•1 o \/ %^^-^%o'> ^^^'^!^-y^ "o^^*^^'^/ "\ ^' 'i V- The Connecticut River. «^ «S^ «^ ?i^ IMPORTANCE OF A OPENING IT TO NAVIGATION .... From Hartford, Conn., To Holyoke, Mass. . . With Report of SMITH S. LEACH, Major U. S. Engineer Corps. fe^ «^ fe^ %^ THE CONNECTICUT RIVER t RQ5^ NAVIGATION ASSOCIATION. yOyQ* THE CONNECTICUT RIVER. IMPORTANCE OF Opening it to Navigation FROM Hartford, Conn., to Holyoke, Mass. report of smith s. leach, major u. s. engineer corps. SURVEY OF RIVER, WITH METHODS AND PROBABLE COST OF IMPROVEMENTS. . . Prepared by the Ways and Means Committee OF THE Connecticut River Navigation Association. PRESS OF SPRINGFIELD PRINTING AND BINDING CO. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 1898. ^-^^ 0' A' 3 3 ^^ Connecticut River Navigation Association, Preside7%t. OSCAR S. GREENLEAF. Vice-Presidents. Henry H. Bowman, William W. McClknch, A. H. Overman, Charles E. Hoag, O. H. Merrick, George E. Hill. Secretary, Charles H, Cram. Treasurer, Wm. A. Webster. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Allen Webster, Chairman. James A. Bill, Jr. J. C. Worcester, Horace C. Carter, George A. Denison. WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE. Hon. Henry S. Dickinson, Chairman. C. A. Crocker, Vice-Chairman. W. A. Webster, Secretary. H. H. Bowman, Col. A. H. Goetting, C. C. Lewis, E. M. Ezekiel, Charles R. Trask, F. W. Dickinson, O. H. Merrick, A. W. Esleeck, Ethan Brooks, T. C. Page, A. R. Leete, G. A. Denison. Edwin A. Carter, Treasurer for the Committee. necessity for making The Connecticut River Navigable. Experience has demonstrated that the whole country is benefited whenever intercourse between its parts is facili- tated, and its busy industrial and trade centers are brought importance of ""^'^^''^ ®^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^er. So well is this Waterways. ^^^* estabhshed that it has become the settled policy of Congress to aid in every way in the increase of connecting lines of railroad and waterways, in order that the greatest freedom of transportation may exist between producers and consumers in all parts of the country. Fur- thermore it has been demonstrated that it is essential to this freedom of transportation that where it is possible the inland waterways of the country be made navigable high- ways open to anyone who will use them to carry the prod- ucts of industry where they are needed. Open waterways cheapen the cost of transportation and keep it from monop- olistic control ; they develop and multiply industries and increase wealth and population and magnify the commer- cial importance of the regions they open to the world, and so of the country at large. All this is axiomatic but so im- portant in its bearing on the future welfare of our country that the conclusion reached by the committee of the Senate m 1885, of which Senator Cullom of Illinois was chairman, that "the manifest destiny of our country" demands "the emancipation of the waters," is amply justified. These general considerations apply with unusual force to the emancipation of the Connecticut River from the rocks and shoals which impede its channel, because there is press- mgneed that this river be made a navigable waterway from Holyoke to the Sound. Not only every general considera- tion but especial arguments in plenty support the necessity for this improvement. This waterway is a necessity be- cause of the area, population, and commercial importance of the region to be benefited thereby. It is needed because of the inadequate and unsatisfactory transportation facili- ties upon which the business of this region now depends, and it is amply warranted by the size and importance of the river to be improved, and by the comparatively small 6 expense of the improvement, as shown by the report of Major Leach, of the United States Engineer Corps, hereto appended. The appropriation required to establish this waterway from Holyoke to Hartford will be amply justi- fied by the annual saving in freights alone to the commer- cial interest to be thus served. Four states, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hamp- shire, and Vermont, are to be generally benefited by this improvement, with the coal producing states and New Area to be York, which is the principal market for the region Benefited. through which the Connecticut flows, but more di- Population rectly a region included in Northern Connecticut and Valuation, and Western Massachusetts, with an area of about 3,500 square miles, a population of more than half a million, and a property valuation — not including Hartford — of over $500,000,000, The benefit to Hartford of the opening of the Connecticut to Holyoke is obvious, but because Hartford has already river navigation it is left out of the estimate of territory to be directly benefited by this pro- posed improvement. It may be well to note in passing that at present Hartford has a population of 80,000. Its assessed valuation Jan. 1, 1898, was $61,830,000. More definite statistics can be given concerning those cities and towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut imme- diately bordering upon the river ; the cities of Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee, and the town of West Springfield in Massachusetts, and the towns of Thompsonville and Wind- sor Locks in Connecticut. The population of these three Massachusetts cities and one town, above named, is 122,800, and the assessed valuation of taxable property, $111,653,203. The population of Windsor Locks, census of 1890, was 3,000, and of Thompsonville, not including the whole of Enfield, by the same census, 5,000. The assessed valuation of these two towns in 1897 was $6,074,576. This makes the total population of the most important towns and cities in Massachusetts and Connecticut directly bordering upon that section of the river to be improved, above Hartford, 130,800, and the total assessed valuation of property, $117,- 726,779. Were it necessary similar data could be cited con- cerning the larger area which would be as really but less directly benefited by this proposed improvement, but as these further data would afford only cumulative evidence of the importance and necessity of opening the river it is not worth while to give them. As proving the commercial importance of the cities and towns above mentioned the following statistics of manu- factures are important. The Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor has supplied the following state- Commercial uients of the value of stock used and of goods made Statistics. .^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ ^ggg .^ Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and West Springfield, in Massachusetts. These statistics are taken from an unpublished part of the Massachusetts census of 1895. Value of Stock Used. Value of Goods Made. Chicopee, $2,938,115 $6,667,650 Holyoke, 12,255,556 22,781,228 Springfield, 8,436,384 16,569,228 West Springfield, 920,357 1,365,428 Total, $24,550,412 $47,363,534 The United States Census of 1890 does not give statistics of manufactures for cities and towns of less than twenty thousand inhabitants, and, therefore, does not give such statistics for Chicopee and West Springfield, but does for Holyoke and Springfield. For both cities the totals for 1890 are larger than for 1895, as follows : — Raw Material. Finished Product. Springfield, $7,817,534 $17,040,629 Holyoke, 13,570,788 26,060,315 Total,- $21,388,322 $43,100,944 The output and material used at the United States Armory at Springfield is not included in either of the above tables. The year 1890 was much more nearly a normal year for business than was 1895, when there were protracted shut downs and periods of partial production among the paper and cotton mills and other large industries, especially in Holyoke. The output of Chicopee and West Springfield in 1890 was proportionately as much larger than the output of the same places in 1895 as was the 1890 output of Holyoke and Springfield larger than that of 1895. It is safe, there- fore, to affirm that the average annual output of the manu- factories in the Massachusetts cities and towns we are 8 considering is not less than $50,000,000 in value, and practi- cally all of this large output is shipped elsewhere for con- sumption. It is to be regretted that this output cannot be given in pounds and tons or the weight of the raw material, but the data are not obtainable. An estimate fairly accurate can be made of the tonnage output of the Holyoke paper mills, which is, approximately, 90,000 tons yearly, and of the raw material, which is, approximately, 130,000 tons. The tonnage of cotton used by the mills at Chicopee and Holyoke can only be estimated at 20,000 tons annually. The location of the United States Armory at Springfield is an important reason for opening the Connecticut River to navigation. Here is the principal depot for storing small arms and for manufacturing the same and it is em- United States . mently desirable that the access to it should be as Spring-field. ^^^^ ^^ possible. The other important government works of similar kind have water communication and the Armory at Springfield should not be an exception. Similar statistics of manufacturing can only be approxi- mately given concerning Windsor Locks and Thompson- ville. There are no such sources of information as the Massachusetts and National Censuses afford. Estimates have been made as carefully as possible after extensive in- quiry among manufacturers of these towns with the fol- lowing results. The year taken is 1897, from January 1 to December 1 : The estimated output of manufactured goods in Windsor Locks was $2,600,000 ; and of raw material used, $1,460,000. For Thompsonville the estimates of values are manufactured goods, $3,335,000 ; raw material used, $2,041,- 000. Adding these estimates to the Massachusetts values and we have for value of manufactured goods in these river towns, $53,298,528 ; raw material used, $28,051,412. The freight tonnage in and out of the locality under con- sideration is another certain indication of its commercial importance. There has been obtained from the railroads entering Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and West naee Springfield, a statement of their total freight ton- nage for the year ending June 30, 1897. The total inward tonnage received by these railroads was 1,305,104 tons, and there were forwarded 516,330 tons, a total of 1,829,434 tons of in and out freight. The freight tonnage of Thompsonville and Windsor Locks can only be estimated, but it is undoubtedly more than sufficient to make the aggregate tonnage of this river region more than 2,000,000 tons annually. With the exception of the estimated ton- nage of Windsor Locks and Thompsonville, the figures given are official, and come to us by courtesy of the railroad managers. They do not include the freight transferred from one road to another in transit to points on the line of the receiving road, but they are a transcript of the books at the freight houses in the towns and cities mentioned, and give only the actual tonnage of freight received and shipped from those freight houses. Major Leach, in his report, estimates that at least 25 per cent., or 500,000 tons, of this freight would probably be transported by water were the Connecticut a navigable highway ; but railroad men put the percentage ^^ '^ somewhat higher, at 40 per cent. From such author- tonnaee. ities, who are at least competent and not inclined to exaggerate the probable amount of water tonnage, comes an estimate of nearly 700,000 tons, or, averaging the estimates received, 683,893 tons which would probably be transported by water, were such transportation possible. This estimate does not include the probable water tonnage of Thompsonville and Windsor Locks, and the country tributary to these towns, which would bring the total up to nearly, if not quite, 800,000 tons. No effort has been made to analyze this freight tonnage and indicate the proportions of the several staples included therein, but an approximately successful attempt was made Coal Tonnasre *^ obtain the tonnage of coal brought into these cities and tov/ns in Massachusetts in the year ending October 1st, 1897. This estimate of coal tonnage has been made up from reports from dealers, which give the number of tons each has received, from brokers, which give the number of tons sold to consumers directly, and from con- sumers themselves who have bought directly from the mines or their agents. These data have been compared with ex- pert estimates and with such information as could be ob- tained from the railroads, and it is believed that they are substantially accurate. Not including the coal brought by the railroads for their own use there are at least 450,000 tons of coal of all kinds brought into these cities and towns in 10 Massachusetts above mentioned annually and the quantity is increasing every year. The returns received for the year ending October 1st, 1897, give 447,000 tons as the total coal receipts. We have in addition the report of one railroad company which brings 200,000 tons for use on their own lines annually, all of which would come by water were the river open. The coal tonnage of the other roads, for their own use, is at least as great as that of the single road re- ferred to. Of this 447,000 tons of coal — which does not include coal for railroad use — 70 per cent, could better come by water than by rail, and in addition a large percent- age of the coal for the railroads would probably come the same way. The existing facilities for transportation in and out of the locality under consideration are inadequate and unsatis- factory and this vast tonnage of freight is not handled as conveniently or cheaply as it would be were the transportation ^^^^^^^7 ^^^ which we ask opened. To the most facilities. important markets, New York especially, and to the South generally, there is but one highway and that is over the line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad. In accordance with the prevailing ten- dency to consolidation this corporation has gradually ab- sorbed all its competitors until it now has exclusive control of transportation in southern New England, including Mas- sachusetts south of the line of the Boston and Albany. Under these conditions the