Evening journal., 1910-08-20
FOR
CHANNEL WORK
Proposals Will be Opened Soon
for Dredging Bends in
Delaware River
$4sO,OOO TO BE
SPENT ON WORK

Major Herbert F. Deakyne. United
States engineer, expects to begin the
work OF deepening and widening the
Delaware river channel at the bends
to a depth of thirty-dve feet and a
width of 1000 feet in the latter part
of September or early in October. pro-
posals will be opened on September 10
for the dredging. and a contract Will
be awarded as soon thereafter as a
recommendation with reference to the
contractor, from Major Deakyne's Of
fee I'm this city. can be approved by
the chief of engineers I'm Washington.
There is available for the beginning
of the deeper channel work the sum
of S450,000. and as the bends Of the
channel are most difficult to nayi-
gate, the money is to be expended at
those places in making a start on the
thirty-five-foot channel.
IL is hoped that the sum now avail
able will be sufficient TO deepen and
widen the channel at all the worst
bends between Philadelphia and deep
water I'm Delaware bay.
VIII Dredge Six Bends.
The specifications call for dredging
at six bends, as follows
In the horseshoe, just below Glou-
cester, at the intersection of the up
per and lower horseshoe ranges; at
the lower end OF League Island, az
the mouth of the Schuylkill river,
where the lower horseshoe and Mif-
fin ranges intersect; at the upper end
of Tinicum island, just below Lincoln
Park, the turn from the MiiIlin range
into the Tinicum range; opposite Ed
dystone, above Chester, where the
Tinicum and Schooner ledge ranges
meet; above Pea Patch island, on
which Fort Delaware is situated, be-
tween New Castle and Delaware City,
the intersection Of the deep-water
point, and New Castle ranges and at
Salem cove, between Delaware City
and Reedy island, the angle of the
New Castle and Reedy island ranges
There are several other bends in
the channel, but they are not so diff
cult to turn as those named above.
Full Depth of 35 Feet.
AS the available appropriation will
probably not be sufficient to improve
all, the worst six were selected for
improvement at this time. At each
turn, excepting one, the channel will
be dredged to the full depth, or thir-
/ ty-five feet, and will be widened from
the present width of 600 feet to 1000
feet. The exception is the sharp
bend above Pea Patch island. where
the angle is almost 80 degrees. At
that point the width will be 1900 feet
instead of 1000.
Before the dredging season closes,
about Christmas time, II is hoped that
about one-quarter of the work of i'm
proving the bends will be finished.
Much depends on the size Of the plant
which the successful bidder for the
work may own. If enough dredges
are available. one will be put to work
at each turn.
Two government dredges are now
at work on the river channel. and as
there is more than they can do Ia
maintain the thirty-foot depth m the
straight stretches of the channel, they
will not be used on the improve
ments at the bends. The dredge Man.
haitian. which has been stationed al
New York, arrived In the Delaware
about August II and is deepening The
channel at Duck Creek 7ats, az tn
head OF the bay. The Manhattan Il
dredee boat OF the same genera
style az the Delaware, which is per
manently employed AZ work on tn
maintenance OF the channel, but ha
not so gEeat capacity as the Della
ware.