Frankford Creek lies wholly within the port of entry of Philadelphia, at which the revenue collected during the year ending December 31, 1884, amounted to $12,530,451.86. The nearest fort and light-houses are, respectively, Fort Mifflin and Horseshoe range lights. Total appropriation to June 30, 1835.. $10,000 00 9,442 83 Money statement. July 1, 1884, amount available.. $916 72 July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884... 359 55 July 1, 1885, amount available Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... Submitted in compliance with requirements of section 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. 557 17 30,000 00 COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. The Mason Fruit-Jar Company of Bridesburg furnish the following statement relating to the commerce of Frankford Creek in connection with their business : Under a contract with the National Dredging Company, dated October 6, 1884, for dredging, at 28 cents per cubic yard, 52,730 cubic yards of material were removed from the river between Point Breeze and Girard Point piers. A survey of this part of the river was made during August, 1884. The work done and in progress is under the approved project, which provides for the formation of a dredged channel 400 feet wide and 24 feet deep at mean low water from the mouth of the river to Girard Point piers, and a channel from thence to Gibson's Point 250 feet wide and 20 feet deep. The Schuylkill River has an improved channel 300 feet wide and 24 feet deep from its mouth to Girard Point; from thence to Chestnut Street Bridge, in the city of Philadelphia, a channel about 150 feet wide and from 18 to 20 feet deep at mean low water; the distance between these extreme points is about 74 miles. The work which has been done appears to be quite permanent in character and of great benefit and advantage to commerce. During the present season available funds will be applied to the work of dredging now in progress. An appropriation of $75,000 is recommended for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. Total appropriations to June 30, 1885.... Total expenditures to June 30, 1885..... $350,000 00 331,701 23 During the fiscal year, ending June 30, 1887, the work contemplated is dredging in furtherance of the approved project. This work lies in the collection district of Philadelphia, at which, as a port of entry, there was collected during the year ending December 31, 1884, revenue to the amount of $12,530,451.86. The nearest fort and light-houses are, respectively, Fort Mifflin and Schuylkill River range lights. July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of $4, 159 45 25,000 00 outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884 July 1, 1885, outstanding liabilities.. July 1, 1885, amount available...... 135,000 00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... 75,000 00 Abstract of proposals received and opened September 23, 1884, by Maj. W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers, for dredging in Schulykill River, Pennsylvania. Contract, dated October 6, 1884, awarded to the National Dredging Company. In progress. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. NUMBER OF VESSELS AT POINT BREEZE FROM JULY 1, 1884 TO JUNE 30, 1885, AND TOTAL SHIPMENTS OF PETROLEUM IN SAME PERIOD. NUMBER OF VESSELS AND ESTIMATED SHIPMENTS OF PETROLEUM FROM GIBSON'S POINT FROM JULY 1, 1884, TO JUNE 30, 1885. NUMBER OF VESSELS AT AND SHIPMENTS OF GRAIN FROM GIRARD POINT ELEVATORS FROM JULY 1, 1884, TO JUNE 30, 1885. The foregoing statistics were furnished by Peter Wright & Sons, of Philadelphia. Mr. G. M. Taylor, auditor freight receipts Pennsylvania Railroad Company, gives the amount of tonnage to and from Schuylkill River and passing in and out of the Delaware and Raritan Canal at Bordentown for the year 1884, as follows: The following statement was received from S. & J. M. Flanagan, showing the number of vessels towed by their firm for the year 1884. This statement includes the foregoing made by Mr. G. M. Taylor. Loaded canal-boats (freight tonnage of 317,110 tons).. From Schuylkill River to Bordentown: From Bordentown to Schuylkill River: Light canal-boats ... Loaded canal-boats (freight tonnage of 116,598 tons) Light canal-boats... Sailing vessels towed in Schuylkill River (freight tonnage 18,324) 1,530 661 922 1,344 24 34 G 8. ICE-HARBOR AT MARCUS HOOK, PENNSYLVANIA. Under a contract with Messrs. Leiper & Lewis, dated April 28, 1884, a pier was constructed to replace the one (No. 5) which was wrecked in September, 1882. This pier consisted of a masonry, concrete and rubble-stone superstructure superposed upon a timber crib foundation. The crib was hexagonal in plan, about 80 feet long and 364 feet wide at the base. The bottom of the substructure was 36 feet below and the top of the superstructure 12 feet above mean low water. The work was completed in November, 1884, at a cost of $15,600. During the present season it is proposed to expend available funds in such repairs to the piers as may be necessary for their maintenance. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, if funds are available, it is proposed to construct the bulkhead along the shore front of the har bor and deepen by dredging the shoal areas of the harbor, in accordance with the present plan for its improvement. The harbor is of considerable importance to the commerce of the Delaware River during the winter season. It is located in the collection district of Philadelphia. This is the nearest port of entry, the collections during the year ending December 31, 1884. amounting to $12,530,451.86. The nearest fort and light-house are, respectively, Fort Mifflin and Christiana Light. Total appropriations to June 30, 1885 $184,000 0 176,561 N Money statement. July 1, 1884, amount available.... July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884 .. July 1, 1885, amount available...... 50,000 œ (Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project. G 9. ICE-HARBOR AT THE HEAD OF DELAWARE. BAY, DELAWARE. The act of August 2, 1882, contained an appropriation of $25,000 for "ice harbor at head of Delaware Bay, and for removal of sunken piers in channel back of Reedy Island, Delaware." These piers, six in number, were built at some unknown time in the past, probably from the appropriation of $30,000 made April 6, 1802, for building piers in the Delaware River, and were removed in 1883, under the above appropria tion, at a cost of $3,700. In 1883 Assistant Engineer A. Stierle made, under the direction of Lieut. Col. G. Weitzel, Corps of Engineers, an examination of the vicinity of Liston's Point, for the purpose of determining upon the most eligible site for an ice-harbor at the head of Delaware Bay. The report of this examination is found in the Report of the Chief of Engineers, 1884. page 817. The result of this examination was the conclusion that an ice-harbor could be most advantageously located near and just north of Liston's Point. Under date of January 31, 1885, Major W. H. Heuer, Corps of Engineers, forwarded to the Chief of Engineers Assistant Engineer Stierle's report, with plans and estimates for an ice-harbor. located as previously indicated. This report is appended hereto. The designing and building of a construction light enough to oppose so small a resistance to tidal currents as to produce no tendency to shoaling within the protected area, and at the same time strong enough to withstand securely the impact of large ice-fields, is a difficult problem. Joined with these difficulties is the lack of a solid foundation in the vicinity where commercial requirements would indicate the ice-harbor should be located. At the most eligible site found the hard bottom was overlaid by 35 feet of mud and sand at the outer end of the site proposed. To successfully overcome and destroy the momentum of large ice-fields running under the impulse of wind and tide they must be opposed by structures of great mass or of great elasticity, joined with high ultimate resistance to permanent distortion. The plan of a barrier composed of grouped small iron piles laterally connected, while in the direction of the latter requirement, it is believed, after an examination of its general principles, that it will be found entirely too weak to successfully do the duty it would be called upon to perform, and before the problem of construction can be considered as solved the question requires additional study. The determination of the question of detailed location is involved in difficulty from the fact that the reach of river in the vicinity of the site which has been proposed for the ice-harbor contains over 10 miles of shoal water requiring improvement. The Board of Engineers of 1884, for the permanent improvement of the Delaware River, recommended for the improvement of Dan Baker Shoals a dike about 5 miles long, and for the improvement of Duck Creek Flats a dike nearly 6 miles long. The former work would be just above and the latter just below the site which has been proposed for the ice-harbor. The action of such dikes will probably produce, through the agency of change in the present direction and velocity of tidal currents, great change of depths in the vicinity of the dikes and either disastrous shoaling or destructive scouring might be induced over the area upon which the iceharbor was located. In view of these possible results it is recommended that the decision as to the detailed location of the ice-harbor be held in abeyance until the effect of the constructions for the permanent improvement of this part of the Delaware River is established by experience, and consequently no appropriation for this work is recommended at present. This work is in the collection district of Delaware. Wilmington is the nearest port of entry, and the revenue collected there during the year ending December 31, 1884, amounted to $32,110.91. Fort Delaware and Reedy Island Light are, respectively, the nearest fort and light-house. (Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project..... Submitted in compliance with requirements of section 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. $17,500 00 17,500 00 .381,090 00 LETTER OF MAJOR W. H. HEUER, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Philadelphia, Pa., January 31, 1885. GENERAL: I have the honor to forward herewith the project of Mr. A. Stierle, assistant engineer, for an ice-harbor at or near the head of Delaware Bay. The project has involved much study on his part. The location is good in every respect; the shape of the harbor is satisfactory, and if the pile piers will stand the ice without overturning-and there is every reason to believe that they will-they are, in my opinion, preferable to stone piers, as offering less obstruction to the tidal cur |