The Jersey City news., 1903-11-02
PASSAIC RIVER
imp ROVED
Relief to Shippers Afforded
by Use Of the Emerg-
ency Find.
TROUBLESOME BAR TO GO
Government At Last Taking
Active Measures to Facil-
Traffic.

fSpeclal 10 '-Ine Jersey lily NEWS
NEWARK, Nov. 2, 1903.--A sandbar
Mhich has been accumulating for NUM-
Der of years. just north of the Centre
street bridge and which has been consid-
{ sns5 menace to vessels. was attacked
last Wdnesday by steam dredging ma
chine sent hereb the United States Fov-
eminent at the earnest request Of NUM-
her of dock and ship owners doing bus
ines along the river, who have declared
that their business hac been interferred
with by the obstruction. 1t will takea
weeks work to remove the bar, after
which it is thought the Government may
be induced to continue its work and rid
the river of other bars which are an
impediment 0 navigation still farther up
the stream. With this end in vie W,
committee of three manufacturers and
George w. Tomkins, of the Board of
Trade, will hold conference tonight
with the army officials in New York,
who have the present work in charge.
For the past FIVE years these bars, par
lkicularly the one at the Centre street
bridge have caused much annoyance to
shippers along the river front. For days
lat time loaded boats consigned to mum
nfacturers in this city have been stranded
on the obstructions and on many occa-
eions have had to be lghtened before they
could proceed on their way. Removing
the cargoes of the boats while they were
in midstream has entailed much expense
to the boat owners and general protest
has been made.
At the time of the passage of the last
national river and harbor bidd the New
krk manufacturers succeeded in getting
government to appropriate $296OO0
deepening and widening the Passaic
from the Newark Bay to the
wood Lake railroad bridge, and if
hry, farther north. According to
vision of the bill, as Mr.. Tomkins
yesterday, this sum cannot be
j until the appropriation is found to
sufficient to do all the work required.
q the present time the cast of dredging
as greatly increased, and the appropria-
tion has been found inadequate. Unless
san additional sum is secured, Mr.. Tom
kins says, and he is well versed on the
subject, it may be long while before
1.-THE cost of dredging will have lowered
sufficiently to permit of the spending of
the money set aside by the government
for the Passaic.
Realizing this difficulty, number of
members of the Dock Owners Associa-
tion held meeting a few weeks ago
and afterward went to New York and
saw the officials of the army Office, who
are in charge of all work of this kind.
They stated their case and was informed
that the government has what it calls an
emergency fund of 100000 APPROPRIATED
yearly for the improvement of waterways
affected the same as the Passaic. The
Newarkers were informed that, possibly,
part of this sum could be used on the
river here, and they went away feeling
relieved. On Wednesday their hopes
were realized by the appearance of the
dredging machine, which set to work at
sthe Centre street bridge bar.
The engineer in charge of the work has
been making a number Of soundings
along the river as far north as Belleville,
and it is said he will make favorable
report tomorrow night, when the commit
tee goes to New York and asks that work
be continued. Mr.. Tomkins Said yester-
day that there were large bars at the
Bridge street, the Lackawanna and Erie
Railroad bridges, and also~at the bridge
where the Greenwood Lake branch of
the Erie crosses. Whether these will all
be removed is not yet known.