American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-01-03

erest TO proceed 10 Philadelphia with the certainly
of finding at least as good market as that OF 'he''
ORIGINAL destination while il the absence OF Inc Ge
sired harbour many coasting vessels when are ac
cus,omed 10, and prefer the Philadelphia market
avoid the Delaware during the stormy seasons IRON,
the dangers Of the navigation, owing TO The want Oh
shelter near the Capes."
The benefit derived from the partial facilities IN
the navigation ofthe Delaware by the erection OF a
revolving light on Cape May, the Beacon ''gh' on
the pitch of Cape IIenlopen, the floating light near
Oh. Rrandywine. similar one on the Upper Mid.
die. and The perm anent light on Fort Delaware, IS
felt and acknowledged; but the floating lights are OF
necessity removed as The Indictment season ap
proaches and are absent at the times they are most
wanted Thar near the Bfandywne shoal IN the
gorge of the Bay, and most critical point IN me
nayie at,on ought, with view TO economy as wei
as 10 it's permanent display, 10 be transferred to
| Lighthouse on the lower end OF the shoa ITSELF
where it NAV be erected at very moderate expense
as recommended by he United States commission
in their report.
The harbour near Cape Tlenlopen may moreover
be protected against an entmy, by temporary bst
,ery among the sand hills on the Cape, without IN
currinr,the expense u regular wO k, as the City
81 Charleston was defended against strong British
naval force. during our revolutionary contest, by
simp pie palmetto fort among the sand hills on ouilI.
vars island.
The proposed partial Breakwater on the Shears
viii possess but few oil the adyan ages OF thot near
the Cape. 1t will in itself be but an imperfect har
bo for the few vessels It is intended to shelter The
ic. driven in different directions by the varying
course of the tide between its FIRST and last quarters
and still more by the force Of strong wind blowing
across the harbor, may endanger the vessels riding
thrr elm. They viii be remote from the sh ne, and
III able 10 communicate with 1t, unless in mild wca
ther, and none but those who are well acquainted
with the navigation. will venture o pass the tail OF
| the Shears and enter the harbour without a pilot ;
and in whrse the state OF the weather or other
| emergency TENDERS i; necessary TO seek harhor,
ships entering are very frequently without pilo,
and unable to procure one. strong southeast
wind would enable an enemy to run in from and
capture those in the harbor. which, being cal de
sac, would prevent heil escape up the Bay. With
this wind. against which they could not beat down
to round the tale Of the Shears and enter the ship
channel which lies TO The eastward OF II. ship al
the Cape could, on the a proach OF the enemy,
make fair wind OF ii, and run up to safe harbo
at Reedy Island in few hours Being too distant
to be defended from the shure il can only be pro
ecied by floating force, and il Is at least probe
NAUTICAL whether the detection OF the ebb tide from
it's course By the Breakwa,er, may not create ed
dies and deposite the alluvon in the bed oil The har
Dor.
This last evil IS not TO be apprehended in the case
OF The complete harbor neal the pitch Of the Cape.
as the tides both ebb and flood, run with rapidly
parallel to the shore, the bed Of the proposed
harhor which it will sweep clean At best, the
utility OF the partial Breakwater will be confined 10
the protection Of lew inward bound vessels against
the ice, and should the harbor prove detective and
inadequate to the end proposed, il would afford a
cogent argument against the construction OF the
complete harhor and probably forever preclude its
attainment.
| Should the partial Breakwater be the alternative,
would the interests involved in this question be pro
NOTED by the acceptance Of equiyocal and pre-
carious boon! Or rather would ii not be better
to await more suspicious period when the value
and Importance OF the complete harbor may be he,
ie, understood, and Congress induced 10 believe
lnai while millions upon millions have been buried
IN neghboring harbofs for military defence against
remote contingency, the commerce of Pennsyya
MA New Jersey AMI Delaware may Justly claim the
desired protection against the assaults of the ele
ments I"
"Ptilodslphia, October 81, 1926"
EGtrnct of letter on the subject Of The PROMISED
hreakwater, from Committee of the Chamber
/ Of Commerce of PHILADELPHIA to Lieut. C0i. r.
I Iotten. Of the y. S. Board Of Engineers.
/" me following extracts from The statistical tables
y winch VIC uase Hdu access, Will show the ratio oil
the population and tonnage of Philadelphia at the
periods OF the two las. census OF the population Of
the United States, and it is to be observed this in
cludes only the tonnage belonging 10 and registered
10 tins port but not the arrivals and departures nor
the foreign tonnage
Population City and County Tonnage.
IoIo lll2l0 l24,430
/ 1890 l97Oq7 7poey
II IS impossible to state, from any other than con-
Iecural data, what proportion of the very great de-
CLEMSON in the tonnage of Philadelphia may be al
triouted to the want Of good harbor at the Cspes
against ice and winds, but That it is considerable will