New-York tribune., 1896-09-28
RIG DREDGING CONTRACTS.
EXTENSIVE HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS
PROVIDED FOR.
CHANNELS TO BE pEEPENED AND wIDENEO-
CARE TAKEN OVER coNrRAcTs-HARBoH
DEFENCEs-DEEP DRAUGHr STEAM
Frs TO REACH BROoKLYN.

DF.FENCES-DEEP DfACbhi
ERs TO REACH BROOKLYN.
The ono,,rg ~ the bids for dredging In the haroo
Of New-York marks the beginning OF III, w.
improvement in the ship channels ~n.en r,s na,I,-
terially benefit this city ana Mayor "
wick across Newtown Creek -, .. q.
Rrookyn will be the larger gamer OF 'ne w. I'm.
the dredging OF Newtown Creek VIII siea' ,,..
tate the transaction of business in the u's'''S -,
along its shore Few people realize the a"''
tonnage tha. passes up and down us s'uss's" -
ve,rlv or the advantages it offers for cheap ""
nortation OF coal lumber, brick, sand' I'M
sir,ilar articles into the city. The Government &c
allzes its value. and has Appropriated s10V' h.,-
Improvement. The project is to drease gu. d 20
mel in the centre OF the creek 10 rect wiz a."
foot deep TO extend inland about three mics VI
far as the Federal jurisdiction over us "a'efs NJ
,o,ds. ona mile has already been dug out i"''
u,,u give facilities for vessels surclehuy ia'se "
meet the demands OF the various industries a,
the banks of the creek whether In Nlhss vi ~
County IT., ,o-k univ
OF the s45OOO0 appropriated for 'h's WIN, -.
sooo Ooo s Immediately available. the loves ~ 20,
T., II Eenner OF Jersey City, the price psins i'Ts
cnr,s a cubic yard for ordinary dredging anu %
cuhlc ward for boulders. II is prooapie '"a' " ~,
get the contract, but not absolutely certain
covernn,en, engineers have become chary Oh s"ihs
out these contracts and always want 10 sec w
actual plant before closing the contracts lh.s -
hoar hi,ter hadv at times, and recovery ion
bondsnnar IS next to an impossbiliiy IL COSTS o's
$4,000 to establish dredging plant anu II ''e
lot OF money to keep 1t In repair. ~ .
rb,s fact was what threw Senator corey ou'
rbn, he hid for the dredging Of the ISLANDS IN tue
neIawaro River between Philadelphia and Camdeh
.evr vears ago These Islands. In the centre Vi 'a'
river formed deep channels at either sue a'' -
II impossible erect piers Inc anoui'' "
contract was about s3,50OocO. and Senator Co"es We"
,bn ,owest bidder by s43l 900. contractor hamsu
nd
t., ,wo years as should have been done IN Two
months Finally the Government gave the "o,S
TO the American Dredging Company Cohey eo.'u
~, sst,sfv the Government engineers that ne had
nlaut capable of doing the work. and ne haa no
show He has nursed grievance against 'he "e'
land Administration since that time.
VIZ renner has two small dredgers. and the Gov
e.,nsnt will no doubt take into CONSIDERATION INC
capacity OF his plant in AWARDING the coh,fas.. u,
The dredging out of the Bay Ridge and Red HOOK
channels ,s given out in one cohtrdc', W."
rre,,v sure 10 fall to the w. II. Beard Dredging
ron,narv which is the lowest bidder at q cents
,,ic var1 for the former and "a cents CUBIC yaro
for the latter Bay Ridge Channel mas already oe."
deepened from Bryant-st In the I"eii'n "a.
