Harbor of Cape Charles City, Va., Letter from the Secretary of War

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OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,
UNITED STATES ARMY,
Washington, D. C., December 4, 1889.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the inclosed copy of the report upon the survey of the harbor of Cape Charles City and approaches by Cheuton (Cherrystone) Inlet, Va., dated November 21, 1889, made under instructions from this office, by W. F. Smith, U. S. agent, Major of Engineers, U. S. Army, retired, to comply with the requirements of the river and harbor act of August 11, 1888.

A report upon the preliminary examination of this harbor dated October 24, 1888, is also submitted herewith.

Cape Charles Harbor is an artificial one of quite recent date. It is the peninsula terminus of the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad
, having been completed simultaneously with that road, and is situated in Northampton County, on the Chesapeake Bay, about 12 miles north of Cape Charles, the southern extremity of the peninsula between Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The harbor is accessible for deep-draught vessels only from a southerly direction by way of Cherrystone Inlet.

The project for improvement contemplates a slight change in the plan of entrance and increase of width. The proposed entrance to be decidedly thrown to the southward by widening it funnel-shaped in that direction, both piers to be carried out 1,000 feet in prolongation of the old piers as far as the edge of Cherrystone Inlet, ending in 12 feet of water. South pier to begin at end of old bulkhead, and be deflected southward 12 degrees for a length of 870 feet, thence 30 degrees for a length of 600 feet until it reaches same depth as north pier.

Dredging is proposed in Cherrystone Inlet and across Cherrystone Bar, aggregating 227,000 cubic yards. The estimated cost of the proposed improvement is $112,840.

The harbor is owned and controlled by the railroad company, but it has been much used by tug-boats and the smaller class of sailing vessels trading up and down the bay, and has in this respect become well known as a harbor of refuge. When freight is landed not consigned to the railroad company wharfage is charged, a right which the company claims to possess.

No evidence appears to show that the railroad company has relinquished ownership or control of the harbor.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOS. LINCOLN CASEY,
Brig. Gen., Chief of Engineers.

HON. REDFIELD PROCTOR,
Secretary of War.

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PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF HARBOR OF CAPE CHARLES CITY AND APPROACHES BY CHEUTON INLET, VIRGINIA.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., October 24, 1888.

GENERAL: In compliance with the requirements of section 14 of the river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, and the instructions contained in the letter from the office of the Chief of Engineers of September 29, 1888, I have the honor to submit the following report upon the preliminary examination of the harbor of Cape Charles City and approaches by Cheuton Inlet, made under my direction by Mr. Stierle, assistant engineer.

How far the entrance to a harbor which is entirely the work of private enterprise and admission to which is refused to general commerce is "worthy of improvement" would seem to be a new question. In a somewhat similar case in the State of Delaware an appropriation was not expended until all claim to levy tolls was abandoned. Under the only precedent of which I have knowledge, therefore, the improvement is not recommended until the harbor is made free to all shipping which can and may desire to enter it.

A copy of the report of the engineer with detailed information is herewith inclosed.

The cost of the desired improvement, which consists in the removal, by dredging, of a portion of the eastern bank of the channel near the entrance to the harbor, would be about $25,000.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.

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REPORT OF A MR. A. STIERLE, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., October 22, 1888.

SIR: In compliance with your instructions of October 4, 1888, I have the honor to submit the following report upon the preliminary examination of the harbor of Cape Charles City and approaches by Cheuton Inlet.

There is no inlet leading to this harbor that is called "Cheuton Inlet." An examination of all available charts and inquiries made at Cape Charles and vicinity failed to discover any inlet of that name at that point along the Atlantic coast and the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. It is presumed that this name, as given in the last river and harbor act, is a misprint, and was intended for Cherrystone Inlet, which is the only inlet leading towards the harbor of Cape Charles City.

Cape Charles City is situated in Northampton County, Va., on the Chesapeake Bay, and near the extreme promontory formed by the eastern shore of Virginia, and is about 12 miles north of Cape Charles Light. It is a town of quite recent origin, having been founded about six years ago by the New York, Philadelphia, and Norfolk Railroad Company, and has at present about 800 inhabitants. The company, which was then extending its tracks down the peninsula, selected this point as a terminus from which the transfer of its freight and passengers by water could be made to Norfolk, Va., upon the opposite shore of the bay. The place then had no particular natural advantages for the construction of a large harbor.

