The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-26
THE HORSESHOE.
Preliminary steps TO secure the Re movaI of
the Horseshoe shoals in tho Della uware.

steps TO secure the re movaI of
EYesterday afternoon, in Select Council Chamber,a
public meeting was held at the call aud under the
supervision of the joint special committee OF Coun-
cils, Mr.. Bumm chairman, which was appointed to
Demo orialize, in conjunction with committees from
02r various commercial bodies, Congress to appro-
late moneys to remove the Horses Bar upon
Ehich the Ice 8ccumu'ates, impedes and often in
e1upts for time the navigation OF the river There
|<ere present of Councils:-Messrs. Bumm, Shoe
maker, McIvain, George A. Smith, King Buzby,
|Mptchell and Ellis; of the Board of Port Wardens-
Ea1k, Van Horn, Everman, and Oramp; of the
RDard OF Ira ie-1homas G. Hand, Henry Winsor,
<eorge.N. Tatem, and Thomas l.. Gillespie; of the
Commercial EXchange-Walter J. Wilson, William
RI Massey and the City Chief Engineer, and Sur
NeyOr Strickland Kneass Esq.
A number of communications were read relating
<o this projected Improvement among which was
3Bbe wharfage property on the South Delaware
d mt, which was originally sent to the Board OF Port
T beg leave to call the attention OF your honorable
<Dard to the Importance OF improving the naviga-
Ion Of the Delaware river by the % removal OF the
3eague Island, commonly known as the Horse Shoe
Bhoals.
4 TO me, the cause OF these accretions seems very
apparent and the remedy simple.
The courses of the stream at the Horse Shoe bend
Naturally causes the channel to hug the New Jersey
Ihore at all tides, forming an immense bay at the
mouth of the Big TimJer creek. AS the current of
Die stream sets into this bay at either side, 1t forms
J slight counter current on the opposite shore suf-
Eent to AIRY over and deposit these accommodating
4ccretions. This same counter current prevents
Tic outward passage OF nOatng Ice IN the winter,
8nd by packing these shoals obstrucJs the naviga-
Don to the great injury of the commercial reputation
d Philadelphia.
Practically the river is too wide at that point and
fhe only remedy is to narrow 1t, but before u de-
hailed plan can be fixed upon careful surveys and
&ouIlings should be made and the character of the
bed Of the river ascertained
Without going into details, 1t would seem a very
|hexpensiye matter to construct two wings at the
Entrance OF the bay, to throw the channel nearer
he Pennsylvania shore, than bV breaking the crust
Incident to such accretions. That channel would
ln
3Ormed in the slack water behind the wings, which
Goud be put to profitable use by the owners of the
khore lands.
/ Such wings may be cheaply constructed by an or
Binary bulkhead, at the shore ends, consisting of
ew rows OF closely driven piles for the foundation
tiprapped on the face with stones, while the eX-
IRENE outer CT DIS may be made sufficiently perma-
hent by throwing overheard few vessel loads OF
Barge stones in the proper locations.
Er. Kneass said this subject Of the removal Of the
3II orse Shoe Shoals is not new. l brought the ne
{cessiiy for this Improvement to the notice Of Coun
kCils some five years ago, and showed them how im .
|portant it that the bar should be removed if we
desired to retain the full availability of the port.
end OF League Island you will find that the Jersey
shore, from the eject Of food water, has been
The result is on an ebO tide, the water crosses
10 the Jersey shore, makes sudden turn,
and then washes into the face OF League
Island. Consequently on the face OF League
Island we have the best water on the river. Any
vessel can ride there. you look at a map of the
river, this easily be seen. AT the mouth
Of the Back Channel, and for very considerable
distance up you must go from 1909 to 1000 feet from
the Pennsylvania shore before you reach water
twenty feet deep. The result is that the channel
hugs close to The other New Jersey Shore and rem
deTs shore at that point vaueless for shipping
purposes, Tor vessels cannot approach it,,
even at high water mark. What we want
is to have the current, which, on the flood
tide, runs from the Point House (at Greenwich
Poin rghtacross to the JerseyShOre turned se.that
it shall cut down along our own. This would re-
move the Horse Shoe, and could be done by con-
structing bulk head the whole length of the New
Jersey shore, from Red Bank TO Gloucester, cutting
and thus forcing the channel into our own shore,
and greatly Strengthening it. do not think such a
bulk head would cost over $780, 000 If you only
4 divert the current from running into the Jersey
shore you are all right. L think it could be turned
into the shoal and cut IL away.
Mr.. Wnsor said:-l think we should appoint q
committee to employ competent experts to ascer-
ttan how we can remove the ice obstruction OF the
/ river, and therefore offer the following
ResOlUed, That committee be appointed to eX-
anime the Horse Shoe in the Delaware river, and
take the opinion and advice OF experts in relation to
the proper measures to be adopted to prevent OBJ
structions by ice at the said point Said committee
to report at an adjourned meeting
Mr.. King-If this matter is allowed to drag, it viii
accomplish nothing. move that the committee re
port In ten days.
The resolution as amended was adopted, and the
Chair appointed Messrs. Wtnsor, Van Horn, George
"a. Smith, and Massey as the committee
: The meeting adjourned to assemble at the call o.
The Chair.
NeIice Ofthe Register of Wills.
The Register OF Wills OF this CITY and county ha