dition until 1838, when some slight damage was done, and since that time no repairs of any kind have been made. The improvement of the present harbor of Monroe having been. commenced, rendering La Plaisance Harbor no longer necessary, the breakwater has gradually been destroyed.

MONROE HARBOR.

It was seen at an early day, after work had been commenced on La Plaisance breakwater, that the navigable waters of the River Raisin should be connected with those of the lake and made available for all vessels then navigating Lake Erie. Captain Maurice several times referred to this subject in his reports, and in 1828 by direction of the chief of engineers he presented a plan and estimate for making direct connection between the river and La Plaisance Bay. Captain Henry Smith, of the United States Army, who succeeded Captain Maurice, did not agree with him on this subject, and in November, 1834, submitted to the chief of engineers a plan for straightening the River Raisin and making direct connection. with the lake.

Captain Smith in his report explained the disadvantage of La Plaisance Harbor, showed how entirely it failed to carry out the end in view and the great necessity for a direct connection between the lake and the river.

The River Raisin has its source in Hillsdale county, Michigan, and flows for about one hundred and twenty-five miles, measured by its channel, on a course generally easterly, through a very fertile and productive country. At the time the improvement of the river was inaugurated it was considered one of the most important streams in Michigan, not only on account of its geographical position, but also for its water power; it had contributed largely towards the prosperity of many enterprising towns along its banks. Monroe, which lies about forty miles southwest of Detroit and three and a half miles from the mouth of the Raisin River, was at that time a place of some prominence, with 3,000 inhabitants.

The plan of improvement proposed by Captain Smith was to make a direct connection with the lake by cutting a canal about 4,000 feet long and 100 feet wide through the peninsula called "River Raisin Point," from the

river directly north of House Island to the lake; he proposed to protect the entrance into the lake by parallel piers 726 feet long and 20 feet wide, running out to a depth of ten feet; where the canal crossed Sandy Creek he proposed to close the south side and to turn the creek into the canal. The estimated cost of the whole work exclusive of the dredging machine was $55,885.

The first appropriation of $30,000 was made by the act of February 24, 1835, and the work was commenced early in May of that year, under the direction of the chief of engineers, Captain H. Smith being in immediate charge. About June 1st a large force of laborers was employed, and operations were pushed with so much vigor that during the season nearly onehalf of the entire length of the canal was excavated.

The officer superintending the work asked for $60,660 to complete it, giving as a reason for the excess over the original estimate, the high price of labor and the cost of the dredging machine.

An appropriation of $1,500 was made by the act of July 2, 1836. During this year the operations advanced satisfactorily, and were directed as follows: To constructing permanent dams on both sides of the canal to prevent sliding and to secure them from the action of the currents, wash of steamboats, etc. this work was finished along 1,880 feet of the canal and partially completed upon the remainder; the excavation, which, with the exception of a few minor details, was completed upon 1,880 feet of the canal. The construction of the piers on each side of the mouth of the canal was completed to the distance of 450 feet into the lake. These were built by hired labor and purchase in the open market. The officer in charge stated that it would require $61,351.50 to complete the work, in addition to former appropriations. An appropriation of $30,000 was made by the act of March 3, 1837. The revetment of the sides of the canal was nearly finished and the excavation was continued, so that by the close of the season 3,387 feet of the canal was completed; the piers were carried out to a depth of 10 feet, the south pier being 597 feet and the north pier 515 feet in length. It was, however, deemed necessary to continue them out to a depth of 12 feet.

An appropriation of $1,500 was made by the

act of July 7, 1838. Operations were continued upon the canal and piers; 27,278 cubic yards of earth were excavated from the canal prism and from between the piers in the lake, and about 19,000 yards yet remained to be removed. The north pier was prolonged 60 feet and the south pier 30 feet. It was also found necessary to protect the lake shore on the north side of the canal, where it was rapidly wearing away, by six cribs filled with stone, and to raise the walls of the canal to prevent sand from being washed into the channel.

The officer in charge asked for $54,920 to complete the whole work. Up to the close of this year the entire appropriations made up to date, amounting to $90,000, had been expended.

It will be observed from the foregoing history that the improvement of this harbor was commenced in 1827 at La Plaisance Bay, abandoned there in 1835, and begun in that year on the present harbor.

The policy of the General Government in regard to internal improvements was changed four years after the work was commenced, and with the exception of the appropriations in 1844 and 1852, which were devoted to repairs and dredging, no further funds were available until the year 1866.

