The Penn's Grove record., 1903-08-07
Progress ofRiver Work.

Philadelphia Maritime exchange, consist
ing of the president, secretary and several
of the directors, recently returned from q
personal inspection of the various points
most interesting to the commerce on the
Delaware River and Bay. On the whole,
they were we'll satisfied with the progress
observed, and the prospect for an active
continuance of the various works inaug-
urated by the United States government
for obtaining and perfecting a 3O-foot
channel between Philadelphia and the
sea.
The reporting station of the Maritime
Exchange, located on the old Delaware
Breakwater, was visited and in the early
future the recently secured improved
quarters are expected to be available for
occupancy of the Exchange. The Harbor
of Refuge, with its mile and a half bay
front, and it's extension in the shape OF 10
detached ice piers, situated at the en-
trance to Delaware Bay, is completed and
available for modern tonnage, seeking it's
shelter. Permanent lighthouses and Jog
signals have not been installed thereon as
yet, and in the meantime, temporary
structures and signals have been erected.
The Maritime Exchange is now pre-
pared to communicate its views to the
Board of United States Engineers q to
suggested possible additions or modifca-
tions to the Harbor Of Ressgc:5es At pres
ent completed.
The trip Of the committee u6 the river
afforded abundant opportunity for re-
viewing the proposed additional light
houses and the various other aids to nav
igation, which the Exchange in a COM
munication to the Lighthouse Board last
year recommended to be installed with a
view of making the 30-foot channel, when
obtained, nor thoroughly available for
shipping by night as well as by day. In
this codnection a bill will be presented to
Congress in December, and a liberal APP
preparation will be asked, to begin the
necessary work of construction of light
houses. Through the medium OF the
Sundry Civil bill an additional liberal APP
preparation will be asked to continue the
work on the 3O-foot channel.
The committee had an excellent oppor-
tunity for observing the system of depos-
iting dredged material by means Of hy-
draulic appliances, in artificial Island
ga" located below Reedy Island, the
material referred to being actually
dredged from Dan Baker and Duck Creek
Shoals. Substantial progress was also
noted in the construction of the revert
ments for inclosing artificial Island "B,"
located two miles further up the river.
The latter construction, it is anticipated,
will be ready to receive material from
dump scows by the time Island "a" is
filed by the hydraulic pumps.
Work on the two miles of bulkhead be-
tween Christina River and Edge Moor is
under way, but as yet no contract has
been made for the dredging of Cherry
Island Flats, the material from which, it
is anticipated, will eventually be deposit
ed behind the bulkhead above referred to.
The work of removing rock from
Schooner Ledge has not been placed un-
der contract, and it remains to be devel-
oped whether the work will eventually
be let out to private parties or whether
the United States government may be
able to utilize n of its own plants for
the purpose, and also of removing the
outlying material requiring to be removed
in addition to the rock.