B.-Table showing the greatest velocities in the canal, as computed by different formula. Direction of current. C.-REPORT TO THE NEWARK BOARD OF TRADE. NEWARK, N. J., October 25, 1879. GENTLEMEN: The committee on Passaic River, to which was referred a resolution of the board requesting information of the amount of tonnage passing in and out of the Passaic River during the past year, respectfully report that, after careful inquiry and careful comparison of the figures presented by those engaged in river transportation, they conclude that 750,000 tons will fairly represent the amount of business done on the Passaic River during the past year. They believe, furthermore, that this amount is to be taken as the minimum business of the river, and that with the beginning of a new period of prosperity large yearly additions to this amount will be made. The committee at this time wish to present to the board the importance of maintaining the navigation of the river and bay in the very best condition, and do therefore recommend that this board memorialize Congress at its next session to authorize a careful survey of the river and bay, in order that its present condition may be accurately and impartially determined and such improvements made as will give a wide and deeper channel, and otherwise add to the future utility of this important channel of trade. SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. The committee further recommend that this Board of Trade memorialize Congress for the construction of a ship-canal between the waters of New York Bay and Newark Bay, whereby the distance will be shortened several miles, and the improvement will be of untold benefit to trade and commerce in the city of Newark and northern sections of New Jersey. EDMUND L. JOY, Chairman. ALFRED LISTER. JNO. H. BALLANTINE. D.-LETTER FROM HON. THOMAS B. PEDDIE. NEWARK, N. J., October 25, 1879. MY DEAR SIR: In a conversation with you, while reviewing the proposed route for the ship-canal between the Newark and New York Bays, you suggested to me that it would be well to have some statistics of the tonnage to and from the city of Newark. I laid the matter before the Board of Trade, who at once appointed a committee of three gentlemen conversant with the river interest of our city, whose report I have the honor to inclose. Capt. N. P. Nerney, who was keeper of the light-house in 1870, gave me the statisties for that year (it being the last record kept that I can find) of the actual number of vessels that passed the Passaic light-house to and from the port of Newark in the day-time, as follows: Year 1870: Cat-rigged, 585; sloops, 2,830; schooners, 2,277; brigs, 18; steamers, 4,830; barges, 3,987; rafts, 68. Total, 14,595. And now, as trade is improving very much, I have no doubt that the statistics of 1879 would show a very large increase, and as our city, which now stands third in manufacturing interest in the United States, and whose trade and commerce is constantly increasing, that it will be very much larger in the future, especially so when the distance between the two cities will be shortened some ten or twelve miles by this ship-canal, when this project is carried to a successful issue, it will not only benefit the city of Newark, but will be of great advantage to Hudson County by being a natural warehousing place for the business of the city of New York. Hoping that this project will receive all the attention that its great importance demands, I am, very truly, yours, THOS. B. PEDDIE, Late member of the Forty-fifth Congress, General JOHN NEWTON. SURVEY OF CHEESEQUAKES CREEK, NEW JERSEY. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, New York, December 23, 1879. GENERAL: I have respectfully to transmit sketch of the survey of Cheesequakes Creek, ordered by the act of Congress approved March 3, 1879, together with report of Mr. R. H. Talcott, assistant engineer, addressed to me. The proposed works of improvement, their positions, and the rates for estimating cost were prescribed by me. I transmit, also, copies of communications from Messrs. Otto Ernst and F. W. Moore. To these gentlemen I am indebted for information as to the trade and commerce to be benefited by improving the navigation, and reference is respectfully made to their statements, marked A and B. The project for the improvement contemplates giving a depth in the channel of 4 feet at mean low-water from Raritan Bay to Whitehead's, at a total estimate of $75,279. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, JOHN NEWTON, Colonel of Engineers, Brevet Major-General. Brig. Gen. H. G. WRIGHT, REPORT OF MR. R. H. TALCOTT, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, GENERAL: I have the honor to submit herewith a chart showing the results of the survey of Cheesequakes Creek, New Jersey, which has been made under my direction, according to orders received from you last August, and all of the statistics in regard to the commerce which will be benefited by an improvement of the creek which I have been able to obtain. The improvements which are contemplated are shown by blue lines, and an estimate of the cost of the same is hereto appended. Cheesequakes Creek is in the collection-district of Amboy, and Perth Amboy is the nearest port of entry. The amount of revenue collected during the past fiscal year is $9,383.46. The nearest light-house is Prince's Bay light, distant about 4 miles from the mouth of the creek. The amount of commerce to be benefitted is Cheesequakes Creek empties into Raritan Bay about 2 miles southeast of the mouth of the Raritan River. The general direction of the channel is northeasterly, but before entering the bay it takes a sharp turn to the northwest, and runs about parallel to the bluffs, decreasing in depth until on the bar there is less than 2 feet at mean low-water and a very undefined channel. For nearly half a mile easterly the shore is a low gravel bar, which in heavy storms is completely submerged by the waves coming in from the ocean. The ground then rises and the shore continues bluff for some distance. Westerly the shore is bluff, and is now occupied by the Long Branch Division of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The railroad company have revetted this shore for nearly half a mile with rubble stone, which is dumped over the bank without any attempt at making a regular wall. There are two draw-bridges at the mouth of the creek; one, passing the county road, is about at right angles to the shore-line of the bay. It is a simple pile structure, and the draw is opened by running it parallel with the line of the bridge. It gives about 40 feet in the clear when the draw is open. The other, which passes the railroad over the creek, has a pivot-draw, with a total span of 126 feet, and 2 openings of 40 feet in the clear. There are 3 masonry piers. The approaches on both sides are trestle-work. The creek is bounded by salt marsh its whole length, occasionally coming near the firm land in some of its bends. The drainage area is small, and there