COMMUNICATION 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY 
 
 RESPECTING 
 
 ENCROACHMENTS ON THE HUDSON RIVER. 
 
COMMUNICATION 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY 
 
 RESPECTING 
 
 ENCROACHMENTS ON THE HUDSON RIVER, 
 
 IN ANSWER TO A 
 
 Resolution of the House of Assembly* 
 
 READ FEBRUARY 22, 1856. 
 
 BELVIDERE: 
 
 PRINTED BY HEMENOVER AND MOORE. 
 
 1 85 6 . 
 
5?7 
 
 N479 
 
 
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2017 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates 
 
 https://archive.org/details/communicationresOOnewj 
 
COMMUNICATION. 
 
 State of New Jersey, > 
 Executive Department. $ 
 
 Trenton, February 20th, 1856. 
 
 Hon. T. W. Demarest, 
 
 Speaker of the House of Assembly . 
 
 In answer to the resolution of the House of Assembly, 
 adopted on the 12th instant, requesting to be furnished with 
 such information as may be in the possession of the Execu¬ 
 tive, referring to Assembly bill No. 29, entitled, <c An act to 
 provide for the appoinment of commissioners to inquire into 
 the effect of encroachments, by construction of works be¬ 
 yond the original shore line of Hudson river, and to examine 
 and report a permanent line for the water front of Jersey City, 
 Hoboken, and all that part of the county of Hudson which is 
 bounded by the Hudson river.” 
 
 By reference to the report of the Joint Committee of the 
 two houses of the legislature, appointed during the last ses¬ 
 sion to investigate this subject, it will be seen that the said 
 committee met in the city of New York, by appointment, a 
 similar committee from the legislature of the state of New 
 York, on the 30th day of January, 1855. At that time the 
 subject was presented in all its bearings, and the result of the 
 meeting was the above mentioned report, together with the 
 accompanying resolutions and bill. The resolutions were pass- 
 
 
4 
 
 ed, but the bill reported failed to pass both houses of the legis¬ 
 lature. The committee of the New York legislature reported a 
 similar bill, creating five commissioners, which bill was passed 
 by that legislature on the 30th day of March, 1855. This 
 board of commissioners proceeded to Washington immedi¬ 
 ately after their appointment, and requested from the Presi¬ 
 dent of the United States the co-operation and assistance of 
 the General Goverment, basing their application on the ground 
 of the national importance of the harbor of New York. The 
 President, fully coinciding in the view taken by the commis¬ 
 sioners, directed the superintendent of the coast survey to fur¬ 
 nish such assistance as could be rendered without detriment 
 to the public service. The result has been that, under the di¬ 
 rection of Professor Bache, an entire survey has been made 
 of the harbor of New York, including the topography of both 
 shores, the hydrography of all the adjacent waters, and also 
 very valuable tidal and other observations. The report of the 
 commissioners, a copy of which has been furnished to me, 
 contains a detailed statement of the operations of the topo¬ 
 graphical and hydrographical parties. 
 
 Although the principal part of the report is taken up with 
 these detailed statements, yet it contains several points of in¬ 
 terest and importance to New Jersey. 
 
 For instance it is stated, among other results of careful ex¬ 
 amination, that the most important changes have occurred in 
 the Hudson river between the years 1835 and 1853 are, that 
 it has deepened, from Fortieth-street southerly, nearly six 
 feet, and that the channel, instead of being, as formerly, in the 
 centre of the river, is now on the New York side, while a con¬ 
 siderable deposite has been made on the New Jersey shore 
 southerly of Jersey City. Opposite Long Wharf, the channel 
 has deepened two feet. There is a decrease of water generally 
 
5 
 
 on the Jersey flats, with a tendency toward an even depth of 
 six feet water in a straight line from Ellis Island to Robins 
 Reef light house. This seems to show that the survey has not 
 been confined to the state of New York, but embraces the 
 whole harbor. In addition to the survey of the harbor under 
 the direction of Professor Bache, the commissioners applied to 
 the War Department for the services of Gen. Totten, chief en¬ 
 gineer of the United States, and to the Secretary of the Navy 
 for the services of Commander Davis, that these gentlemen 
 might form, with Professor Bache, an “advisory council” with 
 reference “ to the establishment of a suitable and permanent 
 wharf and shore line for New York harbor. In the com¬ 
 munication to the Secretary of War, the commissioners use 
 the following language : “ The relation which the harbor of 
 New York sustains to the commerce of the United States is 
 such that questions touching injury to it are of national import¬ 
 ance. 
 
