Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-09-01
GOV. FORT TELLS0F SHIP
CANAL ACROSS JERSEY
CONTINUED from page IL

Either figure is of little moment to
this great Republic. 1t would be
difficult to estimate the tonnage
which would pass through such a
canal with the enormous traffic there
is between Albany, New York, Phila-
delphia and the points between. Nat
deeply interested in the success of
the plans of the Atlantic Deeper
Waterways Association.
I'm a small way our state Is taxi
ing up the development of its inland
waters and the connecting of the
same. During my campaign for
governor, and since my occupancy of
that office, / have done everything
possible to push inland waterway i'm
provements. The New Jersey coast
is peculiar in It's inland water condi-
lions. We have many great salt
water bays and thoroughfares on our
coast and also several fresh water
lakes. From Bayhead, which is at
the northerly end of Barnegat bay,
to Cape May, a distance of one hun-
dred miles, there Is a continuous line
of waterways. Some of sufficient
depth already, others very shallow
and at low tide practically impassi-
Bile for any kind of craft larger than
a row boat. Barnegat bay is twenty
eight miles long. Comparatively lit
tie dredging is required to make a
satisfactory channel its whole length.
The same is true of Little and Great
Egg Harbor bays. AS governor l
earnestly recommended that a suit
able channel be dredged, opened and
staked through all this inland water
from Bayhead to Cape May. A route
was surveyed and the legislature
authorized the governor to define 1t,
and three hundred thousand dollars
was appropriated to open a channel
of one hundred feet In width that
should have a depth of not less than
six feet at low tide and Of eleven feet
at mean high tide. A good part of
this work has been done and another
year will probably see 1t completed.
1t will then be possible to pass over
the whole route, with satisfaction, by
any boat of requisite draft for the
kind of traffic desired. We would
like 1t noted that this expenditure is
by the state and no part of 1t vas
asked from congress.
The people of the section of the
state through which the waterway
passes are enthusiastic over the en-
terprfse, and the entire state Ia inter
ested In 1t because 1t will add greater
attractions for our seashore for
pleasure seekers as well as afford
easy and convenient transportation
for needed material and supplies for
building up the coast. The govern
ment and a private company are
spending several millions of dollars
Ia. creating Cold Spring HaFbor at
Cape May, which will be the south
ern terminus OF the route. Some
years q the legislature authorized
a survey to be made of a proposed
canal from Bayhead northerly to the.
Manasquan river or Inlet, a distance
of only about a mile, with a view of
opening a canal that an outlet to the
sea might there be found. We hope
to do that soon and get the govern
ment to open and jetty the Manas-
guam Inlet that we may sail from
New York to the Inlet, and, thence,
by the Manasquan canal to Bayhead
and through the inland waterway to
Cold Spring Harbor at Cape May.
This will open this whole coast not
only to pleasure craft, but to the
cheap transportation of all kinds for
coast improvement.
t.At the last session of the legisla-
ture a more ambitious scheme was
projected. The Geological Depart
ment was directed to make a survey
of a route OF some twenty-thr6e
miles from the Manasquan Inlet to