Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-29
WATERWAY WILL
AID WHOLE STATE,
GOVERNOR INSISTS
Value Of Project Explained at
Feast Where Executive Is
Chief Speaker.

ATLANTIC CITY. Dec. Ex-Governor
John Franklin Fort was the honor
guest at the banquet at h Marloer-
ough-Blenheim last night. when the
eonmodores Of the yacht clubs along
the line Of he New Jersey inland
waterway we're guests of the Nentnor
Yacht CLUB. nat and assembly
mea from the seashore counties al
tended.
Governor Fort ia his address san
II want TO see New Jersey tne great
asst State in the Union. 1 want to see
the cities and towns on the Atlantic
coast the greatest cities and towns on
any seacoast in this country l want
10 see the New Jersey coast. on the At
Iantic ocean, the most attractive SUM
mer and winter resort in the world.
"How shall this be accomplished? 1t
can only be done in n way-that IS
by doing everything possible for this
result. In the doing of it the State and
the localities must cooperate.
THE inland waterway project, start
ed by the act adopted In 1905. and which
carried an appropriation Of $500 geo, Is
one OF the best enterprises ever under
taken BY the State. Its value to the
whole state is beyond estimation. 1t
IS doubtful if it is generally known that
there are 1900 OF various craft plying
on the inland waterways of the four
counties in south Jersey. The system
of the great lakes and arms of the sea
and bays which lie along h 10 miles
~ the New Jersey coast Is not equaled
on any other coast with which l am IA
niiliar.
+The urpose Of his inland waterway
is 10 make a uniform channel of at
least one hundred feet in width and six
feet in depth at all points and places
between Bayhead in Ocean county and
Cold Spring Harhor in Cape May
county. thus connecting Bayhead with
Cape MAY City. The attractiveness Of
this undertaking TO those who sail the
smaller craft will be very great. 1t
means the bringing to our coast of
thousands interested in this kind OF
pleasure, and the increasing of the al
ready large patronage which the q
now receives. My ambition goes even
IulIDCT IHdH IniS. L NOoAI ttANANNS
Cape May City with the city of New
York by opening a canal from Bayhead
10 the M~anasquan inlet, a distance OF
only about a mile, by digging a canal
between these two points which would
let the ocean in through the Manasquan
inlet and the canal to Barnegat bay at
Bayhead. This would enable all the
smaller craft TO run down from New
York city, through XIII Won KuI and
Arthur XIII and Raritan bay and the
Atlantic ocean, to the Manasquan inlet
and thence through the canal and h
inland waterway to Cape May City. No
such inland waterway with so much
of variety and so many splendid resorts
its course would exist in this coun-
try. It would add to our coast in every
and to our state in interest and
Importance.
"We have already spent, or will have
90 done when the present contracts are
completed. S12o.000, out of the 100000
appropriation. We have done more work
because of the low price of u dredG-
ing contracts than il was thought we
could from the estimates originally
made. Another 300, 600 and probably
less will have so far completed the
course az 10 make II entirely practical
for n craft drawing not more than
four feet Of water, TO go the whole
course from Bayhead to Cape May City
and at high tide win give us over eight
feet OF depth the entire way and at
mean low tide We shall have at least
six feet
Already regular lines OF steamboat
transportation have sprung UP between
Tuckerton and Atlantic City. A SINH
lar line will no doubt run from Bay
head and another line will unquestion-
ably run from Cape Mag City by Wild
wood, Anglesea and Ocean City to At
lantic City.
What this will mean TO the coast no
man a predict. If the canal shall be
between the M~anasquan inlet and
Bayhead the salt water from the ocean
win change the character OF the water
in Upper Barnegat bay at and below
Bayhead and will make it more than
30 per cent. salter water, sc that about
1000 acres OF oyster land will be devel-
oped. This industry will produce, by
proper rentals by the State, a revenue
of not less than So an acre, which sum
will more than compensate the State
for the maintenance OF the inland
waterway department and insure the
and proper dredging and stalk
ing OF the way for all time to come,
thus adding to New Jersey another
great advantage to our already I'M
usually attractive State