IMPROVEMENT OF OSAGE RIVER IN MISSOURI AND KANSAS.
The river and harbor act of March 3, 1879,
appropriated $20,000 for this work, which was employed in continuing the method
of improvement followed during previous years. The latter consists of contracting
the width of the river at certain shoals by means of cross-dams and
training-walls, dredging the channel by means of teams and scrapers, and the
removal of rocks and snags from the channel and of leaning timber from the
banks, the object being to obtain a 2-foot channel at the lowest stages of the
river. All the works were carried on by hired labor and purchase of material
in open market.
MOORE’S FLATS.
(40 miles from the mouth.)
Work was begun at Moore’s Flats on the 10th
of July. The dam built last was strengthened by being loaded with stone, and
the training wall was repaired and extended upstream a distance of200 feet.
Sixteen snags were removed from the channel at the lower end of the shoal.
Later in the season the training wall was extended 900 feet farther upstream,
contracting the channel to a width of 80 feet.
The total length of the training wall is now
1,750 feet, of which 1,100 feet was built this year. It was constructed of
riprap on a brush foundation.
The locality is shown in the adjoining
sketch, in which the works are indicated by the heavy full lines. The upstream
portion, from A to B, was built this year.
HOSKINS’, on LITTLE TAVERN SHOALS.
(43¾ miles from the mouth.)
This locality is shown in the adjoining
sketch. The river was divided into three chutes by Hoskins’ Island, and a
smaller island to the westward. The chute between the latter island and the
main shore had been closed in former years by an old State dam, extending from a to b.
It was decided to extend this dam across the small island, and then changing
its direction to push it across the stream and connect it with a training wall,
c d, thus contracting the channel to a width of 89 feet (see sketch). A dam 743
feet long and a training wall 430 feet long were constructed of riprap on a
brush foundation. Forty snags were removed from the channel.
REYNOLDS’ SHOAL.
(45½ miles from the mouth.)
The work at this shoal consisted of the
removal by blasting of some rocks from the channel, amounting in all to about
300 cubic yards; of cutting from the bank eighty-eight overhanging trees, and
of removing forty snags from the channel. The dam at Hoskins’ Shoal, 2 miles
below this, serves to increase the depth of water on this shoal, so that there
is now a depth of 2 feet or more at the lowest stages.
KIRKMAN’S SHOAL.
(47¾ miles from the mouth.)
This locality is shown upon the adjoining
sketch. Several dikes, a b, c d, e
f, had been built in former years by the State of Missouri, but the shoal
remained one of the worst upon this portion of the river. The plan adopted for
improving it was to build a dam, g h,
from the right bank out into the river, a distance of 250 feet, connecting it
with a training wall, i k, 1,320 feet
long. The peculiar shape of the opposite bank made it necessary to supplement
the latter by a second training wall. f l,
630 feet long.
For
this wall the State clam was used as a foundation for a length of 00 feet. All
these works were built of riprap upon a foundation of brush. At the foot of the
artificial chute thus formed a channel was dredged out, the quantity of
material removed being 840 cubic yards.
DEVIL’S ELBOW.
(49 miles from the mouth.)
This was a narrow chute which was difficult
to navigate on account of the rapidity of the current and the crookedness of
the channel, which was partly obstructed by snags and overhanging trees.
Fourteen snags were taken from the channel and eighty-five trees cut from the
banks. The darn at Kirkman’s Shoal, 1¼ miles below, has backed the water up to
this shoal, deepening it somewhat and diminishing the velocity of the current.
PACK’S SHOAL.
(50 miles from the mouth.)
The work at this place consisted of dredging
a channel 350 feet long and 75 feet wide, involving the removal of 455 cubic
yards of gravel.
The work at Kirkman’s and Pack’s Shoals was
finished October 14.
There being some repairs and extensions
required upon the works previously constructed which would occupy the force
during the remainder of the working season, it was not deemed advisable to
begin any work above those points. The force was accordingly ordered back to
Moore’s Flats, where the training wall was extended as above reported. On the
way down an obstruction to navigation was found to exist in
CLARK’S ISLAND SHOAL.
(41¾ miles from the mouth.)
A channel 80 feet wide and 400 feet long was
dredged through this shoal, involving the removal of 782 cubic yards of gravel.
BURD’S SHOAL.
(21¾ miles from the mouth.)
A steamboat had grounded at the head of this
shoal in August, and in getting her off the gravel had become so flattened out
as to leave but about 6 inches depth of water in the channel. Temporary relief
was given at the time by dredging. It was decided to diminish the chances of
accidents of that kind by further contracting the width of the chute. The
locality is shown in the adjoining sketch.
The full heavy lines a b c show the old work. A dam, d e, 195 feet long, was run out from the left bank and connected
with a training wall, g h, parallel
to the old training wall, and 90 feet from it.
The new training wall had been built to a length
of 450 feet when the approach of winter rendered it imprudent to keep the
equipment any longer so far from its winter quarters, and the work was
accordingly suspended. It is proposed to extend it about 600 feet during the
coming year.
These works were built of riprap upon a
foundation of brush. During the month of January the recently constructed dam
was broken at its shore end, and a considerable current passed through forming
a bar at the foot of the chute, and endangering the dam. A force was set at
work as soon as practicable to repair the damage. The break, 82 feet in length,
was repaired and the bank was graded and revetted above and below the darn for
a length of 206 feet, the whole being completed on the 9th of February.
SHIPLEY’S SHOAL.
(9 miles from the mouth.)
