Evening journal., 1906-08-22
WORK ON CHANNEL
IN EARNEST
SteeI-iawed DredgeS Hard al
Work Deepening Delaware
River Roadway"
FOND DREAM REALIZED


The work OF deepening and widening
the Delaware river channel is on in earn
est and at a dozen places along the river
big steel-1awed dredges are clearing tbs
stream for the onward march OF civih-
zation and commerce.
From the Pennsylvania State line up to
Pigeons Point the American Dredging
Company has seven large dredges OF the
"clamshelr' class deepening the channel
to thirty feet and widening it to about $40
feet.
At League Island the work OF dredging
is also in progress. and from Ridley
Creek TO Chester Island several diving
crews are busy placing charges OF dyna-
mite to remove large quantities Of solid
rock. These boulders are caught by q
dredge OF the Hell Gate class with a
set of special rock claws which in them
selveo weigh fifteen tons, and are dcpos-
tied on tho scow and later removed to
the Pennsylvania shore.
At Tinoum shoal the crew OF the Hen
Gate is removing a very fine quality OF
sand in cubic yard bites and depositing
it on the farm OF Albert Ward, OF Essins-
ton. The Hell Gate can dredge 1000 cubic
yards a day, working twelve hours. The
''clamshel," which does the dredging, Is
a semi-circular steel bucket about cighS
feet IN diameter and Weighing eight tons.
In another river Of a slower and less
violent course the work could be done by
the drcdge alone without the assistance
Of the scows and costly rehandiing boats.
But II that method were used in the Del
aware-to dig the earth from the chan
mel and dump II in tho river bed. the al
ready strong current would be augment
ed and the deepened portion would soon
be hlled again by 1t.
The Hell Gate, one Of the boats which
does the actual removing. has a crew Of
fourteen men, while the Cataract, which
Is a pump rehandling machine, has a
crew Of twenty-four men. Between these
two boats small fleet Of scows are con
tlnually plying. Yesterday, however, a
different and more modern method was
put in practice.
The mighty suction dredge Delaware
]
commenced work beside the He'll Gate.
The Delaware is propelled oy her owr
power and has removing capacity ol
15,COO cubic yards a day, OF more thar
six times as much as the Hell Gate. Hav
ing a 5000 cubic yard tank, she needs n'
scows to transfer the mud to rohandlers
but when filed she steams OF to shor'
and deposits her own cargo.
Dredging men give unstinted praise {
the Delaware and her, work. Her power
fui suction mechanism, though not wei
adapted TO rock bottom, is almost idea
for the work she will be called unon u
do. The sucker. or more properly speak
ing. the pump IS fitted with a giant aei
, tator. which has tendency TO push thi
water away and thus move the boat for
ward. but the agitator, being invested
has a tendency TO draw matter toward
, it-
These great steel blades are plunged
directly into the river bed. and from
there they throw material back into tn
pump. Thence IL is drawn up into tn
tank or hold of the vessel.
AS the dredges work down the rive
the difficulty Of finding dumping groun'
becomes a vexatious question. The farm
ers OF land owners are willing TO hav
, the earth dumped on their water from
and their properties are thus made large
and more valuable. but they do not wan
to pay the price OF pilng and retaininl
dilxes to hold the newly-acquired land
, rhey want the government to give tn
ground and then improve It for them.
I To expedite the work OF dredging tn
thirty-foot channel Major J. c. Sanford
who is in charge of the work, has apple
, to General Mckenzie. Of the Quarter
masters Department at Washington. 70
, the loon OF the suction dredge Key Wes
which is now idle. General Mckenzie ha
said his department had no objection {
the transfer Of the dredge providing IN
consent Of Colonel kingman, who is q
charge OF the Florida section, with head
= quarters at Savannah. can be obtained
t Major Sanford has written to Colont
!: Kingman and expects that he will no
d offer any objections.
y The Key West is regarded as being pai
tioularly adapted for such use as
l. would be put to in the Delaware. TIL
y ldredge draws only fourteen feet. whlc
Is six feet less than the draft Of the bi
C dredge Delaware. With the use of I'll
:, Delaware, with a daily capacity OF owe
K lO.0O0 cubic yards, and the 1000 cubic yard
capacity Of the Key West and the 20
e yards capacity Of the clam shell dreda
l. Hell Gate. the 100000 cubic yards TO b
dredged from the range OF $500 feet wi
= be accomplished in a short time.