IMPROVEMENT OF HARBOR AT WILSONS POINT, CONNECTICUT. Wilsons Point Harbor is a bay on the north shore of Long Island Sound, about 14 miles west from the mouth of Norwalk River or Harbor.

The lower half of the harbor is about half a mile wide, with depth decreasing from 16 feet gradually to 6 feet at Wilsons Point; the upper half is from 1,000 to 500 feet wide, with depth of 3 feet or less at low tide. The harbor is sheltered by the mainland and by Sheffield Island (the most westerly of the Norwalk Islands) from all quarters, except the southwest; it is partly sheltered from the southwest by Bell Island, an island separated from the mainland by a marsh and narrow creek.

Wilsons Point Harbor has been used to some extent for many years as a harbor of refuge and place to lie up for the night by fishing boats and oyster steamers, and occasionally by barges caught out in storms. There is no settlement upon the shores of the harbor, except a collection of summer cottages on Bell Island.

A few years ago the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad Company (now a branch of the Housatonic Railroad Company) made Wilsons Point their terminus, and subsequently the New England Terminal Company was formed to construct docks, car yards, and coal sheds, and to operate in the interest of the Housatonic Railroad and its connections. A large dock was built, with transfer bridges, by which freight cars were taken on board steamers, and freight carried to New York City without unloading and reloading.

PROJECTS FOR IMPROVEMENT.

March 3, 1888, a letter was sent by the Hon. William P. Frye, United States Senator, to the Secretary of War, asking that a special exami nation of Norwalk Harbor be made with reference to developing busi

ness which urgently required further improvements. This letter was referred to Col. Houston, U. S. Engineers, for report. Upon inquiry it was learned that the business referred to was that of the railroad terminus at Wilsons Point, and that it was desired that the United States undertake dredging a channel 15 feet deep and 300 feet wide up the harbor to the vicinity of the railroad wharves. There was no money available for a detailed examination of the locality, but estimates for dredging, based upon recent U. S. Coast Survey charts, were made as follows:

230,000 cubic yards at 20 cents.. Contingencies, 15 per cent..

Total...

$46,000

6,900

52, 900

The river and harbor act of 1888 made appropriation for Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut, of.$28,000, with provision as follows:

Twenty-five thousand dollars of which shall be expended in dredging and deepening the channel in the lower harbor, up to Wilson Point.

Up to July 1, 1892, the channel close to the docks had been dredged by the Terminal Company to 12 feet depth at mean low water; outside this the channel had been made 15 feet deep at mean low water to Long Island Sound, and 700 feet wide with an additional width of 200 feet on the east side for a distance of 750 feet south from the wharves;. the 15-foot channel had also been extended northward parallel to the wharves and 75 feet westward from them, with 200 feet width.

OPERATIONS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1893. Nothing was done.

PRESENT CONDITION OF IMPROVEMENT.

The channels, as above described, remain in good condition.

PROPOSED OPERATIONS.

The improvement of this harbor is completed as far as now designed; no further work is projected and no appropriation is required. Appropriations for improving harbor at Wilsons Point have been made as follows:

*Part of an appropriation of $28,000 for Norwalk Harbor, directed by the appropriation act to be expended at Wilsons Point.

Wilsons Point is in the Fairfield collection district, and is about 14 miles southwest from Bridgeport, the port of entry.

Norwalk light-house, on Sheffield Island, is about half a mile south of the harbor. The nearest work of defense is Fort Schuyler, Throgs Neck, at the head of Long Island Sound, about 29 miles southwest.

Money statement.

July 1, 1892, balance unexpended

June 30, 1893, amount expended during fiscal year..

July 1, 1893, balance unexpended...............

$8,333.70 7, 010. 60

1,323. 10

COMMERCIAL STATISTICS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 1892.

No statistics of the commerce of this harbor have been received since 1890, when 221,202 tons were reported.

The conditions have changed since then and the tonnage for 1892 was presumably very much less.

D 15.

IMPROVEMENT OF FIVE MILE RIVER HARBOR, CONNECTICUT.

This harbor is an inlet on the north shore of Long Island Sound, about 2 miles west of the mouth of Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut. It is about 1 mile long and from 300 to 800 feet wide. About threequarters of a mile above its mouth it runs bare at low tide. At the mouth the depth is about 3 feet, increasing to 9 feet at a point about 750 feet out into the Sound. The mean rise of tide is about 7 feet.

Since 1848 Five Mile River has been largely engaged in oystergrowing, and in this business now employs about 140 vessels.

These vessels could only enter or leave the harbor at high tide; consequently during their busy season they were obliged to lie up for the night at other and less convenient harbors.

PROJECT FOR IMPROVEMENT.

By act of Congress approved August 5, 1886, a survey or examination of this harbor was ordered, which was made in the following fall, and reported on under date of December 7, 1886 (report printed in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1887, Part I, p. 639).

In this report a project for improvement was proposed, which consisted in dredging a channel 8 feet deep at mean low water and 100 feet wide, to extend up the harbor, and to be about 6,000 feet long; the estimated cost was $25,000. This project was adopted in 1888, when work under it was ordered by the appropriation of $5,000 made by act of Congress of August 11, 1888.

Up to July 1, 1892, 52,938 cubic yards had been dredged under this project, making the channel about 2,450 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 8 feet deep at mean low water.

OPERATIONS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1893.

Five thousand dollars was appropriated for continuing this improvement by act of Congress approved July 13, 1892; proposals were received and a contract for dredging about 30,000 cubic yards at the rate of 143 cents per yard was entered into with Alonzo J. Beardsley, dated October 10, 1892. Work has not yet been begun; the contract expires July 31, 1893.

PRESENT CONDITION OF IMPROVEMENT.

Under the existing project the channel has been dredged from deep water in Long Island Sound about 2,450 feet up the harbor, with width of 60 feet and depth of 8 feet at mean low water. It retains its depth fairly well, the only shoaling being from a slight falling in of its banks.