The sun., 1894-01-04
OUR BIeHWAYs OF COMMERCE.
Interesting Iuform.tion About Some OF th
Less widely Known or Them.


Less widely Known or Them.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 3-Much food for thought
is furnished In the 44O pages and mora which
Gen. Casey's report devotes to river and har-
Dor i'm provoments Many OF these have long
been familiar. and IL IA Interesting to note their
progress. From present Appearances they
may provo links to connect our generation with
o distant posterity.
On Lubec Channel the expenditures up to
Juno 80. 1892 had amounted to only Sl0S.-
e5442. while those on Moosabec Bar were
$50. .41S77. In the Narrsguagus the impedl-
ment was Q shoal giving less than four feet at
low water. and this has been taken care Of.
The improvement ofthe Bagaduce is going on
cheerily. one project being to help an area
which used to be wholly bare at low tide For
the Bellamy n channel five feet deep at low
tide is aimed at. Ledges and shoals gave the
Cocheco in some places only six inches at
mean low tide. but they are being looked after
Expenditures on the Powow are proceeding.
In tho Ipswich a channel four feet deep Is to
be made through Labor in Vain to Deep
Hole" The trouble with tho Mystic and the
Maiden is that originally no low water chan
mel existed in either river" The estimated
cost OF the project at Scituate is S2l7. 900. Tho
channel by which supplies can be landed for
Kingston is under construction. The trade OF
Wareham is partly carried on In sailing ves-
sels and the Government has kindly UNDER
taken TO make q beating channel for them
and to raise Long Beach. Work on Cauapitsit
Channel awaits further appropriations.
For the Seekonk the total estimate is $780,
500. whereas at Point Judith about 81. 250. 900
in all Is required. Good work has been done
on the Pawcatuck where some parts used to
have but u feet at low water. In the sauga-
tuck the minimum depth was less than foot
prior to dredging At Five Mile River the low
water depth was three feet at the mouth. but
nothing half way up the harbor The "wide
mud flats" OF the Miamus have received at
tention. Prior to 1901 Browns Creek was ''of
no value for purposes OF navigation" but rs
now quite extensively used by boats engaged
improved. had commerce for tho year 1892 OF
40 tons. against APT tons for 1871"
Mattawan Crock. before the nited States
mud fiat but both 1t aud Compton Creek have
been improved. sluan River was obstructed
mel was sometimes closed by sand; the
amount expended on it up to June 30. 1892.
had been effected Alloway Creek and Goshen
Greek have been hettered: and so has the
to be called Duck Creek. The Murdersiii q
gives serious obstruction from its flats and the
App96upiTiHk i has only isst Of water at ~
work for both. The work on the BroadEin has
benefited the shipping. but has :, not increased
eighteen inches on the bar at low tide. but it |
crease in the limited commerce OF the river" |
and the same sad reflection is made on Fair |
wa, On and sde stP s esr1sd
on BY few fiat bottomed. so-called lime boats |
hand IN the the GRestsr sinee the ns UInss
Snd otss number Of SSii6oSts earr,
OF the Improved channel In onseSuence OF
work on the Choptank. a steamboat has for six |
Greensboro. The Msnokin used to be trou6Ied
by flats at the mouth. with less than two feet
'oceoqaaR Juan CreeE lower owen HEuISsf HasGodoc Creek.
Nominl Creek and the famunkey have been
es Om and ress
places I,a G dense , 6arrieadss making It's descent
been next to, Impossible, No work was done
on LSckwoods FSlly y during the last year. ,0S
the is F.ass tSs MA aago sns aSa Sa the tine
hatchie Is TO bs farnished With atbost s sa shss-
mel and about $50 900 has been laid out on
s%nass % o6strust the ockisWa6s. snd % OYSTER Snq
bars are among tho impsdiments Of the
pse csof HD he SiE M xlss hass hssdy so SoS
is%,y ShSslr Ss ..ss sss ,&:.,2 the ,
that on thirteen of the shoals there is only
tenths Of . foot; besides this there are in
numerable snAgs and great quantity OF lean
ing trees" The Noxubee was in such condi-
tion when undertaken that only small flat
boats could navigate them. and the ChckasA-
hay could only 10 used for small RATS at high |
water, and was difficult and troublesome for
them." Hun Greek was blocked. and the Leaf
was not navigable on account OF snREs. logs
and trees.
The foregoing recital, which, as the reader
must have recognized. takes up, the coast
illustrates the formidable difficulties which
our engineers have had to contend with. In
! eed. but for the fact that Congress has baen
lntiTing In pouring out millions for dredging
and snAKRtnR. much OF the work would never
have been attempted at all. But as long as the
Treasury can keep up the supply OF funds
ways Will be found to eXpend them.