The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-25
FOR new CHANNEL
Project to Increase Depth
Of Staten Island
Sound.
CONGRESSMEN Y.SIT THE SCENE
Great Benefit It Will Confer
New jerseys Industrial
Interests.
CoNGRESSMEH VISIT THE SCENE

For some time past the enterprising
citizens of the thriving municipalities
situated on both shores of the Arthur
Kill on Staten Island Sound have been
endeavoring to secure from Congress an
appropriation for the deepening OF the
channel Of the sound from Is to q feet.
They formed an organization which they
called Joint Waterways Committee"
which is composed of these gentlemen
George B. Swain, C. e. Young, George
w. Tomkins, Newark Board of Trade; L.
Egenolf James MacMasters, Peter Bon
nett, Elizabeth Board of Trade; G. W.
Fuller A. A. MacFarlan, A. w. Booth,
Bayonne Board of Trade; w. Parker
Runyon. C. W. Barnekov. Adrian Lyon,
Perth Amboy Board of Trade; D. G.
Chas. J. F. Fulton, Charles II. Muirheid,
South Amboy Board of Trade; DR.. 3 "A.
Robinson, Washington Halves, H. F. Nor
rson, Staten Island Chamber of Com
merce; James S. Higbie, Peter Campbell,
Charles B. Matthews, Passaic River Pro
tective Association, Newark.
Peter Bennett, of Elizabeth who was made
chairman; Cornelius G. Kalff,. of West
New Brighton, secretary, and C. E.
Young treasurer.
On Saturday this committee took Judge
Theodore E. Burton, of Ohio, chairman
of the Congressional Committee on Rivers
and Harbors, over the proposed improve
ment. The party left the Battery, New
York, at 1890 o'clock on the Steamboat
Victor. In addition to the committee
there was on board the Victor:-Congress-
men Howell, of New Brunswick; Charles
NJ
Parker of Newark; Colonel ]. w. Bar
low, United States Engineer Corps;
Charles c. Mcbride, editor of the Eliza
beth Journal; c. S. Kelsey, assistant
engineer to Harbor Commissioners; E. E.
Savage, of Railway; M. d. Valentine,
Howard Valentine and David Brown, of
Woodbridge. State Treasurer George B.
Swain, c. B. Matthews, Newark; Wal
lace Downey, NJ. A. Edgar and j. Canda,
Perth Anboy
The Victor steamed around Robbins
Reef Light into the Kill Won Kull, past
Bayonne, Bergen Point, Elizabethport
and into the Sound. In the pilot house
were Chairman Burton, the New Jersey
Congressman, several members of the
committee, and Colonel Barlow, who
pointed out to Judge Burton the various
industries on both shores, and dwelt upon
the necessity of improvement. AS the
boat passed Bayonne Col. Charles w.
Fuller took the floor and when he had
finished Judge Burton said he had no idea
there was such wonderful city as Bay
onne in this section of the country Col
onel Barlow spread out on the chart table
maps and sketches of the Improvement
which had been prepared by his depart
ment. In speaking of the project he said:
'The report on the preliminary exami-
nation of this locality was submitted on
May q 1899. The survey was made be-
tween September and October "a by c. 5.
Kelsey, assistant engineer
.eThe project proposed for this improve
ment consists in. securing 21-foot chan
mel, 800 feet wide Except at the sharpest
of the turns, where it has been increased
to 400 feet), from Kill Won Kull to Raritan
Bay.
'This project provides channel equal
in dimensions to that now being made,
and nearly attained, through Rarftan bay
which connects the southern entrance of
the Arthur Kill with lower New York
bay. The channel through Kill Won Kull,
which connects the northern entrance Of
the Arthur XIII with upper New York bay,
has a channel depth nowhere less than 29
feet.
.sIn addition to excavating the channel,
if is proposed to construct a dixie at
Shooters Island so as to direct a part of
the ebb from Newark bay into the en-
trance of the Arthur Kill, and to cut off
the cross tides over the dredged channels
This dixie will be of great benefit to that
section of Elizabethport directly below
the railroad bridge over Newark bay. A
second dixie is proposed at Story Flats,
near Sewaren, to contract the cross sec
ton of the waterway, in case this is
found necessary to maintain the channel
depth An estimate of cost Is given at
the close of this report.
.The survey has afforded the following
information in relation to the merits of
the project The greatest obstruction to
navigation in the Arthur Kill lies directly
at its entrance from the north and east.
Upon the opening Of the proposed channel
through this entrance there would be inn
mediately available a depth of not less
than is feet along the entire water front
of Elizabethport and Bayway, with dock
frontage improved at the present time
for a length of 1900 feet, and occupied
by coal shipping terminals, shipyards, and
great manufacturing industries
Communication with the Arthur Kill
from the south is obstructed at Story
Flats, one and one-half miles from the
southern entrance If the proposed depth
of 21 feet be secured across this shoal, the
increased depth will be available without
further Improvement for an additional
distance of two miles of deep water 'front.'
age, as far as the Fresh Kills, now par
TALLY occupied by coal shipping terminals
and extensive manufactures
Between the Fresh Kills and Pralls
Island there are a number of shoals. sep
arated by pools of deep water. The re-
moval of each shoal, as the work pro-
crosses, will make the full depth of the
project available along the property
fronting the next pool above. The at
tainment of the entire project would be
equivalent to adding 20 miles of deep
water frontage to the waters of New
York harbor lying half within the State
of New Jersey and half within the State
of New York and city of Greater New
York 1t would give the central portion
Of the Arthur KILL now comparatively
cheap property, the facilities of New
York harbor waterfront property, and
must stimulate the growth of the present