The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-08-19
GREAT
Projects In Waterways Are
Under Way
Engineering Corps Of Army
Doing Much Work

Washington--The engineer corps
of the army, besides completing the.
Panama canal, is busy in both sides
of the continent in the river and har-
Dor work. 1t is completing the Am
brose channel to a depth of 40 feet
at mean low water, and width of
1000 feet throughout it's entire length.
And this work is upwards of 9S per
cent finished, so that when the next
annual river and harbor bill is passed,
instead of appropriating for further
construction it will provide for the
maintenance of this magnificent en-
trance to New York harbor, a work
which, in many ways, is on a par with
the building of the lsthmian canal, for
il involved an estimated excavation
of about 42,j0O,OOO cubic yards of ma.
terial for a length of seven miles of
channel.
But this is not all the engineer corps
is doing in the way of deepening and
widening channels to seaports. 1t is
working on a 35-foot channel into Bos-
ton harbor; and one of the same depth
from Delaware bay into the harbor of
Philadelphia, with a width Of 500 feet
in the straight parts, 1900 feet wide
at Bulkhead Bar, and 1900 feet wide
at the other bends of the Delaware
river. The latter Improvement viii
cost $1O,920,OO and there will be an
annual charge Of 100000 for mainten-
ance.
Baltimore is to have a channel of 80
feet at mean low water, and coo feet
wide at bottom, with increased width
at the entrances and tn bends from
TT McHenry TO deep water in Chesa-
peake bay When this project is com
pleted-and reports in the engineers
Office in this city show that substan-
tial results have already been achieved
this busy growing metropolis Of the
South will have one of the great har-
bors of the country.
What is true of Baltimore, Boston,
New York and Philadelphia also is
true of Norfolk harbor, for here, too,
the work of giving Norfolk a 35-foot
channel, with width of 400 feet from
deep water in Hampton roads to the
navy yard at Portsmouth Va, dis
tance OF about II miles, is well under
way, with hope of completion by the
close of the next fiscal year.
While the engineer corps is busy on
the big harbors of the Atlantic coast,
the same holds true of conditions on
the Pacific side of the continent, for
two jetties are being constructed at
the mouth of the Columbia, while big
work is going on at Los Angeles On
the gulf coast, 35-foot channel into
Galveston harbor, and 35-foot chan
mel to Texas City are being rapidly
constructed.
Leaving out of consideration the mil
lions that are being spent on the wild
ening and deepening of the channels
into the big harbors of the nation, one
of the greatest projects which the en-
gineer corps has under way, and upon
which cool 100000 monthly is be.
ing spent, is the Improvement Of the
Hudson river in the vicinity Of Albany
and Troy, where locks and dams are
being built TO connect the channel with |
the state barge canal, the aim of the |
engineers of the army being to com
plete their portion of the work before |
the completion of the canal proper
another engineering feat rivaling, in
some respects, the construction of the
great ditch across the lsthmus of Pan.
anna.
In the scheme of building an interior
waterway from the rugged rocks of
Maine to the sand spits OF Florida, |
Congress carly recognized the necessl-
~ Of connecting up we'll defined water
avenues along the Atlantic coast
As q part of the project the Chesa.
peake and Albermarle canal was pur-
chased by the federal government at
an upset price OF 100000, title to the
some having passed to the United |
States within the past GO days. This
is connecting waterway between
Norfolk, Va, and Beaufort, ~ c., be-
ing part of the Boston to Beaufort
inlet IN, c. section of the proposed
continuous inland waterway from New
England TO the Rio Grande. The pur-
chase Of the canal having been accom-
pllshed, the engineer corps will short.
~ advertise for bids to deepen this
waterway to ~ feet, with width OF
200 feet. To aid in the work of exca-
walton, dredge will also be contract.
ed for.