Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-01-23

ties as 10 cause the stream 10 5hoai.
This is construed to he the purport of
some remarks made b. Congressman
T. Il. Burton of Ohio chairman of the
House committee Oh rivers and harboss,
during a hearing accorded Delaware
delegation in the co a mittee 9 room yes
terday.
The hearing had been arranged by
Congressman l.. Heis or Ball, and the
State was we'll represented. There were
four delegations, as fol ows: William
Lawton, president OF the Wilmington
Board of Trade; Capt. Horace Wi son
manager OF the Wilmington Steamboat
Go o. W. Furdy OF the Atlantic Re
filming Co, Samuel *. Smith OF the
Har an ~ liollngaworth Go, and
Samuel Switzerland of the Pussy y
Jones Co.. all in the interest Of the
Wilmington harbor.
Former Gong essmap l.. Irving Handy,
j. A. Jardine, j. H. Carter, W. L.
Massey, John Cosgritf +. Il. Beck and
Ii. NJ. lay or, or smyrna River While
Mr.. Handy was attorney or this dele.
cation he also ably heEed the Will
minston project by speaking enthusi-
astically in iis favor.
DIR. L. W. Cooper and g. H. Glider
blHbVb, tUT Eob uUUbd hlVHFs
Former Congressman Jonathan S.
Willis and Cart. Wi son Vineyard for
the Mispiiliun River. Mr. Willis also
spoke for the prouos d improvement to
the Wilmington harbor.
Shortly after the arrival OF the Viii.
Dington delegation tho othrr delega-
tiuus having preceded it, Mr.. Lawton
read a letter embCdy ing the needs of
fnr hnp IotF
iorth that 100000 is desired for main
tenace of the existing channel and
survey for a proposed new pro ,eot
/ which provides for bulliheading the
4 Christlana River from its mouth to the
I Delaware pulp works Provision is de
sired for the maintenance OF a 2l-foot
channel with an average width of 200
| feet and $50 foot wide channel te!ow
Third street fridge The iettie9 at the
| mouth of the river have demonstrated
their usefulness and the advisability Of
hulkhead ing. 1 he letter also pointed
out that he laet Legislature OF Della
ware passed an act recurring City
Council to appropriate for harhor i'm
pfoTement 10 per cent Of whatever
amount is appropriated by the govern.
ment.
Mr.. Lawton impressed upon the Con.
gIessnen the necessity of keeping the
Wilmington harbor 10 first class con
dition, He stated quoting from Gen.
Smith report for 1899, that in that
year the commerce OF the stream
amounted to Coz, SO tons valued at
81, 22s, 800 The imports amounted tr
y. $50 tons valued at Sl73, sGS, aud the
exports, i29 900 tons valued at SIT,
SNN, 000 Sine that time the commerce
has increased. There are AZ vessels
t aiding regularly in the port, In 1899,
- vessels vera built there aud 1893 re-
paired. The manufacturing establish
nents along the Christiana River rep.
resent an Investment Of Sl3, 0O0, 600.
There are three passenger and freight
lines and two ire ght lines running in
and out of the harEor.
When Mr. Lawton had finished his
preliminary remarks, Chairman Burton
OF the committee said, Congress realized
that Wilmington had an important har,
hor, one of ci So which demanded
constant attention.
The city IS near tie Delaware
River, is il not? And how many draw
bridges are there on the Christiana?'
he asked Mr. Lawton. The latter il
formed him that the city proper il
about a mile and half from the Della
ware, with much marsh land between
and stated that there are four draw
bridges on the Christiana
An examination made in Juae, 1901
said MIR burton, showed that tn,
Christiana had shonled rapidly. Tn
deEth varied rom u feet at the moutl
OF tho stream, where work was then II
: progress, 10 II feet at the pulp works
! whore it har been dredged yea
bsiors. He o nted out that the repor
of engineers was to the elect tina
, because of rapid shoaling q q 10 J
, channel could not be maintained at
!, reasonable cost . 1t is peculiar situa
ton, be cont nusd THE govsrnE en-
apEropriates money for dredging til
river and the city is diEcharging ii
sewage there and causing it to shoal
That and the ftuc drawbridges make
very embarrassing situation 1t il
question in my mind whether that
not matter for the city TO take u
itself. -
1--WE have taken the matter up" MI
Lawtun replied. 1.-The city il to ar
propriate an amount equal to 10 ne
cent OF the government appropriation.
'Some titles appropriate 30 ne
cent, - said Mr. Burton. my own cit
Cleveland, o. does better than tina
and almost takes care of Its harbC
without troubling tho government. |
Oh ioego, ILL.,, they are appropriatln
$50, 0 COO to take care o. their sewage
AS for the situation at Wilmington
until the city takes care OF its sewag,
it is a question in my mind rs to whit
the government should do in tt
matter
Chairman Burton inquired wheth'
the city was not going 0ward the Deli
ware River at any rate ami asked
there were any docks on tho river.
which Mr.. Lawton replied that tlel
we're lone on the river within the eli
limits.
at this juncture Mr.. Handy made 8
eloquent speech in favor of the [ hri
;" tiana project, pointing out TINT mul
work will lie necessary fo-o Wi
TO mipgton can occupy the Delawae RiS
D. bank with its ship ng He iniormt
20 the Congressnen that Congress wou
have to dredge away large mud Tia
r. before such pan would be feasibl
n as tho channel is l,500 fset cast OF il
s. water mark ana 1t would be necessa
to have u channel on tho Delaware sid
80 He said the all impol tant matter to
a considered now j. ne ChristiRna Riv:
Chairman burton again referred
" the sewage and rsiterated what he h
30 said before, that some cities do thu
re- own dredging, withaht calling on t
IN government.
Sewage is rot all the trouble N
LaWtnn said lie gave the Congrel
ID. men assurance that the city would ia