merchants and manufacturers of these Connecticut valley cities and towns are compelled to put up with such accommodations and pay such rates on southern transportation, including coal tonnage, as this corporation chooses to give them. These accommodations are inadequate and unsatisfactory and the rates are too high, and this is especially true of the towns below Spring- field, which are wholly dependent on this corporation for transportation in any direction. Competition in transpor- tation is possible in no other way but by opening the Con- necticut River, because a parallel railroad is out of the question and if any other railroad route were opened to the south it would soon become part of the existing monopoly. Open the river and monopoly of transportation becomes impossible ; open the river and competition becomes inevi- table^and permanent ; open the river and freight rates to 11 every part of the region to which it is accessible will cer- tainly fall and thereafter maintain a permanently lower level. The report of the Cullom committee on Interstate Com- merce, presented to the Senate in 1885, says that water routes are "the most efficient cheapeners and regulators of railway charges. Competition between railroads Cullom Cera- sQQner or later leads to combination or consolida- ter Routes. tion, but neither can prevail to secure unreasonable rates in the face of direct competition with natural or artificial waterways." Such waterways " must continue to exercise in the future as they have invariably exercised in the past, an absolutely controlling and beneficially regu- lating influence upon the charges made upon any and all means of transit." Furthermore this committee says that " this influence is not confined within the limits of the ter- ritory immediately accessible to water communication, but extends further, and controls railroad rates at such remote and interior points as have lines reaching means of trans- port by water." The general arguments for opening the Connecticut River to Holyoke could not be better stated or more convincingly put. Major Leach estimates the cost of opening the Connec- ticut to Holyoke at about $2,000,000, but this sum is inade- quate to represent the wealth which Massachusetts and Connecticut would gain by that improvement. The Cost of Im- cheap, convenient, and unlimited means of transpor- tation which this waterway would bring would in- evitably attract m.anufactures and population. The section to be immediately benefited by this proposed waterway has now every advantage for business and residence with this one exception of inadequate transportation facilities, and with this want supplied would be second to none in the United States. But if there were no increase in population or manufac- turing following the opening of the river, and the volume of business in the locality to be directly benefited thereby remains a,t a standstill, even then this proposed im- Saving: in Coal provement will pay for itself in a few years in the ^ * saving in freights alone. Take coal freights, for I instance. We may safely assume that 70 per cent, of the coal brought into Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and West 1» Springfield will come by water if the river be opened, and that all coal will be brought cheaper than it now is because of water competition. Taking 70 per cent., or 350,000 tons, as the quantity of coal to be directly affected by water transportation, and basing the estimate of saving on the difference in price of coal between Springfield and Hart- ford now existing, and allowing for the cost of the addi- tional thirty miles of water haul, and it appears that there would easily be an average saving of 50 cents a ton on the prevailing price of coal to the consumer in the cities and towns just mentioned, which would mean an aggregate annual saving of $175,000. This estimate is well within the probabilities because the difference in the price of stove and furnace coal to small consumers between Springfield and Hartford is usually $1.00 per ton. The difference in the wholesale and retail price of coal between Hartford and Springfield is entirely a matter of freight charges because four-fifths of the coal brought to Hartford comes by water and the railroads meet the water rates on the other fifth. If the saving on coal freights to Thompsonville and Windsor Locks be included, at least $30,000 must be added to the above estimate of total saving, and then this estimate would be incomplete because it does not include the saving from the general reduction in coal rates by rail which would inevi- tably follow the opening of the proposed waterway. But assuming that the total saving in freights of all kinds, for the sake of the argument at this point, were only $200,000 per year, the total cost of the improvement would be saved in 10 years. Incidentally, the saving in cost of coal to small con- sumers is worth noting, because this saving would be en- joyed by those who need it most, the wage-earners and persons of small income. In Springfield and Hol- Savlng to yoke there were in 1895, according to the Massachu- Small Con- ^^^^^ Census of that year, about 20,000 families, and of these families approximately 15,000 buy their coal at retail in small quantities of from four to ten tons annually. Granting a saving of only 50 cents a ton, and an average consumption of six tons each yearly, or 90,000 tons in all, and we have a total of $45,000 added to the wealth of peo- ple of moderate incomes alone. Seventy-five cents a ton would be a fairer estimate of this probable saving,but accept- 13 ing the 50 cent basis and adding the probable saving to this class of coal consumers in Chicopee, West Springfield, and the Connecticut towns of Windsor Locks and Thompson- villa, and we would have a total of at least $75,000 annually, which is nearly enough to pay the interest at 4 per cent, on the amount which Major Leach thinks will be sufficient to carry out the improvement he recommends. This saving in coal freight does not by any means ex- haust the possibilities of saving on freights in general. To establish water communication from Holyoke to the Sound would cause a reduction of rates on freights of all freleWs in kinds, from any direction, into and out of this local- g-eneral. ^^Y- '^^^ 2,000,000 of tons which are brought and carried annually would be transported at a con- siderably lower rate than is now paid. An accurate esti- mate of this entire saving in freights for the locality under consideration, which would follow the opening of the Con- necticut to navigation, can hardly be expected, but estimates which are wholly within the probabilities can easily be made. A comparison of actual differences known to exist between rail and water rates to points which have water competition and rail rates to points having no water com- petition, gives a sufficient basis for such an estimate, as, for instance, comparing freight rates from New York to Hart- ford, and from New York to Springfield. In general, it is true that freight rates to Hartford are materially less than to Springfield in spite of the consider- able railroad competition which the latter