Morning journal and courier., 1885-05-22
SHIPPING AND HARBoR.

The TOml1nsOn Bridge matter-An
 Appeal For Providing a Sufficient
 Waterway and Reasons Therefor. A correspondent says: We have been shown photograph of Tomlinson bridge taken from the extreme end of the Steam boat wharf, and made at about the fourth hour of the flood tide and when the tidal wave is highest. The photograph illustrates the water headed up on the south side of the bridge to appearance at least two feet higher than on the north side, and the line of high water mark is most distinctly shown by salty slime which the rays of the sun have crystallized, leaving white mark like chalk to point out the tides average level It is when the tide is at this state Gourth hour of flooO that a sharpiee cannot be sculled through the sluices of the bridge against the tide by the strongest boatman of the Quinnipiac river. This dam ming of the tide, however, is detriment to the movements of the port, as has been often shown in previous articles, and to-day it's damaging effect to the ships above and be- low Tomlinsons bridge is such that thou sands of dollars will have to be expended to dig out the silt deposited therein by the ed dy tides, which silt has choked up the sev- eral sluices on the west part of the causeway and filled the sluices, stopping their delivery by forming near by sand and mud bars near thereto. This can be now seen by anyone who will take the trouble to go and look at the same at low tide and while doing so go to the delivery end of the East street sewer and see where thousands of tons of city sand have been washed into the harbor. The stoppage of this tidal wave we are in- formed has on one occasion flooded the foundry floors and put out the fires of large shop near this bridge which employs hun dreds of workmen, and it was not known un- til an investigation was made what caused it. The same tide did not rise much higher than usual at the Canal dock and Long Wharf because the water became level be- fore 1t reached such distances. The occasion of these bores coming up the harbor is the meeting of the tides via Sandy Hook and the Race which Prof. Hilgard says rise to Stannard of Westbrook, Conn, who is engaged at Cow Bay, Long Island, in breaking up ships lately con demned by the U. s. government, says he has known the tide to rise 12 feet at his wharf in this bay and such rise hap pened when he hove the steamship "Henry Chauncey," late of the Pacific Mail Steam ship company, out few years ago.
 So these two tides meeting and heading sometimes in heavy southeast gales cause heavy tide in New Haven harbor, and our bridges ought to have waterways wide
 
 and fill the reservoirs of the Mill and Quin- nipiac rivers so that when the tidal wave re- cedes from the coast this heavy head of water up stream will flow out of our harbor with great velocity and with the friction attending SCOUT our channel 1 and sewer deliveries and so cleanse this re- ceptacle of filthy deposits, giving us what we ! have not had from harborwards for the past twenty years-a clear atmosphere to inhale
 We hear that the Tomlinson bridge com missioners met in New Haven Monday last | and we hope that they have taken into con- sideration that the waters of the two rivers (the Mill and Quinnipiac) have to pass Tom linson bridge and that the draw and | other waterways at Tomlinson bridge in ! our opinion should be wider than that of the | Quinnipiac, which is only 80 feet wide in the | clear. Tonlinson bridge should have on | each side of its draws center pier, water | way at least 100 feet wide, and the center I and if necessary to fit this arrangement 50 | or 100 feet of the east causeway should be | taken away. This width of passage way for | the water would use space for Mill river wa ter, and would also allow the steam dredces of the Quinnipiae river to pass up clear of the abutment. There are three tides that meet at the center (the draw) and none but person acquainted can guide or pilot a tow 'f coal barges through without allowing for he tide, and must have room to sheer off or on, as the state of wind and tide dictates Let us have this work well and properly lone, and with such able engineers as Prof. Frowbridge and Colonel McFarlane living in he town, whom we feel will advise if request 'd, let us, repeat, have the work done to meet the wants of commercial port whose geographical position makes it one that will oe used by somebody some day, even if New Haven citizens have no use for it now Let IS anticipate the wants of the marine popu- |, ation for the next fifty years and bore with m auger large enough to answer the purpose hen as well as now. c. H. T.