Evening journal., 1897-08-11
THE BIG MUD FIGHT.
General Smith and a Commit
tee Will Arrange Matters.
GENERAL FIGHTS FOR A GENERAL

WARDENS AND THE BOARD OF
TRADE Fer THE IMPROVEMENT
OF THE WILMINGTON IlARBoR.
WAS POORLY ATTENDED.
The first guns in the fight of the
Beard Of Port Wardens and the Board |
of Trade for the improvement of the
Wilmington harbor were fired last
night in the Board OF Trade rooms. The !
meeting was poorly attended. but those
present manifested considerable inter-
est in the meeting. William Lawton,
president Of the Board of Trade, was
absent from The city, and Mr. Warner,
after a preliminary skirmish for a
president. secured one in Charles
Pusey. Daniel w. Taylor was made
secretary.
Alvin r. Morrison, a member of the
Board Of Port Wardens started the
meeting by a motion that the secretary
be ordered to read the resolutions as
drafted by the Port Wardens concern
ing the condition of the Christiana and
the boards condemnation of General
Smith, United States engineer fer This
district The resolutions have already
appeared in the Evening Journal After
they had been read Mr.. Morrison
moved that they be passed and that
copy be sent to the secretary OF war
General James II. Wilson who was
at the meeling to champion the case
Of General Smith, arose and said that
the adoption of the resolutions was a
very important matter He said THAT
everybody in Wilmington knows that
the harbOr should be improved. and
everybody knows that it should be
adequately improved; and everybody
knows that 1t has not been adequately
improved. He did not think that uhe
resolutions should be passed. He told
of his experience in harbor work.
1T is the governments fault, and
not General Smiths that you have not
had better river facilities" continued
General Wilson. 1T is the government
who is to blame end not its manager.
The resolutions are an assault On Cen
eral Smith. He is competent man.
He is an old army officer and a West
Point graduate of engineering. He did
not think that those who signed the
resolutions knew the true State CT af-
fairs. He said that one OF the most
difficult things in The world was 20
criticise engineering work. The fault
is the system and not the management.
What is good enough for Philadel-
phia 70 bring commerce TO its wharves
is gcbd enough for Wilmington. II
Philadelphia needs thirty feet CT water.
1 so does Wilmington. If the angel
Gabriel came down on earth TO devise
plans for the Improvement Of the har-
bor the plans would not be accepted
without the approval Of the govern
ment. Since 1889 the government has
been asked to deepen the Wilmington
harbor. For fifty-eight years we have
been getting from two TO three hun
dred thousand dollars for this harbor.
Who is to blame for your not getting
the S350,0O0 fer dredging purposes? ?
Ex-senator Higgins said Bayard
and Salisbury are to blame. They have
had control Of Delaware, and you have
got nothing. You send jackasses to
Congress who talk politics when they
should be looking after the interest of
the people who send them there. II
you would send men to Congress OF
some consequence you would have bet
ter harbor Improvements and a deep
water channel. We send men to Con-
gress who think of the interest of the
nation, but never about the interest at
home. They may be good citizens, hut
are not fit to represent us at Washing
ton. We have a right to insist on
twenty-six feet of water as we'll as
Philadelphia. Again say that
4 II is not General Smiths fault. but the
fault Of the men we send to Washing
ton to look after our interests. The
S225. 900 appropriated by the govern
: ment for the dredging Of a twenty-one
Al N
net spend the money as it should be
spent, because the government will moi
: allow it. We have sixteen feet OF
! wa,er. and only $4,000 Of the s225,OOC
is spent"
Z General Wilson concluded by saying
that the board should weigh the mat
I ter before censuring General Smith
e and moved to lay the matter on the
table.
Daniel Ross said that he did not un'
derstand much about harbOr or rivei
work. and thought that the board was
acting too hastily in condemning Gen
eral Smith He was not in favor o
passing the resolutions. He said Ina
Wilmington may lose more than gain
by the removal of General Smith.
Alvin r. Morrison, member Of TIT
Board of Port Wardens, said that Con
gress does not know what is wanted II
wilmington for the better improvement
of the harbor, except, unfortunately
what reports it gets from the secretar!
OF war. Smith reported in 1885 tha
\ the channel from the Delaware river q
i Third street bridge was fifteen fee
deep. In 1895 he reported that ther'
was a channel of fifteen feet from thi
Delaware river to $500 feet abov'
Market street bridge. when there wer
only ten feet Of wafer. In Septembel
Of 1885 he advertised for bids fo
dredging an eighteen-foot channel. II
1891 a project of twelve feet and nov
II is fifteen feet The chief enginee
at Washington said that General Smitl
reported as being opposed to givinl
out the contract for dredging until th'
city Of Wilmington had completed IL
system of sewerage. ThA chief engi
neer told General Smith that the MAI
ter was one of law and not the worl
of the district engineer.
General Smith, who was listening at
4 t1a.N I.a.N Il