city enjoys, and this difference in rates is greater than can be accounted for by the additional haul of twenty-five miles. One example may be cited : The water rate on groceries and provisions of all kinds, regardless of their weight and bulk, to Hart- ford from New York, was, in the summer of 1897, ten cents per hundred weight, while the rail rate to Springfield on the same groceries, at the same time, was from fourteen to twenty cents per hundred weight according to classification. Here is a saving of from four to ten cents per hundred weight ; but suppose that instead of a saving as large as this the average saving on water freights to Springfield and Holyoke was but three cents a hundred, and that only 40 per cent, of the total of this freight tonnage were affected thereby, we should have a total annual saving of $480,000, — 14 three cents per hundred on 800,000 tons. A saving of two cents per hundred, or forty cents a ton, would mean a total of $330,000 annually, and this estimate is certainly low enough. It is impossible to make a reasonable estimate of the probable total savings in freight brought into and carried out of this locality in the event of the river being opened, which can be stated in less than six figures, and which will fall below 10 per cent, of the estimated cost of the proposed waterway from Hartford to Holyoke. In commercial importance the locality under considera- tion will compare favorably with more than a majority of the regions which have received from Congress the gift of Comparison an open waterway or harbor. If we omit to take with otlier into account the deep water harbors which have and similar been improved by Congress, and confine our attention Improvements. |-Q ii;iiand waterways, we shall find it to be true that very few indeed of such waterways are better deserving of improvement than the Connecticut River. A study of the annual report of the Chief of Engineers, in any year, will show that there are less than a dozen of public improvements, of the kind we are considering, now under his charge, which promise as great benefits to the sections in which they are located as this proposed improvement of the Connecticut River will certainly bring to Connecticut and Massachu- setts. The number of improvements of navigation now under process of completion and provided for, which are more important than this proposed Connecticut River im- provement, is even smaller than above indicated. Omitting the great rivers of the country, — the Mississippi, Ohio, Mis- souri, and streams of comparatively equal importance, — and it is doubtful if any more pressing necessity exists in any part of the country for an open waterway than through this portion of the Connecticut valley. It is worth v/hile to compare some of the streams and rivers, for the improvement of which Congress has liber- ally provided, and the commercial importance of the sec- tions through which they flow, with the Connecticut and the region immediately accessible to that portion of this river which it is proposed to improve. In this comparison no account need be taken of the smaller waterways in com- paratively sparsely settled regions upon which the traffic at best can be but small, but examples have been taken where 15 existing conditions were somevvhat analogous to those in the Connecticut valley. Principal attention has been paid to the size of the appropriation made to carry out the im- provement, and the results intended to be accomplished thereby. It is undoubtedly desirable that a free ship channel should be maintained from Wilmington, N. C, through the Cape Fear River over Brunswick shoals to the ocean. Wil- Cape Fear mington has, in this way, been made a seaport of River below importance and the whole region round about has Wilmington, been benefited and enriched. Congress has been "' ^' appropriating money for this improvement almost ■ continuously since 1853, and there has been expended up to June 30th, 1895, $2,909,221 to improve a stretch of river twenty-six miles long, through a comparatively unsettled country. The population of Wilmington in 1890 was 20,- 056; in 1880 it was 17,350, while the total tonnage of that port was in 1895, 618,054, which is materially less than the probable water tonnage of the Connecticut River region we have been considering. So fa,r as appears, the total value of this tonnage from Wilmington, in 1895, was estimated at $31,493,000, which is much less than half the estimated value of the probable water tonnage from Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee, Massachusetts, if the Connecticut be opened. It costs in the neighborhood of $25,000 annually to maintain this Cape Fear River channel, and before this channel can be made permanent at a depth of eighteen or twenty feet, another appropriation of con- siderable amount must be made and expended. In 1887 the United States purchased from the State of Ohio all the dams, locks, and other improvements of naviga- tion in the Muskingum River, which that state had provided. There are now in that river, all in the State of Ohio, Musking-um repaired or erected by the United States, 11 dams River, 10. ^^^ -^2 locks, and navigation is maintained as far as Zanesville, about 75 miles from the mouth of the river. It has cost to June 30th, 1895, SI. Ij 5,019 to establish this navigation, and it cost in 1895, $17,v'77 to maintain the locks and canals and operate the former ; there is in addition an annual cost of a few thousand dollars to keep the channel open. The total commerce on the Muskingum River in 1895 was 86,795 tons, and 38,267 passengers. The population of 16 the three Ohio counties principally benefited by this water- way is about 114,000, and this population has increased but very little since 1880. Further appropriations are declared by the engineers in charge of this improvement to be neces- sary before the upper section of this river, from Zanesville to the Ohio canal, can be considered navigable, and in order to keep the channel open below Zanesville. The "Wabash River, below Vincennes, Ind., has already absorbed, up to June 30th, 1896, $678,967, and the Wabash River ' c ? ? ? ? * tonnage is so inconsiderable that it is not mentioned in the engineer's report. The Kentucky River from the Ohio to Oregon, Kentucky, has had expended upon it, up to June 30th, 1896, $1,438,441 to make a channel, never more than 6 feet in depth and often from 4 to 5 feet. There have been built 5 Kentucky locks and dams in the lower section of the river, 99 ^t^' J^ miles, and the engineers report that 7 more, not yet provided for, to cost $2,400,000, are imperatively needed if the river is to be made navigable, even for light draft boats. It cost to maintain these locks and dams, and to keep the river open through the navigation season of 1895, $67,677, and it is estimated that the average annual cost of such maintenance will not be far from the above amount. The total tonnage on the entire Kentucky River for the year ending in June, 1896, was 269,386 tons ; for the 17 years since Congress first made an appropriation for the improvement of this river the total tonnage has been, or is estimated at, 