The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-11-22
The Amount of Appropriations Made
TO Norfolk Since 1875.
DEEPEN The CHANNEL TO THE YARD
Col. Lamb Makes an Address to tho
Councils of Norfolk, Portsmouth
and Berkeley, SO the Commercial
Bodies ana tho nonrd OF Mar.
Dor COMMISSIONER.
Norfolk, va. Nov. 81, 1896.

In regard to an appropriation by Con-
sress TO secure "a twenty-eight foot
channel at low tide from Hampton
Roads to the navy-yard:
An impression seems to prevail, as in
Dictated by our public press, that there
mas been no systematic effort on the
part OF our citizens to obtain appropriate
lions for our harbor, and that the ap-
preparations for its improvements have
been slow. meagre and inadequate.
This Is great mistake. Repeatedly
our corporate and commercial bodies
and our Board of Harbor Commissions
ers having presented our claims to the
proper committee in the House and
Senate, and 1 am witness that no har-
Dor in the United States has had its
claims more persistently presented to
Congress than our own, and no harbor
has raee!ved n larger approximation
than ours. considering the fact that we
had n greater depth Of water than any
other port in the South, and that all
that has been spent on Southern har-
bors has not yet given them the depth
OF water that we had when our I'M
provements began. The fact that we
have an important naval station at the
head OF our harbor has materially as
sisted us before the committees
Leading members of the River and
1arbor Committee have been brought to
Norfolk and have been shown our needs
and capabilities. and have been our
staunch friends in obtaining appropria-
lions. While much more Is needed we
must not seem ungrateful for what has
been done In the past.
TOTAL APPROPRIATION
Since 1876 sll67, 500 have been appro-
priated for the Improvement of this
haraor. Considering the fact that our
people were always boasting that we
possessed an unrivalled harbor, with
plenty of water for the heaviest draft
ships, and the further fact that It Is
the policy OF the River and Harbor
Committee to cut down appropria lions
TO the lowest point. the. wonder Is that
we have obtained so much.
Since the appropriation of 1883 we
nave gotten more than our share OF the
bills as passed. taking population and
commerce into consideration, exclusive
of the continuing contracts for South
ern harbors. which projects do not
place them on as good footing as our
port. before any appropriations were
made FOR 1t. Few not familiar with
the facts have any comprehension of
the improvements In our harbor, espec-
ially IN the last eight years.
IN 1877, before the Improvements were
begun, the harbor was INSTRUCTED by
shoals at the mouths OF the Eastern
ana southern Branches, the shoals I'm
me Eastern Branch being about one
third of Il mile long, with u low water
depth OF fifteen to sixteen, twenty-two
10 twenty-three feet. The channel was
narrow In some parts and crooked. The
approaches to the harbor were ubstrlct-
ed by shoals at Sewall Point. three
miles long with a low water depth of
twenty feet. and at the mouth OF the
Western Branch one mile long with II
low water depth OF nineteen feet The
depths OF these shoals and the widths
or the channels. particularly in the
inner harbor We're enrroached upon
by the Portsmouth and Berkeley flats
were insufficient for the requirements
OF the port.
THE WORK ALREADY DONE.
Now. there is II channel not less than
800 feet wide and 81 feet at low water,
~ Feet AT high tide. from Hampton
Roads In Lnmberi's Point with II chan
mel through the middle of this ninety
ieet wide and thirty feet deem mt
hlSn tide. The point on the eastern side
or The channel below Lambert's poin;
mas neen removed. giving an additional
width OF 400 feet IL the channel at this
locality, and Il channel eco feet wide and
20 feet deep AT low water from Lam
berts Point tn Fort Norfolk, and an
anchorage ground between these points
OF over sevcHty-iive acres. Twenty-Five
feet deep at low tide tand of his an
chorage an addition TO our harhor facili-
ties since $500 A channel in the South
ern Branch tn The United States NAVY
yard. from 400 feet 10 $50 feet widc
ana ~ feet deep at ordinary low water
anu d CtluilHei not less IMAM twenty-t
feet deep a low tide and from 800 feet
to $50 feet wide in the Eastern Branch
10 the Norfolk ana Western railroad
bridge. The channel between Hospital
point and the mouth of the Southern
branch is now $40 feet wide with - feet
water at low tide. l,5 feet wider than
formerly, and between Hospital and
Primers Points $50 feet wider with u
feet at mean low water One hundred
and forty-five thousand dollars Is sim
available for widening the approaches
and harbor TO the depth OF Twenty-Five
feet al low tide.
MORE DEPTH NEEDED.
1t is, therefore. not width Of chan
nel or anchorage ground which is the
present need OF our harbor so much as
additional depth of water at low tide.
WE NEED NOT LESS THAN TWEEN.
TY-DlGHT FEET AT LOW WATER
AND NEED 1T BADLY. Steamships
now coal at Lambert's Point piers thar
could not go to the Norfolk and West
ern elevator on the Eastern Branch.
1t Is well known that our United
States batteships and largest cruisers
cannot get to the navy-yard without
serious risk OF grounding. which would
cost the Government almost as much
as would be required 10 dredge a sutti-
cient channel way. 1t is this want OF
water which sends the Texas TO tho
New York Yard for repairs instead of
bringing her where she was built.
During the session of the Fifty third
Congress Senator Daniel endeavored 10
get all appropriation for chappel