War vessels of the United States and of foreign nations and pleasure yachts, with permission of the commissioners of navigation, may anchor in such location as not to interfere with the navigation of the river.

Vessels must not anchor at any place in the Schuylkill River, nor lie at any wharf in that river more than two abreast, without the permission of the commissioners of navigation.

Pilotage is compulsory between Delaware Bay entrance and any point on Delaware Bay or River for all vessels, except those employed in and licensed for the coasting trade or American vessels entirely loaded with coal mined in the United States, if spoken or offered the services of a pilot outside of a line drawn from Cape May Lighthouse to Cape Henlopen Lighthouse.

The fees for piloting between Delaware Bay entrance and the port of Philadelphia or any other place on Delaware River are as follows: Vessels of 12 feet or less draft, $2 per 11⁄2 foot; vessels of over 12 feet draft, $2.50 per 2 foot. An increase of 10 per cent over these fees is charged when a vessel is spoken east of Five Fathom Bank lightship or north of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse or south of Fenwick Island Lighthouse, and a deduction of 10 per cent is made when a vessel is spoken inside of a line joining Cape May and Cape Henlopen Lighthouses, but pilotage is not compulsory in the latter case: Provided, however, under the laws of Delaware, a vessel is not exempt until Brandywine Light bears east.

Every ship or vessel bound to the Delaware Breakwater for orders shall be obliged to receive a pilot, provided she is spoken or a pilot offers his services outside of a straight line drawn from Cape Henlopen Light to Cape May Light, and every ship or vessel bound to the Delaware Breakwater for orders shall pay pilotage fees as follows: A sum equal to half the pilotage to the port of Philadelphia, and she shall be obligated to receive a pilot and pay the same pilotage fees when outward bound from the breakwater, and if such ship or vessel, without discharging her pilot, proceed to the port of Philadelphia, or any other port or place on the Delaware Bay or River, only one full pilotage fee shall be paid, in addition to the fee for detention: Provided, however, That the pilot bringing such ship or vessel to the breakwater be there discharged, and if the ship or vessel afterwards proceeds to Philadelphia or any other port or place on the Delaware Bay or River she shall make the usual signal for a pilot and continue to make such signal until reaching Brandywine Light, and if spoken by or offered the services of a duly licensed Pennsylvania pilot before reaching Brandywine Light shall be obliged to employ such pilot and pay him the regular rates in addition to the fee paid for bringing her into the breakwater and for detention, if any.

Either Pennsylvania or Delaware pilots are taken to or from any point on Delaware Bay or River, and the fees in either case are the same. Both Pennsylvania and Delaware pilots will be found aboard one vessel, either a steamer or auxiliary schooner, which will be found cruising outside the entrance of the bay.

In case a pilot having charge of a vessel and whilst conducting said vessel be detained, either by order of the master, owner, or consignee, or by ice or any other unavoidable circumstance not personal

to himself, he shall receive compensation for such detention at the rate of $3 per day for each and every day so detained, commencing at a period of 24 hours from the time the detention first occurred.

Vessels waiting in Delaware Breakwater for orders usually retain the pilot and pay him the detention fee.

Repairs.-Repairs to the hulls and machinery of large vessels can be made at Philadelphia, Camden, Chester, and Wilmington, and to small vessels and motor boats at these places and at Essington, Pa., and Bivalve, Dorchester, and Greenwich Pier, N. J. Further information is given under the description of these places.

Freshets are of rare occurrence, except in the vicinity of Trenton, and unless accompanied with ice do not interfere with navigation. Ice. In ordinary winters there is usually sufficient ice in the bay and river to make it a source of care to sailing vessels. Thin ice has been known to form early in December between Chester and Philadelphia, but the heavier ice does not usually begin to run before January. The tidal currents keep the ice in motion, except where it packs in the narrower parts of the river, when it often forms an obstruction that requires the services of steam, and the ice boats, of which there are a number at Philadelphia, are employed in keeping these parts of the river open. The greatest danger encountered from the ice is at Ship John Shoal, just above Fort Delaware, off Deepwater Point, and at the Horseshoe; at these places the ice usually packs heavier than elsewhere. After the first part of March ice is rarely met with.

In severe winters navigation above Chester has occasionally been interrupted, but with the powerful steamers now employed in the foreign and coasting trade to Philadelphia the channel is kept navigable for steamers during the most severe winters. The greatest danger is to wooden sailing vessels, which if caught in the pack ice are set on the shoals, and if in the thin ice are liable to be, cut through on the water line.

Further information concerning freshets and ice above Philadelphia is given on page 83.

