The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-19
UNCLE SAM QUITS.
Work on the Dyke Closing
New Jerseys Delaware
Channel Stopped.
SHORE OWNERS SAY PERMANENTLY
Riparian Commission to Be Asked
to Permit Filling in on the
Jersey Shore.

Uncle Sans engineers have temporarily
abandoned their project Of closing up New
Jerseys Channel on the Delaware River
opposite Philadelphia. and from a petition
to be handed to the New Jersey Board Of
Riparian Commissioners at their next
meeting, from owners of land on the
channel asking for permission to fill IN
to the Riparian line. the Commissioners
believe that the closing of the channel
will not be carried out, at least for the
present.
This question of building dykes from
Fishers Point to Petty's Island was first
started by the city of Philadelphia. The
good people of that somnolent place be-
lieyed that If the channel between the
northern end of the island and the main
land of New Jersey was shut off by a
dyke the Delaware stream would not be
diverted into two streams. one going to
the west along the Philadelphia shore,
and the other curving around to the east
of Petty's Island. The contention in
general being that such a diversion pre-
vented by the dyke would enable the
"scour'' of the Delaware River to rush
down the main channel and prevent the
deposit of mud caused by the force OF
the stream being broken while sweeping
into the New Jersey Channel. AS the
matter stood, neither enamel could be
deepened without practically shutting up
enc, and choosing two evils, the
Board of Engineers of the War Depart
ment decided to shut up the New Jersey
Channel for the deepening OF the Phila-
me Riparian Commissioners Of New
Jersey beng Appeared to by owners of
riparian rights on the east side OF Petty's
Island, and at the back. so to speak, OF
the proposed dyke, VINO complained that
the closing of the channel would affect
their industries, sent their counsel. Mr.
George T.. Record, to Washington, to state.
New Jerseys remonstrances against the
plan. Backed by resolutions passed in the
Legislature. Mr.. Record made an effective
ter official CAV Mr.. Record to understand
tina the dyke would not be built, and
New Jersey might rest TRANQUILITY IN that
assurance: Mr.. Record returned to Jersey
City thinking that that was the end OF
the matter.
Not many months ago the Board learned
with surprise that one of Uncle Sans
the United States Government would at
once begin to close up the channel which
they eventually did; The work was
er's Point reached to the middle of the
| channel. The shore owners once more
had an attack of fits" S for the
New Jersey owners at Camden said that
! the partial building of the dyke had been
beneficial to them, and 1t would be a
good thing if the entire channel was
Closed: while, on the other hand, their
neighbors to the north were ciamoring
against the dyke.
The Commissioners didn't know what ac-
| Charybdis and Scylla, a sort of between-
| Observation-Disclosures position they
were in, and like the wise and far seeing
To their great relief the news has come
| that the work on the dyke was stopped,
and from the fact that New Jersey own
nrC fneido tho n nnn1 want annoncCinnM IN
fiji in, which they never would ask if
| the channel was to be closed, there are
good grounds for supposing that the engi-
neers of the War office nave decided to let
plan of shutting up New Jerseys Chan
mel to benefit Philadelphia.