Evening journal., 1896-10-06
SENATOR'S PROTEST.
Mr.. Gray Expresses Himself
Forcibly and Clearly in
DEFENCE OF DELAwAREs RIGHTS:

DEFENCE OF DELAWARB's RIGHTS.
ANOTHER MEETING AT della
WARE CITY THIS EVENING
JoR RAYMOND ACCUSED OF BE-
ING ENGAGED IN ENDEAvoR-
ING TO COUNTERPART THE Eff
FECTs OF AN ERROR OF JUDO
MENT.
People of Delaware City and vicinity
are determined to fight Major Raymond
to the end if ne persists in dumping
into the western channel between the
Delaware shore and Pea Patch island
the one million cubic yards OF mud
dredged from Cherry Island flats and
Schooner Ledge shoal Some aensa-
tional developments may come to the
surface at any time. Another public
meeting will be held at Delaware City
this evening and some radical action
may be taken at that time.
The whole secret Of the trouble Is
this" said prominent citizen OF Della
ware City to an Evening Journal re-
porter this morning About five years
ago Major Raymond built the dixie at
Bulkhead shoal. II is now called Finn's
Point jetty, and runs out into the Della
ware from the Jersey shore some dis
tance above Pea Patch island 4Ae OBJ
ject OF that long dixie was to throw the
current into the eastern channel and
deepen IL, but the result has been di-
rectly the opposite. The western chan
mel has been deepened about three
feet, while .-e eastern channel, which
was to have been benefited by that ex-
pensive dixie, was not made any deeper
by reason OF IS construction. Now, to
remedy the error OF judgment to force
the water through the eastern channel.
ihe major proposes to dump all the
mud he can get into that western cnan-
mel, stopping the flow there and divert
ing the water through the eastern
channel"
SENATOR GRAY's PROTEST.
This morning an Evening Journal re-
porter called upon Senator Gray at his
b Office and asked him for an interview.
b He said:
Il feel very indignant that the old
time shore rights OF the Delaware COM
munities bordering upon the Delaware
bay and river should only be permit
! ted TO exist at the whim OF a United
States engineer. l know how large the
: power Of the general government Is
4 under the commerce clause OF the Con-
5 stitution, but mistake very much the
& temper OF Congress II It will permit
5 such an abuse OF that power as has
been contemplated by certain army Of
icers in dealing with the Improvement
OF Delaware river waterways when It
4 thoroughly understands the situation.
. "These army officers think they are
at liberty to try experiments In the
movement OF great bodies Of water and
silt without regard to the vested in
: terests of states, communities or indi-
viduals. These experiments have no
right TO be tried at the risk OF destroy
ing facilities and advantages given by
nature itsolf to the communities who
/, have their habitat along these great
waterways. It is useless to talk about
70 the common sense or professional
knowledge OF men who believe that
permanent improvements TO the chan
nels Of great rivers can be made by
, digging out shoals in one place and
. building them up in another.
n Government engineers have already
l. recommended the deepening Of the Del
aware and Chesapeake canal at gov
ernment expense for the purpose OF
d. creating a ship channel between the
: Delaware and Chesapeake bays. at all
/, times available, not only for commerce
but for the safe inside passage OF ships
of war, between important points on
u the Atlantic coast The approach to
the Delaware end of this canal is now
being deliberately shoaled and OBJ
o structed so / am informed, by the de-
e posting OF the material dredged from
n the Cherry Island flats in the western
. channel Of the Delaware river. it mat
\, ters not what the difference in cost
may be. no silt or material dredget
o from any part OF the river should Ds
n deposited anywhere except above higf
p water mark. / trust that all may no
be true that I hear OF the operation.
OF the Engineer Department in this
q matter, but l do not wonder at tn,
r excitement among the people OF Della
s ware living along the shores Of the
q river and bay, at the apprehension
u that these things may be done Tit
~ interests Of Delaware and Philadelphia
are identical, 50 far as improving th'
navigation Of the Delaware river ant
bay is concerned, and our Philadelphia
T. neighbors ought to stand by us in thi
y, protest against the apprehended de
m struction Of old channels and the fat
J.. uohs policy Of removing a shoal iron
J. one place and putting it in another.
III Il am intensely interested in 1ni
a.