resolution of the 4th of March last, which provided for releasing them from their contract and paying their losses. New contracts for ten millions of bricks were entered into with Mr. Douglas, and a large number of bricks have been purchased from other parties, and delivered along the line of the canal. As it is evident there will be a great difficulty in procuring a supply of bricks sufficient to carry on the work with vigor next spring, search has been made for quarries of stone suitable for building the conduit. A number of quarries have been found and opened at points. convenient to the line, which furnish a material that, with economy, will replace brick in the construction of the conduit. These quarries will be worked throughout the winter, and when the spring opens a large stock of materials will be on hand. Cement has been ordered from New York, and is being stored along the line as fast as received, in order to have a supply on hand at the opening of the spring, as the season for building begins here before the opening of navigation on the Hudson river permits the shipment of cement. Bridges Nos. 1 and 2 have been commenced, the foundations laid, abutments built, arches turned, and the superstructure carried up a little above grade. It is probable that they will be finished this fall; if not, they can be completed early in the spring. At bridge No. 3 a boarding house has been built, the timber for centreing provided, and the foundations have been excavated. Some stone and sand are delivered, but the masonry is not commenced. At bridge No. 4, over the Cabin John, the centre has been framed, and is now being erected. The excavation for the foundations of the abutments has been nearly completed, and a portion of the foundations will be put in this fall. The stream has been dammed, and the pool thus formed communicating with the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, permits the large quantity of materials-stone, cement, sand, and timber-brought from a distance to be boated to the site of the bridge, and hoisted from boats directly into the work. This will effect a great economy of time and labor in its construction. Besides the making of contracts, building of boarding houses, stables, shops, providing of boats, &c., for the accommodation of hands. and the transportation of materials, preparatory works for the bridges, &c., which have occupied the greater part of the season, the principal items of work accomplished during the season have been as follows: Rock excavation... Earth excavation........ Earth embankment. Puddling.... Ramming.. Stone masonry.. 9,963 cubic yds. 63,135 66 Bricks laid....... Bricks delivered.. Sand delivered...... Stone quarried and boated to the vicinity of the work..... 599 lineal feet of tunnels have been pierced, and 2,741 feet of conduit laid this season. 2,122,169 1,530 perches. These quantities are not large; but the appropriation of Congress was made at a time when the work was entirely suspended, and had been so for months. It was necessary to gather and organize a force, to provide materials, and make contracts, which, under the operation of the law of contracts, required about four months. These delays threw the beginning of the work into the sickly season, and both the government and the contractors had to contend against great difficulties in consequence. It was not until October that a respectable force could be gathered upon the aqueduct, and the work done in this month will probably equal that of any four months since the work was commenced. During the month of November great progress will be made, should the weather continue favorable. SUMMARY. The right of way has been acquired from the Great Falls to the District line, and for about half the distance from the District line to the distributing reservoir. All the culverts in Maryland are either completed or nearly so; one has been built in the District. Two of the bridges have been nearly completed, and the preparatory works for the other two are finished. All the embankments and excavations over ravines in Maryland have been carried up to within a foot or two of grade, and all will be completed before the close of this season. Six thousand one hundred and four feet of masonry conduit have been completed. Two thousand and thirty-four feet and seven inches of tunnels have been excavated. A large number of boarding houses, stables, shops, storehouses for cement, &c., have been built. Boats and scows for transportation of materials have been provided; a large stock of cement is being delivered, and quarries have been opened, from which, during the winter, stone will be taken out for the next season's operations; and the whole work is now prepared for a rapid and vigorous prosecution, such as will insure the delivery of water in this city next season, provided means are granted to carry the work on without another of the suspensions which have heretofore cost so much in time and money. CASH ACCOUNT. Appropriation of 1853.. $100,000 00 Appropriation of 1855...... 250,000 00 Appropriation of 1856, for existing liabilities and to preserve the work already done from injury... 250,000 00 Appropriation of 1857. 1,000,000 00 Total appropriations........ 1,600,000 00 Expended to September 30, 1853............ $14,986 70 Expended in the year ending September 30, 1854........ 83,620 41 Expended in the year ending September 30, 1855.... 103,602 36 Amount remaining on hand 30th September, 1857...... Of which there are belonging to the appropriation for liabilities and preservation of the work already done from injury, and therefore not applicable to the prosecution of the work...... $575,574 74 1,024,425 26 219,317 28 Amount available for the prosecution of the work on the 30th September, 1857. ..... 805,107 98 805,107 98 Probable amount to be expended by 30th June, 1858... Amount required for proper prosecution of the work during the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1859......... 1,000,000 00 Respectfully submitted. M. C. MEIGS, Captain of Engineers, in charge of Washington Aqueduct. Brevet Brigadier Gen. J. G. ToTTEN, Chief Engineers. All of which is respectfully submitted. J. G. TOTTEN, Brevet Brigadier Gen. and Colonel of Engineers. WASHINGTON AQUEDUCT. Contract for Graduation. Agreement between Myers, Boston, Massachusetts, Jones and Pratt, of the State of Maine, of the first part, and Captain M. C. Meigs, of the corps of United States engineers, of the second part, acting under the authority of and for and in behalf of the United States of America, as engineer in charge of the Washington aqueduct, witnesseth: 1. That the party of the first part, for and in consideration of the matters hereinafter referred to and set out, covenants and agrees with the party of the second part to clear, grub, muck, excavate, embank, ram, and puddle, and do all other work required for the graduation of sections Nos. 14 and 15, between stations No. 154 and No. 250, upon the profile of the Washington aqueduct, in the engineer's office, as may be necessary to raise the embankment to the grade of the aqueduct, and to excavate so much of the trench as may be deemed necessary by the engineer to supply, in whole or in part, the materials of said embankment, and to do the same in conformity to the specifications hereto annexed, which are to be taken as a part of this contract, and according to the directions from time to time to be given by the engineer. 