Reporting stations.-Vessels are reported to the Maritime Exchange at Philadelphia, during either day or night, from reporting stations at Delaware Breakwater and Marcus Hook, and by day from reporting stations at Reedy Island and New Castle. During the ice season an auxiliary station is placed in commission at Gloucester, N. J. Messages can be exchanged by International Code with any of the stations during the day and with the Delaware Breakwater station by night by means of a flashing lamp and the Morse Code. Vessels passing in or out of Delaware Bay should display their signals between Overfalls Lightship and Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse. The station will answer all signals with pennant by day and by one long flash, followed by one short flash, at night. The following suggestions are made when signaling by means of a flashing lamp:

1. All other lights in the vicinity of the flashing lamp should be obscured.

2. The flashing lamp should be kept continually pointed directly toward the station or vessel.

3. Care should be taken that proper regularity is observed in the length of the flashes and spaces, and that the spaces between the words are considerably longer than those between the letters.

4. Vessels should, if possible, avoid coming within the rays of a lighthouse while signaling.

5. When "Morsing" a vessel's name, it is desirable that the name be spelled in full.

A United States Branch Hydrographic Office is established in the Bourse Building, Philadelphia. Bulletins are posted here giving information of value to seamen, who are also enabled to avail themselves of publications pertaining to navigation and to correct their charts from standards. No charge is made for this service.

Towboats will usually be found cruising in the river and bay or at Delaware Breakwater. Towboats to tow vessels or barges into the tributaries of Delaware River are usually engaged from Delaware City, Wilmington, or Philadelphia.

Vessels employing the city ice-breaker steamers for towing purposes when in the ice pay a fixed rate for such service.

Quarantine inspection for all vessels on Delaware Bay will be performed by United States Public Health Service officials at Marcus Hook, Pa.

Supplies.-Coal and fuel oil for large vessels can best be obtained at Philadelphia and Wilmington and for small steamers and tugs at these places and at Delaware City, Pigeon Point, and Chester. Water is obtainable at all of these places, and at half ebb tide the water in the river as far down as Chester is fresh enough for use in boilers. Gasoline and provisions are obtainable at all of the towns on the river and bay. Points near Delaware Bay where they are obtainable are Lewes, Bivalve, and Bowers, and at Bayside during the fishing season.

Storm warnings of the United States Weather Bureau are displayed at Cape May Point Coast Guard station, Delaware Breakwater, Bivalve, Reedy Island, and on the Bourse Building, Philadelphia. A branch office of the Weather Bureau is maintained at the Bourse Building, Philadelphia, to serve marine interests.

Tides. The mean range of tides is 4.2 feet at Delaware Breakwater Harbor, 4.9 feet at Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse, 5.8 feet at Elbow of Cross Ledge Lighthouse, 5.9 feet at Ship John Shoal Lighthouse, 5.9 feet at Reedy Island, 5.4 feet at Marcus Hook, and 5.2 feet at Philadelphia. Tidal information for the tributaries is given under their descriptions. Full tidal information, including daily predictions for Philadelphia and Breakwater Harbor, is given in the Tide Tables for the Atlantic Coast. Tidal data for many intermediate stations and a discussion of the tidal analysis is given in the publication Tides and Currents in Delaware Bay, price 30 cents, for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.

CURRENTS, DELAWARE BAY AND RIVER

The predicted times of slack water for every day in the year at Overfalls Lightship, Delaware Bay Entrance, are given in the Current Tables, Atlantic Coast, issued annually in advance by this bureau. This publication contains time differences for slack water

at about 500 stations and six current diagrams, including one for Delaware Bay and River. An analysis of the currents in the bay is given in the publication mentioned in the preceding paragraph.

Five Fathom Bank Lightship. The tidal current is rotary. turning clockwise. The strength of the flood occurs about 14 hours earlier than the strength of the flood at Overfalls Lightship (or about 24 hours earlier than the time of high water at Sandy Hook) and sets westward with a velocity of about 1/2 knot. The strength of the ebb occurs about 14 hours earlier than the strength of ebb at Overfalls Lightship (or about 24 hours earlier than the time of low water at Sandy Hook) and sets eastward with a velocity of about 11⁄2 knot. Currents of a knot or more occur only with strong winds. Main ship channel off Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse.— The slack waters before flood and ebb occur about 1/4 hour after the corresponding slack waters at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 24 hours after the times of high and low waters, respectively at Sandy Hook). The strength of the flood sets northwesterly with an average velocity of about 114 knots and the strength of the ebb sets southeasterly with an average velocity of about 12 knots.