An appropriation of $20,000 was made by the act of June 11, 1844, and the work placed in charge of Captain A. Canfield, of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. An examination of the harbor showed the piers to be in bad condition, and that the lake was making inroads at the angles where the piers joined the shores. Materials were collected for making the necessary repairs, and in the following summer the old piers were thoroughly repaired; 162 linear feet of the old sheet pile pier was replaced by new cribwork; the north pier was extended 300 linear feet into the lake, and the south pier 90 feet, but the superstructure upon this portion was not completed; the lake shore at the angles where the piers joined. it was protected by a strong cribwork to prevent breaching; repairs were made to the revetment of the United States canal where Sand Creek emptied into it; the artificial channel was dredged wherever trouble occurred; 11,684 cubic yards of mud, sand, etc., were removed, and a depth of nine feet obtained up to a point just below the docks at Monroe. An estimate An estimate of $13,303.95 was submitted for completing the

unfinished work, prolonging the north pier, and putting in a pier head.

No appropriations were made nor any work done between the years 1844 and 1852.

By the act of August 30, 1852, $14,000 was appropriated, and the money disbursed in 1853 by a local agent in the repairs of the piers. Captain Howard Stansbury, of the topographical engineers, who assumed charge in 1854, reported that the appropriation had been expended by the agent before he took charge, in completing 400 feet of the south pier and partially rebuilding 700 feet of the north pier. The latter was left in an unfinished condition, the style of workmanship being rough and defective. He asked for an appropriation of $19,537.77 to put the harbor in order.

In 1857 Lieutenant-Colonel Graham reported that the works were rapidly deteriorating, and asked for $23,857 to put them in order. No action was taken upon this recommendation, and nothing more was done until 1866.

In February, 1866, Colonel and Brevet MajorGeneral T. J. Crain, of the Corps of Engineers, made a survey of the harbor, and submitted a report with an estimate of the cost of the improvement. General Crain made a careful examination of the piers and reported them to be in a dilapidated condition. He recommended that the north pier should be repaired for a length of 665 feet, and the south pier for a length of 180 feet. The heavy ice in the canal and lake prevented any examination as to depth.

Although the revetment of the banks of the canal was decayed and broken, General Crain did not think it necessary to rebuild it, as the banks had now become quite solid. He estimated that the cost of the work would be $10,423.66. An appropriation of $31,015.27 was made by the act of June 23, 1866.

Operations were carried on during the winter of 1866 and 1867, and the piers were put in complete order. complete order. A survey of the channel in the spring of 1868 showed a sufficient depth of water for the requirements of the commerce of Monroe. The total expenditure in repairs up to June 30, 1868, was $20,425.

In April, 1869, Major Walter McFarland, of the Corps of Engineers, was assigned to the charge of this harbor, and he recommended that the bar at the entrance to the harbor

should be dredged. During the year 38,000 cubic yards of sand were removed from the channel, and a depth of 12 feet obtained over the bar and through the United States canal into the river. The shore of the lake at the inner end of the north pier was protected by a revetment to prevent the waters of the lake from breaking through into the canal.

In April, 1871, Major McFarland was relieved by Captain and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel G. L. Gillespie, of the Corps of Engineers. An elaborate survey of the harbor was made in September, and Colonel Gillespie presented a plan for obtaining a depth of 11 feet up to the docks at Monroe at a cost of $15,600.

An appropriation of $10,000 was made by the act of June 10, 1872, and in August the work of dredging was commenced; 31,029 cubic yards of mud, etc., were removed, and a depth of 11 feet up obtained, except in the vicinity of the docks at Monroe, where rock. was found. At Cooley's Bar stiff clay was encountered.

Colonel Gillespie was relieved by Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Harwood in April, 1873. An appropriation of $15,000 was made by the act of March 3, 1873. The piers were put in complete order and the renewal of the canal revetment was commenced. Colonel Harwood asked for $50,000 for completing the

revetment.

An appropriation of $10,000 was made by the act of June 23, 1874. Operations were continued upon the canal revetment, and 2,710 linear feet of it was rebuilt.

Colonel Harwood was relieved in June, 1874, by Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Colonel Blunt, of the Corps of Engineers. An appropriation of $10,000 was made by the act of March 3, 1875. During this year work was continued renewing the canal revetment, and a channel was dredged through the outer bar; 1,669 linear feet of revetment was renewed, and 18,676 cubic yards of sand removed from the channel at the entrance to the piers.