4,363,598 tons, or an average of 256,682 tons a year. The country through which the Kentucky River flows is neither as populous, as wealthy, as full of important manu- facturing and other industries, nor of as great consequence commercially as is the locality immediately accessible to the Connecticut River. It is not at all probable that the money saving or the increase in convenience and ease of transportation enjoyed by the business interests along the course of the Kentucky River, will approach in magnitude the analogous benefit which would follow the opening of the Connecticut River to navigation to Holyoke. What is true of the Kentucky River region is true of the Muskingum River, the Cape Fear River, and the Wabash River regions. They are neither of them localities of equal commercial importance with the Connecticut valley, and neither of The Great 17 them need increased facilities for transportation to as great a degree. One other comparison, which is taken from a report made to the Land and Harbor Commissioners of Massachu- setts, by Mr. Jonathan Barnes of Springfield : " The Great Kanawha River, next to the Ohio the largest river in „ West Virginia, is about four hundred and fifty miles River loiig^ s-nd about the size of the Connecticut. The largest place on this river is Charleston, the capital of "West Virginia, with a population of 6,700. Prior to the government appropriation on this river, the portion now navigable consisted of a number of pools separated by shoals on which the depth was very small at low water. The commerce, such as it was, consisting mainly of logs, timber rafts, and coal barges, was sent down at high water, and navigation was almost suspended during the summer. The object of the improvement has been to create a navi- gable depth of six feet throughout to a point about ninety miles above the mouth of the river. This has necessitated the construction of ten dams, the lowest of which is only one and three-quarter miles above the mouth, and the highest about eighty-five miles from the same point. Congress has appropriated for improving the navigation of this river the sum of $3,935,200, of which $605, 700 has been appropriated since 1890. The justification for the appropriation for this and other West Virginia streams is, of course, that they flow through the coal region. It is certainly a fair question whether the rights of the coal consumers are not equal to those of the coal producers. If it is considered wise to expend such large sums to facilitate the transportation of coal from the mines, is it not equally wise to facilitate its transportation into those districts where it is largely con- sumed ?" Every consideration, therefore, supports the demand and demonstrates the necessity of this proposed improvement in the Connecticut River. The importance of the business and commercial interests to be served, the inadequacy of " ^^' present means of transportation, the control of the southern outlet by a single railroad corporation, and the certain increase of wealth and population which would follow this great addition to transportation facilities, com- bined or singly, make a convincing and unanswerable argu- ment in favor of an appropriation to this end from Congress. EEPORT OF MA J. SMITH S. LEACH, U. S. ENGINEER CORPS, REC- OMMENDING THE OPENING OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER FROM HARTFORD TO HOLYOKE. Survey of Connecticut River Between Hartford, Conn., and Holyoke, Mass. United States Engineer Office. New London, Conn., November 13, 1897. General — I have the honor to submit the following report upon a " survey of the Connecticut River between Holyoke and the foot of Enfield rapids," made pursuant to the re- quirements of the river and harbor act of June 3, 1896. Under date of July 13, 1896, the chief of engineers assigned this survey to Major H. M. Adams, and directed that the expenditures — not to exceed $2,000 — be paid from the un- expended balance of the appropriation of 1880 for " improv- ing the Connecticut River between Hartford and Holyoke." In August, 1896, the work was transferred to me by order of the chief of engineers. The part of the Connecticut River between Hartford and Holyoke has been the subject of very elaborate surveys and of an exhaustive study based thereon, having in view the development of a plan of improvement. The Previous surveys alluded to were made in 1871-1874, were urveys. under the direction of General G. K. Warren, corps of engineers, and were conducted by General Theodore G. Ellis, civil engineer. The results of the surveys and of the studies based thereon are published in full in the report of the chief of engineers, 1878, pages 248-301, and in house Ex. Doc. No. 101, Forty-fifth Congress, second session. The character of the survey and the detail with which the re- sults are recorded made it unnecessary to do more in the way of field work than to ascertain whether the conditions re- main the same, and, if not, to determine what the changes have been. The part of the river designated in the act 19 consists of two stretches of somewhat diverse characteris- tics. From Holyoke to Enfield dam, a distance of eighteen miles, the stream has in the main an erosible bed, while from the dam to the foot of the rapids, the lower limit of the authorized survey, the bed is in rock or other material practically non-erosible. As changes could be the result of erosion only, the search for them was limited to the upper stretch. This was sounded, and shore lines re-run between October 6 and 21, 1896, by a party in charge of Assistant Engineer H. B. Gorham. The results are shown on three sheets of the maps herewith, Nos. 4, 5, and 6 of the serial notation. For the rapids the results of the Ellis survey have been wholly relied upon. The fullest use has been made of General Ellis's results, and much physical data of value have been drawn from the report of testimony taken by the examiner in the case of Holyoke Water Power Com- pany versus Connecticut River Company in which the effect of a constrained flow is fully canvassed by Mr. Clemens Herschell and other experts. Though not included in the authorized survey, it was found necessary to include in the study for improvement the por- tion of the river between the foot of Enfield rapids and Hartford. This portion is obstructed by shifting sand bars, and has doubtless changed since the previous survey. Such changes as have occurred will not, however, have any particular bearing upon the feasibility or cost of improve- ment. Hence the results of the old survey have been as- sumed to represent present conditions and are shown on plates 1, 2, and 3 herewith. The portion of the Connecticut River between Holyoke and Hartford is thirty-four miles in length. At Holyoke navigation is interrupted by a dam for the development of DescriDtion of P*^^^®^' which has no provision for passing vessels. I^iygj.