The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-24
THE FRONT HARsoR.
The Natural Outlet for Most of the
Western Traffic.
Further Improvements That are Yet
to be Made.

to be MADE.
In the autumn of 1885 movement 0rigi-
mated among business men of Portland to
urge upon Congress the necessity for making
deeper channel from the anchorage to the
wharves which are used by the transatlantic
steamers. This resulted in a meeting of the
Board of Trade, December Bird, at which the
subject was discussed and resolutions were
adopted to ask the Hon. Thomas b. Reed,
member of Congress, to obtain an appropria-
ton to dredge channel to a depth of 20 feet
at mean low water
Copies of all the papers on the subject
were forwarded to Mr.. Reed by the secretary
of the Board of Trade, Mr. NJ. n. Rich, on
the 4th of December
Mr. Reed kept the bali rolling 50 that an
estimate for the cost of the improvement
was obtained from the Office of the United
States Engineers in Portland and the whole
matter was brought before Congress in so
complete a shape that an appropriation
was embodied in the river and harbor act
which finally passed and was approved Au-
gust o, 1886.
The usual method in such cases is to get a
clause inserted upon a river and harbor act
requiring an examination or survey. under
direction of the Secretary of War, and re-
port regarding the necessity for the improve
ment and an estimate of its cost. The re-
port is laid before Congress at its next ses-
sion and thus an entire year has elapsed be-
fore the subject is even considered by Con-
gress.
One of the rules which has been adopted
in making river and harbor appropriations is
to the effect that no appropriation shall be
made for any work until the matter has been
referred to the United States Engineer Or
ficer and his report has been received. with
an estimate of the cast of tie work if it is
recommended.
Mr.. Reed succeeded in shortening the
usual formalities as he did also in the case
of the appropriation for Back Cove, and laid
all the information before the proper COM
mittee at the start
After notice was received of the appropri-
alton of $4,000 in August, 1886, complete
plans and specifications of the Improvement
had to he made by the engineers in this city
and approved in Washington before pr opo-
sails could be invited by advertising, so that
it was not possible to complete all the for
malities required in time to do any work be-
fore winter set in.
The lateness of the season when the ap-
preparation was made therefore resulted in
delaying the commencement of work nearly
year.
The appropriation, though not large, was
sufficient to attract competition from dredg-
-. far 10 i'm
Nd, and as result the contract was let to
the Acknowledging Company of Whining
ton, Del. at the remarkably low price of ID
cents per cubic yard measured IN stu to give
a clear depth of % feet at mean low water.
Work under the contract was commenced
early in June, 1887, and was completed in
December. The contractors removed
nearly 100000 cubic yards of material
above the grade of 20 feet, but in order to in
sure the full depth a large amount was re-
moved below grade. The area dredged fol-
lows the harbor commissioners line from
Galt's wharf to the eastward about 1900 feet,
and is over 400 feet wide. The depth at
mean low water averages over 80 feet, and
varies from 80 to 80 feet or even more.
The Grand Trunk Railway. Company ala
considerable dredging last fall, with view
to giving the same depth about the Grand
Trunk wharyes as the government is max
ing In the new channel.
Nearly one-third of the work of dredging
to complete the channel 20 feet deep was
done under the contract last. season. Inc
channel is to run due east and west and is
500 feet wide. The dome of the City Hall is
on line drawn through the middle or axis
of the channel.
Major ]. A. Smith, the officer of engineers
who has charge of river and harbor i'm
provements for this district submitted in
his report for 1886 recommendation to
extend the breakwather 1000 feet and to
place the harbor light on its outer end. The
end of the breakwater will then be near the
edge of the new % feet chan Del, and vessels
drawing 20 feet of water can then pass close
to the light in all ordinary stages. An exam
ination of the map will show at once the
great advantage this will be to indicate the
proper turning point for vessels entering or
leaving, especially when it is foggy, so that
the buoy is hard to find.
Parties in the city have recently been cir
culating a petition to be sent to Congress,
asking for the construction of a breakwater
and lighthouse on Spring Point Ledge. The
ledge at Spring Point already forms steep
bank to the channel, so near the top OF the
water at average low stages, that but two to
four feet depth is shown upon the chart until
very close to the edge of deep water. The
breakwater, if built, would extend along the
top of the ledge, and would be nearly parai-
lei to the direction of seas driven into the
harbor by southerly storms.
Inc breakwater would, therefore, not stop
any of the heavy sea, In fact, the force of
the sea at the anchorage would probably be
slightly increased therby. AT present, the
ends of the seas which bend towards the
land break over the ledge, and the slight
force of the waves which remains after
breaking is lost upon the shore and IN the
shallow water between Spring Point and the
breakwater.; none of that sea comes into
the harbor.
In shallow water the sea meets more re-
sistance than in deep water, so that the ends
of the seas nearest the shore are retarded,
and the wave swings around like company
of soldiers wheeling to move of in new
direction, and so beats upon the shore.
If a breakwater was erected upon Spring
Point, the seas which now break over the
ledge and lose their force without entering
the harbor, would be carried along the break
water lengthwise, and tend to increase. the
size of the seas which pass up to the anchor
age. Probably the difference would not be
radical, but the tendency would be to in
crease rather than to decrease the sea enter
ing the harb0r.
The present breakwater seems to stop at
the point where its greatest usefulness would
commence If extended, and such an extern
sion would tend to decrease the undertow at
the wharveS.
1t is the intention of the government to
carry the dredging from its present location
to the western end of the city, making
channel $50 feet wide and 25 feet deep, con-
Meeting the upper and trout harbors. Then
the largest steamer can be taken up to
Vaughan's bridge, so that whole mile of
wharfage will be brought into use for foreign
carrying trade ii deemed advisable. With
the fact existing that Portland is the natural
outlet of all the northern traffic from the
West, it would seem as if men Of NEE ms and
foresight would not, with these advantages
in their hands, fail to utilize them.