The Washington herald., 1909-02-09
RIVER BILL Is READY
Measure ApprOpriateS Mil
lions for Waterways.
COMMISSION IS RECOGNIZED
Surveys Authorized on Many HarbOr
Projects and Reports VIII Be Made
as 70 Necessity Of improvements.
Plan of IntercOastaI Waterways
Also Asked for by Committee.

The House Committee on Rivers ard
HaEbors has completed its consideration
OF a river and harbor bin and agreed
on a tentative draft OF a measure 10 be
put through before March 4
The bill aPpropristes S7.s57,o59. 10 be
available Immediately. for maintaining
operations now under way. and $4,000 20
do dredging OF channels that may be-
come shallow through unforeseen cir
cumstances. II contains g provision rec
osnizing President Roosevelt's waterways
commission until March 4 1911 This Is
the commission the President appointed
and sought 20 have Congress make per
manent. but Congress refused
Fifty thousand dollars Is appropriated
for the expenses OF the commission,
which + 70 send representatives 70 Eu-
rope 80 inspect waterway Improvements.
All OF tbs commissioners are to be men,
bers Of Congress. to be appointed by the
Vice President and the Speaker.
Buffalo Harbsr Work
What morey is left from the fund for
improving the Buffalo entrance 10 the
Erie Basin and Black Rock harbor IS ap-
propriated for improving Buffalo harbor.
Navigation in the dredgsd part o. Am
brose channel New York harbor. may
be carried on night and day under Eu-
thority contained IN the bill.
Surveys are authorized on a number OF
projects and reports wiz be made 20
Congress as 70 the necessity for improve
msnt. The board of inquirers for rivers
and harbors Is % study the question Of
these proposed improvements and to re-
/ port as 10 means for lessening the cost
/ of them ard 70 compensate the govern
ment for expenditures made IN the inter
est Of navigation.
Among them are the Hackensack River,
with q view 10 giving a channel sixteen
feet deep from Newark Bay 20 Little
Ferry. and twelve feet deep from Little
Ferry 10 Anderson street bridge in Hack
ensack: Delaware River from JaloT
street, Trenton. 10 the upper railroad
bridge, with view to obtaining greater
depth: Passaic River 10 have continuous
navigation from the MonfclaiT and Green
wood Lake Railroad bridge 70 Patterson:
Newark Bay. 10 provide for an eastern
shore channel: East River, including Hell
Gate SheePshesd Bay. Flushing Bay;
I Hudson River. 70 provide q channel not
less than 90 feet wide and u feet deep
/ IN the lower river 70 Waterford, includ-
/ ing a lock and dam az Troy suitable
for moving commerce TO and frem the
barge canal. and other New York prof.
ects.
IntercoastaI Survey.
A survey Is provided also Cor inter
coastal waterways. these waterways gen
orally 10 extend from Boston TO Ions
Island Sound. to New York Bay. across
New Jersey to Delaware Bay OF River. to
Chesapeake Bay. 10 Norfolk, to the North
Carolina sounds, and Beaufort Inlet
n. c.: 70 Cape Fear River, TO Wingste
Bay, s. c.; to St Johns River, 70 KEY
West, Fla
| Surveys are TO be made also for q con-
tfnuous Inland waterway across Florida
and for a continuous inland waterway
along the Gulf OF Mexico from St. Georges
Sound. Fla, 20 New Orleans. and for
ether inland waterways IN Louisiana and
Texas.