An appropriation of $5,000 was made by the act of August 14, 1876. Lieutenant-Colonel and Brevet Brigadier-General Michler relieved Colonel Blunt of the charge of the harbor in December, 1876. Operations were continued during the season of 1877, renewing the canal revetment, and 1,905 linear feet were rebuilt. Some minor repairs were made to the piers.

An appropriation of $2,500 was made by the act of June 18, 1878. A survey of the channel was made between the lake and the docks at Monroe, which showed that it had shoaled very much, and that a depth of 8 feet could not be carried up to the docks. General Michler was relieved by Major and Brevet Colonel John M. Wilson, of the Corps of Engineers, in December, 1878.

Operations were commenced in March, 1879, and by June both piers had been repaired and 612 linear feet of the canal revetment renewed. An appropriation of $2,000 was made by the act of March 3, 1879. It was determined to apply it to dredging and to endeavor to make a clear channel 100 feet wide and 9 feet deep up to the docks at Monroe. A contract was made at 11 cents per cubic yard, and the work carried on in August and September; in the progress of operations 12,370 cubic yards of mud, sand, etc., 33 logs, 3 snags and 10 stumps were removed, a depth of 11 feet gained up to the inner end of the piers and of 10 feet from thence up to the upper end of Willow Island, a short distance below the docks at Monroe.

Early in September the dredge was moved up near the docks at Monroe in order to excavate to a depth of 10 feet within 50 feet of them, but encountered rock, and after removing 472 yards the work was found to be impracticable without blasting.*

Major Wilson continued in charge of the work until 1882, and from 1882 to the present time the work has been in charge of L. Cooper Overman, Major of Engineers, United States Army. Appropriations have been made since 1879 as follows:

sued by the Government: To let the Govern. ment works here go to decay and ruin, or keep them in repair for some future development at this point. The returns of the customs collector of arrivals and clearances of vessels at this port showed that the amount of commerce to be benefited was very small and certainly justified the United States Engineer's position. But in 1887 the commerce at Monroe harbor suddenly largely increased, the Western Union Telegraph Company having make this port the distributing point for telegraph poles for the greater part of the United States, and F. S. Sterling & Co. having also established a large

business of the same character at the docks. Vessels arriving with cargoes of poles frequently stranded on the bars in the river, and a survey showed that bars had formed at several points, and that Monroe harbor was fast coming into disrepute with lake captains. The citizens and common council, recognizing the importance of having the obstruction in the harbor removed to accommodate the new and increasing business, sent General George Spalding, Hon. Harry A. Conant and Major George R. Hurd, as a committee to Washington, D. C., to procure an appropriation for the improvement of the harbor, and to have the same inserted in the river and harbor bill then pending. The committee, with the assistance of Mr. J. C. Sterling, who accompanied them,

were successful in their efforts, and an appro

priation of $5,000 was made by the act of August 11, 1888.

The total amount appropriated by the General Government for the Monroe harbor and United States ship canal (including the $5,000 appropriation obtained by the committee) is $222,515.27.

THE CITY CANAL.

In 1838 considerable damage was done to the harbor at La Plaisance by a storm, and the work commenced by the General Government at Monroe harbor and the United States ship canal progressed slowly. The citizens, desiring that the work should be pushed more vigorously on the Government work, and that the channel of the River Raisin should be shortened and straightened at what is called Fishermen's Bend, by the building of the city canal. across the bend, a distance of about 1,300 feet, procured through the legislature an amend

ment to the city charter entitled "An act to amend an act to incorporate the city of Monroe," approved April 6, A. D. 1838:

"The common council of the city of Monroe are authorized to finish and complete the canal and piers already commenced by the Government of the United States, connecting the waters of the River Raisin with Lake Erie, together with proper piers and basins for said canal within the limits of said city, and also to improve the navigation of said river within the limits of said city by cutting through the bends of said river, and for that purpose are authorized to raise a sum not exceeding fifty thousand dollars by a direct tax upon the real estate situate within the limits of said city, or by a loan for that purpose to be effected, or by both or either of said ways. The moneys so raised to be expended by five commissioners. The said commissioners to be assessors and sworn to assess the real estate in proportion as in their opinion the same will be benefited by the expenditure of said money, who shall be chosen by the freemen of said city in legal meeting assembled, provided that no such tax be levied or loan effected unless a majority of the taxable inhabitants of said city owning lands in fee simple therein shall vote for or assent to the levying of such tax or for effecting such loan at a special meeting to be called for such purpose by the clerk of said city, by giving sixty days' previous notice of the time and place of holding such meeting in the public newspaper printed in said city."

