Evening journal., 1921-03-08
ENGINEERS TOLD
HARBOR MERITS
Business Men Describe Ad-
vantages Which Will Ac-
crue From Project
STRESS NEED OF AID
BY u. S. FOR PORT

Following an inspection Of the
harbor and a public hearing on the
project, the United States engineers
who visited Wilmington yesterday
afternoon departed for Washington.
on an evening train, leaving the i'm
preston they would give every con-
sideration to the requests for Fed-s
eral aid.
Owing to the delay Of forty-five
minutes in their schedule, due to the
iateness of the Federal express.
which brought them from the Cap
ital. the luncheon rendered the visi-
tors at the Wilmington Country Club
was brief. At the club they were
welcomed by Mayor Taylor and :
number Of other prominent citizens
After the luncheon, the entire party
motored to the Public Building,
where the hearing was begun at
O'clock.
As told in The Evening Journal :
yesterday. the visiting engineers
were Colonel Charles Keller, Colonel
j. c. Sanford. Colonel j. c. Oakes.
Colonel NJ. NJ Patrick and Major c.
S. Ridley. They were met at the 4.
French street station and accom-
panied on their inspection trip of the
harbor and to the luncheon and .
hearing by United States Senator
Josiah o. Wolcott, Congressman
Caleb r. Layton, Colonel f. NJ
Johnston, United States engineer for
Wilmington district, and Colonel II.
II. Stckney, Jr., George W. T. MIL
Ter and William f. Snyder. Of his
staff; Charles Warner and Joseph.
Bancroft, of the Wilmington Harbor
| Commission: Charles II. Cant, the
! commissions secretary, and John
/ Meigs. Of Philadelphia. its consult
ing engineer, and Major Walter r.
Boyer, formerly a member Of Colonel
Johnston's staff.
Asks Value to Nation. /.
In opening the hearing, Colonel
Sanford. who presided. said the gov
ernment was interested in the value 4.
Of the harbor improvements to the
nation at large There was some
! question. he added. where additional. .
seaports were needed on the Atlantic
coast
With the channel 1000 feet wide at
a point opposite the intersections Of
/ the bulkhead line on the Christiana
recently re-established, diminishing
, to 45O feet at the railroad bridge.
the proposed area at the channel
dredging will comprise tho entire
width between the harbor lines and
the Christiana river
A B. Warner Jr., president OF"
/ the Chamber of Commerce, who
was called upon by Colonel Sanford
for his opinion, said that while he
was not prepared to express himself
in regard to the value of the project !.
to the government, not being fully
advised on that subject, he could
say that the 600 members OF theI
Chamber of Commerce, representing
Wilmington's business life, were
solidly back of the project. They
have always been in back Of tho
proposition" he said. Il can as
sure you that among the members
of the Chamber Of Commerce. the
feeling is 100 per cent unanimous
in favor OF it,"
Railway Men Urge Project.
Representatives Of the Pennsyt-
vania Railroad the Philadelphia
and Reading, the Reading Railroad
and the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road were also present, and declar--
ed the concerns which they repre-
sented were strongly in favor OF the.
developments. and were willing to
cooperate in any way to provide
the best means of handling export
and import trade. Horace Wilson,
of the Wilson line, asserted that the
harbor here is more conveniently
reached by steamers than the har-
Dor in Philadelphia.
Charles Warner, Of the Harbof
Commisson, pointed out that this
city. which is not only closer to the
sea than Philadelphia. is also tho
closest city on the Delaware river
which has connection with three OF
the leading railroad lines. A harbof
here. he said, would relieve the con-
gestion not only in Philadelphia but
in New York and Baltimore.
All the business men present were
in favor of the proposition, except
George T. McGovern. who said that
he thought that continual dredging
would be necessary, which would
raise taxes This was denied. other
speakers were S. X. Smith, J. B. Mil
Ter. c. T. BridEeham. Councilman.
Charles Forwood and Charles IL