^ As already intimated, this portion of the river is divided into three stretches by the different physical characteristics of its bed. The first stretch, extending from Holyoke to Enfield dam, eighteen miles, presents a trace of moderate and regular curvature. The width between the bank lines varies from 650 to 2,100 feet, but the prevailing width is between extremes of 800 and 1,200 feet. The un- usual figure of 2,100 feet is to be found only at Long- meadow, fifteen miles from Holyoke, where, for more than 20 a mile, the width is quite uniform, and more than double the normal. The bed and channel of the stream are coincident at all usual stages, including freshets of frequent recurrence. At an extreme freshet there is a scanty, alluvial plain, sub- ject to overflow, limited, generally speaking, to Long- meadow and the lower valleys of the Chicopee and Aga- wam rivers, the only important tributaries. The limits of actual overflow are recorded, but it is not possible to dis- tinguish between the effect of backwater from the Connec- ticut and the flood plain of the tributary. Except at the upper and lower ends of this stretch, where the bed is rock, the bottom is composed of sand and gravel, with some admixture of mud below Springfield. The dis- position of the erosible material is in bars or shoals with in- tervening pools, but the bars are relatively stable in position and form, and appear to represent a substantial equilibrium of the forces developed by variation of width, curvature, and volume. The natural regimen of this part of the stream is a mat- ter of conjecture only. All available data of depth and velocity have been taken since the construction of Enfield dam. An inspection of the profile on plate seven herewith, based on plate five of General Ellis's report, indicates that before the construction of Enfield dam the head of the rap- ids was at Longmeadow bar, three miles above, which formed a natural dam with but three or four feet lower crest. Under the present artificial conditions the prevailing channel depth is nine feet or more, except at two points, Longmeadow and mouth of Chicopee River, where there are four and three feet at low water respectively. The discharge varies from 4,000 to 200,000 cubic feet per second, giving an oscillation from extreme low to extreme high water of twenty-eight feet at the foot of Holyoke falls, and sixteen feet immediatelj^ above Enfield dam. The maximum depth of flow over the crest of the dam is about twelve feet. The second or middle stretch of river, as above classified, extends from Enfield dam five and one-half miles and is known as the Enfield rapids, a name which gives a fair idea Enfleld of its character. The bed is of rock, rough and irreg- Rapids. ular, the slope is steep and variable, the banks bluff, and mainly of rock. The total fall depends upon the stage of water ; but its maximum at extreme low stage probably 21 does not exceed thirty-three feet, though it has not been actually measured. This portion of river is approximately straight in trace, and except at one point near the middle, where the channel divides into two branches with a consid- erable island between, the banks are regular and parallel. The conditions of discharge are the same as noted for the first section, except that at low water an appreciable pro- portion of the entire flow is diverted through a lateral canal on the west bank. At low water open navigation over this section is impossible, by reason of deficient depth. At higher stages the depth is sufficient, and the velocity is not so great as to prevent navigation, although it would make it impracti- cable for any craft not propelled by power. The maximum mean velocity at extreme flood does not exceed seven miles per hour. The canal above referred to is the property of a corpora- tion known as the Connecticut River Company. A descrip- tion of the canal in 1872 and its history up to that time are to be found in the report of the chief of engineers for 1878, part 1, pages 274, 275. The rights and responsibilities of the Connecticut River Company appear to be determined by the following extracts from its original charter, given in the report of the chief of engineers above cited : — That the said corporation, for the purpose of widening the chan- nel of said river and deepening the same, shall have power to dig, cleanse, and scour obstructions from the channels and banks of said river from and above the bridge at Hartford to Springfield, and to erect and build wharves, and piers, and hedges in Windsor ... .. i , ^u \ j Ji. -a , . said river or on the banks thereoi ; and the said corpora- tion are empowered to lock the falls at Enfield, on said river, and to make channels to aid them, and to construct a canal on either bank of said river near said falls, and to construct a dam, or dams, for the purpose of entering or leaving the locks in still water : Pro- vided, The extension and form thereof shall be such as shall not pre- vent the convenient passage of boats and lumber down the river, nor obstruct the passage of fish. Three sworn commissioners were provided for in the act, " under whose direction the necessary canal shall be laid out, and who shall inspect the construction of the locks and dams in said river, and cause them to be so constructed that they shall not impede the progress of fish up the river, 22 or the passage of floating boats, timber, or any other prop- erty down the river." The commissioners were empowered to suspend the taking of tolls whenever they found the locks out of repair or improperly tended. No penalty other than forfeiture of the right to take tolls appears to attach to the failure of the company to maintain navigation through its canal or elsewhere. It is permitted, but not required, to improve navigation ; but it is required to so construct its works as to permit navigation down the river, and the passage of fish up stream. At the present time, as indicated by a casual inspection made during a trip through the canal, the entire work is in a fairly serviceable condition, with the exception of the lowest lock, which needs rebuilding of the side walls. It may be said generally that the Connecticut River Company's canal is navigable to the extent of its dimensions. Such boating as these dimensions permit is not navigation in the present significance of the word, and no feasible alterations of the company's canal will make it so. To meet its charter requirements of a navigable pass and fishway in its dam, the Connecticut River Company left an opening 150 feet wide in the middle of the dam when first built. At the date of General Ellis's survey that gap had been partly filled by periodic deposits of stone until its crest was but l^^feet lower than the adjacent parts of the dam. Since that time additional deposits appear to have been made in the gap, though a slight depression remains. As a net result of all work done on the dam since 1854, the ex- treme low w^ater at Springfield appears to have been raised some two feet. No provision has been made for the pass- age of boats or fish in consequence of the closure of the gap. The third stretch of river extends from the foot of Enfield rapids to Hartford, a distance of ten miles. This portion is of moderate slope, with slight but regular curva- River below ture, and a fairly uniform width of 1,500 feet. The Enfield Rap- bed and banks are of sand and gravel. The banks ids. are generally