Evening journal., 1910-02-25
STATES WANT
DEEPER CHANNEL
Pennsylvania Delaware and
New Jersey Appeal For IS
Foot Waterway to Sea

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Feb. 25--
Municipal, State and national officials
Of three States, Pennsylvania. New
Jersey and Delaware; commercial and
trade organizations. shipping and ship
building interests and individual citl-
zens therein Joined hands in volcing
their sentiments for S5-foot channel
in the Delaware River before the Board
og Review of the United States Engi-
neers at a hearing in the Chamber OF
Commerce I'm the Bourse yesterday.
With a single exception the speakers
and organizations which presented
typewritten requests were unanimous
in urging the speedy dredging OF the
Delaware TO a S5-foot channel. Mayor
Reyburn was the only one not to speak
for the immediate necessity of the
deeper channel. He said that he
thought that in advocating a 35-foot
channel the commercial bodies should
not lose sight of the necessity OF COM
pleting the present s0-foot project, of
widening and Strengthening the curves.
This. he thought. would bring the
quicker relief, and the S5-foot project
I could then be taken up.
MOORE MAKES APPEAL
After the various speakers had pre-
sented their views and arguments for
the necessity of a 35-foot channel, Con-
gressman ]. Hampton Moore. who pre-
sided, turned TO the Board Of Engi-
neers and said in earnest tones:
please do not give us half way--a &c
or 33-foot channel. Study the reports
and the papers presented and you win
wake up to the necessity of not giving
us halves but of going the whole
/ length. Be fair and square and put
us on a level with at least three Of
our competitors, Boston, Baltimore and
Norfolk
IF we fail to receive favorable re-
port from your body, then our cause
| is postponed and we go behind these
three cities and a fourth city with
even a greater channel depth for a
number of years ask you as friends
of Improvement in the United States
to give us the benefit of a favorable
report as early as you can"
In order to facilitate the work Of
the engineers il was decided to post
pone the final hearing which has been
arranged for March 4. and to leave the
case as now presented in the hands
of the engineers for consideration and
recommendation. This was done that
the engineers could get to work at
once on the papers and report TO the
Senate Commerce Committee at an
early date that an amendment for an
appropriation for initiating the work
could be presented and acted upon be-
fore Congress adjourns.
The Board OF Review consisted OF
Major w. j. Barden, Lieutenant Col
onel w. =. Craighill, Colonel w. T.
Rossell. Lieutenant Colonel w. c.
Langfitt, Major II. Dealyne, and A. II.
Weber. secretary.
! MANY ORGANIZATIONS Represented
The organizations represented con-
sisted OF the Commissioners of Navi-
cation, Maritime Exchange. North
Shore Improvement Company of Cam
den, Wilmington Board Of Trade, the
Allan Line. the South Philadelphia
Business Mems Association, the Cam
den Board of Trade. Select and Com.
mon Councils. the Department OF
Wharves, Docks. and Ferries, the
Chamber OF Commerce, the Board OF
Trade. the American Line, the Red
star Line. the Atlantic Transport Line
the Hamburg-American Line, the Hol-
land-American Line, the New York
Shipbuilding Company and the Allan
tic Refining Company.
In opening the meeting Congressman
Moore said that he believed that the
sentiments expressed voiced the feel
ings of the people of the three States
which viii be directly affected by the
deepening of the channel. The annual
tonnage Of the Delaware was 2S, 900 ,00C
tons and he said that no other inland
river carries that amount. He recall
cd that New York had a40-footchan-
mel, that Boston and Baltimore had
s5-foot channels and that plans were
now under way for dredging the har-
Dor at Norfolk to 35-feet
1.-THE time has come to put us on an
equality with out sister ports" he con-
cluded.
WILMINGTON VIEWS
r. !. ,2Iaclean, president of the vii.
mington Board of Trade, spoke of the
great shipbuilding industries at VIII
mington and said that with the greater
dimensions of ships was absolutely
necessary that the channel be made
deeper TO handle the increased tonnage
Il thoroughly indorse everything that
has been said in favor of the 35-fooi
channel" he said in conclusion.
Resolutions urging favorable action
we're presented by the Philadelphia
Board of Trade, the North Shore I'm
provement Association. of Camden, and
hv a iofnf T.xec1iffyo Corap,fffao or, fI,e