The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-28
THE PASSAIC RIVER
interesting Report of the
Government Engineer,
Captain Casey.
IMPROVEMENTS THE PAST YEAR.
Nearly 100000 Expended Since
1S72--s60,000 Asked for the
Fiscal Year 1894-95.

WASHINGTON, L. C., February, %, lS94.-
The annual report of the Chief of Engineers,
| United States Army. for the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1898. has just made its appear
ance, in six bulky volumes, from the Govern
ment Printing Office, but the costly publica-
| ton will not be available to the general pub
lie for some time yet. The first volume con-
tains, among others, the reports of Captain
Thomas L. Casey, Corps of Engineers. in
| charge of all the river and harbor works in
northeastern New Jersey. Concerning the
Passaic river the report is as follows:
The Passaic River is being improved UNI
der two separate projects, the first apply
ing to the river below Centre street bridge,
Newark, to and beyond the shoal in Newark
| Bay, a distance of seven and five-eighths
| miles: the second, to the upper course of the
river from Centre street bridge, Newark,
as far as Passaic, a distance OF eight miles.
The most recent appropriation was, how
ever, made in a single sum for the entire
| river, and hereafter the two projects will
be united in such a way that the funds can
/ be expended at those parts OF the river most
urgently needing control or repair in the
interests of navigation.
ELO NEWARK.
The lower part of the river, from the Cen
tire street bridge to Newark Bay, was first
surveyed by the Engineer Department in
1879. The greatest depth in the channel, at
a point above the elbow beacon, was only
IL feet, and in many places the greatest
depth was rs feet at mean low water. A
project was adopted, based on this survey,
providing for obtaining, by dikipg n
dredging, a channel 200 feet wide and 10
feet deep at mean low water, from Centre
street bridge. to Newark Bay, at a cost OF
$232, SIS.
This project was modified in 1884, pursu-
- u IL -& ~ HhaE
year, providing for extending the dyke at
the mouth of the river into the bay, a dis
lance of 1900 feet, and for dredging a
channel across the shoal in Newark Bay 200
feet wide and 10 feet deep at mean low
water, increasing the original estimate to
$685., S75.
The amount expended to June 80, 1892, was
1926, 692. Is, with which 6,205 feet of dixie had
been built and maintained, the channel
through the shoal in the bay and the channel
up the river as far as Listers dock dredged
| to the required dimensions, and o bar above
the Zinc Works dock removed to the re-
| quired depth, with a width of 10 feet, for a
distance of 1900 feet upstream.
The recent River and Harbor act of July
Is, 1892, -appropriates $45, 900 for the entire
river, both above and below Newark. A
project for it's expenditure in improving the
river at certain points, the treatment or
which will best conduce to the regulation OF
| bIlS bludl pOI DlOu VI Dll0 v III u OLiOi IVY
was approved July rs, 1892, the portion OF
the project referring to this section OF the
river reading as follows
For dredging between Centre street bridge,
| Newark, and deep water in Newark Bay at
points where the channel is deficient in
width and depth, as provided for IN the
| original project, S20.250. Reserved for the
preservation of the dixie in Newark Bay, en-
| dangered by the retaining of isolated sec
tions of land inside the improved bufkhead
lines, or TO be expended in dredging here
| after, as may seem most advantageous, and
for which due authority will be obtained,
| $4,000.
Specifications were prepared, and sealed
proposals invited by advertisement, dated
| February IS, 1898, for widening and deepen
ing the channel between Centre street bridge
and Lister dock, Newark, by dredging. to a
10 feet mean low-water depth where the ex-
isting mean low-water depth varies from Z
to 10 feet. Bids were opened March 20,
1893, the lowest bid received being that OF
Alonzo E. Smith of Islip, N. Y, at 29.9
cents per cubic yard, measured in scows lab
stract herewith). Upon investigation it was
found that the bidder was not possessed OF,
nor could he procure, a plant ade-
quate to the performance of the con-
tract in accordance with the specihca-
/ tions, and the award was therefore made to
the next lowest responsible bidder, p. San
ford Ross of Jersey City, N. j., at 80 cents
per cubic yard, measured in scOwS, and a
contract entered into April IS, 1898, for the
removal of about go, 900 cubic yards of mate
rial. Work was begun Jun IA, 1868, and at
the close of the fiscal year 1924 cub yards
had been removed.
A survey of Newark bay, beginning at
Bayonne, \. u, and extending to the New
ark and New York railroad bridge, and of
the river from Baeder & Adamson dock to
Centre street bridge, Newark, was begun
November "A, 1892, and completed December
"a, 1892.
A comparison of this survey, with the con-
dition of the channel in Newark Bay, after
dredging in 1885, reported to be 200 feet
wide and 10 feet deep at mean low water, in
dictates that this improvement has not re-
manned permanent, having shoaled about
one foot between the Newark and New York
railroad bridge and upper end OF the dyke,
with a slight decrease in channe width from
this point to its intersection with the chan
mel Of the Hackensack River, but on conf
| parison with surveys made in 1884 and 1887
it shows a slight improvement OF the chan
mel, this being probably due to increased
tidal flow resulting from improvements
made in the river above the Newark n
New York railroad bridge.
The expenditures on this section of the
river during the fiscal year ending June 80,
1893, amount to 80, 59l .05, as follows:-
SS55 %
Drafting. ..............s .......-..... 80 w
Inspection ......s..... ...........-.-. ZIu w
Administration ...... l,lo6 10
Totai. S@,osl W