G 12. IMPROVEMENT OF RANCOCAS RIVER, NEW JERSEY. During the past fiscal year no work has been done on this river. The last appropriation, $10,000, was made August 2, 1882, and available funds were practically exhausted during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883. Twenty thousand dollars have been appropriated for the improvement of this river, and have been applied to the formation of a channel about 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep at mean low water, through Coates' Bar, which is about 4 miles above the river mouth, and to the construction of a regulating dike from the north bank of the river to the upper end of Hamill's Island. No operations are contemplated during the present season as no funds. are available. In furtherance of the approved project a channel with a low-water depth of 6 feet should be dredged through the shoals between Coates' Bar and Centerton, at a cost which has been estimated at $22,000. This amount could be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887 Rancocas River is in the collection district of Trenton, N. J., which is the nearest port of entry, at which the revenue collected during the year ending December 31, 1884, was $622.32. The nearest fort is Fort Mifflin, and the Horseshoe range lights the nearest light-houses. Total appropriations to June 30, 1885.. Total expenditures to June 30, 1885 $20,000 00 19, 833 24 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 $464 50 297 78 166 76 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. 'Messrs. James L. Anderson & Sons, manufacturers of canned fruits, &c., state that there are arriving at Mount Holly, N. J., one packet twice a week carrying coal, lumber, general merchandise, &c., four barges carrying gas lime and bricks, towed by a tug-boat of very slight draught on account of shoals in the river; that Mount Holly is a town of over 5,000 inhabitants, having three lumber-yards, three saw-mills, two large machine shops, one thread-mill, one wagon factory, one match factory, one flourmill, two brick-yards, one canning factory, one tack factory, and several shoe manufactories. Messrs. J. J. Allen's Sons furnished the following statement of vessels entering Rancocas River during the year ending December 31, 1884: G 13. IMPROVEMENT OF WOODBURY CREEK, NEW JERSEY. No work of improvement has yet been done on this creek. The only appropriation made therefor was $5,000, on August 2, 1882. With the exception of $450.31, expended in 1882 for a survey of the creek, this amount is yet available. The proposed plan of improvement was the formation, by dredging, of a temporary channel 8 feet deep at high water and 40 feet wide, between the mouth of the creek and the village of Woodbury, a distance of about 4 miles, at an estimated cost of $15,000. From the impossibility of the permanence of a dredged channel the improvement would be of little value, unless provision is made for its maintenance. While citizens directly interested have expressed themselves as willing to contribute a reasonable sum towards the maintenance of the channel, there is no guarantee that a channel once formed by the United States would be maintained by private effort. Since the formation of a dredged channel to any point short of Woodbury would be of no commercial value, and since any channel formed would not be permanent, the expenditure of available funds should be withheld, if the improvement is to be made, until the funds available will permit the formation of the proposed channel in a single season. The additional sum of $10,500 could be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. This work is in the collection district of Philadelphia, Pa., which is also the nearest port of entry, at which the revenue collected during the year ending December 31, 1884, was $12,530,451.86. Fort Mifflin is the nearest fort, and the Schuylkill range lights are the nearest light-houses. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... $4,549 69 4,549 69 10,500 00 10,500 00 G 14. IMPROVEMENT OF MANTUA CREEK, NEW JERSEY. No work of improvement has yet been done on this creek. The only appropriation made therefor was $3,000 on August 2, 1882, the expenditure of which was withheld by order of the Secretary of War, until further appropriation should be made. The stream in its natural condition has a low-water depth of about 9 feet for a distance of between 3 and 4 miles from its mouth. Above this the channel depth slowly decreases until at Mantua, about 11 miles above the mouth, there is a low water depth of only 2 feet. The opinion of officers previously in charge was that there seems to be no necessity at present for further appropriation and none are recommended. This work is in the collection district of Philadelphia, Pa., which is also the nearest port of entry, at which the revenue collected during the year ending December 31, 1884, was $12,530,451.86. Fort Mifflin is the nearest fort, and Tinicum and Fort Mifflin Bar Cut range lights are the nearest light-houses. 