The sun., 1918-10-30
Transfer of Sound Steamers
to East River Is In
dorsed.
WOULD RELIEVE TRAFFIC
More Room for Ocean Vessels
in North River Under Pro-
posed Change. 1-.,,.

william O. Redheld, strongly urges the
contamination OF plan worked out by
Murray Hubert. Commissioner Of Docks.
10 end river traffic anarchy and TO get
100 per cent OF use out OF the. pier sys-
tenn OF the city. $500. ',.-. e.. -os
Commissioner Hubert has submitted
to the Sinking Fund Commission. which
maintains authority over the Dock De-
partment and to the Mayor and Comp
troller a complete scheme for doing
away with congestion at this port ana
for intensifyinE the employment OF city
piers. Until the war 10 at an end and
definite policies for handling the greatly
increased commerce which peace Will
bring have been formed Commissioner
Hubert will pigeonhole a S100,o00,000
plan which contemplates the construc-
tion Of new piers and advocates other
immense permanent improvements de-
signed to meet the needs OF the future.
For the present. as he said yesterday.
he contents himsek with a more modest
scheme, covering 1918. 1919. 1890 and
1871, which calls for the expenditure OF
about s10,000.0o0. This -contemplates
making the best use Of existing piers and
facilities and It will be self-supporting.
The last IL essential because otherwise
debt limit restrictions might make the
scheme impossible
Would Shift sound Steamers.
One of his main suggestions Is that
Sound steamships. light draught vessels
plying to Boston. Providence, Portland
and other New England ports, should be
transferred from their present North
River terminal, which includes the old
American Line Piers II and Is. to a set
OF piers on the East River from Seven
a.
the interests of both the city and OF the
steamship lines are concerned Commits
sioner Hubert maintains by facts and
figures that the transfer would be wholly
advantageous
In the first place, he notes, the North
River piers tut into deep water. suitable
for steamships carrying on overseas
traf1c. now 80 vitality necessary. The
Sound steamships do not require berths
where the water depth runs to about
thirty feet. Therefore they would be
equally we'll accommodated at the East
River piers. where the water. though too
shallow for overseas traffic. Is yet suffi-
GENTLY deep to take care OF the New,
England lines. In the second place. the
marginal way along the East River piers
is broad, we'll paved. accessible to vari-
Gus lipes Of transportation for freight
and passengers and is in all ways de-
sirable as the land base of a great New
England steamship terminal In the
third place. the Commissioner notes. the
steamship companies would save at least
100000 in rental by the transfer. And
in the fourth place the transfer would
release to the city at least two piers re-
quired for present necessities.
Has Government Approval.
When this phase of the Commission
er's general port Improvement plan was
put up TO the Sinking Fund and other Of
ficlals objection was made tentatively on
the score that the United States Govern
ment might not look with favor at'this
time on changes such as suggested. The
Commissioner states. however, that he
has letters from the United States Ship
ping Board commencing his plan. and
yesterday he received from the Secretary
OF Commerce a letter specifically COM
mending the suggestion to transfer the
Sound steamboats, from the North to the
East River. Secretary Redheld's letter
is as follows:
Il have your letter OF October 10 in
curing as to the conditions in the East
River so far as they will affect the use
Of this part OF New York Harbor as a
landing place for the Sound steamboats,.
TN the first place permit me to say IL
this can be effected 1t will obviate use
less navigation on the part OF each such
vessel of about seven and a half miles a
day or approximately $500 miles a
year. through the most congested traffic
Of New York Harbor. and therefore the
proposal should be given very careful
consideration
This useless navigation through the
densest traffic OF New York Harbor has
undoubtedly resulted in collisions to ves-
sells 1 have not Immediately available
Information in regard 20 such casual
hVVN =. IL n
call on the United States Steamboat In
spection Service of this Department. To-
Gated in the Custom House at New York
city, for detailed information on this
point
Unit for Ocean Steamers.
'The present conditions affecting navi-
cation In the East River as far north as
Blackwell's Island are shown on Chart
1924, published by the Coast and Geo.
detic Survey OF this Department, and a
cory OF this chart IL being forwarded to
you in separate package.
You will observe that from about
Williamsburg Bridge 10 Thirtieth street
there are rocky shoals which prevent the
use Of the piers on the Manhattan side
Of the East River by ocean steamships.
On the other hand, the depths are ample
TO permit the use Of the greater part Of
bese piers bf the SOUND steamboates- It
would thus appear to be- an important
item OF CONSERVATION of tte7resources Of
New York Harbor if the piers within
these limits on the EsDt Rifsr can be
used by the corhpat atteeiy shallow draft
sound steamboats, and stle piers now
used by the Sound steamboats, on the
North River can be thus released 10 traf-
ne for oceangoing vessels of very much
deeper draft.
1T may be well to call your attention
to the fact that the distance for ocean,
going vessels Ia not greater from the sea
10 the piers on the North River than TO
the piers on the Ia u River. the naviga-
Ton is easier and trafio- less congested
on the North River and diverting ocean
uslhc from the East to the North River
ID step in the right direction.
The reefs fronting the Manhattan
Shore are generally OF rock. and II will
undoubtedly require many years to effect
heir removal. The conditions outlined
above may be regarded as fixed until the
removal Of the reefs. ...
You will notice from an inspection
o. the chart that from about seventeenth
Tr"'' 70 Thirtieth street. roughly, In the
vicinity OF the mouth OF Newtown Creek,
II the widest part OF the East River; and
the Sound steamboats, can secure
heIthlng facilities on the Manhattan side
WITHIN these limits the width OF the river
~ ample to furnish them space for Of
iecting a proper landing At such piers
and for nannuyFinR In the river of the