About one-quarter of a mile distant and parallel with the beach lay the channel leading toward Cherrystone Inlet, 3 miles to the north of it. The 12-foot curve in this channel closed not far above this point, but it appeared again here and there farther up. This 12-foot curve evidently formed the basis from which the railroad company started the extensive improvements which were subsequently made.

A straight cut between 10 and 12 feet deep, 200 feet wide, and 1,500 feet long was made from the 12-foot depth in the channel at right angles to and continued through the beach. A fresh-water pond close behind the beach was the objective point of the cut made from the outside. The greater portion of this pond was then dredged out and deepened to 11 feet, below low water of the bay, and thus an artificial harbor was made of rectangular shape and with an area of about 11 acres. Millions of cubic yards of material were removed to make these improvements. The necessary accessories to a harbor of such magnitude, such as bulkheads, wharves, freight, and passenger depots, offices, landing slips, etc., were subsequently constructed by the railroad company.

It appears that on account of the rather narrow width (500 feet) of the channel opposite to the entrance of the harbor the barges and the large floats of the railroad company are often driven upon the eastern bank of the channel in trying to make harbor during strong westerly and northwesterly winds. The approaches to the entrance need rounding off on the shore side of the channel, the change in direction of the latter being too sudden for the limited space in which to go about. This seems to be the only improvement desired by the railroad company. There is, however, a strong interest among the inhabitants of the city in the erection of a public landing pier and an extension of the outer channel thereto. Such an addition to the existing shipping facilities would greatly stimulate local commerce.

At present no vessels are allowed to enter the harbor with the exception of those carrying freight intended for shipment by rail.

STATISTICS.

Statement showing number of tug and barge trips to and from Cape Charles Harbor, number of cars transported by said barges, and amount of freight in the cars transported by the barges.

Statement showing number of trips, by steamers Cape Charles and Old Point Comfort, and amount of freight and passengers transported by them.

Statement showing number of sailing vessels and number of packages brought by same into Cape Charles Harbor.

The removal by dredging of a portion of the eastern bank of the channel near the entrance to the harbor is roughly estimated to cost about $25,000. If the wants of the citizens are taken into consideration, and a channel 100 feet wide is dredged from the outer channel to low-water mark at the foot of Mason street, the cost will be increased by $2,800.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. STIERLE,
Assistant Engineer.

Gen. WM. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.

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SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., February 11, 1889.

GENERAL: In compliance with the first indorsement, dated January 17, 1889, on a letter to the Chief of Engineers from the Hon. T. H. Bayley Browne, of January 14, 1889, in relation to report of the examination of the harbor of Cape Charles City and approaches, submitted by me October 24, 1888, I have the honor to state that the assistant engineer was directed to again visit the locality and make a further examination and obtain additional information. I herewith inclose a copy of his report, which appears to cover the intent of the requirements of the act of August 11, 1888.

It would appear that the harbor is open for vessels in bad weather or to land cargoes. I therefore recommend a survey of the harbor and approaches.

The least amount required to make the survey with report and estimate of cost of improvement is $1,500. The approximate estimate of the assistant engineer for the cost of the desired improvement is $155,100.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.

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REPORT OF MR. A. STIERLE, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., February 5, 1889.

SIR: In compliance with your orders to proceed to Cape Charles, Va., to obtain additional information in regard to certain obstructions said to exist in the harbor of Cape Charles and approaches thereto which were not reported upon in the report upon the preliminary examination submitted October 24, 1888, and to which the Hon. Thomas H. Bayley Browne has called the attention of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, in a letter dated Washington, D. C., January 14, 1889, I have the honor to make the following report:

At the time of my first visit to Cape Charles there was no one present higher in authority than a subordinate officer of the railroad company who gave me all the desired information to the best of his knowledge, I believe. This time I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. H. W. Dunne, the superintendent of the New York, Philadelphia, and Norfolk Railroad, whose assistance enabled me to arrive at an intelligent comprehension of the desired improvements.