2. The principal assistant engineer, or an assistant engineer, by his direction, shall, as soon as practicable after the end of each month, make out an estimate of the quantity and value of each species of work done pursuant to this contract, at the prices contained in the annexed proposal. He shall also include the value of any extra work done in consequence of any alteration of the plan of the work which may have been adopted by the said engineer in charge, when such alteration shall have caused an increased expense to the contractor; and when any such alteration shall have caused a saving of expense to the contractor, the engineer shall make a reasonable deduction. therefor from the estimate so made; and if the said engineer in charge of the aqueduct shall approve said estimate, it is mutually agreed between the contracting parties that it shall be binding, and shall be paid by said engineer. 3. Within ten days after the return of any monthly estimate to the engineer in charge, nine-tenths of the sum appearing to be due, for work performed since the preceding estimate, shall be paid to the contractor. 4. Within thirty days after the work shall have been completed, and accepted by the engineer, a final estimate therefor shall be made and approved in the manner provided for making and approving monthly estimates, and shall in like manner be paid by said engineer in charge, together with the retained per centage. 5. The work shall always be open to examination during its progress by the engineers or other persons they may depute for that purpose, and the contractor shall, at all times, at his own expense, keep open a pathway alongside of the work, so that the above mentioned persons may readily pass by the same to the work above or below it. 6. At the expiration of every two weeks' work a report shall be made by the contractor to the assistant engineer having charge of this work, of the average force of men, carts, &c., employed upon it for the preceding two weeks, according to such forms as shall be supplied by the engineer. 7. It is mutually agreed between the parties to this contract that the work aforesaid shall be commenced within ten days after the notification of the approval of this contract, if the United States shall so soon acquire the right to the land necessary for the work, or as soon thereafter as the said right shall have been acquired; that it shall be steadily prosecuted without intermission with such force as shall, in the opinion of the engineer, secure its final completion within six months after the contractor is put in possession of the site, unless prevented or delayed by written orders from the engineer in charge, at the end of which time it shall be fully completed and delivered up; and it is further agreed, that, in the event that the said work shall not be commenced, prosecuted, and completed, or if the contractor on being required thereto by the written order of the engineer in charge, the principal assistant engineer, or his assistant engineer, shall fail or refuse to increase the force employed on the work to such extent as in the opinion of the engineer shall be necessary to insure its completion in the stipulated time, or in case the contractor shall disobey any of the written orders of either of said engineers, or shall violate any of the conditions of this agreement, then, on a certificate of the fact by the principal assistant engineer, made to the engineer in charge, the said engineer in charge may declare this contract forfeited, and thereupon the same shall then become null and void, and the United States shall thereupon be exonerated from every obligation thence arising; and the reserved per centage on the contract price, as well as all materials furnished and work performed, and upon which no estimate or payment may have been made, shall be forfeited to and become the right and property of the United States, and the said engineer in charge may thereafter agree with any other person for the execution of the unfinished work, or may complete the same by day's work; and the said party of the first part shall have no appeal from the opinion and decision aforesaid, and he hereby releases all right to except to or question the same in any place, or under any circumstances whatever; but the party of the first part shall still remain liable to the party of the second part for the damages occasioned to him by the said failure, refusal or disobedience; and it is further agreed between the parties, that, in order to secure the punctual performance of the covenants above made by the party of the first part, and to indemnify and protect the party of the second part from loss, in case of default and forfeiture of this contract, the said party of the second part shall be authorized to retain in his hands until the completion of the contract ten per cent. on the amount of moneys at any time due to the said party of the first part. 8. The contractor for this work shall not knowingly employ any man, either as overseer, laborer, or in any situation, who shall have been dismissed, by the order of the engineer, from any other part of the work for bad workmanship, intemperance, or disorderly conduct. Nor shall he continue to employ any man who shall be declared by the engineer to be either disorderly, habitually intemperate, or a bad workman. 9. The contractor shall give his personal attention to the execution of the work hereby contracted for. 10. All buildings or fences adjacent to the work shall be preserved, in such manner as the engineer may direct, by the contractor, who shall protect them from injury by his hands, and, as far as practicable, by any other persons. 11. The engineer shall have the power to prescribe the manner of preparing for, beginning, and conducting every species of work to be done under this agreement with reference to its purpose and the durability of the work, and his instructions shall be promptly obeyed; and if he shall disapprove of the quality of any work it shall be the duty of the contractor to take down, at his own expense, and rebuild so |