Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-10-08
A Vigorous Protest Against Dumping
Refuse in the Delaware.
DELAWARE CITY PEOPLE AROUSED
A COMMITTEES to be Sent to
Philadelphia.

that is held TO threaten the riparian
| rights OF Delaware bids fair to be
washed away by the tide Of opposition
| which is rising against the further
] filling of the channel between Pea
Patch Island and the Delaware shore.
| Protest continues to grow, so that not
only the people of Delaware are taking
AN interest but Philadelphia business
! men are also becoming eognizant of
| the situation. Senator Gray, who took
such an active part in preventing, for
time at least, the execution of the
plan az to Liston Point dixie, by which
large portion of Delaware shore was
| threatened, will again be found stand
ing for the rights of Delaware. The
| Senator takes the view that 1t is not a
very sensible method under which
shoals are dug out 10 one place and
built up in another.
The trouble in the western channel
of the Delaware is traced to the dump.
| ing Of dredgings from Schooner Ledge,
which lies betweea Marcus Hook and
Chester. The contractor for the dredg-
ing at Schooner Ledge is James A.
Munday OF Philadelphia, who received
the contract from the Mayor and Coun-
Gil Of that city. The price, about
| o. Nps WV CumCb AtoL Stdlt
| ton for harbor Improvement. The
city OF Philadelphia had 30 authority
to say where the drAdgings should be
dumped, for such matter ia under the
| supervision of the War Department and
1t was specified that the dredgings
| should be dumped at a point salts
factory to that department. Philadel-
phia engineers. it is said, fixed upon
the place between Pea Patch Island
and Delaware City for the deposits.
The dumping ground is near the chan.
| mel SO that the tides can easily move
the deposits into it Munday has been
at work since about May and altogether
| will take out about 300, 900 yards. 1t is
not strange it this should cause trouble
| when deposited at some other point in
| the river. But Major Raymond does
| not stop there. Less than month ago
| bids were received for dredging the
channel through Cherry Island flats,
which are opposite Wilmington. Not
less than 400, 600 cubic yards is to be
removed. According to the special
conditions of the specifications " Dredg.
| ing material shall be deposited in the
water way of Pea Patch Island, within
the limits shown on the chart on file
at this major Rsymond's) office, or at
such other places provided by the con-
tractor as may be approved by the en-
gineer officer IN charge. The dumping
ground at Pea Patch Island is from
10 to IL miles below Cherry Island
flats" The work is to be commenced
on April list, 1897, and completed on
| September 30tb, 1897. Major Raymond
has recommended that the contract be
awarded TO Morris & Cummins of New
| York.
| MEETING AT DELAWARE CITY.
The people of Delaware City who
| have already shown their interest in
this matter held another meeting Tues
| day in Mulliean's Hall, in that town.
| Reuben Anderson presided. The COM
mittee, DR.. Francis Dunlap, DR.. Frank
| Belville and I. Bayard Heisel, which
was appointed to take action on the
evil complained Of, reported to the
| meeting that everything had been done
that it was possible to do thus far. The
report was accepted by the meeting
and the committee was continued and
given full power 10 act as it thought
best to accomplish the end in view,
namely to stop the dumping of dredg-
ings. Members of the committee will
go to Philadelphia to-day and will
wait on parties there who are interested
in shipping, in order to get their aid
in the matter. Another meeting will
be called at Delaware City when the
committee is again ready to report.
THE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
The Schooner Ledge dredgings are
| dumped In the river about one and a
half miles from the mouth of the Della
ware & Chesapeake canal. According
to chart corrected to September let
there is an average depth Of about 1315
feet at the dumping ground. In spite
OF this however, a man whose barge
draws 8 feet of water reported the
other day that it dragged bottom.
Firms Point jetty on the Jersey side
was built to clean the eastern channel,
but in reality the current is said to
sweep to the western channel so that
it has been dsepened three feet since
| the ietty was built five years ago. The
western channel, according to the
| chart, is from 90 to &c feet, but the
dredging deposits of the last six months
are held TO have filled it up so that,
| according to man who discussed the
matter this morning, there may not, be
more than IS feet there now.
TRADES LEAGUE RESOLUTIONS.
no LFdueS lJtdR EullhQoiDlId,
which is vitality concerned with the
matter OF navigable channel, has pre-
pared the following preambles and reso-
lutions to he acted upon at a public
meeting this evening in that city:
Whereas, The material now being
dredged from the shoals from the Della
ware river at Schooner Ledge and
Cherry Island fats, estimated to
amount to over ], 200, 900 cubic yards,
is being deposited in the channel north
and west of Fort Delaware abreast OF
Delaware City and near the entrance
to the Chesapeake g. Delaware canal,
and
Whereas. 1t is alleged by citizens
| OF Delaware that the western channel
OF the river leading to the canal is
being injured thersby; and
Whereas, Since about rs per centum
OF the commerce of this port consist of
coastwise and domestic tonnage, and
| forms the basis OF the remaining % per
centum of foreign commerce, 1t is in
| iudicious to obstruot its channel by
dumping or otherwise, and
Whereas, II is manifestly wasteful
| and Injurious to the navigation of the
| river to deposit material dredged from
| one locality back in the river Mt another
| from whence ii may be carried by the
current into the channel only to be
redredged; and
Whereas, board OF United States
| engineer officers, appointed to consider