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Delaware River Dredging
1896 from The Evening Journal
Snarl About
Dumping Grounds for Dredged Material.
Philadelphians Much Worried
Are Opposed to Putting the Mud on the Shore.
Philadelphia's Committee on Harbor and Navigation Directed
by the Board of
Managers of the Trades League to Prepare Another Report
on the Subject.
The board of managers of the Philadelphia Trades League spent the greater portion of another session last night in discussing the report of the committee on harbor and navigation, favoring the placing of all dredged material from the Delaware river on shore or behind dikes, and ultimately sent it back to the committee for a new report at the end of the meeting. Major Raymond, the United States engineer in charge of the work, had been invited to be present, but in a letter declining the invitation he called attention to the fact that the plans under which the river work was being done were the plans of the War Department, approved by all the high officials of the Engineer Corps, and that it would be improper for him, a mere subordinate, to publicly discuss the actions of his superiors.
In his argument in favor of the committee's resolution Prof. Haupt declared that Major Raymond confused the general plans with the special detail of dumping the dredged material back into the river. He read from a former report of Major Raymond's to show that he considered it best to dump on shore or behind dikes, provided the question of cost could be overcome. He also tried to show that Major Raymond had full authority to decide the question as to where the dredged material was to be dumped.
A.G. Elliott advised the board to go slowly in the matter. Major Raymond, he said, was backed up by the War Department and the corps of engineers. All other commercial organizations had also endorsed the plan, and he wanted to know what the Trades League was to gain by opposing all those officials and organizations. Success, he added, was always on the side of the heavier guns.
Thomas L. Martindale made a plea for the adoption of the resolution, but ex-Select Councilman Theodore M. Etting deprecated any hasty action, as the Engineer Corps of the United States was composed of a body of men of high attainments, who were presumed to know what they were about. Mahlon M. Kline said he knew as much of the subject now as he did a month ago and moved to lay the whole subject on the table, but subsequently changed it to postponement for the present.
Ex-Postmaster John Filed took a similar view, and said he could not believe that the able men in the Engineer Corps would engage in such tomfoolery as to dredge the material from the river and then dump it back where it would be as disadvantageous as before. Ex-Gov. Pattison said he understood the resolution was more in the shape of a recommendation or suggestion than any attempt to find fault with the engineers, and said government officials generally welcomed any information on subjects before them. A number of others discussed the subject but eventually a motion by W. M. Ayres prevailed, sending the whole matter back to the committee, to report at the next meeting.
The dredging at Cherry Island flats is progressing satisfactorily. It is expected that between 150,000 and 200,000 cubic yards will be taken out before the close of the season, and the work will be resumed next spring as soon as practicable. It is thought that a clear channel will be made before freezing weather sets in.
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