Evening journal., 1897-10-08
SUBSTITUTE FOR SMITH
Board of Trade Adopts the
Special Committees Report.
NOT TO BE REMOVED, AS YET


PARED BY THE RIVER AND
HARBoR COMMITTEE, BUT REAL
ACTION WILL BE DELAYED FOR
AWHILE.
One CT the meet important meetings
ever held by the Board Of Trade since
its organization was that Of last night,
when the special committee appointed |
to confer with Generai w. +. Smith,
engineer in charge OF the Wilmington /
harhcr improvements. made its report
on the findings Of the Christiana river. |
The meeting was well attended and a
great deal of interest was manifested
in the proceedings.
Among the prominent men present
were Senator George Gray, Mayor Nc |
Lear, William Lawton. ID. w. Taylor, |
Alvin r. Morrison, William S. Hilles, |
Washington Hastings. r. r. Warner, |
DR.. Il. S. Smith, Nj. r. Satterthwaite, l.. |
| A. BeTtolette, A. S. Reed, S. II Baynard,
Daniel Ross, John M Rogers. Joseph J..
Carpenter. Jr.. Frank Woolley. w. w
Lobdell, +. A. Ward, Enoch Moore Jr.,
and others.
BUSINESS PROCEEDINGS.
President Lawton called the meeting
to order. Secretary Taylor read a let
ter from Ryerson Richie, containing a
copy Of Mr.. Ritchie's address on Com
mercial Organizations and Municipal
Reform.
A letter was also read from the Inter
national Commercial Museum, OF Phila-
delphia, stating that medals had been
awarded to +. II. Thomas and S. x.
Smith, who represented Wilmington att
the International Congress in Philadel-
phia last Spring.
: The National Board of Trade sent the
local board notice of the national
convention Of the Board of Trade,
which meets at Washington commenc-
ing December a. The local board was
p called upon to forward it's check for $40
5 to meet the expenses Of the convention.
e The check was ordered drawn.
3 These resolutions were adopted and
passed:
d Resolved, That we request the chief
I of engineers to form a project for the
q permanent improvement OF the Chris
: tiana river and Wilmington harbor and
r to have the same completed in time to
j. be presented to the next session Of Con-
d gress, when it meets in December. 1897.
= Resolved That we request the honor
able senators. Gray and Kenney and
/, Representative Handy. to use their best
i efforts to have the Engineering Depart
II ment make a project at an early date
l. for the permanent Improvement OF the
e Christiana river and Wilmington har-
l. Dor. and to have Congress make an ap.
y preparation to begin the work as soof
- as possible
ly These designations were filed and ac
sn cepted:
IS Henry Thomson, r. s. Dure and tn
| fThuf.bnr EnfnpinNr (fpm
ne pany.
ie Daniel James, Jr. Edward Brennan
u land S. A. Booth were elected members
r The report OF the special committee
ne was then taken up and read by Socre
r tary Taylor The report recommend
20 the work done by General Smith, bu
10 further recommends that General Smit
es be given a substitute. as he is incapaci
Of tated by illness from attending TO tn
a duties as an United States engineer.
to Senator Gray made a few remarks o
Of the needs of the Wilmington harboi
and said that he would do his utmos
es toward securing the improvement
us President Lawton paid compliment I
r. the big senator for the manner in whic
d. he had interested himself In the worl
h General Smith was not present at tn
re meeting, as he is very i'll. The general
on removal on the grounds Of incomp'
nd tency was TO have been asked for, bt
he the committee decided 10 lot that ma
lst ter stand for the present. The followin
he is the committees report, which, aft'
rs, its being read was adopted:
ey Wilmington, Del. Oct. 1. 1897.
rs William Lawton, Esq, President Boar
he Of Trade.
"a Dear Sir: The committee appointe
on by you to confer with General Willial
as T. Smith, United States agent, in r.
ill gard 10 certain criticisms of his admir-
of istratiOn contained in a certain prean
ats BILE and resolution, passed by the Boai
ITS CT Port Wardens and referred by tbi
)e- body to the Board Of Trade for al
no proval, as follows:
ill Whereas, The Christiana river al
ch Wilmington harbor is seriously in nee
lid and well worthy Of improvement, an
the best attention Of the United Stat
Government, and
Whereas. The engineer in charge r
MIA ports in June, 1896, that he has wei
nv defined channel thirteen feet deep
an low tide from the Delaware river
m the mouth Of the Brandywine notwit
IA | standing the fact that in June, 1875
In and June, 1886, he reported that the
,ss was a channel fifteen feet deep from Il
an Delaware river TO Third street bride
he and since that time the United Stat
an Government has appropriated Sl9'
.ia1 657.4S for the Improvement OF the Chri
zoe tiana river and Wilmington harbC
t1 After the expenditure Of which II a
pears that the depth OF water gro'
"a less. that is, from fifteen to thirte'
ere feet In ten years, and
Si', Whereas, In June, 1896, there W
-, actually only nine feet Of water at lc
~ tide between Third street bridge al
the mouth of the Brandywine, instel
OF fifteen feet, as reported in 1885, an
IN Whereas, The business appertainil
TT 70 the Christiana river and Wilmingt'
harbor is so managed that Of the apr
an priations made, and other none
~ available between June 30. 1885, al
sho June 80. 1896 amounting TO Sl9O.65I.'
NV only about S123, 600 has been used In a
siit tual work. the remainder being requir
e., for office. engineering and continge
expenses. being about thirty per Gel