Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-02-13
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CHANNEL UP THE A

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1t is good news that comes from
Washington that the army engineers
have recommended the expenditure OF
$40, 400, 600 for digging a channel
thirty feet deep through Raritan bay
from Sandy Hook to Staten Island
sound II thence through the Kill
Won KuIl into upper New York bay.
The next point is to have congress
and the Wal Department see 1t as the
army engineers do and get the work
formally authorized. Then the thing
is to have the first $4,000, 600. which
1t is proposed to start with, used in
deeping the channel through Rari-
tan bay. If this is done. Perth AM
boy will be fairly started toward he
greatest prosperity in its history.
We are hearing a great deal about
Newark bay these days and there Is
no doubt hat the cities bordering
thereon are in a fair way to get some
thing worth while accomplished in the
way of real harbor facilities. But
what is Newark bay compared to the
broad cxpanse of water that makes up
of the sea extending into the heart Of
New Jersey where the great trunk line
railroads come right down to the
shore. There are no narrow straits
or crooked turns to be made; no draw
bridges to pass through unless the Ves-
sci is going up the Raritan river, and
the distance from the open sea is as
short, IL not shorter. than any other
port on the Atlantic coast.
Why, then, should not Raritan bay
be developed without further delay?
1t Is up to Perth Amboy to advance
this project with every means pos
sible. A deeper channel up the bay is
the one big improvement needed to
make Perth Amboy a great metropolis.
The fact is, the water is already
fairly deep with the exception of a few
shallow places here and there. The
bar hat extends out from Wards
point, the extreme southern end of
staten Island directly opposite this
city, Is perhaps the shallowest part
Of the channel. This is supposed to
have twenty-one feet of water at low
tide. But it has been a number Of
wears since the channel was dredged
and boatmen now claim that the
channel has filled up so that about
nineteen feet of water over this bar
is all that can be counted On. For
modern vessels this IS not enough.
To be of real service the channel
deep, and forty would be still better,
but If 1t is dredged to a depth of thirty
feet it will be a decided improve
ment. Once that is accomplished
will increase to such an ex-
tent and industries will be attracted
here by the facilities, so that a deeper
Let us have the thirty foot channel
to start with and we will be willing to
let the future take Care of itself.
BY all means let us keep after this
matter until 1t is an accomplished
fact. To better facilitate matters when
1t Is finished we should begin now to
have a city plan providing among other
things, for the proper development of
our water front. 1t would be short
sighted. indeed, to wait until the YES
sells are ready to come up to Perth
Amboy before making ample facilities
to dock them and care for their car
goes.
AS we have often remarked before,
there are big things under way for this
vicinity and it behooves Perth Amboy
10 be prepared to reap the full ad-
vantage of them. So far we have done
little but walk about these things. 1t
is time to get busy,