overflowed at ordinary flood stages. The alluvial plain is one-third of a mile to a mile in width, and the channel of the river lies nearly in the middle of it. The characteristic of this part of the river is the shifting nature of the sand bars or shoals which obstruct it. They extend obliquely across the river, giving a maximum 23 length and minimum depth of overfall in passing from one pool to the next below. In this stretch of river there were at the date of the old survey five bars giving depth at low water of from two to three feet. The low-water slope of this reach is six inches to the mile ; the high-water slope is recorded as slightly less, though as such relation is abnormal for this situation, it is probable that there is some uncertainty about the high- est water marks at the upper end. The high water at Hartford is well determined. The range of discharge is a little greater than on the upper stretch, the low and high water volumes being increased by tributary contributions of small amount, while the volume diverted at Enfield dam is returned at Windsor Locks. In addition to the local characteristics of these three sec- tions, there are certain features of regimen common to them all. The river is subject to frequent fluctuations of volume and height. The more considerable fresh- ets are, as a rule, of short duration, and occur in the winter and early spring or in the late fall. The following table, compiled from data published in the War- ren-Ellis report, gives the number of days in a year on which the river at Hartford was above certain heights. It is the average of a record kept from 1871 to 1877 : — Table showing duration of certain stages of the Connec- ticut River above Hartford for seven years, 1871-1877 : — High and low water at Hart ford. Height above 1871. 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. Total Average for 7 Bartford zero. Days. Days. Days. Days. Days. Days. Days. days. years, Days. 1 foot 365 366 363 357 365 357 365 2538 301.71 2 feet 295 359 319 315 331 280 329 2228 318.29 3 feet 214 311 260 280 261 204 213 1743 249.00 4 feet 105 258 240 247 198 180 168 1456 208.00 5 feet 129 203 203 217 138 156 122 1168 166.83 6 feet 106 145 159 180 107 141 96 934 133.43 7 feet 87 94 117 152 83 126 72 731 104.43 8 feet 63 08 93 136 00 105 64 595 85.00 9 feet 48 54 81 113 51 92 50 489 09.86 10 feet 43 46 67 83 46 74 32 391 55.86 11 feet 39 42 59 62 39 60 24 325 46.43 12 feet 32 32 65 42 33 48 17 259 37.00 13 feet 21 22 49 31 24 41 10 198 28.29 14 feet 11 14 37 22 15 31 7 137 19.57 15 feet 6 10 31 10 11 22 5 95, 13.57 16 feet 6 6 18 6 7 16 5 64 9.14 17 feet 4 6 13 5 5 13 5 51 7.29 18 feet 3 5 5 o h 9 4 32 4.57 19 feet 2 4 3 5 3 17 2.43 20 feet 2 3 3 3 11 1.57 21 feet 2 2 2 6 .86 22 feet 2 2 4 .57 23 feet 2 . . 2 .29 24 The average gauge profile for the same years is shown on the profile sheet accompanying this report, plate 7. The river is closed by ice from about December 1 to March 1. The freshet of greatest volume and most certain occurrence, on the whole, is caused by the melting of snows in the spring, and accompanies or immediately follows the disap- pearance of the ice. For the season of possible navigation it may be stated that freshets frequently recurring are of a magnitude to benefit navigation rather than to impede it. Except ice, floating obstructions are rare, though large quantities of timber have occasionally broken out of booms above Holyoke and gone over the dam and down the river. At no time does the river carry a large enough proportion of suspended sediment to make that a factor in the regi- men. The permanency of dredged cuts should not be less than at and below Hartford, but rather more, owing to greater flood velocities and more permanent thalweg. There are at present thirteen bridges over the river ^"* between Hartford and Holyoke, as shown in the following list : — Approximate Height height above above lowest pool Bridges over Connecticut River, Hartford to Holyoke. water. levels. No. Ft. Ft. 1. Highway bridge at Hartford (with draw openings 118 feet, approved December 28, 1894) 2. Kailroad bridge at Hartford (with draw) 3. Suspension bridge at Windsor Locks (on site of old swing ferry) : In center 34 34 At end piers 24 4. Railroad bridge, iron, just below Kings Island 28 17.5 5. Enjfield bridge (covered wooden truss, in a dilapi- dated state) 29 18.8 6. Thompsonville, iron highway 24 23 7. South End bridge, at Springfield, iron 25 24 8. Highway bridge at Springfield (covered wooden truss) 23 22 9. Railroad bridge at Springfield, iron 32 31 10. North End bridge at Springfield, iron 25 24 11. Chicopee bridge, highway, wooden truss 28 27 12. Willimansett bridge, highway, iron 33 32 13. Willimansett bridge, R. R., iron 35 34 The highway bridge at Hartford (No. 1) is a temporary structure, and a plan for a permanent one to replace it was approved by the secretary of war under date of De- cember 28, 1894. This approved plan provides for a draw 25 of 118 feet clear opening, which is ample. The last two on the list (Nos. 12 and 13) need not be considered, as they are above the Holyoke terminus of the proposed channel. The remaining ten bridges (Nos. 2 to 11 both inclusive) have no draws which would permit traffic under the proposed proj- ect. As will be noted by inspection of the list, their clear heights range from 23 to 35 feet above low water, or 17^ to 34 feet above the corresponding pool levels. The commercial importance of the Connecticut River in this part of its course must be arrived at by deduction from the statistics of commercial activity in the tributary dis- trict. Navigation is not now, and has not been for Commercial some years, on a competitive basis, and hence no Importance, commerce has sought this route. Only the cities and towns of some importance in the tributary district can be considered, because it is only for such that statistics are available. The benefits derived by the rural community from cheapened transportation and the volume of traffic which it would contribute to a water route are doubtless considerable, but undetermined and indeterminate. Under a recent act of the legislature of Massachusetts the board of harbor and land commissioners of that state have had under consideration the subject of opening the Connecticut River to Holyoke, and have devoted much attention to obtaining statistics of its commercial impor- tance. The figures used here are from papers prepared for the board and presented at a public hearing held in the city of Springfield on October 29, 1897. Some of the quanti- ties are from official sources, the census of the United States of 1890, and a census taken by the state of Massa- chusetts in 1895 ; the remainder are special returns for the year ending October 1, 1897, made out for presentation to the board. All figures of the latter class which are here used have been tested by statistical averages of recognized authority, and have been found substantially accurate. The section of country which would be benefited by a water terminus at Holyoke, with the rail feeders and dis- tributers which such a terminus will naturally command, is estimated to contain 350,000 inhabitants and prop- Population, gj.