The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-08-29
Dredge Contractors Declare That
Plan of Major Judson to Pur-
chase Dredge Impractical
WILL NOT WORK IN HEAVY SEAS
Men Appear Before the Committee on
Rivers and Harbors in Racine ard
Declare That Purchase of Dredge
Will Be a Big Mistake

The scheme of Major Jndson of the
War Department to build sea going
dredge for use in harbors on the west
shore of the lake was riddled at a
meeting of the. river and harbcr COM
mittee Of the Racine City Council held
on Tuesday afternoon when repre-
sentatives Of the dredging company
now doing this work along the lake
appeared before the committee and
was highly impractical one. The
members Of the Kenosha river and
harbor committee we're to have att
tended the meeting but none of them
put ine an appearance. All of the
representatives. declared that the ex-
penditure Of $500, 900 for such dredge
was little less than a waste of money.
S. 0. Dixon, formerly of Racine,
now of Milwaukee, first addressed the
meeting. All the information he had
on the subject, as to what Major Jud-
son wanted, was what he read in the
papers. He said that Mr.. Starke, of
the Starke Dredge company, was
present, but not feeling well, and had
intended to say something. Mr..
Dixon said that dredges of the type
mentioned, possibly not exactly the
same as Major Judson wants, had
proved failure. Furthermore it was
his opinion that the money appropri-
ated for harbor could not be used
| for the building of a dredge, in fact
for no other purpose than harhor inn
provements. He called the attention
of the aldermen to the fact that only
81, 900 had been expended here for
dredging at the mouth of the harbor
in recent years.
Mr.. Dixon said the question was,
could the cities of Racine and Keno
sha afford to give $37, 900 of their har-
Dor appropriations for this dredge.
He argued that they could not tell
when the money would be needed and
where the drain would end. He be-
lieved that if the cities had money to
use, or rather the government, it
would be more advisable TIC use it on
breakwaters. The duties of Major
Judson were defined, being priuci-
pally GO make estimates of amounts
needed for improvements at harbors
and report the same to the depart
ment. 1t then went to the commit
tees and congressman appeared be-
| fore the committees and used their
| influence.
Mr.. Starke, at the head of the big
dredging corporation, talked at length
to The committee. He also explained
how harbor appropriations are made.
Ia his opinion the whole 9 uestion was,
is dredge Of the type Major Judson
is after, needed. If only $4,000 we're
expended here in years, what is the
necessity of such a dredge? 1t was
further claimed that suction dredge
would not work IN a sea, and the
fspeaker said that thereq uest of Major
Judson of the war department to ape
propriate money for the dredge was
refused. He did not know why Major
Judson was so anxious, but govern
ment engineers had an idea that they
wanted to do their own work. Again
the question was whether such a
dredge Of that kind is needed.
Mr.. Dixon again talked and init
mated that by taking money from the
appropriations allowed for harbor im-
provements they were liable to get in
box; that there would be no money
when work was most desired. He
wanted to know why Major Judson
did not go to congress and get the
money and he could not see why the
major came before the council and
asked that body to sanction the taking
of money from the harbor appropria-
ton. There we're other good argu-
ments made in opposition Of the plan
of the major and the members of the
council will further consider a resolu-
ton offered in favor Of the scheme
before it is adopted.