Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-09-01
In Speech at Conference of
Atlantic Deeper Water
ways Association.
AT PROVIDENCE TODAY
Government Estimates Are
Made Public Giving Re-
suits Of Official Survey.
AMBOY TO BORDENT0WN
Other Inland Waterways of
New Jersey Are Discussed
Before the Delegates.
AMBOY TO BORDENT0WN
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS.
Providence, r. l., Sept. 1:-De-
claring that New Jersey and the
country generally have too long
neglected their opportunities for the
development of the inland water
ways, and picturing the great advan-
tages which would come to the en-
tire East by ship canal across New
Jersey, Governor John Franklin
Fort, of that state, delivered an ad-
dress this afternoon at the confer
ence of the Atlantic Deeper Water
ways Association.
Governor Fort declared that the
improvement of the natural and the
construction Of connecting artificial
waterways is one of the imperative
demands Of the times.
He showed that he has received
from Colonel w M. Black, of the
Engineer Corps, u. s. A, an official
statement that suitable route has
been found for a ship canal between
Raritan bay and Bordentown and
an estimate that a sea level canal
would cost sS3,900,000 and a lock
canal, s20,700,000. He stated that
1t would be difficult to estimate the
enormous traffic which would pass
through such a canal.
The governor also presented Off
cial statements showing the present
depth of some of the waters of the
state, Colonel Blacks letter and his
complete estimate of the cost and
maintenance of the ship canal. The
address and other statements were
as follows:
THE improvement of the natural
and the construction of connecting
artificial waterways is one of the
imperative demands of the times
For almost half century canal
construction Except possibly in New
York Btate) has langutshed, while
railway construction and transporta-
tion has advanced with rapid strides.
We are now beginning to realize the
mistakes made in this matter. The
railways are without competition and
carrying charges are of course of
their fixing. Fifty years ago the in
ternal commerce of the country ran
north and south with the rivers; to-
day 1t runs east and west with the
railways.
What it will mean to have good
waterway transportation is fully
realized by the business interests in
New Jersey. In the general project
for which this Deeper Waterways
Association stands, our state has the
greatest interest. It crosses our
state from the Raritan bay, at Am
boy, to the Delaware, at Bordenown,
a distance of thirty-three~and a half
miles. From the city of New York
to Bordentown by water, going
Enxy bn nnln
ware, is two hundred and ninety
seven miles. IL the waterway pro-
posed be constructed, from New
about f1fty-seyen miles, saving of
water transportation, and 1t will cut
of, of the distance by water, fully
two hundred miles between New
York and Philadelphia. What this
would mean to manufacturing and
Dther industries established In New
Jersey, on the waterway and along
the coast, is past estimation. Our
location makes such waterway of
any other state.
"The depth OF the Hudson river
at Albany is sixteen feet and of the
DCldWdfS at Ii IOuIICSA
feet. There Is but one point now on
this proposed route where the water
does not exceed the depth of the
water at Albany, and that is at New
ark bay, where it is but fifteen feet.
But the new waterway, now under
construction through s+his bay and
the Arthur Kill, is designed to have
a minimum depth of twenty-one feet.
Who can estimate the value to the
industries of New York and New Jer-
sey, on the Hudson, Newark Bay,
Kill Won Kull. and Arthur Kill, If a
waterway eighteen feet deep be con-
structed across New Jersey, from
Raritan bay to the Delaware river at
Bordentown?
"In June last Colonel Black, the
government engineer, gave me an
estimate of the cost of the construc-
tion of sea-level canal eighteen feet
in depth across New Jersey, from
Raritan bay to Bordentown, as
$33, 300, 600, and for a lock canal, of
the same depth. as s20,700, 1000.
Continued .on page 81