The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-19
TO WIDEN THE CHANNEL
BUSINESs MEN AND UNITED STATES
 ENGINEER LEACH

Inspect New Haven Acknowledgements
 Efforts to be Made for Annual Appro-
 priations-It Was Decided to Petition
 Congress for n S500,OOO Appropriation.
 United States Engineer Smith F. Leach of Washington headed a party of prominent citizens on trip down the harbor yesterday afternoon for the purpose of inspecting the channel. The object of the visit was to give Lieu tenant Black an opportunity to inspect the nature of the Improvements neces- sary The party were aboard the tug Hogan.
 The party included, besides MT, Leach, Congressman N. D. Sperry, President George H. Ford of the cham Der of commerce. Vice Presidents Frank H. Sperry, Max Adler, George T. Brad ley, the coal merchant, the members Of the executive committee on harbor Of the chamber of commerce, consisting of George B.Martin, Henry $. Parmelee, Herbert Mason, Charles I. French of the Old Line steamboat company, and E. Harris Weaver; the harbor commits sioners, Frank c. Bushnell, c. F. Ev- arts, J. F. Jackson, Henry Sutton. His honor the mayor was also of the party.
 MT. Leach is provided with partic- ular survey made about @ week ago by Henry Gorham of this city, member of the United States corps of engineers. It is exepected that the surveys will answer several purposes. Last year Congressman Sperry, after considera- ble hard work, secured an appropria' ton of $10,000 for the improvements in the harbor and the bids for doing the work which may be accomplished with this fund are soon to opened. The sur vey will enable MT. Leach to make a decision as to the purpose to which it shall be put. It will aso give an oppor- tunity to survey the mouth of the har- bor with view to determining the ne- cessity of another breakwater, for which purpose S110,000 was appropri- ated by congress at it's last session.
 The survey and work is in line with the recommendation of President George H. Ford of the chamber of commerce made in his annual message to the chamber.
 Thus far no favorable report has been made on the petition of the chamber of commerce. President Ford believes this can be secured if a survey is made. This is the first time the matter has been brought urgently to the attention of the engineering department of the government, and the members of the chamber who are back of the plan are considerably encouraged with the pros- pect
 It is President Fords suggestion that the channel from the breakWater to Belle dock be made 150O feet in width. It is now that width at the breakwater, but it tapers gradually until it is not more than 75 to 100 feet wide at Long Wharf. Some desire to have ba- sin dug in the harbor south of Long Wharf in which vessels may lie, and not impede the channel. "As it is at present." MT. Ford says, "the big three masters have to lie in the channel. The committe on harbor of the chamber of commerce and the harbor commission CTS, I think, are harmonious In a de- sire that this widening be done''
 President Ford said further yester- day that an appropriation of s100,000 a year for number of years would be asked for in order that this work might be accomplished. If New Haven har- Dor was deep there would be few to ex- eel on the sound and the chamber of commerce committee and officers are spending every energy to have it deep ened.
 Captain Leach, the engineer, has re- gently taken charge of the harbor inn provements in the coast territory be- tween New York and New Haven. His headquarters are at New London
 General Ford said last night as a re- suit of the investigations made yester- day the conclusions of the engineer and the committee were that the chan nel of New Haven harbor should be made fifteen hundred feet in width uni formly from the breakwater to Steam boat dock. Such a width would not be too great by any means and was much to be desired. The channe off where Fort Hale stood is fifteer hundred feet in width now, and this should be the width all the way tc Steamboat dock, or Tomlinson bridge Some had thought as is above men. toned that a narrower channel in the inner harbor would do provided a ba- sin should be made just beyond Long Wharf, but the opinion prevailed in ia. vor of the uniform widening project It was concluded that with a channe of that width and the effect of tho breakwater in keeping the channe secured, the desired result, one of i'm. mense advantage to the port of New Haven and it's future importance would be attained The committee will, therefore, ask congress to appro priate half million dollars for tht widening of the channel to fifteen hun. dred feet it's whole length and to pay | the cost of deepening the channel to z uniform depth of eighteen feet.