The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-07-19
TO SECRETARY OF WAR
Contains Interesting and Valuable
Information
Valuable Statistics I'm the Report
Concerning Amount of Bust
ness Done at This Port.

Exceedingly interesting and valua-
port of Captain o. E. Brown, the en-
gineer in charge of the river and har-
Dor work in this district, recently sent
to the secretary of war. The report
is voluminous and deals in detail With
all the work on all the rivers and har-
bors in the entire district, gives the
financial standing, the work underway,
and makes recommendations for addi-
uonal appropriations to continue work
o in progress or to enlarge on
schemes which have been started.
Naturally the work concerning the
lower Cape Fear is of the most inter
est, as it also is of the greatest i'm
%portance.
The report shows that the work on
the 20-foot project is about 80 per cent.
completed.
Expenditures for the year ending
June 80 were $136, 284.43. The opera
lions for the year consisted in the work
vi IuC ouCClOu ulcuSC CdpS iCdl kJ1
ocean bar and Shows Marsh chan
nels n during part Of the year of
the clam shell dredge Ajax on the river
channels; also the repairing Of New
Inlet Swash Defense dams, making
minor surveys and caring for the pres
ent operating plant.
With che present unavailable bal
ance it is proposed to complete repairs
to dams, maintain the present dredg-
ed channels and continue the project.
Additional appropriations of $3.50
900 for continuing the Improvements
aid 2-aintenance are asked for in adj
ditiou To the appropriation Of $25O.OOO
for continuing the improvements pro-
vided for in the Rivers and HarboTs
act Of March 2, 1907.
The financial statement shows on
July list, an uneXpended balance of
1914, S96.72. The amount required for
the completion of the existing
project is S 1.15O, 900. The amount
that can be expended profita-
bly, in the fiscal year ending June ~.
1909 in addition to the unexpended bal
nee of July LIST, 1907, for works OF I'M
movement $685. 600 and for mainten-
anca Of Improvement SOS, 900 making a
total of $4,000
Especially interesting in h report
is the statement concerning the amount
and class of business done during the
--J:.- Dooay~1or o1ct jQnR. tho
kinds of vessels navigating the river,
and other data dealing with the ire
n.endous and increasing business OF
the port of Wilmington.
The report gives credit to the col
Iector of customs at the port Of Wilm-
ington and to the chamber OF com
merce for some of the information
contained therein.
The reports for the fiscal year end
ms December 31st, 1906, foreign and
coastwise amounted to $25,161 ,O12; IN
ternal 81, 749, 622.75. The imports for
eign and coastwise amounted to $685.
$50; Internal 50, 94S, 122. This making
the total commerce amount to S42,6S4.-
315.75.
These statistics do not include a
large part of the business at Winning
ton, which is done by the railroadf.
The statement of the classes md
numbers of vessels Navigating the
river at and below Wilmington shows
that there were 1874 American steam
ships with a gross tonnage of 20O.3l9;
so foreign steamships with Il tonnage
of 1854; three American barks with
tonnage of 1461 and five foreign barks
with 3O73 tonnage; lot American
schooners with tonnage of 43400 and
eight foreign schOoners with tonnage
of 1904: three American briggs Of 1889
tons and II American barges of 1910
tons, making a total Of 25S vessels
with 263 $40 tons n 63 foreign YES
sell of SO, S18 tons, or a grand total
of 321 vessels with a total tonnage OF
62,497. This does not include vessels
that put into Southport for supplies,
harbor or in distress, nor Z. 5. GOV
ernmea vessels, nor steamboats, ply
ing on the river above n below VIII
mington, or steam tugs and small YES
~sels Of less than 100 net tons.
Foreign commerce for the year was
as follows:
800, 685 bales of cotton, valued at
81, 3,O45; 384t6 barrels rosin valued
at SAT, S54; 81 barrels of tar valued at
s164; So barrels Of pitch valued at
$102; 23,225 gallons spirits turpentine