Evening journal., 1914-08-17
WAR Of nations
HURTS RAILROADS
Falling Off in Freight Ship
ment Causes Lay Off of
Many Workers
HARBOR IMPROVEMENT
ALSO is DELAYED

ting off the importation of material
from Europe, but is also causing the
dismissal of hundreds of railway en-
ployes. Freight and passenger traf-
fic on all the railroads running out
of Jersey City shows such an enor-
nous falling off that the railroads
are compelled to make wholesale
discharges in their operating forces.
To make a bad matter worse, mill
! lions of dollars worth of property are
/ being hung up and thousands OF men
| thrown out of employment because OF
the failure of Congress to pass the
River and Harbor Bill.
According TO the Army Engineers
| having river and harbor work In
charge, work on 1876 projects has
either been suspended already or will
be suspended by September Is, be-
/ cause of the failure of Congress to
make the needed appropriations.
In q memorandum submitted to
Chairman Sparkman of the Rivers
and Harbors Committee of the House.
the Chief of Engineers, in calling at
tention of Congress to the Iiessing
necessity for appropriations to carry
on river and harbor work, said
Every effort has been made TO
keep the estimates down to the
amounts actually needed to permit
Of economical prosecution of the
works adopted by Congress and, by
reason of the regular passage in the
past four years Of rivers and harbors
acts, confidence that this policy would
be continued has been gradually ac-
Quired; and not only the Engineers
Department, but contractors engaged
in furnishing materials or doing work
under the Department have acquired
tie same confidence and have made
their plans accordingly. The sus-
pension of work results not only in
positive loss of time and possible in
reference with navigation, but
seriously handicaps and greatly adds
to the cost of future work by the dis
organization of working forces. and
the effect which Il has upon the con-
bdence Of contractors supplying ma
terials."
Among the many important pro-
jects that are seriously affected
through the failure of Congress to
pass the river and harbor bill, are
the Mississippi river from its mouth
to Minneapolis; the Columbia river
at its mouth; the Delaware river be-
tween Philadelphia and the sea; the
Hudson river. which is an extension
! Of the Erie Barge Canal; Mobile Bay
! channel from the Gulf OF Mexico to
the city of Mobile; Black Warrior
p river locks and dams; Boston Har-
!, bor, Massachusetts,, 35-foot channel
t Ohio river. locks and dams.
It is stated at the War Department
that millions of dollars worth of ma
chinery will shortly become idle on
the Mississippi river because of lack
/ of appropriations to carry on the
work of revetment, etc But while
the loss of time will be seriously felt
Z in completing the Mississippi river
= project the greatest loss will fall
- upon contractors who. believing that
the river and harbOr bill would be-
come law by June 80, have gathered
great quantities Of willow brush
is used in making the mattresses used
in revetment work. This brush. ly-
ing along the river ami exposed to
the sun. win soon lose its resiliency
and become perfectly useless for mat
tress construction.
Having been "stung' once the con-
tractor will hardly prepare his ma.
terial again in advance OF contract
with the result that work on the
% Mississippi river next year will be
. greatly retarded The working sea.
- son on the Mississippi is also neces-
. sarily limited as the high waters dc
' not recede generally before June, and
consequently. the period for active
work is considerably shortened.
On the 35-foot project on the Della.
ware river between the sea and Phila.
delphia, two or three government
dredges are constantly at work, to-
gether with dredges owned by private
r contractors. Over a million dollars &
- year is being spent on this project
:, and, IL the river and harb0r bill Il
+ not passed soon, the government
s. dreges will be laid up and the forces
on them discharged. while work un-
j. der contract will be reduced to {
minimum in order 10 cover Office ex
: penses and the care of the plant. Al
II the Delaware is one of those river.
+ that silt up quickly IL is readily seer
n what abandonment of work on tn,
Y channel means to the large shipping
II interests of the Quaker City.
p What is true of the Delaware Il
n equally true of the channel between
5 the Gulf of Mexico and the city o
u Mobile, Alabama, at the head of Mo
u bile Bay. This channel is 33 l..
a miles long with a width OF 900 fee
Y. and a depth of 26 feet at low tide
= Since the establishment of this chan
"a rel commerce has grown by leap
l., and bounds. and 1t has required un
d oeasing efforts on the part of tn
l. government to maintain the channe
at its present dimensions. Tn
d failure of Congress to pass the water
Z. way budget for this year has com
i relied the War Department to cal
Di upon its emergency funds, and $40,
600 has been set aside for Mobile Ba
IS in order that the channel may b
m kept open. When that amount
used up work will have to stop an
< the channel be permitted to fill W
~ unless Congress should decide upoi
~ the bigger projects.
: One of the most unfortunate situa
III tions Is that at the north of tn
Columbia river in Oregon and Wash
Y ington. The present bill gives $1,000,
9 600 for continuing the improvement
oi and creates a continuing contract 0
= S4,100,OOO for its final completion
y The work of building the north jett
10 is i'm progress, a trestle hundreds o
. feet long having been erected for tn
purpose of hauling rock for dumpin
into the jetty. AS the life of trestl
l. in salt water is short at hest, the i'm
Ig portance of rapid work is obvious
m and if operations be suspended
m will cost thousands Of dollars to pu