are no large fresh-water streams running into it, the largest being Buck Creek, which joins it a little above the railroad bridge. The principal and nearly the only navigation of the creek is for the purpose of transporting clay for making stoneware, and moulding-sand. A large proportion of this shipment is from the head of the creek, where there are several clay-pits, but at the point called Salt Works, and also at Forman's Dock, there are clay-pits being actively worked at present. The estimated quantity of clay shipped annually is between 15,000 and 20,000 tons, bnt that amount would be largely increased by the removal of the bar, which in its present state prevents any but very light-draught vessels from coming in, and limits even their entrance and exit to the times at or near high-water. The survey was made during the latter part of the month of August and the month of September by the party in charge of Mr. Wilson Crosby, assistant engineer. The tides were observed at the draw-bridge during the whole time of the survey, and for about a week at Ernst Dock, near the head of the creek; the latter gauge being only for the reduction of the soundings in the creek. The result of the tidal observations is shown in tabular form on the accompanying chart. The soundings were taken with a graduated pole and reduced to the plane of mean low-water as established by the gauge at the draw-bridge near Morgan Station. A triangulation on a large scale was made embracing the whole length of the creek, and when necessary for the accuracy of the work secondary stations were established near the line of the creek. The position of the sounding-rod during the time of sounding was fixed at each end of the line, and every minute while the boat was in motion, by instruments on two of the triangulation stations selected so as to give the best results. The shore-line and dock-lines were fixed by the same process, and the outer edge of the marsh was sketched in by the eye and estimated distance, unless already determined by the position of a point in the triangulation. The proposed improvement of the bar is by means of jetties of heavy stones running out into the bay about 1,500 feet, nearly at right-angles to the present shore-line, and about 250 feet apart, on a platform made of pile timber securely rafted. These jetties are to be built to the level of mean high-water at the shore ends, and gradually slope to the level of half-tide at the outer ends. The width on top is to be 6 feet, with a batter of 1 upon 2 on the seaward or outside and 1 upon 1 on the channel side. A channel 200 feet wide and 5 feet deep at mean low-water is to be dredged from the present channel to the outer ends of the jetties. The present flow of the creek is to be dammed by a dike from the railroad bridge across the present channel to the gravel bar as soon as the new channel is completed. At the mouth of Brick Creek it is proposed to construct a jetty about 200 feet long, to give a proper direction to the flow of that creek at its junction with Cheesequakes Creek. From the Brick Creek to New Landing there is a fair channel of 4 feet and over at mean low-water. At the latter place it is proposed to turn the creek by means of a cut through the salt meadow, thereby avoiding a bad bar just above and also a sharp bend in the channel. This cut will enter the creek again at Forman's Dock, but in order to get rid of a sharp bend just above this dock it is proposed to carry the cut still further, and to dredge off the point of salt meadow on the opposite side of the creek. In order to make this cut effective two short dikes are required, one starting from the shore at or near New Landing, and running on the left of the channel for about 700 feet, and another above Forinan's Dock, about 300 feet long, to turn the water into the new channel. A small amount of dredging is also required to give a channel of 4 feet at mean low-water for a short distance above. About † of a mile above Forman's Dock there is another sharp bend, which it is proposed to cut off by dredging through the salt meadows. This cut will be about 800 feet long, and require about 300 feet of dike where it enters the old channel again. From this point it will require dredging, to give a channel of 4 feet at mean lowwater, nearly all the way to Whitehead's Dock, there being only a few holes of more than that depth. The amount required to be dredged is included in the estimate. Stump Creek, which joins Cheesequakes Creek between the railroad and county road bridges, has a brick-yard on it, and it is proposed to build a glass-factory on or near it, above the point where the railroad crosses it. Though at present there is no bridge, but only a pile trestle-work for the railroad, I have been informed on good authority that the railroad company is obliged to put up a draw-bridge at this point when required to do so. The cost of dredging a channel 3 feet deep at mean low-water, and 50 feet wide, is included in the estimate. All the dikes are to be according to the general plan, with a width of 5 feet from out to out of piling, and filled with rubble stone. ESTIMATE OF COST. At mouth of creek. 3,000 linear feet of timber foundation for jetties, at $4 10,000 cubic yards of stone in jetties, at $1.75 50,000 cubic yards of dredging between jetties, at 16 cents 550 linear feet of pile-dike, at $6. OFFICE OF OTTO ERNST, South Amboy, December 15, 1879. DEAR SIR: Answering your favor of the 13th instant, the commerce of Cheese quakes Creek consists principally of shipments of clay and sand from the banks of Messrs. Forman, Whitehead Bros., and myself, amounting to say 15,000 or 20,000 tons per annum, besides which a considerable amount of manure, ashes, &c., is received, and wood and other products of the adjoining county marketed by our farmers. I have also a new brick-yard, just opened, and two more and a glass-factory are talked of being established on the creek; the latter improvements being made contingent, however, as I understand, on the improvements contemplated or planned by your office. At present no vessels drawing over 6 feet of water can navigate the creek with safety, limiting our business to canal-boats and sailing-vessels of shallow draft, and excluding us from all trade with seaports beyond the river or Long Island Sound, unless by lightering to vessels outside; but this latter practice has been found too expensive, and shipments to Boston, Portland, and other distant ports have ceased entirely since the establishment of new banks convenient to the docks at South Amboy. I think an additional depth of 2 feet of water on the bar at the mouth of the creek, and in the few shallow reaches inside, would give us a fair chance to effect shipments anywhere along the Alantic coast, and would be sure to double or treble the tonnage navigating the creek within a few years. Referring you to a suggestion, heretofore made by me, of a short canal to be cut across the salt marshes in order to avoid a couple of bends in the creek, which often |