Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-02
Publication of Gen. Smiths
Report Finished.
CONTAINS INTERESTING EXTRACT
OF Comment of the Chief of
Engineers.


Bay, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware
In charge OF Gen. W. Il. Smith, has
just haen issued from the government
printing Office at Washington.
The report contains an extract from
the annual report OF the chief of engi-
neers, from which the following, in re
gard to Wilmington hnrhor, Ia taken:
Previous to 1876, when the first mp
propriation for the improvement OF the
Christiana River was made the depth
of water at the entrance was about S1a |
feet. The minimum depth in the chan
mel OF the portion OF tle river below
Third street bridge was 8 feet. This
depth was. Increased by dredging in |
that year to 10 feet. Under a project
commenced in 1871 and completed in
1881 l2.foot channel from 100 TO 200 |
feet wide was mads from the mouth TO
above the city Of Wilmington. In 1881 |
a project was adoptad for l5.foot
low water channel from the mouth OF
the river TO the puln works, with |
width of 150 feet from tho mouth to the
rolling mill wharf, 100 feet TO the Della
are Western railroad bridge and 70 feet
to the pulp works. Thio project in
cuded, further. a channel II feet deep
and 80 feet wide from the latter works
to tho Delaware railroad bridge and
construction OF a ietty on the north
side of the mouth Of the river. Opera
tiona under the project were begun in
the following year. The original esti.
mate was SlT5, 551, WHICH was Increased
in 1889 to Sl9l, 3si, by changing the
width OF tho proposed chsnnel to lou
feet throughout, fn 1884 ths project
was amended by raising the height of
+ the jetty feet. The channel was made
4 100 feet wide and l5 feet deep at mean
low water by dredging and rock r.
muval, FROM the l5-foot depth outside
a the bar at the mouth to point ., 5lo
N feet above Market street bridge. so feet
y wide thence for distance Of $50 feet
and thence 40 feet wide to the pulp
works. This was the work done to
y 1888. At the close OF the fiscal year
1896 work was in progress under cou.
tract made the preceding year for re-
4 dredaing the channel where it had
Shohed. and the channel had been re,
dredged TO a depth OF IL feet at mean
& iuw water from the l3-foot contour at
the mouth Of the Christina River to a
point about 1000 feet above the mouth
( ot the Brandywine River. This work
closed on September 18th, 1888. The
amount expended for the Improvement
x of the harbor to June 30th, 1896, wa5
expended on the project of 1881 and its
notifications. Tho river and harbor
act of June ;id. 1896, appropriated $1,000
to be used in the discretion OF the Sec.
N yetary of War for improving the chan
s. mel between Churchman'S bridge and
+ Smalley's bridge a contract was made
" for the work and operations we're be-
hun on October 2lst at Churchman' q
bridge and continued until the end of
the year when the contract was clnsed.
" There was then continuous channel
with a least depth OF 3 feet at mean
low water and width vi % feot for q
distance Of 80 miles from Church
e mans bridge toward the bridge at
q Christiana village, and similar chan
z mel for a distance OF lob feet above
d fba. bridge toward Smulley's bridge.
B The work done as improved navigation
Ii this part of the river anil hns in
cfeased the range of the tide about l
foot as far up as tho wharf Of the Della
wars Glass Sand and Clay Co. The river
anil harbur act of June 3D., 1896 pro-
vided sl3. 600 for continuing the i'm.
movement uf Wilmington hnrbor in ac.
cordance with the modified project, and
also authorized the making of contracts
u TO complete the proiect of improvement
at cost not to exceed 1920, S4G. The
n proect referred to ia understood to he
the project for 2l.foot channel. As it
was doubtful whether tho proisct could
bs carried out under tho conditions of
the law authorizing a contract hoard
of engineer otlcers was convened by the
Hhief of engineers TO consider and re.
port upon the plan of improvement.
The hoard expressed the opinion that
y the existing pioiect cannot be success
Sal, anuniaH nt,t MI u1HDnl ri
N modified project, including the con.
struction of ietty on the south aide oi
the entrance to the river the rectitica-
tion of the channel of the Christiana
River at the mouth of the Braudywine,
and necessary dredging to give chan
mel of N21 feet at mean low water IRON
the mouth to the upper line oil the pulr
works. The estimated cost is S3iI oa2.
1t is stated that the proposed channe
is OF greater dimensions than the river
v can naturally maintain ami that aunua
II dredging Will be necessary. The Uuiteo
States agent in local charee Of thl'
work estimates that certain rock worl
, not included in the above estimate Will
Increase the cost OF the work S09, uuo
NJ Under project for the expenditure o.
the available funds in conformity viii
y a recommendation of the board con
tract for dredging was executed, ant
work hereunder began on June alth
1887, at a roint opposite the Atlantic
Refining Co. g wharf where operations
closed under the previous contract a
the close OF the fiscal year 5,6I6 cubi
Yards Of material had been removed ant
The channel dre1ged to width Of l5l
Y feet Tor a length of 1856 feet and for /
further length OF 400 feet to width o
= 100 feet, in hoth cases to depth of Il
feet at mean low water. No contract TO
4 work in excess Of appropriations mad
has been entered into for this impro, .
n ment, ami hefore such contract ~ mad
il is desirable that Congress authoriz
a modification Of the rrolUct as recon-
Y mended by the board, and that tn
limiting cost he increased. The ap
propriations for the harhor for the pas
n four years. after deducting the So on
for improvements at Churchman'
bridge and the survey called for by th
river and harhor act of August 18th
1894, have averaged between s., 600 an!
50. 900 a year, while the shoaling, !
i -