Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-10
MAJOR PiLLsBuRY'a REPORT
 KILLED CANAL PROJECT
Would Require Rebuilding Of 42 Old and Erection Of Nine New Bridges.

AN-4@~%%$~S<~V examination Of Shetucl1et, QuinebaUg l and French rivers, with q view Of se- l curing slack water navigation between | Norwich and Worcester, has been ls- 1 nation of congress. This survey or examination was made by instruction l of a bill introduced by Congressman l Mahan. The project Of Q, canal be- ! tween Norwich and Worcester did not ! meet with much encourage elne14t from | the manufacturers and people living | along the proposed route, and the bur- 1 den of support for the project fell up- on Worcester.
 The three rivers lie in the eastern ! part of the state of Connecticut and in the adjacent portion of the state of Massachusetts. The Shetucket river has it's sources near the northern boundary of the former, flows in a southerly direction and enters the Thames river in the city of Norwich. The Quinebaug river is it's principal tributary. It has it's sources to the east and north of those of the She tucket, and also flows south, joining | the Shetucket about three miles above the confluence of the latter with the Thames. The French river is in turn tributary of the Quinebaug. Its sources are group of ponds and stor- age reservoirs which lie about five
 miles to the west of the city of Wor- ceSter; 1t flows nearly south, and en- ters the Quinebaug about 35 miles above the confluence of that stream with the Shetucket river.
 The examination is directed by the act to the securing of slack water l navigation between Norwich and. Wor- 1 cester The city of Worcester does not lie on the French river the last link in the system of streams, but on l the Blackstone river g stream flowing ] southeast and entering Narra agansett | bay at the city of Providence. As l c7T1 hoy hot | of the streams be feasible, to effect the l improvement contemplated it would 1 be necessary to construct a, canal be- | tween the French river and Worcester. l There exists a low valley, almost due south of Worcester. in the watershed 1 between the French and Blackstone | rivers. that 2ffers the most suitable l route for such a canal The length of | canal by this route would be about | nine miles, and it would join the l French river at a point about 16 miles | above the confluence of that stream l with the Quine5aug
 l Acess from deep water to the ter | minus of the waterway at Norwich
 would be afforded by the Thames, a l tidal estuary 12 miles in length, eS- 1 Norwich The Thames river has been l improved by the United States un- l der a project providing for a channel i 200 feet wide and fl feet deep at 1 | increased depth of 20 feet to Allyns
 Point, six miles below Norwich. This
 project iS completed. Tga channel l through the Thames river has dimen- l siOns well in excess of any channel | that could reasonably be projected for l the improvement under it's investiga- 1 tiOn and the city of Norwich may ! consequently be considered a suitable | tidewater point for a terminus.
 The principal communities lying | along the proposed route in their or der above the city of Norwich. are as
 Norwich. Connecticut - shetucket river; population 1910, 20.367-
 Jewett City, Quine-
 baug river; population 1910, 3,023.
 DanieIson, nnecticut-Quinebaug river: population 1910, 2,934.
 Putnam, Connecticut. - Quinebaug river; population 1910 6.637.
 Webster, Massachusetts - French river; population 1910, 11.509
 1 Worcester, Massa achusetts - Black stone river; population 1910, 5,986 The section of the Shetucket river l covered by the improvement is cross ed by three highway bridges and one railroad bridge; of the Quinebaug, by
 10 highway and three railroad bridges: of the French by IS highway and eight railroad bridges: a total of 31 highway bridges and 12 railroad bridges. All of these have fixed spans and practically all would require re- | construction or replacement to pass navigation. The route of the connect
 ing -~nal would cross eight highway and one railroad, at which bridges would be required.
 The line of the Norwich & WorCes-
 ter railroad a part of the New York, l New Haven & Hartford system. close
 ly parallels the route of the waterway. 1 It is crossed by several branches Pf
 the New York & New England rail-
 road, belonging to the same system
 and a branch of the Boston & Albany railroad parallels the French river be- i tween Worcester and Webster, WOr-
 cester is an important railroad centre
 and is entered by the New York, New
 Haven 6, Hartford system, the Boston
 & Albany railroad, and the Boston &
 Maine railroad. It has mainline rail
 connection with Boston, Providence
 New York and Albany.
 ! The only prior eXaInin3t 3tiOn or sur vey made of any of the streams en-
 tering the present investigation was
 directed to the Shetuclet river from
 a point just south of the Laurel Hill
 bridge to the dock of the city of Nor
 Wich, as authorized by the river and
 harbOr act of March 8, 1909. This
 reach is but about 800 feet in length
 and lies immediately above the mouth
 of the river. Tn the report on the survey GIT, Doc. No. 397, 61st Cong. l q sess.- the removal of two obstruct-
 ing rocks, heretofore mentioned, one
 to a depth of nine feet below mear low water, at an estimated cost ot $1.500, was recommended, the work
 to be included in the Thames river
 project with which it was intimately connected. The improvement was au- , thOrized, as recommended by the riY- } CT and harbor act of June 25, 1910 } and was duly executed. No other . work of improvement in the interes ' of navigation has been attempted 1T any of the streams.
 The measure Of improvement to bt [ 1 investigated is indicated in genera terms by the act authorizing the ex, l animation, slack-water navigation be.
 ing therein prescribed. Such form o.
 improvement is indeed the only one
 practicable for the streams in ques.
 tion. No less comprehensive improve. ment could endow them with naviga.
 ble capacity. As to channel dinen, , sions, it may be remarked that neithe, ' New London nor Norwich can be con. | sidered extensive originating CT dis tributing points for freight, and tha , freight going through the waterway : would necessarily have as it's princi. . pal origi nor destination the harbor O.
 New York. The channel dimension! : must therefore be sufficient to accom- nnodate vessels of 9 size that can safe.