Delaware gazette and state journal., 1895-12-26
THE HARBOR OF WILMINGTON
Extract of the Annual Report
of Gen. Smith.
WORK ON THE CHRISTIANA CREEK
What Has Been Done and What
Is to be Done.
The Field Work of the survey Preparatory
TO Obtaining n Depth of rwenty-one Feet
Completed and Report With Plans aud
Estimates TO be submitted Soon.

Tho Gazette has received a 4, copy
Of the annual report of Gen. William
+. Smith. who has charge of the i'm
provement Of rivers and harbors in
Delaware and in Maryland and Vir-
ginia east Of the Chesapeake bay. Fol-
lowing is an extract Of his remarks
about Wilmington harbor:
1.-The present project was adopted in
1881 and is for a 15-foot low water
channel from the mouth of the river to
the pulp works, with width of $50
feet from the mouth to the rolling
mill wharf, 100 feet to the Delaware &
Western railroad bridge and rs feet to
the pulp works. The project included
further channel u feet deep and
80 feet wide from the latter works
to the Delaware railroad bridge
and construction Of a ietty on tho
north side Of tho mouth of the
river Dredging operations and the
construction of the letty were begun in
the following year. The original esti-
mate was $l75, ,551, which was in.
creased in 1855 to Sl9l, 3S4 by changing
the width of the proposed channel 10
l50 feet throughout In 1884 the project
was amended by raising the heighth of
the ietty four feet. An extension of
322 feet TO the ietty as then built was
also proposed and approved, but has
not vet been carried out.
Up TO the close of the fiscal year
ending June 30th, 1894, the sum of
S2i0, 556. 70 had been expended under
this project, There was then an i'm
proved channel 15 feet deep at mean
low water and l50 feet wide from the
l5-foot depth outside the bar at the
mouth to point 2,5l5 feet above the
Market street bridge, and above that
point the channel for distance of 800
feet was so feet wide, and u farther
distance of $50 feet only 40 feet wide.
This last cut reaches to the upper ter
minus Of the present river improve
| ments, and what remains to be done
to complete them under the present
project is to widen it and the preceding
narrow section to the full width Of
lJ0 feet and to build the extension of
the jetty. No work was done on the
improvement during the fiscal year 1895.
The river and harbor act Of August
18th, 1894, appropriated S25, 900 for
continuing this improvement, including
survey of the Christiana river and
harbor with view of obtaining a
depth of 81 feet. The field work of
this survey has be encompleted and re-
port with plans and estimates will soon
be submitted, -
He gives the following financial state
ment:
July I, 1891 balance unexpended. ...,..g A1qa .,
Amount appropriatei by act OF August II.
20OOOO0
,.. 80. as.le89 Is
June 20, 1895, amount expended during fiscal
year 76is5
July l. 1875, balance unexpended. 9OblL 40
| Amount testimated) required for compile
ton q existing project. q 63i00
| Amount tnat CAD be probtablv expended in
fiscal year ending Juno sO, sa.......,.... 2OOO0CO
He says the amount of revenue col.
lected here during the fiscal year end
ing June Both, 1895, was 81, 9ll.04
He gives the following local CONNER
cial statistics FURNISHED by William
d. Mullen, Jr., ex president of the
Board of Tradel for the calendar year
/ 1907.