The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-17
HARLEM SHIP CANAL
The Great Waterway Opened
to Commerce This
Morning.
LAND AND SEA PAGEANTs
A Project Of Twenty Years Aga
Realized-Details of the
Celebration.

NEW YORK, June IT, 1Ss5-Amid tho
booming of canon from two Of Uncle
| Sans warships, the screeching OF
| whistles from river craft and the cheers
| of thousands spectators, flotilla OF
nearly 200 vessels entered the Harlem
Ship Canal and new water way was
| thrown open to commerce at noon to-
day. Tt was great day for upper New
York. The Joining of the waters of the
Hudson and East Rivers was celebrated
| as no similar event has been celebrated
| since the Erie Canal was opened in 1926.
Mayor Strong issued a proclamation
making the day a municipal holiday and
elaborate preparations were made by
the enthusiastic Harlemites to wnooD
| things up all the way from historic
Spuyten Duyv.i, past KingSbridge, the
heights of Fordham, Morris dock, High
Bridge, Mott Haven and Port Morris TO
Oak Point on Long Island Sound. where
a final burst of fire works is to be let off
tonight. The weather was perfect
There were crowds of people the
bridges that cross the canal and at aH
points commanding a view of the unique
marine display. In addition there was a
land parade. which had many Interest,"
1 ing features.
AN OLD PROJECT.
The Harlem Snip Canal was projected
twenty years ago, but no active wors
was done until within the last five
years Since then the government has
blasted a wide cut through a hill Of
rock. and dredged many miles of mud In
order to change a creek two feet in
depth and the Harlem River into a
water way from the Hudson River TO
| Long Island Sound. The total length or
the canal is six miles. The mean depth
Of the channel is nine feet and the
width fifty feet. The cost of the canal
is $500 600, and it IS proposed eventu-
ally to widen it to $50 feet and deepen ik
| to eighteen feet. It's opening will be q
great relief to the building trades of the
upper part of the city, as it VIII be
mainly used for building material for
some time to come. Some of the gram
canal boat traffic which now passes
around the Battery to reach the East.
River may also be diverted to it. The
canal also forms a connecting Ink be-
tween the Great Lakes and Long Island
Sound, shortening the distance from the
Hudson River to Long Island Sound by
| about twelve miles.
MARINE PARADE.
AT eleven o'clock. the hour set for the
starting of the marine parade, the Hud-
son River at Spuyten Duyvil presented
a lively appearance. The trim cruiser
Cincinnati, anchored in the stream was
gay with bunting and ready to attend
to it's part of the ceremony. dozen
passenger steamers, two score of tugs
| and steam yachts and naphtha launches
| without number hovered about the wes-
tern entrance of the canal. All the craft
were decorated with bunting and their
l ],ol 1Ind Will
posed to see the show by being part OF
1t. When all were ready the signal was
| the rail of the Cincinnati. The boom of
the cannon echoed and re-echoed between
Palisades ana ben 6ee Sn@tber spoe
and all the big and little steam whistles
in the vicinity Joined in deafening
way. open. At that moment two casks
of fresh water-one from Lake Cham
plain and one from Lake Superiorac,were
emptied into the salt water Of the Canal.
and the waters We're Joined. The pro-
then tp moyed gfo the me
and proceeded eastward IN the 1olioWlns
ORDER ,.,.-.e,ro>-
tenant Colonel G. l. Ginespis, United United
states EngneeS sT% 9Smmadndng and An the
g First ST. Division-United States Naval
Veteran Patrol Fleet aagship Baffim9Tie, e,
sfarboard Division, Captain Samuel Al
man; FLAGSHIP Port Division Division,
Captain E. w. Jacob 100 patrol, picket
steam and naphtha launches, four a.
breast; ambulance Launches IN charge OK
Surgeon T. E. Johnston.
; Second Division-Steamboat Elaine con-
fitd Third bivisien-The North Side Board
! of Trade steamboats,, escorted by vessels
employed in the ship canal traffic.
Fourth Diyision-Barges and canal anal
69ats 1agagea ganais al 'Fhae n tow oN anu
Fifth Division--one hundred tow boats
and steam canal boats.
| Sixth Division-Steam Yachts, launcness
| excursion boats. etc.
Owing to the narrowness of the canal
and the numerous drawbridges the pro-
| cession moved slowly The beats were
{ cheered by big crowds at the Junei
! Mansion and other, spots of Revolution
: bridge, and along the picturesque Ford
, ham Heights, the people on the ooats
ToSna neM weshiSgto1 pidhhiy ~ and % old High Bridges.
through the wide draw of the new Ma
combs Dam bridge. under, the elevated
avenue bridge, the temporary draw Of
| the New York Central RAILROAD, the
Third and. Second ayenus e., or,dges, & ,Sppass passs
: way, the procession moved until the
East River was reached, ana then It
through fI h Hell Gate and past Port Morris
to Oak Point, where a salute was nrso
e by the Atlanta, and the guests We're
A LAND PARADE.
3 While the boats were having a big
e time of it ON the water there was an
e other parade on the land It was formed
E at One Hundred and Thirtieth street
and the North River, and started when
the salue of the Cincinnati was heard.
| There We're fifty floats illustrating diff.
ferent industries. and detachments OF
aremen, policemen and SCI school children. s.n
+, sented by soldiers from Fort Hamilton
and Governors island, :, and the G. 4. R
through 125th street, where nearly
every building was decorated to Fifth
avenue. to 135th street, across Madison
: avenue bridge. where there was some
6 confusion owing to the draw being open
y most of the time for the water parade.
When the land procession finally got
over the bridge il went by way Of
! Willis avenue and 18th street to Oak
Point where all diffsrences co52eer3ning 25 Z
!. eeiebration that Followed General Egg
bert T yieIe presided at the banquet
/ Of Gouvernea,r Morris. who destroyed
the Macomb's Dam bridge of Revolution
airy times, delivered the Grafton of the
/