The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-18
PLAN TO DISCONTINUE CITY HARB0R LINES
 MET BY UNITED FRONT OF YACHT CLUBS
 AND NAVIGATION INTERESTS IN OPPOSITION
HUNDREDS OF BUSINESS MEN TELL
 ALDERMEN THAT HARBOR LINE CHANGE
 IS DEATH BLOW TO CITY'S SHIPPING

the city. He thought the Stratford Oyster Co was located over in Strat- ford and he wanted to know if Bridge port Harbor, No 10, of the American Masters, Mates and Pilots Association was a local organization. He did not know that the men who are competent to take contro{ of vessels have had an organization in this city for several years
 The Stratford Oyster Co.,, is located at the foot of Pembroke street. 1t has one of the largest fleets in the state and it's payroll will compare favorably with many of the manufacturing in duStrieS in the city.
 MT. Wilson then offered letter ad- dressed to the council from F. S. Beardsley, manager of the Stratford Oyster Co. The mayor said that the harbor line is in Bridgeport, and not in Stratford.
 The mayor said the letter would be read later, but later on Alderman Mc- Murray, who did not like the rather high handed manner in which the may or was keeping the letters and peti- tions in the background, addressed the mayor saying that the communica- tionS should be read.
 '"They are going to be read,'' said the mayor
 ''They should be read" said the al- these firms and companies speak on the subject. Then we would have all the light possible"
 The Mayor repeated that they would be read later on. Alderman McMur- ray said he was there to see that ev- munication there, was there for the purpose of getting a square deal and he moved that the communications be read from each organization just be- fore the representative of that organ izatoin spoke. The motion was car ried.
 |. Captain J. A. Pearsall supplemented the communication from Harbor No. 10 by stating that he was a committee elected to appear there and state that the masters and pilots wanted the city line to stay where it was for the protection of commerce and for the preservation of the harbor.
 James H. S. Jones, of the Jones & Hoffman Co.,, representing the Mohawk Yacht Club, said that in presenting the clubs protest against the change in the streets he wanted to call the att tention of the aldermen to the made quacy of the streets because the men who laid them out never thought there would be electric cars, automobiles and through them. He said that the con- dition in the harbor was the same, and the city should not give up one foot, but looking forward to the future. He urged upon the council that the pol icy be to look to the future.
 Captain A. H. Halsey, manager for the Rade1 Oyster Co.,, said there was danger that the company would have to move away from the city if the harbor continued to become congest- ed. He said that his concern was one of the largest in the oyster indus try of the state, that the business was increasing annually, and the increase in the business meant that larger steamers were baing used. He was emphatically in favor of the mainten- ance of the city harbor line and said that during the past three weeks that it was very fortunate that there had been no heavy towS put in to the har- bor while there had been a south wind. The captain made it plain to the all dermen that anchorage all in one spot did not help vessel captains any as the wind conditions often made one side of the channel safer to lie in than another. He said that he did not think it was impossible to get the gov ernment line changed. He thought the city of Bridgeport ought to be able to do it.
 J. B. Cox. auditor of the Bridgeport and New York Transportation spoke against the abolition of the city line.
 A communication from the Pequon- nook Yacht Club was read again.
 Captain Daniel Sprague spoke for the OyStermen's Protective Association. He said that he had heard some of the aldermen talking about the East anchorage basin and he wanted to cor
 
 basin for there was none in his opin- l ion. He added that it pleased him very much to hear the attorney for the railroad say that the company had been given permission to leave the | Naugatuck dock where it is until they | got ready to take it down. The dock | he said interefered with the New Eng land Navigation Go. only, as it had to | work its steamers around the end | of the dock, and the captains did not | like to do it. As for the lower basin, | out by the lighthouse, he said the city might as well tell merchants in Main street that they had cut down some trees in Seaside park and that they | had better go down there and estab- | fish their stores. He said that vessel | owners wanted to bring their boats up | into town well as anybody else, and when you allow the railroad to build | out to theagovernment line you are go- | ing to crowd the harbor at it's nar- | rowest part. When the railroad builds out to the harbor line there will be no | western basin.
 Captain Sprague said that if there was any such thing as the railroad being able to collect damages for the Go. would now be collecting damages | from the government, which was | dredging a channel through it's oyster | beds He said that the railroad prob ably had a quit claim deed to the flats as far as the channel. but that deed did not say that the authorities could not change the channel without con- | sulting the railroad.
 | The mayor asked the speaker where he would put the harbor line and he replied that it would go to highwater l mark if he had his way about it. He | thought the harhor could be saved to | the city if as much support was given | to the city line as has been given to | the government line He concluded by l saying that if the Common Council of 20 years ago had done it's duty that | there would have been no dispute over | the harbor line at this time.