Evening journal., 1911-11-04
CHANCE FOR
RIVER FRONT
Government Will Aid in Bulk
head Work if Arrange
mentS Can be Made
TRADE BOARD WILL
APPEAL TO CITY COUNCIL

The first definite move made by ths
Wilmington Board of Trade looking
toward a river front was made at the
meeting of the Board last evening
when the riverfront committee submit
ted a report. 1t was pointed out tndt
something definite must be done az
once If it is desired to secure the ma
terial to be dredged from the D,ia-
ware. The report follows:
Wilmington, Del, Nov. 3. .9i1
To the President and Members Of
the Wilmington Board of Trade.
Gentlemen Your River From COi3-
mittee desires to report that in order
to ascertain the present status OF tbs
bulkhead on the Delaware river d.
posite the city, they called upon The
u. S. Engineer in charge Of the wCik
of improving the channel of the Deia-
ware river on the first of the present
month Your committee was intOrmtu
that it would take 100000 cubic
yards to fiji the basin betweel the
river bank and bulkhead to be cer-
structed. and that the government
could fill this basin if the bulkhaad
were completed, with dredgings under
contract covering part of the work ds
the work progressed on the completion
of the 35-foot channel in the Delaware
river.
Contracts have been executed for
sections of the channel north of the
city and also for sections south Of the
city. but the chief engineer at Wash
ington has issued an order that no
work be done upon the bulkhead op-
posite Wilmington until IL is ascer-
tanned what cooperation may be cX-
pected from the riparian owners and
municipal authorities.
Your committee desires to call atieu-
tion to the fact that it is absOmisiy
necessary that immediate acton bs
taken looking forward to having ths
Mayor and Council of the city through
a committee, cooperate with tho com
mittee of this Board i'm an endcavOr 4;
induce the riparian owners and t.
city TO make a satisfactory arrange
ment with the chief of engineers whicl
will insure the completion Of III
bulkhead. If this is not done, he a.
sured the members of the BOdrc q
Trade that they can secure othe
places for the deposit of the drcdf
/
fill in the lowlands opposite the -
and will be compelled TO do so uales
immediate action is taken. II 81
: therefore be seen that while the 81
foot channel is being completed, thi
. Wilmington has an opportunity for a
reclamation of the lowlands which lad
, never presented itself heretofore, an
the benefits which would accrue to II
city as a result of securing tnes
dredgings and the completion OF Tn
bulkhead are too great to be los-
We therefore recommend that Ia
Board ask the Mayor and Council ,
the city TO appoint a committee 20 az
in conjunction with the River FfOi
, Committee of this Board.
Respectfully submitted,
r River Front Committee.
2 Following its acceptance of the r.
p port Congressman Heald asked M
: Thompson. who presented the repor
I If the Information secured from Ei
gineer Deakyne was final and he r.
z piled yes. Congressman Heald sal
he thought it a wise move to ask II
Mayor and Council TO act in the ma
ter at once.
During the meeting communication
2 were received from the executive con
mittee of the Philadelphia Board
Trade asking cooperation in securir
a betterment of United States Con
merce II is intended to consider tn
matter at the forty-second annu
1 session of the National Board
Trade which convenes in Washingto
d. c., on January 16, II and is, 19l
g The local Board will consider Il
& question at the next meeting of q
4 board of directors.
v Delegates to the meeting Of Il
national body in Washington will
s named within the next few days.
= An invitation was received from Il
d Wilmington Civic Association to a
Ie tend the lecture of Lawson Purdy (
n Monday evening. It was accepted.
} The matter of naming the delegat
10 to the National River and Harbor Co
y gress was deferred until the ne
meeting.