where the Federal Government assumes coh'fo,' "
deep water at sxty-hfh-st. TINS enahne' mas soo
dredged out to a depth of.tweny-siX fee'' ana Is ="
,, u.ide The new contract calls for further
,dning n 800 feet along its entire length ana ui''-
n,ately II will be made 1880 feet VIDE
ped Hook Channel runs from ButtermIk Cnannei
along bv the Erie Basin breakwaier until 1t JOINS
d. ptsoo channel al the mouth of the Gowanus
Caral onnosite Twenty-eighth-st. This has oeen
dredped 10 a depth Of 26 feet, with wdth Oh y"
foe, The new contract is to widen this 10 ~" iee''
For several years j. 5. T. Stranahan fought TO
have Buttermk Channel, between Governor iS'@"u
and the Twelfth Ward shore Of this city, dug OUT
rrom north OF the Erie Basin gap 10 the Atiahuc
pa asi, gan there extends shoa OF hard sand known
a. Red Hook Shoal which formerly LETT narrow
,or,uous ship channel. \ few years ago 'he "o'-
or,ment after removing the Diamond Reef. aug OUT
Buttermlk Channel from near Montasue-s.' 70 IAN I'm
utor-aye Later on a considerable part OF tne outer
doe ~ Red Hook Shoal also removed. Dut oov
or 600 feet OF it still remains. The water was SO
shallow south OF the gap that eVeSy week VI '~'
vessel leaving the Atlantic Basin wouid grouna on
the shoal and have lot OF delay ana trouo'e oi"s
the improvements in the channel these acc.uen'S
ha,.o heen rare and large steamers find no dnicu'
IN ge,tirg through the channel at high tide. Inc
n,oval of the entire shoa will be accomplished oeio'e
long. -. s,,onr,a,,
one Of the greatest obstacles TO the Development
~ tho water front OF Brooklyn was the DIAMOND
o. - ,d a largo number OF vessels damaged
i,hor nv striking the reef direct or getting into
collisions while trying TO avoid the reef - ie"
wears ago it dred8ed out TO tweh'y-siA iee' d.
moan low tide 1t is said 10 be shoahng there again.
and that there is liie more than twehty-iouf .eel
q, tho crown of the reef now al low water. Inis
r,akes the channel impossible to large steamships
unless at high tide. and has initiated against 'his
cI,v The civ OF Rome, OF the Anchor Line. never
come 10 Br0okym & Ihd HobeSsS 5 S TO remedy this
narditon of affairs the Government contemp.aiss
dsgns oG' 'nf aepih OF thirty feet at low tide.
50 that vessels Of the largest dlnenstOns ' Mi
or9vitins for these improvements Will be ntroduced
In the House OF Represen'aIyes tns G es'Som snte es
SIP will probably be attended 10 a. ,ae
same Tins The need that exists tor these lupiose-
hv 10
bi ever enters the East River, the largest vesses
I4 n2gs sse on the NewYo-k side being those OF the
"aFa WSerc f the Red Hook and Bay Ridge chaHnss
Nee. nee Whete The schooners find anchorage. The
present contract calls for the cutting away h bo,s U1
bosl wiil be dredged out. II is TOO shallow 10 be
Of any value as an anchorage except LOT Vessels ol
Further Contemplated improvements are the deep
nps Of the mr ro MP s pSesent Width Of 1000 feet
,' ~ 400 or 5000 feet Another the deepening OF
rOm Toat Sorons tGs Point toward Rckaway The idea 8
TO use this for vessels Of light draTgh seows coast,
espsn Ing h 10 sxteen feet which would admit
mer-of-war OF deep draught. as this channel has
wnys charge of the dstences Of It was
spsSss to pGm ad IN Bay
any vessel can come up this channel to within .
ment will mount four gun-mortar batteries. OF
twe,ve-nch bore, on Plum Island, 70 furnish CON
Tfrs'IHf Fer; Hamilton nH and Sandy Hook fort.
The contemplated Improvement IN this channel
would greatly aid small vessels now using the tor;
,Ious and dangerous channel. IL was pointed
out 10 the Secretary OF the Navy that there daily
pass through the east channel over ninety vessels,
including in the summer twenty-five excursion
steamers and that this Coney Island Channel would
be vast advantage 10 these craft and 10 those In
teres,ed in them or sailing them.
There are some curious features about these dredg.
ing contracts not the least OF which Is the fact
that there is no subleting at profit. II contract
or cannot complete his work on time he hands part
OF IL over TO some else, but al the same price
he receives himself. At time there were specu-
lators but the Government frowned them down. and
/ they have disappeared. The prices have fallen
greatly TOO few years ago the price for the Red
Hook and Bay Ridge channels would be from p 10
II cents a cubic yard This lowering Of price Is
largely due to the introduction OF improved ma
chnery The dredging be done better and more
profitably row at "A cents cubic yard. The North
- l..l. .x...x L.. -. L.