Evening journal., 1911-09-12
IMPROVEMENT
OF THE RIVER
Congressman HeaId'S Address
At the Meeting Of the
Beard of Trade

AT the meeting Of the Board of
Trade last Friday evening, Congress-
man Heald spoke about river improve
ments as follows. nr
Il sometime ago addressed a letter
to the Board in the interest and be-
half Of scheme that is very very
old, but nevertheless very important
In going over the plans of thel
Board of Engineers and construction
of deeper channel in the river, / find
that this bulkhead which was started
on the Delaware River and which is
parallel with the channel for two
miles was not going to be completed
apparently, and | saw that the dredg-
ing which was 20 be taken out Of that
channel was being used and was go
ing to lie used In other places. | felt
that if this was done, the S5-foOt
channel in the Delaware River would
be completed, that the opportunity for
Wilmington be secured and o river
front on the Delaware River; that
vast land would probably be placed a
great ways in the distance because
there is an immense amount of filing
to be done and 1 could not see where
the material was coming from to fill
It. Now | know there are various
opinions in regard to the establish
ment Of a river front on the Delaware
River. Personally, when / looked up
on the map and saw the plans con-
templated, / could not recall any
harbor that have seen recently that
has better advantages Immediately on
the channel than that presented by
the situation which we have here.
! did not feel that t was becoming in
me TO suggest ways and means for the
accomplishment of this purpose, and l
suggested to your Board that you
should appoint a Committee and that
committee should devise ways and
means of determining whether or not
it was possible to secure a completion
of that bulkhead and the deposit back
Of It. of the mud dredge upon the
government contracts in the Della
ware River. I am quite confident If
ways and means can be devised, that
this vast land can be created at al
r'ost "A nominal figure. There are
many things connected with it which
it is probably not 1T for me 10 dis
cuss mere tonioht. I am quite sure
that the committee which you have
appointed upon my suggestion, can
find the reason why the bulkhead has
not been completed. It can find out
how it can be completed. It can as
certain whether or not the City #
Wilmington can secure some part Of
that waterfront and it can ascertain
at what cost and it can ascertain the
advisability of doing it.
Il brought this matter to the at
tention of the Board because it seems
to me that If this is to be secured,
now is the time to secure it. After
the dredging has been done and after
it has been deposited in other places
then It is too late for us to go out
there and secure those deposits of
mud which have gone somewhere else,
and the ordinary dredging which will
be necessary to maintain the S5-foot
4 ehannel Will not be sufficient to fill
IN that land back of the bulkhead for
the next. 25 years. but feel If you
obtain Il now in the course of the
dredging of the 35-foot channel, there
would be enough material to deposit
behind the bulkhead to make sub
stantial and magnificent waterfront
The u. S. Engineers are favorable TO a
project Of that kind They are will
ling, within whatever limits they may
have, TO cooperate in bringing II
about I have some other thoughts
upon the matter which ] think it is
better for me to suggest and talk
over with the committee which you
have appointed rather than discuss
them here before the Board of Trade
tonight, but I say again It is to my
mind the only opportunity / see to
accomplish what we have long sought
for II you had a map. you would
notice that this bulkhead which
would be a wharf.-the runs parallel
to the edge Of the deep channel, par
allel for two miles, and that Il is dis
tant from that channel not more than
800 yards, so that we are practically
on deep water when we are at the
bulkhead.
"The committee that you have ap-
n pointed / believe can determine and
report to this Board during the com.
ing Fall all the essential facts that
will be. necessary for them to form q
conclusion and for the Board to form
a conslusion. ! would like to ex-
plain my suggestions a little further
and that is, / suggest either NORTH
Of the Christiana River or South Of
the Christiana River a front should
be provided. The plans that / had II
contemplation would be at practically
no expense to the City. / have nc
object IN locating the bulkhead ol
depositing the dredging In one place
more than another. ! do want the
people of Delaware to have whatever
advantage may be obtained by secur
ing from the government materia
to. be filled whether north of th'
Christiana River or South Of it.
think by a little careful, probabl,
diplomatic arrangement. that we car
secure this front at minimum cost
and by a minimum cost / do no
mean anything approaching million
dollar. do not want to go into de
tails as to whether We want It on
there OF not or whether 1t Is exposed
OF not. Certainly we will not be an.
the worse of financially If we have ;
river front that will cost practically
nothing than If we have not got It"
i