The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-04-03
SHOALING OF Cape :FtAR
Taken Up With the U. S. Engineer
of This District
By the Board Of Navigation and ri.
lotage and Report Made mt Meet.
ing of That Boday Yesterday
Other Important Matters Up for
Consideration,

and pilotage was he'd yesterday with
the following members in attendance:
Chairman james Spfunt, Commission
ers j. w. Harper, M. c. Guthrie and
Richard Dosher and Clerk l.. Brown
McKoy.
The most important matter before
| the board was the reading of CORE
| spondence with refeI ence TO the re-
ported shoaling of the river In certain
| localities, the subject having bee. call
| ed to the attention OF the United SLAtes
J engineer in charge of the riVer and
| harbor work in this district by the
| chairman of the body.
The report of the pilots, appointed
| to make soundings during the month
| or March, was read, and in this con-
nection the question arose as to the
personal presence az Ehe s0undlnSs
O. the signOrs OF the report.
1t was ordered that every plot des-
ignated by the clerk must be in per-
sonal attendance at these s0undings,
otherwise the penalty of ten dollars
will be imposed as provided for by the
port and harbor regulations.
a communication was read address
ed TO Capt Earl l Brown, corps of en-
gineers, U. S. A, Wilmington, and
signed by Mr.. James Sprunt, chairman,
asking information With reference to
the obstruction to the navigation of the
ship channel in the river near the
quarantine station, 1he obstruction be-
ing caused, it was stated by the sue
ton of dredge Cape Fear which ha5
been engaged in dredging sand in lhe
channel from No. 9 buoy to No Is
buoy, depOSiting the sand at a point
about a quarter of a mile above the
quarantine station, causing ShCal Wa
ter in the ship channel, the depth of
which has been reduced from this
cause from "a feet to 16 feet on the
south side of the channel. In conse-
quence of this, the letter stated, pilots
are Obliged to keep we'll Off this shoal
water to the westward, navigation be-
ing seriously obstructed at Or near
the quarantine station. The board
asked if it was possible to dump the
sand and mud at sea instead Of in
the river where it might work back in
to the chained. Information was al
asked as to whether the suction dred2e
which is now working below Whining
ton on opposite side OF river could
not by addition of sections of pipe dis
charge it's sand along the bank Instead
of in the river. The communication
also suggested that if it would be pos
sible to order the discharge Of this
suction on the river banks at Big Isl
and, Kendall and OrtOn, in order that
| these valuable properties may nave
the added protection TO the river banks
where the cultivation OF rice is con
stantly exposed to serious damage oy
| storms, that this service would be
LnjI to N . at iFYFH
and the industries to referred to:
In reply to this communication from
| the board Cootain Brown answered
| in part as follows:
| "a careful examination: has been
made of the locality where the Cape
Fear deposits material from the quar-
! altine station to buoy Mo. g., and no
shoal water caused from this deposit
not remaining where originally placed
could be found 1t should be noted tnat
| from buoy No. 9 to the quarantine sta
! tiOn the channel is 1c00 feet wide. The
material is being deposited along the
/ eastern side of the channel, and Will
! Necessarily cause some narrowing OF
the channel here, but this is only rlght
and proper, and does not In the feast
interfere with navigation.
"Your suggestion that this material
be dumped at sea cannot be entertain
ed on account of is excessive cost,
and of the fact that there is no neces-
s;ty for doing So
'In reference to your query as to ex-
tending the discharge pipe OF the JACK
sonyille, | beg to state that the mater
ial is being discharged as near the
bank as it is practicable to do.
.It would also be impracticable al
nresent to deposit this material On
shore at either Big Island, Kendall OF
Orion. since no work is contemplated
at those points in the immediate fu-
ture The additional expense OF de.
posting such material ashore Woule
also have to be borne by the owners
of the land, as the government coulC
not undertake to attend to that
.'I beg further to assure your Doart
that you need have no fear tnat an!
work executed under this Office Will II
anyway unduly hinder navigation OF
this river The object of the work L
tc improve it's navigation, and Una
view is kept constantly in MIND.
: With reference to the correspondence
between the chairman of this ooar'
: and the attorney general OF the unl'e'
/ States and with the supervising lnspec
!
: ouested to confer with the attorney Q
: the board with view to a reconcll
Y lion hv an act of the state legisla
( ture. of the state law with the te1era
5 law touching the United States stear
t vessels engaged in coastwise trading
= end the clerk was directed to instruc
+ regularly licensed pilots under tn
state law, that pilot boats enrolled an
: numbered by this board are lrtende
only for use under the state law.
1t was ordered thai the bond o. tn
clerk expiring on April 18th, be ri
y newed at the expense of the board. an
9 that hereafter, in vie@ of this secui 1t.
4 it will not be necessary for chairma
n to sign checks with the clerk, the la
l. ter being fully authorized TO act
treasurer.
q Commissioner Guthrie asked the a