 “ The government has, besides, a direct interest in them 
 through the navy yard on the East river. The encroachments 
 on the harbor, though local, produce general injurious effects. 
 
 “ Impresed with this view, the commissioners on harbor en¬ 
 croachments desire to obtain the aid of the highest knowledge, 
 experience, and skill which the country affords, to advise in 
 regard to the problem of physical and mechanical science and 
 of engineering involved in the establishment of a permanent 
 shore line for the harbor, which shall restrain injurious en¬ 
 croachments, provide for a rapidly increasing commerce, and 
 prevent injurious or, if possible, improve the existing capa¬ 
 bilities of the port and of its approaches. 
 
 “ The importance of advice in this matter, which is not on¬ 
 ly disinterested but removed from all possibility of interest, 
 directly or indirectly, in local projects, is also very great, and 
 
6 
 
 points to the selection of officers connected with the United 
 States government for this purpose.” 
 
 It seems hardly necessary to enlarge on the importance of 
 an early action in this matter on the part of New Jersey. The 
 commissioners of the state of New York, with the assistance 
 and under the advice of officers of the General Government, 
 are proceeding with their work on national grounds : they do 
 not lose sight of this position ; in every step they take they 
 have made personal representations to me of their solicitude 
 for co-operation from this state. A joint commission is neith¬ 
 er desired nor desirable, but that the interest of New Jersey 
 should be watched over in this matter cannot be denied. 
 
 The limit of construction on Staten Island has yet to be de¬ 
 fined, and the action of the New York commissioners at this 
 point should be closely observed : it is in their power to destroy 
 entirely the navigation of the Newark bay, and our rights in 
 the matter should be maintained with firmness. The import¬ 
 ance of Jersey City, in a commercial point of view, is daily in¬ 
 creasing, and the entire shore opposite New York is destined 
 to become at no distant period the depot for the produce of an 
 extensive area. 
 
 It is necessary that the greatest possible facilities be given to 
 increasing commerce, and that this should be established on a 
 proper basis. At no time caifthis be done with so much ad¬ 
 vantage to the state as now, while disinterested officers of the 
 General Government are engaged in the examination of the 
 subject. Their services are gratuitous, and all the expenses 
 of the commissioners proposed by this act will be their com¬ 
 pensation for actual service, which will necessarily be brief. 
 
 There is no probability that any line of wharfage will be 
 recommended by commissioners appointed by this state which 
 will interfere with the established constructions; on the con- 
 
7 
 
 trary, the report of the New York commissioners goes to show 
 that these constructions can be extended still further without 
 injury to the navigation. Yet it is very important that all the 
 facts bearing in the slightest degree upon our commercial in¬ 
 terests should be known and fully set forth, that a uniform 
 system of wharf construction should be fixed upon, and that a 
 permanent line should be established, beyond which no con¬ 
 struction should be built. This line determined, after careful 
 survey and study, by these disinterested and capable officers, 
 having no other object in view than the preservation of the 
 free navigation of the harbor of New York, which it would 
 be more than folly for us to injure, would be referred to the 
 legislature for their approval, together with the facts and data 
 upon which the recommendation of our commissioners was 
 founded. Such a line will undoubtedly be designated by the 
 federal officers, whether commissioners are appointed by this 
 state or not; and the fact of its being so defined by these offi¬ 
 cers might hereafter raise a question between this state and the 
 General Government regarding the harbor in a national point 
 of view, as to the right of the state to go beyond this line. It 
 is therefore of the first importance that this state should act at 
 once to protect her interests, while deferring her rights. Know¬ 
 ing the magnitude of these interests, I again urge the necessity 
 of prompt legislation. 
 
 I would recommend, however, that the bill be so amended 
 as to include all of the shore line of the state bordering on or 
 contiguous to New York bay, as well as the Hudson river. 
 
 I transmit herewith, for purpose of reference, “ the Report 
 of Commissioners relative to encroachments and preservation 
 of the harbor of New York/ 5 transmitted to the legislature of 
 that state January 8th, 1856, and also the “ Report of the 
 Joint Committee of Senate and General Assembly of the state 
 
s 
 
 of New Jersey on encroachments upon the bay and harbor of 
 New York, with the report of Egbert L. Yiele, state topogra¬ 
 phical engineer, with accompanying maps. 
 
 RODMAN M. PRICE. 
 
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