New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-27

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tToduee to you nan Who has aons Just exactly
what ask you e. IN Your a !, ,ndl' man who had
no concern in getting the Improvements III, were
haTh9 s 5se Of he
organizations Of In see sa9s his Sne private
sftairs and went on to washington at the last SEES
sion work heartily for securing iSs harbor OF
He had no smSy Situated he
serve ne w was are was he Who arranged for the
hearings before the committees. and mnd you,
e no as by any the
Representative who makes the most noise , ts
the most sl efficient not on na the door,
Il is the accomp5ning OF the pra nbs most and
il was the gentleman whom am to introduce 70
you who succeeded in getting the hearings IN ge,
ting this subject up before Congress- III ee'u"is
the attention of Congress.
NOT TO BE DISCOURAGED.
But when the House of Representatives refused
to give to New-York City the consideration 10 wnich
we thought were entitled he went on. did moi
give up did not say that the matter was hopeiess
struggled again. went before the Senate. where
with the hearty cooperation OF Senator Platt with
the hearty cooperation of Senator Frye. finally sue
ceeded in getting the Senate so interested that at
last II took up this subject that passed % tne Nav sg
York what It is entitled to be-the foremost com
back hG s eyF of the firms OF the
resentative commercial bodies OF New-1ork desired
ouested that II should not be done. and that the
dinner instead should be given TO Senator Frye.
ADDRESS OF MR.. AMBROSE.
The man to whom Governor Roosevelt referred
was John W. Ambrose. When the Governor
mentioned his name 1t the signal for an
outburst of vociferous applause which broke
out again when Mr.. Ambrose rose to respond.
In part he said
Governor Roosevelt Ladies and Gentlemen-lt
be assumed that no enterprise OF any moment 1,
ever succeeds without encountering some diucui-
ties. but the project for deepening and widening
the channels S at he port o. seemed almost
mountable. Let me briefly outline what had 10
The opposition of shore-front property owners
whose properties were already improved was acuse
merely TO accommodate the inferior vessels and
the small commerce Of the past and perce wing
lucrative commerce that the larger class OF vessels
would bring they violently res,sted AZ em1itS ,p
Serious Obstacle was found also in the dense
ignorance prevailing of the fact that the present
channels are so shallow and narrow that they not
ing Ing Commerce but absolutely preclude any future
growth and regarding the great yolume OF com M
all other ports Of the country and the small amount
which the Federal % thu mas ota e appro
priations for other ports. ...... - oruros-
ss nsS OF Consressmen from other States
10 any legislation that should provide channes AZ
which they represented with whom the intrinsic
merits Of the enterprise or that 1t would prove
port porf'' we're "a alike Ike unsvaiiins: g..
sG f bs9 sH o of the puSa
weaTe who Gsm IL se eeTes in Every
R Rot oqisnat tee by by th HG
With such an array Of difficulties 1T seemed at
eraI Government that the emergency demanded.
The quantity or material to be taken ou. 9n o me
Sandy Hook and Brooklyn Shore channels is "'"''-
The total expenditures by the Federal Govern
up to the present time is sS5OoOOooO. of which only
has been expended o at this pGT wh or
cents expended at the port Of NeM-York and $751;
of Sc ooocoo at NewYork does not include expendi-
lures at Hell Gate and the Harlem t'iVer' Mnner
sense Statistics show that the import duties col
ected at the port of New-York for the Iast iory11
in the whole country also that out Of the entire
exports Of the country during the saRe peF'0'
VALUE OF LARGE VESSELS.
Larger channels mean larger vessels. and both
always mean reduced freight rates to the producer
and consumer Half century ago, taking the
Cunard and Collins lines as specimens the ships
were so small. their bulls and machinery SO pom
sumption Of coal 50 prodigal, that Of their entire
weight 10 per cent only Sons sse o 9i Weighed
altogether 5000 tons would carry but 800 tons Of
cargo the rest of its weight consisting OF nun
Of coal propelled ton Of ship machrerSy fu 81
and cargo distance of only ten miles; I0ca dsS
cent consists Of cargo and the Sda m eo al w
distance Of forty miles. so that one pouha Oh oUa
weight Of ship machinery fuel and cargo at the
same rate of speed four times as FAR as IL "ou'o
Considering cargo only. with the kind Of vessels
and motive power then used six tens OF eSat reeb1
across the Atlantic. while in the big ocean liner TO-
day only Of ton Is r tSat there is an
economic value in mere bigness, This Is In con-
formty TO law of physics well known 10 haV AZ
not t' understand the Vital bearing that 1t has on
their ana chaHne across
Sandy Hook Bar with like ehs9nel along , 1hS
H SS Eas fsU 2er were the obs Of
movement it seemed necessary at tie first appeal
TO %ay Hence To the st application
small natural channel along the Sp0kn 30 s ssOte
make it only eighteen feet deep by two hundred
feet vide the pseeuTsd after r long srug
oia and the work done, the Government was then
asked s6 to bnndFsd feet ,s VIDE and this appropriation
after a prolonged struggle. was also made ana the
GmmsSstey after the expenditure Of the second
appropriation and the completion OF the WORK APP
piication was made 70 enlarge the channel SUI sui
further to a depth of 26 feet and a width or 500
feet. This appropriation 100 alter scon con-
efforts, finally obtained and the work was
done.
EXPENSE ON NETWORKS WATERWAYS
When the first application made nine years
ago the chairman upon introducing me to the
committee as representing New-York made the
surprising statement that New-York had received
"a so out Of every IS which the Federal Govern
ment had expended river and harbor improve
ments since 1t had become Government. mace
An exhaustive study Of all river and harbor APP
propriations for hundred years. and ascer-
famed that the Federal Government had expended
a total of 1896. 900 900 in the whole country. Of
which only s4.047.OOo had been expended for chan
nels al the Port Of New York In other words.
only 81 80 had been expended at the Port OF New
York out OF every 500 expended in the entire
country.
Notwithstanding the intrinsic merits OF the New
York projects and their vast benefits to the entire
country they have been brought TO only
by years of most laborious study and harassng
labor and in the face OF tremendous opposition.
These successive applications each pre-
sented in the first instance 10 the River and Har-