Channel off Ship John Shoal. The slacks before flood and ebb occur about 12 hours after the corresponding slack waters at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 311⁄2 hours after high water and 2 hours after low water, respectively, at Philadelphia). The strength of flood sets northwesterly with a velocity of about 111⁄2 knots and the strength of ebb sets southeasterly with a velocity of about 2 knots.

Channel off Reedy Island. The slacks before flood and ebb occur about 24 hours after the corresponding slack waters at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 234 hours before low water and 11⁄2 hours before high water, respectively, at Philadelphia). The strength of flood sets northward with a velocity of about 134 knots, and the strength of ebb sets southward with a velocity of about 2 knots.

Channel off New Castle.-The slack water before flood occurs about 4 hours later than at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 12 hours before low water at Philadelphia), and the slack water before ebb occurs about 31⁄2 hours later than at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 1 hour before high water at Philadelphia). Strengths of flood or ebb have an average velocity of about 2 knots. The flood sets northeastward and the ebb southwestward.

Channel off Chester.-The slack waters before flood and ebb occur about 434 hours after the corresponding slack waters at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 34 hour before low water and 12 hour after high water, respectively, at Philadelphia). Velocities at strength of flood and ebb average about 134 knots. The flood sets northeastward and the ebb southwestward.

Channel off Philadelphia.-The slack waters before flood and ebb occur about 6 hours and 54 hours, respectively, after the times of the corresponding slacks at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 12 hour after low water and 1 hour after high water, respectively, at Philadelphia). Velocities at strength of flood or ebb average about 134 knots. The flood sets northward and the ebb southward.

Channel off Burlington.-The slack waters before flood and ebb occur approximately 72 hours and 61⁄2 hours, respectively, after the

times of the corresponding slack waters at Overfalls Lightship (or approximately 2 hours after low water and high water, respectively, at Philadelphia). The flood and ebb currents have velocities at strength of about 114 knots.

GENERAL REMARKS, APPROACHES TO DELAWARE BAY

[Charts 1219, 1109]

Between the parallels of 38° 15′ N. and 39° 15′ N. the 100-fathom (183 m.) curve is from 75 to 90 miles offshore and the 30-fathom (55 m.) curve is about 25 miles closer in toward the shore, both having a general northeasterly and southwesterly trend. Inside the 30fathom (55 m.) curve the water shoals gradually westward to the 20-fathom (36 m.) curve, but inside the latter curve the depths are somewhat irregular, and if uncertain of her position, especially in thick weather, a vessel, when inside of the 20-fathom (36 m.) curve, should approach the coast with care and in no case approach closer than in 12 fathoms (21.9 m.) until sure of her position. On a clear night the lights of the lightships and lighthouses should be made in time to prevent too close approach to the shore.

Vessels coming from southward and seaward in clear weather should shape a course so as to cross the meridian of 74° 30′ W. in latitude 38° 45′ N.; this will lead them within 5 miles of Five Fathom Bank Lightship. If uncertain of the longitude, soundings should be taken frequently and the water not shoaled to less than 20 fathoms (36 m.) until between the parallels of 38° 40′ N. and 38° 50′ N., and the entrance then be approached between those parallels.

In approaching the entrance from northward and seaward, when between the parallels of 39° 15′ N. and 38° 40′ N., soundings of 20 fathoms (36 m.) indicate a distance of 25 to 30 miles from shore. In clear weather a vessel standing westward on the parallel of 38° 45' N. should make Five Fathom Bank Lightship before the depth is lessened to 15 fathoms (27.5 m.). There are least found depths of 29 to 38 feet (8.8 to 11.6 m.) between latitude 38° 39' N. and 38° 42′ N., and longitude 74° 43′ W. and 74° 49′ W.

Entering from northward, the passage inside of Five Fathom Bank eastward or westward of McCrie Shoal, is used by most of the coasting vessels of less than 24 feet (7.3 m.) draft. In a heavy sea vessels of a greater draft than 18 feet (5.5 m.) are advised to pass eastward of Five Fathom Bank, and this is the safest course at all times for strangers in vessels of a greater draft than 18 feet (5.5 m.). Entering from southward, coasting vessels of the deepest draft keep outside Fenwick Island Shoal Lightship. Vessels of 15 feet (4.5 m.) draft usually pass inside of Fenwick Island Shoal in good weather, but strangers should use this passage with caution.

DIRECTIONS, DELAWARE BAY AND RIVER TO PHILADELPHIA

[Charts 280, 294, 295, and 1218]

Directions for the outside coast and courses to Overfalls Lightship from northward and southward are given on page 31. Directions for Delaware Breakwater are given on page 54.

The channel is well marked by lighthouses and buoys to the entrance of the dredged channel and by lighted ranges and buoys above