River Protection Work - United States Engineer Dept. Weaving brush mattress ; showing barge load of willows, weaving way flats and steam tender Greenfield Bend near Bird's Point, Mo.
River Protection Work - United States Engineer Dept. Floating section of willow mattress awaiting rock for sinking. Greenfield Bend near Bird's Point, Mo.
Office Boat No. 10, U. S. Engineer Department - Bird's Point, Missouri. In river improvement work such as mattress construction, hirdle or dike building, granding and bank paving by the U. S. Engineer Department, the administrative forces were quartered on a single deck, cabined vessel called an office boat. This craft had a wooden hull about 135 feet long and 28 feet beam. Depth of hold about 4 feet and a displacement of about 235 tons. She had a scow bow and stern. On this boat were housed fifteen men consisting of an engineer in complete charge of a field survey party; an office man for technical work and drafting; a clerk for keeping time; preparing pay rolls and routine office work; a messenger or mail clerk; and a recorder in charge of property and disposition of material used such as stone, brush and piling. These me were considered the officers. The remaining crew comprised a cook; a waiter for the officer's mess and who assisted the cook; a watchman; a foreman or mate who assisted the surveyor; the remainder were boatmen who usually worked for the surveyor. The office was usually at the bow while the living quarters of the crew were at the aft end of the boat. The cook house was located in the center of the boat with the crew's mess room aft and the officer's dining room forward of the kitchen. The officer's quarters were located directly aft the office, the engineer in charge enjoying a private room and cot. All others slept in bunks. A small wash room each for officers and crew in their separate quarters. The outdoor toilets were two singe-hole privies suspended over the stern, one for the officers, the other for the crew. Note: The Office Boat was always moored at the head of the fleet. The foremen and workmen were quartered in a similar boat but with two decks - sleeping quarters above with dining room and cook house on the lower deck. The sleeping quarters and mess room for the foremen were separated from the laborers. And thus we lived and worked.