New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-25
THE HARLEM SHIP CANAL.
HOW THE WATERWAY BETWEEN THE
HUDSON AND EAST RIVERS HAS
REEN IMPROVED.

Al n meeting OF the Board Of Estimate last
week plans for the proposed bridge across Spuyten
Duyvil Creek at Kingsbrdge were submitted, ana
referred Controller Fitch At the point where
the bridge Is be built there is only footbrdge
at present. connecting Kingsbridge Road on the
south with Broadway the north. There is a
movement under way to have the various names
given to parts Of Broadway dropped as 1t Is
continuous thoroughfare from Bowling Green TO
the Yonkers line, and the title Broadway given
to the whole Of It. At present 1t Is broadway 10
Fifty nintl-st. then 1t becomes tho boulevard as
far as One-hundred and seventieth-st-, from there
to spuyten Duyvil Creek 1t Is tho kingsoriuee
Road. and In the Twenty-rourth warn IL as"i" D0
comes Broadway.
The nroiected new bridge across the creek leads
naturally to other improvements that are being
made in that neighborhood especially In connec-
ton with the Harlem Ship Canal For severa
years work has been going on there. and the chah-
mel has been greatly improved. The work Is uhuer
the direction of the chief Of engineers OF mo
United States Army. The officer In charge uh'h
recently was Colonel G. L. Gillespie. who has been
succeeded by Colonel William Ludlow. The project
of making a navigable connection between the
Hudson River and the East River took shape moro
than twenty years ago. survey Oh the iou'o
having been made in 1874. The first appropriation
was made In 1875 and plans for tho WORK were
completed in 1873.
and remove legal obstacles, and 1t was not until
1887 that the appropriations made in 1878 and 1879
became available. They amounted 10 sf"'""
Further appropriations were provided IN 1882 io"
1892 1894 and 1896, making a total OF *l14s'"N Up
TO June 3oth last the amount expenoeo hau peeA
1898 1872 90 Tho amount available for the current
year is N25OO. The original estimate OF the cost
of the Improvement was s2,7ooO0o. The present
estimate of the cost of carrying the project 10 COM
pletion Is 81, 555OOo AS less than 100000 has peen
used already, the total expenditure promises " L."
within the estimate made In 1879.
The assistant engineer In charge OF the worn 70
A. poerfinger He was found at the Army Buiid-
ING In Whitehal-st a. few days ago. and con-
scented to explain for the benefit Oh me and
The Tribune what has been done mus aal t ai
Sa attention to the map showing the lines OF
the improvement as planned ana WHAT mas "'
A short distance from the Hudson River me
spuyten Duyv Creek curves well TO he sOet, a of
following the line of the creek. the Goyernm ,bd
decided to make s is northern op end of
Manhattan Island This the most costly Part part
cutting The channel here has been completed 70 30
depth Of f sgvs and Of y5Si feet long over
his part of the capal bridge has been built at
Kingbrdge Road BY the city and It was Gpehh Td9 10
is about a quarter of mile south Of the bridge
be built S s the Srs fa the river Their.
is now ar oldfashioned railroad bridge 1t Is 10 be
replaced probably In the pIcSeHt ySds,
drawbridge, having two spans OF 100 feet eacn. ING
work OF dredging the channel OF the creek aho inc
Harlem River has been carried so far that there is
now continuous channel twelve feet de s ana
from $50 10 200 feet wide all the way In me rlveI
partly in the middle Of the stream, and again i1ist
On one side and then on the other. -
Formerly the head Of navigation on the Harlem
was AT High Bridge and there was channel about
Ten feet in depth as far as Morris Dock. All TINS
has now been changed and in the neighborhood OF
High Bridge q number of powders and other oo-
strIlctions to navigation have been removed FUR
tter down the river some important work has also
heen done In the removal OF dangerous reefs at
red TWEEN -second-st and on the op-
nosite side near the Randalls Island dock go
Most of the work." said Mr.. Doerhnger, mas
been done by contract, but in the removal OF the
reefs the Government plant was used, and the
work was done by days labor We have sl2o,W
for the present year. and shall continue the dredg
ing OF the channel, as 10 make a depth OF
tWelve feet and a width Of 200 feet where that
width has not been reached. Ultimately the depth
viii he fifteen feet and the width 400 feet. The
waterway already provided Is extensively used
esnecialIy by boats from the Hudson River loaded
with building materials, brick. stone ana tho ike
AT Shermans Creek an important improvement
will be made by the construction OF basin by Inc
CITY ON the west side of the Harlem MS VIII ne
great convenience to the 1nwood region, whlch Is
now comparatively inaccessible. being reached only
nv the Hudson River Railroad. The basin VIII ne
inst north OF the northern end or the speedway,
where Inc latter connects with Dyckman-st when
has recently been graded and is to be paved win
al.