According to a copy memoranda which Mr. Dunne handed to me the obstructions and improvements embrace --

First, the bar of Cherrystone Inlet.

Second. The approaches to the harbor of the channel to the slip, widening the channel at the mouth of the slip on the northwest; and

Third. Cutting off the back of the channel on the southeast side at the mouth of the slip; and

Fourth. The erection of permanent works to make the entrance to the harbor; and

Fifth. The improvements to the harbor itself.

Cherrystone Inlet is a channel about 8 miles long from its head at Cherrystone Wharf to its junction with the North Channel of the entrance of Chesapeake Bay. Its course is nearly due south, and runs at a distance of from one-third to two-thirds of a mile parallel with the shore. The average depth throughout its length and following the deepest portions of the channel is about 18 feet. About 4 1/2 miles above the junction with the main channel of the bay the entrance to Cape Charles Harbor opens into the inlet from the east. Up to this point the average depth of the inlet is 22 feet, the average width between the 12-foot curves about 3,400 feet. Above the entrance to Cape Charles Harbor the average depth in the inlet decreases to 15 feet, the average width between the 12-foot curves to 200 feet.

The inlet is bordered on the east side by the main shore, on the west by a shoal jutting out from and connected with the mainland north of Cherrystone Wharf. The lower point of this shoal is called Old Plantation Flats. The least depth of water over this shoal is 2 feet, the maximum depth nearly 16 feet. At the point where this greatest depth prevails, just north of the Old Plantation Flats, the large boats and barges of the railroad company cross the shoal on their regular trips to and from Norfolk on the other side of the bay. This more direct course is taken in preference to entering the inlet at the lower end, on account of the shorter distance and to avoid the dangers of grounding when strong westerly winds are blowing and tides are low. In crossing the shoal the steamers often touch bottom, and it is desired that a channel should be dredged at this point about 100 feet wide and fully 16 feet deep at mean low water. It is doubtful whether such a cut, which would to a certain degree cross the prevailing currents diagonally, would remain open without the aid of deflecting jetties or revetment walls thrown out from the main shore, particularly since the average depth of cutting to the required depth will not be very great.

A further obstruction to the safe navigation of the approaches to Cape Charles Harbor is said to exist near the black buoy south of Cherrystone light-house. The channel here is so narrow that vessels experience great difficulty in passing through it safely during unfavorable weather. It is desired that one of the projecting points on the west bank be cut off about 200 feet to a depth of 16 feet.

The "cutting of the back of the channel on the southeast side at the mouth of the slip," one of the desired improvements enumerated above, has been described fully in the report previously submitted. In addition to this, it is desired that the channel on the northeast side at the mouth of the slip should be widened in a similar manner, to facilitate navigation at that point.

Another of the improvements called for is the erection of permanent works inclosing the entrance to the harbor. This was attempted, in a manner, at the time the harbor was constructed, by two rows of bulkheads and closely-driven piles, about 200 feet apart, and projecting from the shore for a distance of 1,500 feet, slightly curving to the southward at the outer end. A large number of these piles have been broken off at various times by vessels running into them in entering. Barring the frailty of such a structure, works of that character, unless constructed of creosoted material, must eventually succumb to the ravages of the teredo. There is undoubtedly a necessity for the erection of permanent works to facilitate the entering of vessels, as well as to allow a more economical maintenance of the required depth by dredging, which will always be necessary, as there is no back or ebb current of any duration or strength to prevent shoaling. These inclosures would constitute the entrance, a mere slip extending from deep water in the channel to the harbor, which itself is only a tidal basin. The cheapest and more durable construction for this purpose would be pierres perdues jetties on either side, extending to deep water, supplemented, perhaps, by a detached short breakwater upon Cherrystone Shoal on the west side of the inlet and opposite to the entrance of the harbor. It is probable that the direction of the whole entrance, or at least the outer end of it, can be changed to more advantage.