A
further extension of the training wall at this shoal had become necessary. The
improvement of this locality is more temporary than at the other shoals because
of the backwater from the Missouri River. This meeting the barrier formed by
Shipley’s Shoal drops the sediment which it carries and builds up a new bar at
the foot of the chute with much more rapidity that the Osage itself could do
with its gravel. The remedy for this has been for the last two seasons to
extend the training wall downstream until the foot of it reached a point where
the water was from 3 to 5 feet in depth. During a part of the months of November
and December the wall was extended a length of 1,050 feet. On the 18th
of December the weather became very cold, causing ice to form, and it was not
considered safe to keep the steamer and barges any longer at work. During the
winter a break 82 feet long and from 9 to 15 deep occurred in the cross-dam at
the shore end. Work was resumed on the 9th of March. The breach in
the darn was repaired, the bank was revetted for a length of 50 feet above and
120 feet below the dam, and some weak portions of the dam were strengthened.
Work upon the training wall was then resumed and continued until the 10th
of April, when the river became so high that it was necessary to again suspend
operations. The wall had been extended 375 feet, making a total extension for
the year of 1,425 feet. It has now reached a long flat bar known as Brennecke’s
Shoal. It is proposed to extend it across this shoal during the coining year,
which will require an addition of 2,600 feet. This will carry it into water
about 8 feet deep.
The adjoining sketch shows the position of
the works already executed and that of the proposed extension, the latter being
indicated by a broken and dotted line. There is now a 2-foot channel at the
lowest stage from the mouth of the river to the foot of Berry’s Shoal, a
distance of 51 miles, with the exception of about 2,600 feet at Shipley’s Shoal
and 600 feet at Burd’s Shoal. Of this distance, 40 miles from the mouth, or as
high up as Moore’s Flats, had been the subject of improvement in previous
years.
The result of the year’s work is, therefore,
11 miles of river opened to low-water navigation, and the maintenance of the previously
obtained channel for a distance of 40 miles with the exceptions above given. It
may be necessary to build dams and training walls at some of the shoals where
as yet only dredging has been done, but with these, since the Osage River is a
stream of perfectly clear water flowing over a bed of gravel, with substantial
banks, I see no reason why the beneficial results will not be reasonably
permanent.
APPROPRIATION OF JUNE 14, 1880.
The river and harbor act of June 14, 1880,
appropriates $30,000 for the continuation of this improvement. Of this sum
$5,200 have been allotted to the extension of the training wall at Shipley’s
Shoal and $1,200 to similar work at Burd’s Shoal. At Berry’s Shoal (51½ miles
from, the month) a depth of only 6 inches is sometimes found at low- water. It
is proposed to contract the river to a width of 80 feet, by means of a dam and training
wall like those used at the other shoals, with a view to securing a depth of 2
feet at the lowest stage. The adjoining sketch shows the location of the
proposed works. The sum of $7,590 has been allotted to this work.
There are four shoals, viz, Music’s,
Saline, Burdsong’s, and Town’s, upon which the work will consist principally in
removing snags from the channel, cutting leaning timber from the banks, and in
one or two places scraping gravel. The sum of $3,800 has been allotted to the
works at these four shoals.
When the works above mentioned shall have
been completed, there will exist at low-water a channel of 2 feet in depth from
Tuscumbia to the mouth, a distance of 60 miles. Above Tuscumbia as far as the
mouth of Rainey Creek, a distance of 90 miles, there has been no survey made.
The sum of $2,500 has been allotted for the purpose of surveying that portion
of the river, with a view to preparing plans for its improvement. There will
then be a continuous map from Ottawa, Kans., to the mouth. The balance of the
funds available is held in reserve for works above Tuscumbia, after the
completion of the survey.
RECAPITULATION.
Shipley's
Shoal………………………………………..$5,200
Burd's
Shoal…………………………………………….1,200
Berry
Shoal……………………………………………..7,500
Music's,
Saline, Burdsong's, and Town's Shoals……….3,800
Survey
above Tuscumbia……………………………….2,500
Reserved
for works above Tuscumbia………………….9,800
Total…………………...……………….30,000
It is proposed to carry on the greater part
of these works by contract. That system can be applied to the works at
Shipley’s, Burd’s, and Berry’s Shoals. In the case of those shoals where the
work will consist of re¬ moving snags and overhanging trees and scraping
gravel—viz, Music’s, Saline, Burdsong’s, and Town’s—the indefinite amount of
the work renders it impracticable to prepare accurate specifications in
advance. The work at these shoals will be carried on by hired labor.
ESTIMATE FOR YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 1882.
The sum of $50,000 can be expended to
advantage during the year ending June 30, 1882. It is intended to employ it in
removing obstructions to navigation above Tuscumbia, the exact position of
which can¬ not be given until after the completion of the survey to be
undertaken this year. The intention is to create a continuously good navigation
ascending the river each year as far as the means available will permit. There
is no definite project for the improvement, and it is therefore impracticable
to fill out that part of the money statement which gives the amount required to
complete.
Money statement.
July 1, 1879, amount available………………...………..$20,791.10
Amount
received for fuel sold to officers……………………124.50
Amount
appropriated by act approved June 14, 1880……30,000 00
$50,915 60
July 1, 1880, amount expended during
fiscal year:
By
Col. J. H. Simpson, Corps of Engineers……………$17,815.21
By
Capt. O. H. Ernst, Corps of Engineers………………..2,305.40
$20,120.61
July
1, 1880, amount available………….....................…30,794.99
Amount
that can he profitably expended in fiscal year
ending June 30, 1882...................................................$50,000.00
References:
Chief’s Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers to the
Secretary of War for the Year 1882. Page 362
– 364.
Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll6/id/1832. Accessed 07 July, 2019. 
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