Chamber of Commerce requests that if the present location is aban- 5. The district engineer finds that in view of the expressed intention Har Autho of Bo VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS ed if the 6. Information furnished the Board indicates that at least one ded fu ide 7. The Board therefore recommends that the project for a seaplaner, Ma channel and basin authorized in the River and Harbor Act approved October 17, 1940, be abandoned and that in lieu thereof authority be granted for the construction of a seaplane channel at such alternate location as may be approved by the Chief of Engineers and at a cost ing sand time. ly from er, and tent of port of al maint mended Laats not exceeding $2,300, the estimated cost of the project now authorized, provided that construction of the channel shall not be undertaken until the need therefor shall have been established to the satisfaction of the Secretary of War. For the Board: JOHN J. KINGMAN, Brigadier General, United States Ármy, Senior Member. REEXAMINATION OF BOSTON HARBOR, MASS. SYLLABUS WAR DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Boston, Mass., November 8, 1943. Subject: Survey (Review of reports) on Boston Harbor, Mass. To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army. ES (Through the division engineer, New England Division.) 1. Authority. This report is submitted in compliance with the following resolution, adopted April 2, 1943, by the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, United States: The district engineer is of the opinion that, in view of the definite trend toward the use of landplanes for transatlantic air service, provision by the Federal Government of a seaplane channel and basin at any location in Boston Harbor is not warranted at the present time. He therefore recommends that legislation be enacted authorizing the abandonment of that part of the existing project for Boston Harbor, Mass., recommended in House Doc. No. 362, Seventy-sixth Congress, first session, and authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 17 October 1940; namely, the provision of a seaplane channel 12 feet deep and 1,500 feet wide, extending northwesterly from President Roads 17,500 feet to the easterly margin of Boston Airport (now officially designated the General Edward Lawrence Logan Airport) and deposit of excavated material in such places as will permit enlargement of the airport. Resolved by the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, United States, That the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors created under section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, requested to review the reports on Boston Harbor, Mass., submitted in House Document No. 362, Seventy-sixth Congress, first session, with a view to determining if the recommendations therein submitted should be modified in any way at this time. 2. Report under review.-The report under review was authorized by a resolution of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, adopted November 17, 1938. This report recommended further modification of the existing project for Boston Harbor, Mass. to provide a seaplane channel 12 feet deep and 1,500 feet wide, extending northwesterly from President Roads 17,500 feet to the easterly margin of Boston Airport, and for deposit of excavated material in such places as will permit enlargement of the airport, all generally in accordance with the plan contained in the report of the district engineer, at an estimated first cost of $2,300,000 with annual maintenance of $60,000, in addition to that now required and previously recommended; subject to the provisions that local interests furnish, free of cost to the United States, as and when required, all lands, easements, and rights-ofway and spoil-disposal areas for the initial work and for subsequent maintenance; hold and save the United States free from claims for damages resulting from the hi improvement; and give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will, at their expense, provide suitable bulkheads, dikes, or other structures for retention of excavated material. bety and 3. The recommended modification of the project was adopted by Congress in the River and Harbor Act of October 17, 1940. r in 4. Description.-Boston Harbor is situated on the westerly side of Massachusetts Bay. The harbor, which is well protected, includes all the tidewater lying within a line from Point Allerton to Point Shirley, comprising an area of about 47 square miles, exclusive of the islands.re, From the entrance between these two points, which is about 5% milester wide, the approach to the harbor proper is through three improved main channels of entrance with mean low-water depths of 27, 30, and of 1 35-and-40 feet from the sea to President Roads. The main ship chan- fo nel, extending from President Roads to the head of the harbor, provides et a depth of 35 feet for a width of 1,200 feet in the 6-mile reach from Teet President Roads to the principal terminals at Boston; and a depth of ed 40 feet for a width of 600 feet in the 41⁄2 mile reach from President sal Roads to East Boston. Branch and subsidiary channels and 30- and first 40-foot anchorages have also been provided in the harbor. The mean range of tide in the inner harbor is 9.6 feet, the extreme range being chan about 4 feet greater. There are no bridges over the portion of the 40, harbor with which this report is concerned. The improvement under consideration in this report would not result in any shore-line changes, el nor would it involve any questions of land reclamation, water power, in au flood control, or other special subjects. The location of Boston beali Harbor, its channels and anchorages is shown on United States Coast requi and Geodetic Survey Charts Nos. 246 and 248, and on the accompany-al ar ing map.1 and sa 5. Tributary area. Boston, with a population of 770,816 (1940), is th the largest city in New England and is the center of an important try manufacturing section. It is the wholesale and jobbing center for ads. practically all of New England, serving a population of nearly To 8,000,000. In time of peace it has direct