Milford chronicle., 1919-07-25
WILL CHANGE DOVER
INTO SEAPORT TOWN
THE PROJECTED IMPROVEMENTS TO ST.
JONES RIVER WILL COST MORE
THAN $lSl,425.
TO HAVE 7-FOOT CHANNEL
WILL SHORTEN THE DISTANCE TO THE
DELAWARE BAY AND ELIMINATE
SHARP TURNS AND SHOALS.

Another river improvement which
will help put Delaware on the map as
a State affording unexcelled harbor
facilities in the proposed st. Johns
river improvement. work on which is
delayed pending the transfer of nee
essary land to the United States for
certain cut-offs to eliminate curves.
Colonel J. P. Jervey. United States
engineer for the Wilmington district,
states there are funds on hand for
starting the improvements, but not for
completing them.
st. Johns river runs into the Della
ware twenty-six miles above Cape
Henlopen, the southerly cape at the
entrance of Delaware Bay. It is pro-
posed to dredge a channel seven feet
deep at mean low water from Della
Bay to Dover, 100 feet wide outside of
the mouth. about one mile in length,
so feet wide from the mouth to Leb-
anon, a distance of IL miles, and 40
feet wide thence to Dover, a further
distance of six miles. and the construc-
tion of 5000 feet of jetty on the north
side of the entrance, and the dredg-
ing of sixteen cutoffs to shorten the
distance and eliminate sharp turns and
bad shoals. The mean range of tide
at the mouth is four and one-half feet,
at Lebanon two feet, and at Dover one
and a half feet. The extreme range
of tide is from one foot below mean
low water to two feet above mean
high water.
viii Cost Over S1SO.0OO
The present project was adopted by
the river and harbor act of June 25,
1910. 1t was modified by the river and
harbor act of March 4, 1915, so as to
permit work to be undertaken at any
cutoff where the land has been fur
nished free of cost and the United
States released from damage claims
due to divergence of the stream. The
original estimate of the proposed inn
provement was $1S1 ,425, but it is ex-
pected that the actual cost will be
very much higher because of the great
increase in building materials and
rate of wages.
The present project is not the only
one which Congress has authorized.
The very first project for improving
tho river by dredging and a jetty at
the mouth was adopted by the river
and harbor act of March 3, 1881. 1t
was modified in 1884 to provide for
an increase of depth and again in 1889
to substitute a dredged bank for the
ietty at the mouth and for one cutoff |
rhe amount expended on previous pro-
iects was $54 .490.20 for new work and
s29064.27 for maintenance, making a
otal of $50 3,654.47.
Just when additional funds will be .
for the st. Johns river
Improvement is problematical. At the .
present time even the funds for the .
of the Delaware and Ches-
lpeake canal from a lock canal into
sea-level canal are being held up by
he Comptroller of the Treasury.
Colonel Jervey in in Washington,
where he will confer with War De-
'artment officials regarding the pros
'ects Of settling the matter so that a
urvey may be undertaken in order to
ecide on the most advantageous way
f going about the work.
1t is believed that the st. Johns
iver improvement will wait upon, the
Delaware and Chesapeake canal pro-
ect. When both these projects are
ompleted Delaware will have a sys-
I'm of waterways to be proud of.