The improvements referred to in the memoranda as desired "to the harbor itself" are supposed to comprise mainly an increase in the present depth. The harbor was originally dredged to a depth of about 12 feet at mean low water; since then it has shoaled again, to what extent could not be accurately ascertained; it was estimated, however, by one person at the rate of about 6 inches per year. The bottom consists of soft mud mixed with fine sand; the depth needed is 14 feet.

A proper treatment of the obstructions and improvements above enumerated requires considerable study, and the estimates given herewith may be considerably modified after a survey of the locality has been made and accurate data are obtained, particularly as to currents and the tendency to shoal.

The cost of the improvements desired is roughly estimated as follows:

Upon further inquiry I have been informed by reliable parties that notwithstanding the fact that the railroad company owns and exercises control of the harbor, they in no case refuse admittance to any vessel that may seek shelter in stress of weather, or that has the intention of communicating with the shore, or to anchor whilst waiting for orders. Since its existence the harbor has been much used by tug-boats and the smaller class of sailing vessels trading up and down the bay, and has in this respect become well known as a harbor of refuge. If any freight is landed not consigned to the railroad company, which I am told is often the case, a small wharfage is charged; a right which the company obviously claims to possess.

If a survey is recommended, I estimate its cost to be about $1,500.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. STIERLE,
Assistant Engineer.

General W. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.

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SURVEY OF HARBOR OF CAPE CHARLES CITY AND APPROACHES BY CHEUTON INLET, VIRGINIA.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., November 21, 1889.

GENERAL: In compliance with the instructions contained in the letter of July 1, 1889, from the office of the Chief of Engineers, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the report of the survey of the harbor of Cape Charles City and approaches by Cheuton Inlet, Virginia, made under my direction by MR. A. Stierle, assistant engineer, with estimates for an improvement based upon the supposed needs of commerce passing in and out of the harbor.

The survey was provided for in the river and harbor act of August 11, 1888.

Mr. Stierle's report is exhaustive and seems to leave no room for further discussion. The estimates are indorsed as proper under the project submitted, which appears to be the simplest one possible.

A tracing of a map of the survey is transmitted by mail in a separate package.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
WM. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.

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REPORT OF MR. A. STIERLE, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Wilmington, Del., November 19, 1889.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report upon my survey of the harbor of Cape Charles, Virginia, and approaches thereto by "Cheuton Inlet," made under your direction, and the following project for its improvement.

The survey was made during the month of September, 1889. The prevalence of very stormy weather somewhat delayed the progress of the work, but afforded a good opportunity to observe the effects of winds and waves on this part of the coast.

Cape Charles Harbor is an artificial one, and of quite recent date. It forms the peninsula terminus of the New York, Philadelphia, and Norfolk Railroad, having been completed simultaneously with the road, and is situated in Northampton County, on the Chesapeake Bay, about 12 miles north of Cape Charles, the southernmost point on the peninsula formed by the State of Delaware and the Eastern Shores of Maryland and Virginia.

The harbor is accessible for vessels of deep draught only from a southerly direction by way of Cherrystone Inlet, which throughout runs nearly parallel with the shore and opens about 4 1/2 miles below into the main channel of the Chesapeake Bay. The entire western limit of Cherrystone Inlet is flanked by an extensive and very flat shoal more than a mile in width. About 2 miles south of the harbor is a depression across this shoal. All vessels drawing less than 14 feet of water can sail across here at any stage of the tide. This is taken by all the boats of the railroad company on their voyage to and from Norfolk on the other side of the bay.

The survey extended from Old Plantation Light, south of this channel across the bar, to Westcott's Point, a projection of the main land north to Cherrystone Creek, and as near as was practicable to the outer edge of Cherrystone Bar.

In sailing on a northeast course from the bay, a vessel approaching the harbor of Cape Charles encounters the bar of Cherrystone Inlet about two miles from shore. She crosses the bar for a distance of one and three-quarter miles upon a course fixed by two small range-lights, which are maintained by the railroad company, until the channel of Cherrystone Inlet is reached. The least depth of water at common low tide on this range is 14 1/2 feet; the width of the channel is ample, not withstanding the diagonal direction of the sailing course. About one-quarter of a mile from shore the course is changed from east by north, running almost parallel with the former and following the channel of Cherrystone Inlet up to the channel leading to the harbor. The minimum depth of water in this section is 14 feet; the channel width gradually decreases to 600 feet, the extensive flats along the shore end of Cherrystone Bar closing in rapidly on either side.

