New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-25
MAKE NEW EFFORT FOR
PIER HEAD EXTENSION
Representatives Of New York
and Steamship Lines Ask Con-
qress to Ignore Stimson.
RENEW REPUDIATED IDEA
Secretary of War Sends to
House Committee an Earnest
Protest, Quoting Mayor
Gaynor Against Plans.


Washington. jan 4-After agreeing
only a few days ago TO secure the
massage by the Board OF Estimate and
Apportionment of a resolution In con-
formity with the views of the Secretary
OF War and the engineers OF the army.
and after repudiating the Sulzer Dill
representatives of the City of New YORK
and of the steamship companies appeared
to-day before the House Committee on
Interstate Commerce and urged the
passage of new bill introduced by
Representative Goldfogle. which would
have precisely the effect objected TO by
Mr. Stimson and his advisers. the army
engineers. ..t. ..+'
There was read at the hearings letter
from Secretary Stimson. in which he
quoted Mayor Gsynor in reputation or
the Sulzer bill. When the language OF
the MAYOR was read Representative
Adamson. the chairman. expressed much
surprise. as. he said he had received
letter from Mayor Gaynor saying he did
approve OF the Sulzer bill. Commodore r.
\. c. Smith. who seemed when at the
War Department to be in accord with
the views of the Secretary and with those
later expressed by Mayor Gaynor, and
those who appeared with him at the hear
ings. supported the Goldfogle bill today,
although he did not get a chance TO tes-
tify.
Confronted with so much conflicting
testimony. the committee decided TO ac-
cept the invitation OF the New York
Board Of Trade TO visit the site Of the
proposed pier extension and to survey for
themselves the conditions prevailing.
Secretary Stimson's Protest.
Secretary stimson's letter. which Chair
man Adamson put into the record. said
in part; =.
have the honor 70 say that at
hearing before me on Friday. January L,
upon some OF the questions involved IN
said bill. the city authorities OF New
York. represented by Mayor Gaynor, re-
pudiated the proposition contained in the
out Tito the river. and stated that the
City Of New York did not ask for or want
such an extension. The language OF the
Mayor. an reported by the stenographer
at the hearing, is as follows:
The blue line Oh the map is the line
laid down in the so-called SulZer bill be-
fore the House of Representatives We
never instgated that and do not ask Tor
it.
Ii further appeared in the hearings be-
fore the New York Harbor Line Board
upon the Sulzer bill that the pier head
line as proposed IN, that BILL had been
drawn with entifeiy Insufficient data.
line had beers drawn 10 pIkr, !. because
he did not have any datd' ~ show the
proper place where il should have ended:
respectfully submit that this very
statement Of the draughtsmen of the bill
is q mos, eloquent denunciation OF the
method of legislation which this bill
seeke, namely. that IL attempts 10 take
out Of the hands Of skilled board Of
engineers the question of where this pier
head line should be drawn. and TO sub
s'itute for their expert determination the
haphazard guess of drauehtsmen who do
not even have sufficient data 10 draw a
line as they wish to draw il.
Among it's other features. the bill pro-
poses 10 marrow the existing fairway OF
the Hudson River at It's narrowest point,
between Castle Point and Chelsea, by
the difference Of 100 feet.
Hopes for a Solution.
have every hope that a solution may
he found through the cooperation OF the
federal and local authorities which will
satisfactorily solve the problem of find
ing adequate terminal facilities for the
shipping visiting New York Harbor with
out further narrowing the fairway. Of the
Hudson and without further injury to the
great waterway upon which the prosper
ity of that city and the commerce of the
main port Of the nation ultimately de-
pend,
sincerely hope your honorable bod v
viii not.'bN approving-h bill which OIL is
face shows itself 10 he haStv and imper-
feet. and which the report Of the Harbor
Line Board disapproves of in important
particulars. and which the municipal au-
thorities OF New York disayow render
more difhcut this work upon which We
axe now engaged in earnest cooperation.
John ". Bensel. State Engineer. the
chief witness to-day. contended that the
extension Of the pier head line for one
hundred feet would accommodate all
steamships using the piers: that It would
not interfere with navigation. and that
Congress had a right TO act in the matter.
Colonel Black. army engineer. stationed
i'm New York represented the Secretar;
or War at the hearing. and opposed ac-
ton on either Of the pending bills.
Mr. Bensel acknowledged that a differ
encc OF opinion existed among engineers
who had studied the problem. but testi-
red that the extension proposed in the
Goldfogle and Sulzer bills would not inter
fore with commerce in New York Harbor
A. j. Grimes. representing the Erie
Railroad said about 50 PEE cent of the
tonnage of the New York port moved on