Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-04-20
Inland Waterway Hearing

Inland Waterway Hearing
The question of Federal ownership of
the State Inland Waterway had Its
day in COURT so far as South Jersey is
concerned, at Atlantic City last Friday
and the result was most gratifying TO
all friends of this tremendously i'm
portant project. In spite of the inclem-
ent weather. heavy rain driven by a
stiff gale, making motoring almost Im-
possible-the audience which attended
the hearing packed the City Commits
sinners' room To overlooking. Ard
most important Of all, those who at
tended the meeting came loaded with
facts and figures of the most convin-
cling sort, demonstrating beyond ques-
ton the supreme Importance of the
proposed extension of the State Inland
Waterway through Monmouth county
to New York Bay and across Cape
May county to DELAY are Bay. In the
absence of Major Mark Brooke, the
meeting was presided over by George
w. T. Miller, G. E., U. s. assistant
engineer, of Wilmington, Del. Major
Brooke was detained on account of
war matters. The proceedings were
taken down by an official stenographer
and a report will be com piled by Ma
jor Brookc's office and submitted in due
course to the Board of Army Engineers
at Washington to be ultimately trans
mitted to Congress. Hon. Ieaac Bach
arach, through whose efforts the meet
ing was called, was detained in Wash
ington by congressional duties.
Papers were filed with Engineer Mil
Ter, setting forth the tonnage that
would probably move over the water
way between New York and Philadel-
phia and New Jersey coast resorts. and
the towns and cities situated on water
ways tributary TO the Defa river
aud the State Inland Waterway, such
as Bridgeton and the Cohansey river
and Mays Landing on the Egg Harbor
river. 1t was shown that this tonnage
would result in lower freight rates than
now exist on such important COM
modities as vegetables and farm pro-
ducts, building materials, coal, wood
and oil; glass bottles and other products
manufactured in this territory.
1t was proven that the extension of
the State Inland waterway to New
York bay will be of vast benefit TO the
New Jersey coast resorts, making 1t
possible for the members Of the Us
yacht clubs and the owners of the
80, 900 power boats of the Greater New
York littoral to visit these resorts by a
safe inside route without crossing the
dangerous inlet bars, which prevent
easy access to most of the New Jersey
coast resorts. 1t was shown that a
cross. county canal, connecting the
State Inland waterway with Delaware
bay, via Cape May Court House would
shorten the distance between Philadel-
phis and 1.-THE Clyde of America by
twenty-five miles to New Jersey coast
resorts, %obviating the long and danger
Gus detour around Cape May Point,
and affording a short cut as important
to yachtsmen and motor boat owners
of Philadelphia, Wilmington, Chester,
| etc., as would be the northern extern
sion to the power-boat owner of Great
er New York. Expert testimony was
adduced to show that the c~ross-county
canal could be dug by extending the
existing Cape May Court House cana
to Della ware bay through loose soil by
hydraulic dredging at no great expense
and at an average elevation of only a
few feet. 1t was declared that the cut
ting of this canal and the extension OF
the waterway from Bay Head to New
York bay would make the New Jersey
coast resorts as accessible by motor
boat from New York and the Hudson
river, and Long Island sound and from
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chesa-
peake bay, as they now are by automo-
bile. The importance of the waterway
for the use of torpedo boats and sub
marines between New York bay and
Della ware bay, and for coast defense
purposes was pointed out by several
speakers.