Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1907-01-30

and harbors bill revealed how Cape
May had got her thirty-five foot chan
mel and an outlet to the sea by way OF
Cold Spring Inlet, while the Delaware
River with the great shipping interests
of Philadelphia went begging for SIM
liar favor. When the western men
learned that 81 100000 was to be given
for a so-called harbor ofrefuge for pleas
ure yachts and to help a real estate
scheme their anger became intensified.
Officially, however, no work provided
for is more popular or more enthuslas-
tically defended. Chairman Burton,
Representative Acheson, Representa-
tive Reyburn and the New Jersey Rep
resentatives without exception indorse
this development. They all admit that
the Cape May Real Estate Company,
composed of ex-senator Finn, of Pitts
burg, and his friends, and Captain Ed
wards and his friends in Philadelphia
will profit enormously by the deal.
They declare however, that the project
has merits which justify the expendi-
ture.
REYBURN'S ATTITUDE
Representative Reyburn has a cot
tage at Cape May City, aud spends
most of the time during the year be-
tween Cape May and this city. Indeed,
it was wondered at when he was men
toned as candidate for Mayor of Phil
adelphia, whether he did not have a
voting residence in New Jersey. While
Reyburn has been ostensibly pushing
the 35-foot channel project for the Del
aware River and Philadelphia, for
which he has been picked as Mayor by
the McNichol faction, he has been
equally as liberal, if not more so, with
the Cape May Real Estate Company
deal, in which his friends are engaged.
Just how deeply any of the Congress
men are interested in the scheme will
be brought out when the Senate Com
mittee gets hold of the bill if it should
pass the House in its present form.
Representative Acheson, who comes
from the western part of Pennsylvania,
has always been friend of Finn, and
was an enemy of Quay. He is theonly
Pennsylvania member on the Rivers
ana -Ii'arbajfs' Committee. Why ne
should be SO liberal to New Jersey when
Pittsburg is calling for more money for
the rivers in its vicinity is something
left to Mr.. Acheson 10 explain. True
it is that nearly every man of promi-
nence in Pittsburg has some ofthe Cape
May stock. The stockholders may
have made strong plea to Acheson to
help them out.
AS to harbor of safety, the Cold
Spring Inlet will have TO be widened
at Sewel's Point or some other place
in that vicinity to 800 feet and jettied.
The basin already begun between the
outer line of the beach and the Schel-
linger's Landing road will be deepened
and widened. 1t is here that the pro-
posed haven of refuge is to be.
CLAIMS WELL BACKED
The scheme had good backing before
the committee from influential politi-
clans inside and outside of Congress,
from the Pennsylvania and Reading
Railroads and their associate bodies.
The Legislature of New Jersey indorsed
it in resolutions which were formally
presented to the committee. The May
or and Council of Cape May City also
forwarded recommendations Indorse-
ments equally urgent came from all
over New Jersey, from Philadelphia
and New York, the Maritime EX
change, the Delaware Bay and River
Pilots Association, Philadelphia and
Reading Transportation Line captains
and Vessel Owners and Captains AS
sociation. The Philadelphia Yacht
Club and the Corinthian Yacht Club
were among the Philadelphia organiza-
tions that lent aid. Scores of promi-
nent men of the latter city, two ex-
Mayors among them, wrote personal
letters urging recognition for the pro-
ject. Thus backed, the plan had an
easy journey through the committee.
1t is asserted by the Cape May Real
Estate Company that it has expended
more than $1,000, 600 in dredging an
inner harbor covering nearly 700 acres.
This water, landlocked except for Cold
Spring Inlet, offers opportunity for
harbor refuge. The appropriation is to
provide jetties and to dredge 35-foot
channel $50 feet wide between the At
lantic and the new harbor. Cape May
City is expending $250,000 in connec-
ton with the improvement.
Effective arguments have been that
this will be the only harbor, opening
from the Atlantic, between Sandy Hook
and the Delaware Breakwater, which