^y ^Q l-j^g ^alue of $249,000,000. The four cities of I'niS'ctufes Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield, and West Spring- manuiacmres. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^ggg ^^ ^^^^ 26 an aggregate population of 116,000, and to contain property valued at $106,000,000. From the same source is ascer- tained that the manufactories of the same four cities in 1895 consumed materials valued at $24,500,000 and made $47,500,000 worth of product. The tonnage of the raw materials and manufactured articles is not reported. From a comparison of the ratio of value and tonnage of similar commerce at other points, the business of these manufac- tories may be conservatively estimated at 500,000 tons per annum. The most important single commodity from the freight payer's standpoint is coal, and for this the figures are quite complete. From reports made by brokers, dealers, and large consumers who buy direct from mines, it is stated that the annual coal consumption of the four cities is 447,000 tons. This does not include the coal con- sumed by the railroads, which is probably as much more. The aggregate freight tonnage of the four cities, as re- ported by the railroad agents, is 1,800,000 tons per annum. This does not include the coal, iron, or any other supplies for the railways themselves. Such an estimate is, Total reig -^^ ^^^q nature of things, incomplete, and more apt to err in defect than in excess. The aggregate ton- nage of the four cities may be taken at 2,000,000 tons per annum. Of this the coal and manufactories, as above noted, supply 1,400,000 tons, and the remainder, 600,000 tons, is none too large to include the food products, building materials, and supplies of every kind for an urban popula- tion of 116,000 thousand souls. Attention is again invited to the fact that all these figures relate to four places only, having an aggregate population of but one-third of the dis- trict supposed to be benefited by water carriage to Spring- field. The proportion of this traffic which would avail itself of water carriage is a matter of conjecture. It is within limits to say that 25 per cent., or 500,000 tons, will actually go by Prob hi water. But a more important fact is not conjectural, water ton- ^^^ that is that the freight rates on the entire traffic nage and will be substantially the same as though all of it reduction in went by water. It is from this point of view that freight. the real importance of the river must be judged. The total actual reduction of freights, directly or indirectly 37 accomplished, will nearly equal the cost of creating a suit- able navigation, and the saving on the traffic that will actu- ally use the improvement would pay a return on several times its cost. A military reason of some weight for making the pro- posed improvement is the provision of water carriage to the United States Arsenal at Springfield. By means of the canal of the Connecticut River, with the improved stretch below it and the Enfield pool above it, navigation between Holyoke and Hartford was carried on Former Navi- ^^ ^^^S ^s competitive rates could be made by ves- gation. sels small enough to pass the locks of the canal. That period practically terminated twenty years ago, although the canal has remained nominally open to navigation. Between the foot of the falls and Hartford some improvement was attempted and effected in the years 1871-1873 by building wing dams at the upper shoals and by dredging. The small measure of benefit realized, as com- pared with the development and cost of the works con- structed, led to the conclusion that a radical open-river improvement of this stretch is impracticable. In 1872 a plan was submitted for passing the Enfield rapids by means of a lateral canal on the east bank, to be carried out in connection with the work then in progress on the river below the rapids. This plan was selected Pan of 872. fj,Qj^ several alternative schemes proposed and dis- cussed. Full information as to all of these may be found in the report of the chief of engineers, 1878, pages 278-290. In the following year, 1873, the great difficulty of improving the part of the river between Hartford and the rapids was recognized in the presentation of a revised project for con- tinuing the lateral canal to the mouth of Hockanum River, below Hartford. The proposed canal was given a width of 150 feet and a depth of 10 feet in the trunk, with locks of 200 feet length, 55 feet width, and 8 feet depth on the sills. The estimated cost at that time was $2,306,345. In 1880 the project was revised, and by reducing the width of trunk to 120 feet, and taking a much lower unit cost of earth exca- vation, the estimate was reduced to $1,322,805. A careful study of the subject justifies the statement that this canal, though in some respects unsatisfactory, repre- sented the best solution then possible of the problem of pro- 28 viding a secure and commodious water route from Hartford to Holyoke. That a solution possessing all the advantages of that one, and obviating most of its defects, can now be offered is due solely to the advance in the science of river engineering between that date and this. The present transportation facilities of the tributary dis- trict are such that purely local water carriage can scarcely become competitive in any general sense. A water route, to make its influence felt as a factor in transportation, ^e of Channel j^^jg^ permit extension to Springfield and Holyoke of the present traffic below Hartford. This criterion demands a depth of nine feet at extreme low water, a chan- nel width of not less than 150 feet at the same stage, and no obstacles to the passage of the largest vessels now navigating the lower Connecticut River. A local traffic will doubtless thrive on such a route, but will not justify its creation. In addition to the requirements of navigation, there are certain vested rights in the development of water power from the stream which deserve and demand consideration. They could be purchased and destroyed, it is true, ter Power ^^^ ^^^® destruction of cheap power is in itself inimi- cal to progress, and any plan which promotes the usefulness of the stream in one direction by destroying its value in another must be considered seriously defective. The full benefit of the river can be realized only by develop- ing and conserving every profitable use which can be made of it. For these reasons the complete preservation and protection of the existing power installations has been made an essential condition of any plan to be proposed. The present installations are at Holyoke and Windsor Locks. Their interests demand that the available power shall not be diminished either by lowering the head water, by raising the tail water, or reducing the quantity of water available. All these conditions and requirements combined point to a slack water improvement by means of locks and mov- able dams as the most promising solution of the problem. The details of such an improvement have been ^!!^^^°^ '''°^' studied far enough, and only far enough, to dem- 2ble D* o. ^^-n^. o V ^°-^^ ^^-^^^ V ^^ •- .V °^ ^'"'O- A^ ■^ .