[First indorsement] OFFICE DIVISION ENGINEER, NORTHEAST DIVISION, To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY: SYLLABUS The division engineer does not see any prospect of sufficient public benefit from the proposed improvement to warrant its cost, and accordingly recommends that it be not undertaken at this time. 1. I consider it doubtful whether the work can be done for the amounts estimated in the above report. I would not be surprised to see it run from 25 to 50 per cent higher than these estimates. 2. I am informed by the office of the Thames River Line, which operates two boats between New York and Norwich, that it is giving daily service between these two points and is handling promptly all business offered to it. Through this service Norwich enjoys better rates than New London on the Sound steamers belonging to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. There is, apparently, no urgent reason for greater depth on account of this service, since the existing depth will accommodate boats suitable for the trade. 3. There are understood to be two paper-board factories on the Thames River, one at Montville, below Allyns Point, where a depth of 20 feet is available, and the other at Thamesville, where the channel depth is 14 feet, but the depth at the factory wharf is less than 14 feet, so that the Uncas Paper Board Co., which operates this factory, does not make full use of the present project depth. 4. The largest lumber concern on the upper Thames is that of H. F. & A. J. Dawley, at Fort Point, about half way between Allyns Point and Norwich. It is understood that this company specializes in large size timbers which it distributes over a large territory in competition with similar dealers at other New England ports. This company is forced to lighter portions of its cargoes of lumber at a cost of from $3,000 to $6,000 per year, which would be saved with a channel of adequate depth. 5. The coal trade on the river consists of anthracite and bituminous coal brought from the New Jersey ports in box barges and bituminous coal from Hampton Roads brought in seagoing barges. The depth on the upper Thames is adequate for the box barge trade. It is not sufficient for the seagoing barge trade, except for a limited number of small barges that are available in this trade. The rates from Norfolk to Allyns Point are about 5 cents per ton more than to New London. There would also be a towage charge of about 5 cents per ton from Allyns Point to Norwich for barges proceeding to the latter point. The rail rates on coal from Allyns Point to Norwich and its immediate vicinity are 70 cents per ton. The rates for truck delivery at Norwich within trucking limits of 5 to 8 miles are about the same as the rail rates from Allyns Point. This would indicate that for the larger coal users having direct rail connections to their coal yards there would be practically no saving by barging the coal to Norwich rather than to Allyns Point. There are, however, said to be quite a number of mills within trucking limits at Norwich which have no plant facilities for rail delivery of coal, and which must therefore truck the coal from a rail siding to the mill. In such instances it is claimed that by eliminating this extra handling there would be a saving of at least 50 cents per ton by truck delivery from the wharf at Norwich to the factory. Beyond the trucking limits of Norwich, in northeastern Connecticut, there would be no saving, as the rail rates on coal from Norwich to such points are the same as from Allyns Point. 6. Rates per ton on coal from Norfolk were quoted to me by a dealer in this trade on May 28, 1924, for cargoes of various sizes as follows: This dealer also informed me that there are now in this trade many so-called Shipping Board barges, these being wooden hulls of war time construction which have a substantial tonnage capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 tons on draft of not exceeding 16 feet. A recent charter has been made at the rate of $1.35 a ton for a 1,050 ton barge from Hampton Roads to Norwich. 7. It appears from the above summary that an increase in project depth would permit a saving to the coal dealer at Norwich on southern coal delivered by barge, corresponding to the lower rates that apply to the larger cargoes, probably not exceeding 35 cents a ton. How much of this saving would go to the local consumer under the stress of competition with rail delivery from Allyns Point is problematical. It would apply only to the mills requiring truck delivery, and it may be noted that the alleged differential in favor of truck delivery to the mills not equipped for direct rail delivery, would permit the coal dealer to pay the higher charges for the smaller cargoes and still compete with Allyns Point. It should be noted that in this connection the depths at the coal wharves are less than in the channel, so that full advantage is not taken of the present project depth. 8. In my opinion the benefits to be derived from the proposed increase in depth from 14 to 18 feet between Allyns Point and Norwich would be quite limited in character and not sufficient to warrant the comparatively large cost of providing the greater depth. The interest on this sum at 4 per cent, assuming the estimate of $283,000 to be sufficient, amounts to about $11,000, and the increased cost of annual maintenance is about $10,000, making a total charge of about $21,000 a year for the additional improvement. Local interests advocating the improvement say there is no chance of securing local cooperation toward the cost of the improvement, so that this charge would rest entirely upon the public funds. I see no prospect of sufficiently widespread benefit to justify such Federal expense, and I, accordingly, recommend that the improvement be not undertaken at this time. H. C. NEWCOMER, WITH A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, REPORTS ON PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION AND SURVEY OF SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVERS, CALIF., WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVEMENT FOR NAVIGATION DECEMBER 12, 1925.-Referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors and ordered to be printed WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 7, 1925. The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I am transmitting herewith a letter from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, of the 5th instant, together with reports dated January 10, 1924, and December 22, 1924, by Maj. U. S. Grant, 3d, Corps of Engineers, on preliminary examination and survey, respectively, of Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, Calif., authorized by the river and harbor acts of September 22, 1922, and August 8, 1917, and resolution of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors of the House of Representatives, dated May 5, 1917. Sincerely yours, DWIGHT F. DAVIS, WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, Washington, December 5, 1925. Subject: Preliminary examination and survey of Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, Calif. To: The Secretary of War. 1. There are submitted herewith, for transmission to Congress, reports dated January 10, 1924, and December 22, 1924, by Maj. U S. Grant, 3d, Corps of Engineers, on preliminary examination |