The entrance to the harbor opens from the main channel in an easterly direction. It is here where in stormy weather the long tows of barges meet with the greatest difficulty and require to be steered with great skill in order to accomplish successfully this sharp turn into a comparatively narrow and straight channel. The full width of this channel, about 150 feet, was originally dredged to a depth of 12 feet at low water. The survey shows that its present width is at some places only 80 feet, with a depth of water of only 10 feet at the junction with the main channel, where a decided tendency for the formation of a bar exists. The length of this dredged channel leading to the harbor is about 1,700 feet.

The harbor proper lies entirely within the land, and begins 300 feet east from high water mark on shore, the northern line of the entrance continued, forming also the northern boundary of the harbor. It is a rectangular basin about 750 feet long and 560 feet wide, the improved portion covering an area of about ten acres, dug out, mainly, of the bed of a pond or small creek. This area was dredged to a depth of 11 feet below mean low water, and was inclosed at the same time on all sides, excepting a short space near the southeast corner which was left open, with solid timber walls or bulkheads built upon piling to a height of 7 3/4 feet above mean low water.

These bulkheads, which are of a general width of 12 feet and decked over, are continued beyond the shore along each side of the entrance, on the north side 470 feet, on the south side 370 feet. These extensions in reality form piers, and were therefore built in a more substantial manner. In prolongation of these piers, rows of fender piles, about 4 feet apart and connected together by strong wale-pieces, were driven as far as the main channel to prevent vessels from grounding on the sides of the cut. The greater portion of these piles, however, has been destroyed and only the row on the south side is now being maintained.

A rapid dilapidation of all these works constructed of uncreosoted wood, including the bulkheads, is general, and may be properly ascribed to the "teredo" and the rough usage to which they are subjected by the constant and heavy traffic carried on by vessels whose capacity and size is out of proportion with the space furnished for their evolutions.

For the transportation of freight and passengers, two passenger steamers of about seven hundred tons each, and two powerful tugs of 600-horse power each, are employed by the railroad company. The freight is carried across the bay in bulk upon four barges; each is 250 feet long and has sufficient deck room to carry from eighteen to twenty-six loaded cars.

The terminal facilities in the harbor consist of two floating slips on the east side, with an elaborate passenger depot adjoining, and on the north side, of a freight depot 300 feet in length. On the south side several oyster-packing houses and one large ice-house have been erected. The city to the north of the harbor, which of necessity had to be added to these large improvements, more as a convenience to the employees of the railroad company than for other reasons, has at present about seven hundred inhabitants, and has probably reached the end of its growth.

The harbor is in many respects excellent for the purpose for which it was built, namely, the trans-shipment of heavy freight. It affords safe shelter and calm water during the severest storms; but it can not be enlarged except at great expense, if such a need should arise, and the establishment on its borders of industries connected with and related to shipping and navigation is therefore excluded and made difficult.

In this connection it may be stated that King's Creek, one mile to the north, and Plantation Creek, two miles to the south of Cape Charles, appear to have offered greater natural advantages for a harbor.

Tidal observations were made on a tide-board located at the end of the north pier, outside the harbor, from July 17 until September 10, when the gauge was carried away during a northerly gale. A new gauge was established inside the harbor on the 13th following, and observations continued until September 26. The plane of mean low water is 1.9 feet of this gauge, to which all soundings taken were referred. The rise and fall of the tide was found to be 2.68 feet; the highest high water observed was 4 feet above mean low water; the lowest low water 0.5 foot below mean low water, giving a total of 4 1/2 feet for the greatest range observed. It is stated that during the prevalence of strong northwesterly winds the tide often falls from 2 to 3 feet below low water.

