids: but the uno- ment we enter the Appalachie, the river and the channel are two distinct objects, and not at all dependent, in their respective courses, upon each other I have therefore taken great care to lay down on the map the pre- cise course of the channel, with its depth at low water mark, as well as the obstructions presented to view at the same stage of water, in order that the idepartment may more fully understand their nature and extent. The obstructions in the river Appalachie, which are of the casual or accidental class, have been considered in a twofold point of view : First, as to their peculiar locality, causing an angle in the channel ; and secondly, as to their nature, as respects the materials of which they are composed. The one under contemplation consists of two oyster bars, extending from either bank of the river, and so situated, with regard to each other, as to cause a right angle in the channel, and at the same time blocking up a certain portion of it. It has generally been considered, by coastwise navigators, that a chan- mel not exceedingly tortuous, of one hundred yards in width, is sufficient for vessels, in their trade, drawing, generally, when loaded, from eight to ten feet water. In ascertaining the extent, and making an estimate of the practicability and expense ef removing an obstruction to the navigation of a river or harbor, calculated only for the entrance of coasters of this large class, I was governed by this rule, and conceived that only to be, in fact, an obstruction to the navigation, which embraced either or both of these impediments. At the point now under consideration, the channel is somewhat crooked; and the oyster bar forms a point of projection forty- five yards; leaving a channel only fifty-five yards wide, and eight feet deep, at low water mark. It is proposed to cut off this point or bar for- ty-five yards; and, in order to make the water of equal depth with that in the channel above, viz. ten feet, to deepen the present one two feet more, making ten feet water at low tide, and a passage one hundred yards wide, tolerably straight. The point, or bar, as well as the bottom of the chan- nel, is composed of oysters in bed, and in detached parcels. This spot is designated on the map by the color of red. The next and main obstruction in the channel of the river, is the one at a place called the “Jºevil's elbow,” and designated on the map by the co- - * 4 [Doc. No. 76.] lor of blue. It is composed of the same materials as the preceding one, and differs only in its extent, the acuteness of the angle, the width of the channel, and the depth of the water. The channel is very crooked and narrow, being only twenty-five yards wide, and the water very shallow, only six and a half feet deep. In making an estimate of the expense of removing this and the pre- ceding obstruction, I was governed entirely by the mode to be pursued in their removal. I propose to the consideration of the Department the fol- lowing method of removing these two last enumerated obstructions. The improved mud machine now in use for cleaning out the docks and rivers on the Atlantic seaboard is undoubtedly the only cheap mode of effecting an excavation in places of this sort, and could be used to great advantage in the river and harbor of St. Mark’s. It may be objected that these machines are only used in removing soft mud, and that they are not applicable to purposes of this kind; but from the knowledge I have of their capacities to remove any loose bodies under water, I am convinced that their application to the removal of oyster bars would be attended with complete success, provided the materials of which those bars are composed were so loosened and detached as to ena- ble the scoops of the machine to embrace their contents in detached por- tions. I propose to detach and loosen the oyster bars by means of iron crowbars, sharpened and flattened at one end. The operators must stand in a flat or scow, moored at the proper place; and I have no doubt that four hands in a day would detach as many of the oysters or clumps on the bar as the machine would raise and deposite in the scow. Admitting the cost of the mud machine to be fifteen hundred dollars, together with the flat and utensifs, I think I hazard not too much in saying that an addi- tional sum of five thousand dollars would be amply sufficient to remove every obstruction in the Appalachie river, and make it navigable for ves- sels drawing thirteen feet water. From this point there exists no further obstructions to the navigation. There are, it will be perceived, many oyster bars and shoals in the bay, laid down on the map, but the passage through them being, at the narrow- est, not less than one hundred and fifty yards wide, and increasing the nearer we approach the sea, to the width of a quarter of a mile, I have deemed it unnecessary to make an estimate of the expense of removing any other of the bars, as the channel, independently of its increased width, is not very tortuous, and the depth of the water fourteen feet, being one foot more than is proposed to take up to Fort St. Mark’s, by the removal of the oyster bars at the localities already mentioned. With the view of facilitating the entrance of vessels into the harbors of St. Mark’s, I respectfully recommend to the Department the necessity of an appropriation for the establishment of buoys and beacons on the shoals in the bay of Appalachie, and the mouth of the river. A pair of beaconsº - on the shoals would be sufficient, and about a dozen buoys on the princi- pal oyster bars at the mouth of the river would render the navigation at all times more easy and certain, and less precarious and more durable than the stakes put up by the pilot for his own special guidance. I have the honor to be, Very respectfully, DAVID B. MACOMB. To Col. Charles GRATIoT, n Chief Engineer, Washington. - - Wilſºn BOUND JUL 19 1949 UNIv. OF MICM. USRANY