The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-17

of Engineers and the Federal Pow
er commission are jointly author
lied and directed to prepare and
submit to Congress an estimate of
the cost Of making such eXar!ina-
tons surveys OF other invesr ga
tons as in Their opinion may be
required of tn ose navigable
streams and their tributaries
whereon power developments ap-
pears feasible ana practicable
with view to the formulation of
general plans for the most effec
tive Improvement of such streams
for the purposes of navigation and
the prosecution of such improve
ment in combination with the most
efficient development of the poten-
tial water power the control OF
floods and the needs of irrigation
The latest River and Harbor act
March 2, 1915 authorized 291 prof.
Gus az oil CStlilldtSo SOSC VI soooS'
000,000 The work includes loG>l and
dam and canal construction dredg-
ing and rock excavation bridge
construction river regulating
works revetmcnts breakwater
construction and related types OF
work. Also included are multiple
purpose projects combining navi-
cation flood control power de-
velopment conservation and allied
water uses. This legislation
is the first general authorization
since the Act cf 1888. These all
thorized projects can be placed un
der way at such time as Congress
may direct when conditions of man
power and materials again permit.
Present Program
The present program for Fed
eral improvement of rivers a d
harbors for navigation and allied
purposes as authorized by Con-
gress comprises approximately l.
900 separate projects now actively
in force. These projects are being
maintained as may be required to
meet the needs of commerce and
navigation.
The total expenditures for main
tenance and improvement of riv-
ers and harbors during the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1914 amount.
ed S26, 107, 900 for new work and
$38, 259, 900 for maintenance. The
water-borne commerce during re-
cent years has aggregated approx
matei' 900, 100000 tons annually.
| On March 81 1945 the War de-
partment Civil Appropriation act
making appropriations for the fis-
cal year ending June 30, 1946
made available 44,508O0O for the
improvement and maintenance of
authorized river and harbor works
during the ensuing year.
So far as North Carolina is con-
cerned the Army Engineers have
been of inestimable value in de-
veloping the rivers harbors and
waterways and have provided the
state with two deep sea harbors--
Wilmington and Morehead City
capable Of accommodating all but
the largest seagoing vessels. Al
the present time the Cape Fear
river has a mean low water depth
of 80 feet from the ocean to Will
mington the channel being 300 fee,
wide. This year Congress has au-
thorized an enlargement of this i'm
provement to 80 feet in depth and
400 feet wide with enlargement Of
the anchorage basin at Wilmington
at an estimated cost of 81, 465, 900
Before improvement of the river
began in 1929 the controlling deptr
in the river was IL feet q
stre~n of little use for any but
small vessels. The amount OF
money spent by the Federal gov.
eminent on the Cape Fear river
at and below Wilmington to juno
30, 1914 was Sill, 1000 of which
$6,659,0 900 was for new work ane
SIS, 288 900 for maintenance. Com
merce on the river constantly in
creased in value reaching peak
in 194l of nearly three million tons
The harbor at Morehead City
was also provided with a chan
mel 30 feet deep at mean low water
from the ocean to the terminals
in the city. This channel was com.
pleted in 1896 and permitted all
but the largest seagoing vessels
to enter the port.
, Another advance in waterway
development was the construction
a. Yakx frOY0