Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1935-04-26
ADDITIONAL
DREDGING AT
OCEAN CITY
Channels Desired In Order To
Give Fishermen OppOrtun-
ity To Ship
MIR. GOLDSBOROUGH IS
URGING THE APPROP.

Seeking Federal assistance in carry.
ing out plans to improve the shipping
facilities Of Ocean City, Md, officials
of that city have filed with Represen-
tative Goldsborough (Dem., Md.) a
petition urging that additional dredg-
ing work be undertaken.
This work, it was stated, would
make the Maryland city one of the
major seafood distribution points
along the Atlantic coast.
The petition sent to Mr.. Goldsbor-
ough urged the Government to dredge
channel approximately two miles
long from the ocean inlet north thru
the shoals in the lower Isle of Wight
Bay to connect with deep water on the
north edge of Massey shoals. This
would be an important link in the IA
cilities to provide ample depth for
seafood vessels entering Sinepuxent
Bay through the inlet.
What was regarded as the most
important step in making Ocean City
major distributing point was the
request of officials of that town that
the present dredging program be en-
larged to provide for the derdging
of an adequate channel in the marsh
opposite Ocean City Inlet on the west
shore of Sinepuxent Bay and parallel
to the Baltimore, Chesapeake and At
lantic Railroad tracks for distance
of about 1000 feet.
This would permit fishing boats to
dock alongside the railroad tracks and
load their catch directly into express
cars or refrigerated trucks for ship
ment to Baltimore and other large
markets.
It also was pointed out that the
dredging proposed in the Sinepuxent
Bay would provide an excellent har-
Dor as well as adequate shipping fa-
cilities.
The Importance of providing a safe
harbor at Ocean City was called to
the attention of Federal officials sew
eral years ago by Senator Tydingss
(Dem., Md at hearing before the
Rivers and Harbors Committee, when
the War Department was considering
the dredging of an inlet to connect
the ocean with Sinepuxent Bay.
At that time Senator Tydings called
attention of the Board of Engineers
for Rivers and Harbors that the fish
ing grounds off Ocean City was one
of the most important along the coast
and that approximately 1,200 vessels
from as far north as Boston, and as
far south as Norfolk, made regular
visits to Ocean City.
1t was pointed out that they had to
steam back to New York or Boston
to dispose of their cargoes, or south
to Norfolk to reach a shipping point.
Senator Tydings also declared that if
facilities were provided for these
vessels it would provide the only safe
harbor within 125 miles of that point.
Representative Goldsborough said
that he would request Senator Rad
cliffe (Dem., Md, a member of the
Senate Commerce Committee, to pres
ent an amendment to the pending
rivers and harbors bill to provide for
the additional dredging in the Sine
puxent Bay to Ocean City, so as to
provide adequate depth of the channel
to permit delivery of seafood direct to
the railroad or to refrigerated trucks.
Without the additional dredging of
the marsh on the west side of Sine
puxent Bay adjoining the railroad
tracks, it was explained, the bay would
be only a safe harbor, without ade-
quate facilities for the distribution
of seafood to the large markets.