The demands of commerce as to the needed improvements in this harbor and the approaches thereto, are specified in detail in the memoranda referred to in the preliminary report and furnished by the Hon. T. H. Bailey Browne, M. C., in whose Congressional district Cape Charles is situated. They may be classified, as therein indicated, under the head of Dredging and the construction of Protective Works. The latter appear to be first in order of necessity, and will be described first.

In the project herewith, the plan of the entrance has been somewhat changed. The width between the present inclosing works and their length is apparently not sufficient, nor is the direction of the outlet particularly suited for a proper maneuvering of vessels at the junction with the main channel. This direction, being normal to the channel, was probably adopted to save expense in dredging. Accepting the old piers as a base and their present ends as a starting point, the proposed entrance has been decidedly thrown to the southward by widening it funnel-shaped in that direction. Very few vessels sail to or from any place north of Cape Charles. The north pier is carried out for a distance of 1,000 feet in prolongation of the old pier as far as the edge of Cherrystone Inlet, and ends in 12 feet of water. The south pier, to begin at the end of the old bulkhead, is deflected southward 12 degrees for a length of 870 feet, then again 30 degrees for a length of 600 feet until it reaches the same depth of water as the north pier.

It will be observed that the sole object of these piers is to destroy the agitation of the sea in stormy weather, to make a safe entry, and to prevent in a manner the drift into the entrance of material carried along the shore by littoral currents. The width between them is determined by the space required to make ingress and egress easy for long tows. The piers are not jetties, to be built to confine a current. The current going in and out of the harbor is hardly perceptible, and the water level inside merely rises and falls with the tide. It is, therefore, not necessary that their junction with the main channel should be of such a direction as to nearly coincide with that of the prevailing current, the ebb current, though a more sheltered area against the prevailing northwest winds could thereby be obtained. To project the north pier much beyond the south pier would necessitate considerably more dredging, now and in the future, as the flood tide coming up the channel would, by its own momentum, penetrate farther into the entrance and would silt it up more rapidly, and the ebb tide would cause proportionally larger deposits under the lee of the north pier. Whichever point is selected for the terminus of each pier, the tendency of the currents in the main channel will always be such as to close the entrance, in the absence of any counteracting back water from the harbor.

It is thought that this tendency towards shoaling can in a great measure be obviated by the extension of each pier as far as the edge of Cherrystone Inlet Channel. The movement of sand and clay, both during flood and ebb tide, over the flats along the shore is considerable when the winds are on-shore. In passing around the heads of the piers this material will suddenly meet the strong currents in the channel and the greater portion of it will likely be carried away before it finds time to lodge in the entrance.

The cheapest construction of these piers would be one of rubble-stone hearting roughly paved with larger stones. The bottom is sufficiently hard to permit the stones to be placed upon it without attresses. The inside face should be steep, the outer one of a long slope. The general height should be carried to eight feet above mean low water, and each pier should be rounded off at the end, with a broad, substantial head. The old wooden piers should be filled in with the same class of stones to high-water mark on shore, and re-entrant angles there strengthened by revetments. Other details may have to be determined upon after Congress countenances this improvement by an appropriation.

The dredging project is a comprehensive one. The railroad company's officials state that "to conduct the traffic devolving upon us, we find a channel 16 feet deep below mean low water mark necessary." It is not quite clear why such a depth is wanted, unless it is to make allowances for very low tides and rough seas, because the draught of water of their largest boat in 11 1/2 feet. The depth asked for has been adhered to in estimating for dredging across Cherrystone Bar, and in the channel of Cherrystone Inlet, and also within the entrance as far as the shore. Inside the harbor, where the water is more tranquil, and where the stability of the work already built would be much endangered by a depth of 16 feet, a depth of 14 feet is deemed sufficient, though even that may prove an unsafe one for the harbor walls.

I am informed that the harbor, when being built about 4 years ago, was dredged to a depth of 12 feet for a width of about 250 feet south from the northern bulkhead, and the remainder to a general depth of 11 feet below mean low water. A total of 500,000 cubic yards of material was removed. By comparing the results of three surveys made by the railroad company, the first after completion of the harbor in October, 1885, the second in December, 1886, the third in January, 1889, supplemented by those of this survey, it is found that little filling in has taken place. The depths are remarkably permanent, notwithstanding the continued disturbance of the bottom by the deep propellers. The sluggish currents evidently carry but little sediment, or what there is of it, is carried out again. The amount of material to be removed inside the harbor to a depth of 14 feet below mean low water is estimated at 60,000 cubic yards.

