Daily Republican., 1880-02-26
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THE DELAWARE RIVER.
The committee FavOTing the lm'
proved Navigation Of the Deia-
aWuro Before Congress.


The committee FavOring the I'm.
proved Navigation Of the Deia-
aware Before Congress.
The Philadelphia people had hear
ing yesterday before the commerce com
nittee at Washington. The room OF
the commerce committee has seldom
been so crowded as it was this morn
ing. The first speaker was Geo. A
Smith, president of select Council. d.
spoke briefly of the absolute necessity
Of the work for which appropriation
was asked. He was followed by Joe
Cook, who told the committee how
much was wanted and how the money
was 70 be spent. After him came Ex.
Minister, John Welsh, representing
firm which pays 81, 900, 900 to the Gus
toms revenues of the country.
The entire estimates submitted fol
river and harbor improvements by the
engineers aggregate about $4,000, ,0ot
and cover nearly four hundred differ
ent items. The subcommittee are PIE
pairing the bills upon the basis of an
aggregate appropriation of $500, 600,
and have decided not to scale down any
item to less than 80 per cent. Of the
amount recommended by the engineers.
A vast amount Of investigation and ex-
animation is required, and the bill will
hardly be in proper shape for action by
the full committee for some weeks.
Afterwards a few of the Philadelphia
gentlemen we're heard before sub
committee of the appropriation commit
tee on the question of an appropriation
for continuing and completing the sys-
tenn of lighthouses in the bay and river.
The b-committes consisted of Blount,
Georgia Mcmahon and Monroe, Ohio.
The speakers Henry C. Winsor, Cap
tain White, Lighthouse Inspector; Gen
eral Reynolds, James A. Wright, of the
American Steamship Line, and Mr..
Brockie, President of the Maritime
Exchange.
Chas. d. Freeman, of the Camden
and Atlantic Railroad, demonstrated
the great loss of time and money to the
business of Philadelphia and New Jer-
sey because of the sand-bar dividing
the eastern from the western channels.
John Price Wetherill closed with very
energetic speech, in which he showed
the committee that the requirements Of
the city were for accommodations for
the largest vessels, the competition of
commerce making it necessary that
none but large vessels should be used.
Mr.. A. X. Mcclure followed with a
short speech, showing how the com
merce OF Philadelphia had grown from
four hundred tons to three or four mil
lion tons, until now it has commerce
of $S0,000,000, which had been built
up by the industry of the people of the
city and by the demand of the country.
Her imports, he said, are now $50, ,000,-
600 and she furnishes from her import
duties greater revenue than all the
appropriations for all the rivers and
harbors of the country. What was asked
was absolutely necessary TO make the
Delaware river end bay accommodate the
commerce of Philadelphia.
Mr.. F. B. Gowen, president Of the
Reading Railroad, followed in an eX-
cellent speech, in which he clearly
showed the future requirements of the
commerce of Philadelphia, being the
terminus, as it is, of every trunk line
in the country. More water for larger
vessels is the position summed up by
most of the gentlemen who addressed
the committee. Colonel Macomb told
the committee what had already been
done for the Delaware and what re-
NAMED to be done to make the river
and bay suitable fer the commerce
which comes to and goes from Phila-
delphia.