The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-12-06
NEW JERSEY RIVERS.
What the Government Will Do to
Improve Them.

WAsHrNGTo ON. Dec. 5, 1891. AT the COM
ing session Of Congress a subject of un-
usual Importance. commercially and
otherwise, will be broached. The War
Department official who has charge of
the New Jersey River district says the
HacKensack river is worthy Of improve
ment by the general government. Navi-
garion on the river, he says, is limited to
such craft as can cross Newark bay, the
outlet, where depth of ten feet mean
low. water. has been made and Is to be
maintained. The Hackensack possesses
depths superior to those of tho bay. and
also an ample width for more than twelve
miles above the bay, the only obstruction
to free navigation being the numerous
bridges. The Improvement asked for is a
through the shoal just below the lower
bridge-the Central Railroad Of New Jer-
sey.
IMPROVING NEWARK BAY.
This shoal proves on examination not
to be a bar across the channel, but mid
die ground dividing the channel below
the bridge into two branches; through
the west branch the food maintains a
good channel, 600 feet wide, from Newark
Rap upward; the eastern branch Is
useless for navigation The least
depth where vessels cross the shoal Is
seven IeeG. by moving tno draw OF Tue
bridge about 400 feet TO the westward It,
would be near the centre of continuous
channel more than 600 Wide and all cause
for complaint would be removed. The
draw in itself is satisfactory, having two
openings fifty feet in the clear and work
ing by steam. To dredge of the head Of
the shoaI would COST $1,000 IL is doubt
full It such cut would remain open II
made, lying obliquely to the currents.
The water front along the east bank of
the Hackensack being situated just ack
of Jersey City, which is rapidly extend
| ing to the banks. and certain to require
\ and utilize all available water front, Is
already held at nigh valuations aud enti-
| tied to the protection and maintenance
Of the full capacity of the Hackensack
4 channel.
The Chief Of Engineers in making bis
annual recommendations to Congress for
the improvements of rivers and harbors
thus briefly refers to some of the i'm
provements desired In New Jersey
.If 1t is the intention of Congress to
complete the improvement of KeYport
Harbor. $4,000 can be lprofitably ex<
tion of The work, and would be applied
to dredging the channel, which would
add materially to existing facilities.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
1.-THE condition of Railway River mas
deteriorated since the work was sus-
IL
the shoaling OF the river having obliged
the principal shippers to transfer bust
ness TO the railroad. Any future appro-
priations allowed by Congress will be APP
piled to deepening and widening the
channel by dredging. To complete this
project there is required S29,250.
To complete the improvement of South
River appropriations TO the amount of
$l23, 695 must be made. but the engineer
only asks for $4,000 for the next fiscal
year. While the expense is large. he says,
the physical changes which takes place in
this river appear to be very slow, and the
dredging Is therefore Of more or less per-
manent value.
In the completion Of the improvement
of Mattawan creek there is needed So $40.
The expenditures have already amounted
to s2S. 900 1t might be mentioned here.
as the creeks OF New Jersey usually pro-
woke good deal of comment when the
River and Harbor bill is under considera-
tion in the House, that the engineer re-
ports this particular one as having
commerce Of So SOC. 900 year. or much
more than many OF the pretentious rivers
in other sections Of the country.
An even $4,000 can be spent in advanc-
ing the work on Shoal harbor and Comp
ton Creek. the total amount still required
being $50 600.
No appropriation is asked for the Man
asquan river. Indeed. the engineer says
1t is hardly necessary to spend the small
appropriation of $1,000 made by the last
Congress for the removal of distractions
at its mouth. He says the channel is
only used by few pleasure yachts uur-
ing the summer mouths and that the en-
trance is at any time liable TO abandon
its present course.
Taken all in all, it can be seen that
New Jersey rivers are not likely TO strike
Uncle Sam very heavy during the coming
Congress.