The daily gazette., 1882-05-31
TWO DELAWARE STREAMS.
Proposed Improvements to the MispilIiOn
and MurderkiII-ResultO of surveys.


WAsHINeToN, May 31.-In compliance
with special resolution of Congress the
Chief of Engineers has caused to be made
surveys of several streams In New Jersey
and Delaware, for which improvements sub
sequent appropriations will be provided of
the Mispillion, one of the streams surveyed
it is said that with navigable length of fabout
IS miles, and discharging into the Delaware
Bay. Mispillion is one of the most impor-
tant Of the Delaware streams, by reason of
its considerable shipbuilding interests and
the high repute of its native white oak tim
Der. The Improvement of its navigation
has been confined to the removal of shoals
in the creek, beginning at Milford, the head
of navigation, and the site of numerous
shipyards and saw mills, where vessels of
over 900 tons are built. As is the case
nearly all streams tributary TO Delaware
bay, the most serious obstruction to nayiga-
tiOn is found at the entrance
For the maintenance Of channel en-
trance of any desired depth it is necessary
not only to prevent the intrusion of sand at
the mouth, but the transporting and dis
tributing action of the waves and tidal cur
rents Of the bay as well. For these pur-
poses, after determining the line, the jetty
should be built, starting from the north side
of the entrance with a reliable shore con-
nection and extending out into the bay to at
least the depth desired. Along this jetty
the channel may be dredged to such depth
and width as shall make it available for the
vessels which are to use it.
The low water navigation in the Mispillon
is about six feet, and under ordinary cir
cumstances it would be desirable to continue
this depth into the bay, but the rise of the
tide in the bay is about AZ feet, while at
Milford the rise does not exceed ~ feet.
The entrance depth, therefore, might be re-
duced to feet at low water without serious
disadvantage and with large saving in the
cost of the necessary works. A jetty 1900
feet in length will be required, which should
terminate In a substantial cluster of piles
supporting rough structure of some kind
to mark the entrance. The amount of
dredging necessary to make channel feet
deep and $50 feet wide is about 80, 900 cubic
yards. The cost of the various works would
be S55,000.
MURDERKILL CREEK.
The main obstruction TO the navigation of
the creek proper is the inadequate dimen-
sions of the canals or cut-offs, which were
originally designed to have a width of 30
feet and depth of 8 feet. The width is not
only too narrow for convenient navigation,
but the tidal prism, which is the main
source of power of maintenance, is gradu-
ally diminishing in proportion as the bends
in the old creek bed become filled and OBJ
liberated. The obvious remedy is that the
improvement company, which under charter
granted by the State, has made the canals,
should widen and deepen them to such an
extent as may be necessary to facilitate
navigation and conserve the tidal volume OF
the stream.
The distractions at the mouth of the Muir
| derllill are different in character and require
for their amelioration much larger eXpendi-
| ture and less simple methods of treatment
Were the improvement of the Murderkill
entrance only in question, the project and
estimate would be almost the same as thos'
| of Saint Jones creek. Since, however, the
mouths of the two streams are at less dis
taace apart than that to which the projected
works for either would extend into the bay
and since the improvement of Saint Jones
creek has already been appropriated for, 1t
| becomes necessary to combine the two
| projects in order to avoid injurious inter-
| ference, and, if practicable, to secure more
| advantageous results.
The leading feature of the project is to
unite by means of concave half dikes OF
| suitable radius the efiluent waters of the
two streams, in the anticipation that their
| combined volumes may suffice to erode a
| channel across the fats on the prolongation
of their common tangents, which has a di-
rection such as not to interfere with the free
admission of the flood tide into both. The
large amount of excavation required makes
the cost considerable, and the project is
| liable to the further objection that no pro-
vision is made for the securing of harbor
space. Estimating on the basis of low
water entrance of four feet, the cost of the
project is ST. 900, to which amount $4,000
should be added for dredging in the Muir
1 darkill