Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-20
THE SEW BREARWArER.
Where it is Co be Located--Its Construc-
tion Imperativeiy Demanded.

If tion Imperatively Demanded.
l4 The Philadelphia Record says: BY
Z. reason Of the inadequacy Of the Della
r ware Breakwater to furnish a proper
I. harbor OF refuge for large vessels a
corps Of surveyors under the direction
Of Major Raymond, the United Statns
engineer at this port, has begun WORK in
surveying the lower part Of the bay for
q proper location for new oreakwater
The Delaware Breakwater in its present
shape Is oply safe anchorage for YES
sells whose maximum draught does not
exceed 10 feet.
The best known, most frequently
mentioned and undoubtedly the most
extensive artificial harbor of refuge in
the United States is the present Break
water. For 60 years vessels of all ma
tions and almost of every sea-going size
when skirting the Atlantic coast have,
when cyclones threatened, headed away
for the capes of the Delaware and, scud-
ding In near the long piles of rocks
which Uncle Sam had dumped there,
have come to anchor to wait until the
gale subsidized and favoring breezes took
the place of the hurricane that had
driven them there.
During every year of its existence
thousands of vessels have cast anchor
behind the Delaware Breakwater, and
often more than one hundred vessels
have been seen swinging behind the
stone wall. 1t was and is great engi-
neering feat. 1t cost over two and one
half millions Of dollars to build, and
some thousands of dollars must be paid
out every year in maintaining lights,
htlt ms nv ne ma ny %
Ia the shape of shipping and cargo have
been saved from total loss because there
was place where the seas could have
but little effect upon them; and-if there
was ever government structure that
justified its existence doubtless the Del
aware Breakwater has done SO in times
past.
The project of building harbor
of refuge at Lewes was first presented
In Congress in 1929, when an appropria-
ton of $22,700 was made for the pur
pose. Two small piers were constructed
with this money, so as to form sort of
basin, in which few Of the smallest
craft of that day could find safety from
the ice and from the gales as well. The
pier-locked basin for the shipping OF
that day was singularly like the present
DIehkNdteT LOT VESSELS VI lo-uay. ~
was fairly good so FAR as it went.
The new breakwater will be further
up the bay and in toward the Delaware
coast at spot known as the Shears To
properly protect shipping from the
easterly storms, which are the most Sc
we're, it will be necessary to build a
breastwork of stone one mile long; the
water at the spot where the work is to
be done will be SO feet deep. Behind
this submarine stone pile there will be
an anchorage area of two square miles
within which vessels drawing 30 feet of
water can anchor with perfect safety.
During an easterly gale the present
structure affords little or no protection,
and II is with difficulty that vessels hold
to their anchorages. In fact, many of
them steam out to the deep water for
safety. During the last nine months
more vessels have sought shelter and
waited at the Delaware Breakwater for
orders than ever before known in the
same space of time. The cargoes alone
that have arrived there aggregated over
$20,000,000, not including the vessels
that brought them there. The demands
of commerce ara that the new break
A water should be built as soon as the
I survey now in progress is completed.