Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-29

die west--o,litc as accessible aud con-
venient in Que case AS in the other.
Deep aud ample channels to the sea
are already existent, the projected port
development being Immediately opposite
and but n few hundred yards distant from
the 35-foot Delaware River Channel cx-
tending from this point to deep water IN
Delaware Bay, some thirty miles distant:
Railroad facilities are already provided
in entirely satisfactory quantity and 10,
cation SO far as the Pennsylvania railr road
system is concerned, the port tract being
within two miles Of one Of the principal
car classification yards OF their eastern
lines; and the Philadelphia ~ Reading
railway and the Baltimore q ONO rail-
road companies have spur tracks already
contiguous to the property, which track.
age can be expanded and improved at
comparatively slight expense to answer
anv possible demands. The belt line, OF
connecting railroad, by which the various
! parts of the future port will be linked to-
gether and bv which the facile interchange
| of freight between land and water carriers
will be assured, is a matter for future de-
velopment. but its contraction would be
! an essntial part of the plan oil develop
ment and would be comparatively simpie
| and inexpensive.
| The physical improvements to bc made
| by the CITY to enable the proper use oil
! OF this property for purposes OF conduct,
| ing maritime trade-that is, mooring and
| docking facilities, pier and warehousing
/ accommodations s-fortunately can be
| created at reasonable expense, the phys'-
| cal conditions of the sub-strata being
! favorable to fairly economical construo-
tion. =,
The organization of the port authority
itself. without which the city could not
hope 10 make successful Roadway against
the well-orpanized efforts of other and com
peting ports, is amply provided for in the
| legislative enactments which designate 10
the Board of Harbor Commissioners exec
utive powers of wide scope, and leave
the commission with sufficient freedom ol
action to apply these powers IN broad
and business-ike manner.
The personnel of the Board of CommiS
sioners is such rs to guarantee an earnos
and honest effort TO start the city safely
in its debut in port society.
DESCRIPTION OF WILMINGTON wATEi
FRONTS
Wilmington isfocated on the west banl
| of the Delaware river--thus sharing witt
Philadelphia the advantage over New
York Of a land location unseparated tron
the balance of the American continen
bv broad water barrier tending to IN
crease its cost of harbor operation. " y
about thirty miles downstream iron
Philadelnhia and seventy miles from thu
ocean capes; has a frontage on the Della
ware river channel Of about "a miles
a frontage on both sides Of the Christians
river Of about ) y miles with usabi'
derth of 81 feet of water; and on both side
of the Brandywine river a tributary OF tn
Christiana which Is navIgabie Tor harges
scows and other light draft vessels, 70
about 4 miles making total utillzabi
waterfront of approximately IL miles Il
length. OF this total length, howevei
about one-third of it may frankly be as
sumed as valuable only for Industrial, uses
one-third as navigable only for river an
bay craft: and the remaining one-thir
or about four miles development eventu
allv for the accommodation Of seagoin
vessles of deep draft.
The proportion Of the frontage cor
sidered 10 be suitable for maritime trad
is that along the Delaware river and alon
the lower Christiana, below the Pennys
wanna railroad drawhridge, shown on n
man accompanying herewith as locate
, approximately one and one-haf mile
from the mouth.
The portion of the Christiana unm'
diatelv above this point could he develope
; for deep draft vessels were it necessar,
but because Of the serious objection to tf
unnecessary passage of vessels throug
drawbridges, and the superior faclitu
, afforded by the lower areas near the Dell
ware, it seems likely that the upper reach'
Of the Christiana, and the entire navIgab
/ length of the Braudywine, will be pc
manently assigned to manufacturing plal
sites and to the uses OF river and bay era
engaged in the transportation Of goods