The surveys above referred to also show that within the entrance there is a tendency to shoaling, which begins at the junction with the harbor and runs out for a distance of about 600 feet. The 12-foot channel here is only about 40 feet wide, and at some points entirely interrupted. I am inclined to believe that this is mainly caused by sand, which is forced in under the bulkheads on either side, and which moves along the shore during storms. It is proposed to dredge the entrance to a depth of 16 feet, which will require the removal of 40,000 cubic yards of principally fine sand, the lines of dredging to extend to within 50 feet of the inner slopes of the piers.

The direction of the proposed channel down Cherrystone Inlet is different from the present one near its southern extremity. From opposite to the entrance of the harbor it follows the present course; but instead of keeping to the eastward of the black buoy until upon the line of the small range lights, it changes its direction at half the distance between the south pier-head and the black buoy and crosses the 14-foot bar, which interrupts the channel here, close by and the westward of the buoy. This direction is to be permanently fixed as a range by the head-lights which will be necessary at the ends of the proposed piers, and a channel excavated along that line will require less excavation than it would if made along the present course. It is estimated that 57,000 cubic yards of material will have to be removed if this channel is made 100 feet wide and is dredged 16 feet deep. About one-half of the length of this channel requires dredging, the other half having an ample depth, especially at the lower end where it joins the course upon the present range lights.

The channel across the depression in Cherrystone Bar is proposed to be excavated along the course of the present range lights to a depth of 16 feet and for a width of 200 feet. The increase in width appears necessary to allow for rough weather and dark nights, and on account of the slightly oblique set of both the ebb and flood current across the bar. The length of this cut from the 16-foot curve in the Cherrystone Inlet to the 16-foot curve outside the bar will be 4,700 feet, and the estimated amount of material to be dredged is 70,000 cubic yards.

The total number of cubic yards required to be removed under the project herein submitted is 247,000. The proper disposition of so large an amount of material is an important question. It may be found of advantage, considering the great distance to which it has to be transported in case it is required to dump it into the deep water of the bay, to redredge it after some convenient point has been determined upon as a dumping-basin, and to deposit it upon the adjoining shore with the aid of cars. Under no circumstances should it be deposited anywhere near or in Cherrystone Inlet. In this connection it may be mentioned that there is a remarkable hard knoll southeast of and near the black buoy in the channel, with only 5 1/2 feet of water over it, which was presumably not made by nature alone, and which needs removal to the general level of the bottom surrounding it. It has been reported as a very dangerous obstruction.

The project for the improvement of the harbor of Cape Charles and approaches submitted in this report is strictly based upon the demands previously enumerated and expressed by those who desire the execution of these works by the General Government. No further extension or elaboration was attempted. It may not be out of place, however, to refer especially to the remaining necessity of sheltering the entrance to the harbor against the violent action of storms. Cherrystone Bar, just opposite, and on the bay side of the channel, offers unusual facilities and advantages for the construction of a breakwater at comparatively small cost. Such a breakwater might form the first step towards the construction of an outer harbor by extending it northward sufficiently and by constructing under its shelter of creosoted wood or iron, other piers or landings running out from the shore. This outer harbor, though naturally limited in available surface for anchorage, would form an excellent harbor of refuge for vessels drawing more than six feet of water, as there is no harbor of that kind and of sufficient depth to be found for many miles along this side of the bay. By referring to the records of the Department it may be noted that Cherrystone Creek, which is really nothing but the upper or land-locked portion of Cherrystone Inlet, was examined in 1882, mainly to determine its adaptability for a harbor of refuge.

There is nothing to be added to the commercial statistics which were given in the report of the preliminary examination. For any information required on this subject I would respectfully refer to them.

Estimates.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. STIERLE,
Assistant Engineer.

Gen. WM. F. SMITH,
United States Agent.