Evening journal., 1912-05-02
River Front Trust Says If Doesn't Need
Cify's Aid to Fill Land and Build Bulkhead

failure to complete the bulkhead, as /
originally planned, was caused OF in
any way Influenced by the fact that it
would. II constructed. benefit private
owners rather than the City Of viii
mington.
From the very beginning, tho Unit
ed States Government and its agents
have known that the river front was
owned by private owners. Il re-
qured their consent before the estab-
lishment of the hulkhead line From
the beginning down to and after the
stoppage Of bulkhead constructions IL |
was in consultation with certain of
these river front owners seeking their
advice and assistance and co-opera- /
ton. The reasons why the bulkhead
was undertaken, partially constructed
and construction stopped, are spread
at large upon the reports and public
documents. All of the correspond
ence with Government engineers and
their reports and public documents
bearing upon this question are uni
formly and wholly inconsistent with
any motion that the ownership Of the
river front had anything whatsoever
TO do with the course of the Govern
ment. Certain things may have in
iluenced the Government in suspend
ing the construction of the bulk
head. such as the problem of the dis
position Of the waters Of Shellpot
creek. the repeated failure Of cOntrac-
tors who had engaged 10 build the
bulkhead. the turning of available
funds in other directions, SC. But af-
ter the work on the bulkhead ceased,
under the guidance Of the Chief OF
Engineers of the United States Gov
ernment proposals for additional
dredging afterwards advertised en-
bodied bids for the construction OF
this buikhead as an alternate to bids
without the construction Of the bulk
head. The only question which in
terested the Government was whether
a bid involving the construction Of
the hulkhead would save them money
as compared with a bid for dredging
! without the construction OF such bulk
head. That is the attitude of the
United States Government today,
wholly unprejudiced by any question
OF private ownership. For none OF
these facts need anyone depend upor
Tour statements, but they can all be
fully substantiated by official and
u The consent of the City of Will
mington or its cooperation or its par
tial ownership Of the riverfront are
all wholly unessential to procure the
completion OF the bulkhead. The con-
trary statement has been so often
repeated that the originators OF il
have apparently convinced them
selves that 1t is true. No public docu-
ments or report supports any such
idea. So late as December 8th, 1911,
the War Department, speaking
through a responsible engineer, in
a letter addressed to an applicant for
information in behalf of the city OF
Wilmington, says: The River and
Harbor Act Of June 25, 1910, adopted
a project for dredging the channei
from Fishers Point to Delaware Bay
with view Of securing the ultimate
depth Of thirty-five feet In the pro-
secution of this project it may be
found practicable and economical tc
deposit the dredge material as wai
contemplated in the primary project
If the City of Wilmington or the ri
parian prOprietOrs should make ar
, rangements, satisfactory to the de
, partment, to build the bulkhead AM
provide a place for deposit of tn,
, dredge material, they at least to pa,
, such portion of the cost as woulC
make it economical for the govern
ment to use their locality as a place
+ Of deposit in preference to depositinl
} dredge material elsewhere. The deci
sion of this matter must await the re
= ceipt of definite proposal from th'
? riparian prOprictOrs, but 1t is suggest
, ed that the interested parties NIGH
, consult the local engineer Office
Major Herbert Deakyne, Corps of En-
gineers, SIS Witherspoon Building
Philadelphia, Pa
This letter was not called TO tn,
! attention of the riparian proprietorl
"a until after the City Council haC
through its special committee, open
K ed negotiations with such proprietors
d IS About the middle or January
j. 1912. the special committee of Coun
a Gil requested a conference with th'
g river front owners, which conference
q was held January t9, 1912. and hai
been followed by many meetings, II
Vt several of which the full City Coun
Ia Gil and the Street and Sewer Depart
iA'MA nave UffD HAfNfilAs At tNN Nf
s ginning OF these negotiations IL wal
y, stated to the river front owners tha
IT Hon. William II. Heald representa-
o tive in Congress, was confident tina
D, he could procure the completion o
y the bulkhead without expense eithe
= to the city or such owners. providel
- that the city could become and b
N shown to he substantially intereste
~ in the river front. plain businnes
~ question was thus presented for tn
.s consideration of the riparian pro
,s prietors, that is TO say. How muc
N river frontage and ,and would the
4 be willing TO present to the city Il
pr exchange for the completion of tn
% bulkhead without expense 10 then
V, If the city could through Mr. Heal
p- or otherwise. so cause the bulkhea
le to be built. The alternative was
n, probable contribution in money b
a. the river front owners to the Unite
m States Government toward the co;
II OF the bulkhead. in which case the
is would need all their frontage an
as land to assist them TO raise the none
r toward such cost The result of sel
~ eral propositions and counter prop'
~ sitions is the proposition which ha
eS been published, which is satisfaction
to every member of CITY Council