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. $3,000 00 $3,000 00 3,000 00 32,000 00 COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. Arrivals and departures of vessels during the year ending December 31, 1884. NOTE.-Most of these vessels are taken in and out by steam-tugs. The above information was obtained from the postmaster at Paulsborough, N. J. G 15. IMPROVEMENT OF RACCOON RIVER, NEW JERSEY. No work of improvement has yet been done on this river. The only appropriation made therefor was $3,000, on August 2, 1882. With the exception of a part expended in 1882 upon a survey of the river, this amount is yet available. The proposed plan of improvement was to make the navigation of the river safer and less difficult up to Swedesborough, at an estimated cost of about $18,000. By previous recommendation the appropriation of 1882 was withheld from expenditure until additional appropriations are made. If the improvement is to be made the sum of $16,000 in addition to what has already been appropriated could be expended in dredging during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. This work is in the collection district of Philadelphia, Pa., which is also a port of entry, at which the revenue collected during the year ending December 31, 1834, was $12,530,451.86. Fort Mifflin is the nearest fort, and the Tinicum Island and Fort Mifflin Bar range lights the nearest light-houses. Total appropriations to June 30, 1885... $3,000 00 757 23 Money statement. July 1, 1834, amount available.. July 1, 1885, amount available.. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. The following information has been furnished by Mr. John Ford, of Swedesborough, N. J.: NUMBER OF VESSELS THAT PASSED THROUGH THE DRAW-BRIDGE DURING THE YEAR IMPROVEMENT OF SALEM RIVER, NEW JERSEY. No work has been done on Salem River during the past fiscal year, and no appropriation for its improvement has been made since that of August 2, 1882, of $1,500. The expenditure of this appropriation was withheld on account of the smallness of the sum and the exorbitant price bid for the dredging, which was 78 cents per cubic yard. As stated in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1882, page 814: At the point where the creek most nearly approached the Delaware River, in the vicinity of Deep Water Point, a canal was opened in 1872 for the better drainage of the meadows bordering the upper part of the creek and to secure a more direct water outlet for the products of that region. In furtherance of this design a dam was also built across the creek below the canal, thus separating the stream into two independent water-courses, one having its head at the dam and discharging past Salem into the cove, the other with its head of navigation at Course's Landing, 3 miles below Sharptown and 9 miles from the Delaware, into which it discharges, via the canal, which forms the lower 2 miles of its length. The mouths of the two streams are now, therefore, about 10 miles apart, and the drainage of each is entirely distinct. The canal has, to a great extent, failed to accomplish its purpose by reason of its originally insufficient capacity, whereby the tidal rise, which is about 6 feet in the Delaware, is reduced to about 1 foot at the confluence of the canal and creek. The natural mouth of the stream is obstructed by extensive sand-bars, to which dredging would afford but temporary relief, unless supplemented by quite expensive dike-construction, extending across these shoals and into the Delaware River, while the bed of the upper part of the river is obstructed with shoals or reduced, from lack of tidal flow, to the dimensions of a meadow brook. It would seem that the comprehensive improvement of Salem River might be deferred until the commerce of the vicinity should render its improvement more urgent than it seems to be at present. Should Congress consider it desirable to continue the improvement, the deepened channel on the upper river might be completed to Hoxie's Landing, which has been estimated to cost $4,000. Salem River is in the collection district of Bridgeton, N. J., which is the nearest port of entry, at which no revenue was collected during the year ending December 31, 1884. The nearest fort and light-houses are, respectively, Fort Delaware and Finn's Point range lights. No work has been done on Cohansey Creek during the past fiscal year, and no appropriation for its improvement has been made since that of August 2, 1882, appropriating $5,000. This amount was practically expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883, in widening and deepening the channel below Broad Street Bridge at Bridgeton to a depth of 7 feet at mean low water. At Bridgeton the creek is obstructed by the crossing of the gas and water mains, which are placed at a depth of about 4 feet below mean low water. The attention of the city authorities has been officially called to the matter, and they have had the question of lowering these pipes under consideration for several years, but no action thereon has yet been taken. The improvement of the creek above this point would be without value until the pipes are low |