New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-15
THE CREDIT FOR THE NEW SHIP CANAL.

CHARLES sToUGHToN's WORK IN INDUCING THE
GOVERNMENT TO UNDERTAKE 1T.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: 1t Is proposed to make two bites OF cherry
by celebrating June II the partial completion
Of the Harlem Ship Canal. This work. less than
half done will, when completed. greatly advantage
the commerce OF this city and State as well as the
rest Of the country and even Europe, by giving
short cut through the city OF Ncw-fork, to the
deep sea channel of Long Island Sound. harbor
Independent of tidal influences Considering the
fact that men who have not assisted In promoting
the improvement when 1t most needed assistance
are organizing and leading the celebration FOR It's
partial completion. it may be proper to ADVERT 10
the facts which have made any celebration possible
There had been about nifty years of fruitless leg
slation on the Harlem River work when the writer.
after many years OF travel and Of reflection on this
problem in 1876 cautiously took up the lfeless en-
terprise for although 1t had been surveyed and re-
surveyed and charters for 1T had been repeatedly
granted and forfeited. not dollar for the work
had been appropriated either by the city, state or
general Government Making use OF the provisional
surveys already made the writer at once estao-
shed the route OF a ship canal, beginning al
Port Morris. Long Island Sound. thence through
the Harlem Kills. and up through the Harlem
River and the Spuyten Duyvil Creek into the HUI
This route. through the unremittinS attention
which it received, was generally spoken OF during
the subsequent years as the Stoughton route for
II. as definite project large bodies or comercIf
as well as in the city and State Of New YORK. pc
ttioned Congress. through the writer. to appro,
PIRATE money; and for 1T Congress appropriated
10000. the moving papers In the case pelng ,ne
one hundred petitions, signed as above mehtohesi,
which clearly stated the extent and limits OK the
proposed canal. Although the engineer IN cnasss
OF this work In his plans. he was obliged to 90
So and It was surveyed mapped and estimated as
part Of the projected Improvement. 49,.
When the grants of 100000 were made FOR the
first section Of the work the lack OF the required
right Of way prevented the engineer from pro
S. 53563S That the work might 20 on the writer
offered the right OF way to the Government as
work for $4,000. and complete 1t in 1880 This oher
was accepted, and the work. after being de-
layed for years. has dragged along. being done IN
more or less intelligent manner. After the iapss
OF fifteen years this section Of u is not completed
and knows when It will be. or when the
other section will be begun The engineer corps
the work according 70 It's own plans ana deliberate
methods. without interference other than the arous
first grants through the writer's eNertons but II
this Improvement has 1.-THE Of the value 10 COM
petely altered the lines OF European commerce, NJ
teen years Is rather an extraVagant delay Tor 'hS
II some Of these men who are so chcerfully pre-
pairing 10 celebrate the partial completion Of the
work had given their influence and assistance 10
II the time when II needed assistance. during the
early years of It's conception, when the writer was
ARRIVING Il on single handed. amid the Indifference
or jcalousics his associates travelling to WASH
ington than hundred times. ana spending
fully $4,000 OF unrequited time ana money; the
completed work might have been celebrated ten
years ago. Known for years in and out of Con
gress as THE Harlem River Man the writer IL
now invited to assist a spectator In this ceebri-
ton and to listen to the Oratlons or men VINO re-
fused TO Sign ono OF the hundred memorials that
R IIsnf roS mrS CHARLEs sTouGHroS
New-York June s. 1880