service to all important ht South American and European ports and enjoys an extensive coast-fits wise trade. Under normal conditions, large quantities of foreign raw, ha materials are imported, which include wool, hides and leather, sisal, ent hemp, coffee, and sugar. The port is also the center of the largest ne ch deep-sea fishing industry in the United States. The metropolitan in con area, which includes 83 independent municipalities within 20 miles, hed has a population of approximately 2,351,000. W Other feet and 6. The area immediately tributary to the section of the harbor under consideration in this report is East Boston, a densely populated section of Boston lying to the north and east of the inner section of the main ship channel. East Boston is separated from Boston proper and Charlestown by the main ship channel, and from Chelsea by Chelsea or Creek. East Boston is served by the Boston & Maine and Boston & Albany Railroads, for freight service only. Passenger service between and East Boston and Boston proper is provided by a street railway system, these at n Island a part of which is rapid transit which passes through a tunnel beneathane fa the harbor. Another underharbor tunnel accommodates vehicular traffic between Boston and East Boston. This traffic tunnel, for the 1 Not printed. pler of Bost 7 BOSTON HARBOR, MASS. use of which the city of Boston charges a toll of 20 cents per vehicle, 7. Prior reports. Except for the report under review, referred to 8. Existing project. In addition to numerous improvements for the benefit of navigation, the existing project for Boston Harbor, Mass., provides for a seaplane channel 12 feet deep at mean low water and 1,500 feet wide, extending northwesterly from President Roads 17,500 feet to the easterly margin of Boston Airport, and deposit of excavated material in such places as will permit enlargement of the airport, subject to certain conditions of local cooperation. The estimated first cost of this portion of the existing project is $2,300,000, with $60,000 for its annual maintenance. The project for the seaplane channel was adopted by the River and Harbor Act of October 17, 1940. No work has been done on this portion of the existing project. 9. Local cooperation.-The River and Harbor Act of October 17, 1940, in authorizing the dredging of the seaplane channel, required that local interests furnish, free of cost to the United States, as and when required, all lands, easements, and rights-of-way and spoildisposal areas for the initial work and for subsequent maintenance; hold and save the United States free from claims for damages resulting from the improvement; and give assurances satisfactory to the Secretary of War that they will, at their expense, provide suitable bulkheads, dikes, or other structures for retention of excavated material. To date these requirements have not been complied with, although the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, prior to the initiation of its present plans for the development of the Commonwealth Airport, had expressed its willingness to meet these requirements in the event Federal funds were made available for the provision of the Seaplane channel. All prior requirements of local cooperation (which were in connection with navigation improvements) have been fully complied with. ith puls 10. Other improvements.-There is a dredged channel approximately 2,000 feet long and 350 feet wide, in which depths ranging from 10 to 30 feet at mean low water were originally provided, leading from the Bird Island Anchorage to the vicinity of the existing small seaplane ramp and marine railway on the southerly side of the Commonwealth Airport. At the inner end of this channel, along its easterly side, there is a basin, approximately triangular in shape, having an area of about 4 acres and depths ranging from 8 to 12 feet at mean low water. While these dredged areas provide an approach channel to the existing seaplane facilities and a basin for small seaplanes, these areas were not dredged for this purpose. This dredging was done by the Commona wealth of Massachusetts over 20 years ago in connection with a proposed pier development at this locality which was never carried out. tu 11. Terminal facilities (air).—Commercial air transportation in and out of Boston uses the General Edward Lawrence Logan Airport at East Boston, which is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Tamo by W 12. The existing facilities include an Administration Building which serves both as the headquarters office building of the airport mer and also as the passenger terminal. There are 7 concrete runwaysated f 100 feet wide, ranging in length from 300 to 900 feet, located to pro-ame vide for flights in various directions. A concrete apron 300 feet widey in front of the Administration Building serves as a loading area. There are a number of hangars, including those owned or leased by it American Airlines, Inc. (regular commercial service); Northeast Air Airlines (regular commercial service, and training and operations port unit); Inter-City Airlines; E. W. Wiggins Airways, Inc.; United lan States Army Air Corps Service Detachment; Civil Aeronautics All o Administration Air Carrier Inspection Department; Massachusetts agr National Guard, etc. There is also a building for repair parts.w Boundary lights, floodlights, and a radio control tower are operated. to b 13. On the south side of the field there is a seaplane ramp about 20 l, it feet in width and a marine railway of approximately 3% tons' capacity, maintained for the use of small seaplanes. 1 for of the 14. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts purchased the airport it as dup e la di Sh gives s 15. Improvement desired.-In order to obtain the views of the in-on for terested parties concerned, a conference was held at Boston, Mass, be, in on August 27, 1943, at which the following interests were represented:sts The Massachusetts Department of Public Works, by its commissioner, acco director of waterways, and technical consultant from the Mass chusetts Institute of Technology; the Massachusetts Aeronautical 1 Not printed. I don The It printed HD |