The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-14
Leasue island.

The following official report of the remarks of
Mr.. Charles O'Neill, of the Second Pennsylvania
district, upon the League Island transfer, de-
livered in the House of Representatives on
Wednesday, will be read with interest. Mr..
O'Neill said:-
do not wish to consume the time of the
House unnecessarily after the remarks of my
colleague the chairman of the Committee on
Naval Affairs (Mr. Scofeld), but wish to reply
to a few of the objections made to this bill by
my friend from Wisconsin (Mr. Washburn). All
the objections to accepting League Island as a
naval station were answered in the Thirty-ninth
Congress, which passed the act authorizing the
Government to accept it. The city of Philadel-
phis made this offer in good faith, and by it the
country is now in possession of the island which
comprises some six hundred acres. 1t is hardly
necessary for me to state the cost incurred by
the city in acquiring the title to this land; that
is not the question to-day; but / will say in
passing that the amount paid originally was
$300,000 The act of acceptance required that
the city of Philadelphia should give clear and
indisputable title to the island before it passed
into the hands of the Government. Subse-
quently, however 1t was ascertained that for
the more perfect occupation of the island itself
for naval purposes 1t was necessary that the
Government should have clear title to little
more land than that embraced within its limits.
Hence the city, without any hesitation and at an
additional expense of over fifty thousand dol
lars making the whole cost more than three
hundred and nfty thousand d0llar6, purchased
narrow strip of land running along the south
bank of the mainland north of League Island
and across the back channel, SO as to give
the Government jurisdiction over sufficient
territory for guarding the approach to
this naval station. This strip of land,
included in the gift at the suggestion of
the Government, makes the donation more
valuable, and secures forever more than six
hundred acres upon which to build naval sta
tion as rapidly as this and other Congresses may
see ut TO make appropriations, nearly the whole
amouht OF which will be returned to the Trea-
sury upon the sale of the ground now occupied
by the present Navy Yard. AS / have already
said the Thirty-ninth Congress-and l wish
my friend from Wisconsin had been in it to hear
the discussion of this matter-considered all the
objections which are now raised; and by the de-
cieion of that Congress these questions were
think. settled forever. will say here, that the
'mnd bank" to which he refers is all the creation
of his imagination from the prejudices of those
from whom he thinks he has obtained reliable
information. Most of this island is fast land
and those who have been upon and examined
il know this fact. The back channel of which
mention has been made, will require very little
deepening to make 1t of sufficient depth to
accommodate the largest iron-clad vessels
now under the Jurisdiction of the Navy
Department. The bottom of this back
channel, like that of the Delaware
river In front OF League Island, is of
mud the best bottom for river where navy
yard Ia located; for rocky bottom tears off
the metal sheeting upon the vessels, and does