The Portland daily press., 1888-01-20
MAINE RIVERS AND HARsoRs.
What the Engineers Think Necessa-
ry for Their Improvement.
Two Hundred and Ten Thousand
Dollars for Portland.
Extensive Operations Proposed at
the Mouth OF the Saco.
Especial to the Press.J

task of making up the river and harbor bill,
and the information they have before them
is full of interesting points. There are 30
odd pages of reports from the Board of En-
gineers regarding Maine. Lubec Channel is
the first water way reported. About $4,000
is recommended for this. The sum is asked
for widening the channel and increasing the
depth by dredging until it is 271 feet in width
800 feet in the bends, and Is feet at low wa
ter
Moose-a-bec Bar should have $4,000, the
engineers say. The project was for dredging
to a 14feet depth, and removing small
ledge near steamboat buoy. The engineers
report that owners and masters of vessels
want the channel over the bar widened to
300 feet, and the small ledges removed.
The project for improving Narragaugus
river was made in 1880, but no appropriation
was secured until 1886. however. That was
$4,000 1t will take $4,000 more to finish it
What is intended. Is to clear away the bar
from the deep hole" anchorage near Flick
etts Point and dredge channel 200 feet
wide and II feet deep to the steamboat land
ing at Long Point.
The engineers also ask $4,000 for Bangor
harbor and the Penobscot river. Up to June,
1887, $4,000 had been spent. The rest of the
money will be applied in completing the
widening opposite Bangor, then widening
the channel and removing distractions at
Crosby's Narrows.
Belfast harbor is also down in the improve
ment list. There is little balance left over
of former appropriations, about S25oo. The
engineers say there is little need, perhaps,
of deepening the basin in the east side, but
they make no recommendation.
1t will take S650,OO0 to complete the work
at Rockland, and an expenditure Of 100000
is recommended for this year. The original
project consists of two breakwaters; one at
Jameson's Point and one at South Ledge.
The one just completed, the former, is not
nearly high enough.
The engineers recommended for Portland
harbor $3.50 for dredging and engineer
ing contingencies. The project was chan
mel 500 feet wide and 90 feet deep from deep
water of the channel to where the vessels lie
in discharging cargo.
For the Back cove the engineers recon-
mend an expense of $4,000 The project is
to deepen and straighten the channel until
it is 800 feet wide and IL feet deep at mean
low water. 1t will take s154,0O0 to complete
the entire project.
The engineers want the breakwaters at
the mouth of the SacoIriver raised and i'm
proved to putting riprap stone on it to raise
it Is feet above low water and II feet on top,
and extend the breakwater to Sharp's Ledge.
The original estimate was $4,000, but on
,;eso Iod 10 ha b -
iect of the breakweater was to stop the
encroaching sands at the mouth of the river.
1t will take $3.50, 900 to finish it, and 100000
is asked for this year. For the improvement
of the river itself $4,000 is asked. The dredg-
ing of the bar is the main portion of the
is reported to be five feet. Major Smith
thinks it will not do to dredge, however,
until these works have been completed:
Ito construct a jetty opposite the breakwater
and in the general direction affording width of
300 feet in the narrowest part.
2-Dredging at Little Islands.
ga reyetment and perhead at the coal
wharyes.
"A wing dam as high as half tide clear around
Cow Island.
5-A small series of wing dams with retaining
walls over streams TO resist theforce of floating ice
mel.
There is 1886 left from the Kennebunk
river appropriation, and the engineers do not
suggest any way nor find any need of fur
tber improvement. They ask for $4,000 for
York Harbor for dredging the channel to a
10-fo0t depth.
Major Smith has looked over the plan for
the improvement of the rapids in st. Johns
river. He. says the land along there belongs
to non-residents and the supplies taken over
the rapids belong almost exclusively to par
ties cutting timber In the winter season. He
thinks whatever work should be done would
be for the benefit CT the nonresident owners
and not for the general public. An improve
ment could not be made less than $4,000,
which is at least $6.66 ton for all freight
going over the rapids in ten years.
He reports also against touching st.
Georges river from Warren to Thomaston,
where he made survey last summer. ANY
improvement to be of benefit should give
high water depth of II feet and even this
would not admit of any considerable COM
merce. The benefit, too, he says, whould be
almost wholly local and though he admits 1t
would save $500 in year on coal and lum-
Der he does not regard the proposition of
general interest
Major Smith reports against making har-
Dor Of refuge at Matinicus. He thinks all
vessels in this neighborhood could easily
make Rockland harbor. To make the har-
Dor harb0r of refuge would require a
breakwater which could only be constructed
at great expense.
The proposition to improve st. Croix river
from Ferry Point bridge at Calais to Break
ports that, when 80 or 40 years ago the
largest vessels could ascend the river
and anchor at Calais, the depth
is now only from two to. four feet
The filling is due to slabs and saw dust.
Looking over the estimates of the previous
years he thinks it would take 100000 to do
the work. Major Smith says he conferred
with Mayor Graham, of st. Stephen, who
told him that the statutes of Canada prohib-
tied the deposit of refuse from mills in
streams, but that Canada had taken no ac-
tion because the others did not. He recon-
mends stirring up the State authorities to
make new laws tending this. He also recon-
mends that this improvement be no further
considered until tits certain that the saw
mill men are not putting waste in the river.
A breakwater at total expense of $780,
900 is recommended to Bar Harbor $780,
600 to be spent the first year. The breakwat-
er would be located along the ridge running
from point north of the cove to Porcupine
Dry Ledge. He proposes to take the stone
from Round Porcupine Island. VAN.