On the 29th day of August, 1838, a poll of the taxable inhabitants owning real estate in fee simple in the city was taken at a public meeting to ascertain the will of the taxable inhabitants as to making a loan of $25,000 for the purpose of completing the Government harbor and canal, and improving the navigation of the river by cutting a channel through the bend of the river. The whole number of votes cast was 157, with 142 votes in favor of a loan and 15 votes against it. It would appear from the returns that the real estate owners of the city were almost unanimous for the loan and the canal. But the records show that the opposition was quite strong, and that the parties who were deeply interested in the project had to resort to the expedient of conveying small parcels of land to numerous persons who were

in favor of the loan and wanted employment on the canal, making them holders of real estate in fee simple, and so qualified them to vote, who otherwise would not have been entitled to a vote on the question.

In September, 1838, the common council appointed David A. Noble financial agent to go to some of the Eastern cities for the purpose of negotiating a loan of $25,000 on bonds to be issued by the city, with full power to negotiate the loan with any company, person or institution, in such manner as should appear to him most for the advantage of the city. Mr. Noble proceeded to the East immediately, and in Octoher reported to the council as follows:

To the Honorable the Common Council of the City of Monroe —

GENTLEMEN: In pursuance of the authority conferred on me by a resolution of your board empowering me to negotiate a loan of $25,000 to complete the ship canal and improve the navigation of the River Raisin, I proceeded to Albany and New York for the purpose of effecting a loan for the city, and after spending several days in those cities in endeavoring to accomplish the object of my visit there, I found that the situation of the money market was such that to effect a loan directly on any Western securities was entirely impossible; that while for all the legitimate purposes of commercial business money was abundant and obtained with the greatest facility, yet that there was still an entire want of confidence in all securities of the Western country generally, and that money could not be raised upon them directly without the greatest and most ruinous sacrifices, even if at all. Under the circumstances, I deemed any further exertions to effect a loan direct, as futile, and turned my efforts to making an exchange of stocks, on such favorable terms as I thought would be acceptable to your board, and I found that I could exchange the bonds of this city for the stock of the North American Trust and Banking Company in the city of New York. The stock of the institution, as stock, I knew this city did not wish, and before completing any arrangement with that institution, I proceeded again to Albany and found that the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank, of the city of Albany, would take the stock of the North American Trust and Banking Company at par, and place

to the credit of this city $25,000, to be drawn for as fast as the money should be needed for the progress of the work, allowing ten per cent. interest on the balances from time to time not drawn from the bank. The arrangement with this institution was upon the condition that Austin E. Wing, Esq., for himself, and as trustee and agent for John P. Cushman, Jacob D. Lansing, Lewis Cass, Job Pierson, Stephen Warren, Thomas W. Olcott, George R. Davis, William Porter and Edwin Croswell, should enter into a guarantee to the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank, of Albany, to make up to that institution any deficiency that there might be on the sale, within a reasonable time, of the stock of the North American Trust and Banking Company below par, and those gentlemen, with a promptness and public spirit which cannot be too highly appreciated, came forward and gave the bank assurances that such guarantee should be given, and immediately wrote to Austin E. Wing, Esq., who is jointly interested with them in the purchase of lands near the contemplated basin of the ship canal, and their agent in reference to such lands, to give on behalf of themselves and their com pany the required guarantee, and Mr. Wing has executed the proper papers to complete the arrangement with the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank. Upon the basis above referred to, I made an arrangement with those institutions, respectively, and all that remains now to be done to perfect the arrangement and to realize the money is to enclose the bonds of the city, a form for which is hereunto submitted, with the coupons thereto annexed, to Joseph D. Beirs, Esq., the president of the North American Trust and Banking Company, and that institution will issue stock to an equal amount, and this stock to the amount of $25,000 will be received by assignment by the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank at Albany, and that institution will place to the credit of this city that amount of money to be drawn for.

Respectfully,

D. A. NOBLE.

In pursuance of the plan presented, the city issued $25,000 in bonds, payable in twenty years, with interest at seven per cent., payable semiannually, and the city undertook to guarantee Austin E. Wing and others from any loss on account of their guarantee in behalf of the city.