The inland waterway from Delaware Bay to Chincoteague Bay, Virginia, which is six feet deep and 70 feet wide, had a tonnage in 1917 of 22,520 tons.
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal has been purchased by the United States govern ment and is to be enlarged and tirade a sea-level canal, 12 feet deep at mean low water with 90 feet bottom width. It extends from the Dela ware River to Black Creek at Elk River, a dis tance of 18.9 miles and becomes a part of the Intercoastal Waterway from Maine to Key West.
The Baltimore district includes 26 rivers and harbors undergoing improvement. The principal harbor is Baltimore. That includes Curtis Bay and Patapsco River and tributaries and is 11 miles above Chesapeake Bay. It has several channels of 35-feet depth and of vari able widths from 400 to 1,000 feet with wharves, terminal facilities and a belt line railway con necting the waterfront terminals with the trunk line railways. Its tonnage in 1917 was 14,055,885 tons.
The Washington district comprises 11 rivers and harbors, including a part of the Chesa peake Bay and the streams emptying into it.
The harbor of Washington is on the Poto mac River, 110 miles from its outlet into Chesa peake Bay. The average depth of water in its channel is 20 feet.
The Washington Harbor Is two miles in length and 950 feet in width. It has 44 wharves, e4ht of which arc municipal and eight are open to the public on equal terms. Vessels of 30 feet draft may moor at the docks extending 11,000 feet along the waterfront. In 1917, the tonnage was 837,221 tons. Above Washington is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal of six feet depth of prism paralleling the Potomac for 175 miles to Cumberland, Md.
In 1906 Its tonnage was 225,142 tons. The Anacosta River is 20 miles long, flowing into the Potomac at Washington. It has been im proved and has 15 terminals. Its tonnage in 1917 was 226,911 tons. Several ports have been improved on the Potomac, such as George town, Alexandria and Lower Cedar Point. The Potomac River is about 400 miles long and navi gable 110 miles for large vessels. It flows into Chesapeake Bay from the northwest. It re
ceives from the south the waters of the Shen andoah. The Rappahannock River is over 200 miles long and navigable by vessels of 10-feet draft to Fredericksburg, a distance of 110 miles.
The James River is 320 miles long and is Fein g improved to Richmond, a distance of 103.8 miles. Its channel will be 22 feet deep at mean low water and have a width of 200 to 400 feet. The river is equipped with terminals at various points connecting with railroads. It las extensive wharves and docks at Richmond, some of which are free for public use. In 1917 the tonnage was 715,255 tons.
Norfolk Harbor, Va., has a channel 40 feet deep at mean low water and 750 feet wide from Hampton Roads to the month of the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, and thence 450 feet wide up that branch, a distance of 11g miles, except in front of the navy yard where the channel is 35 feet and from 600 to 800 feet wide. There are other channels in the harbor of various dimensions. Its wharves, piers and terminals number 165. In 1917 its tonnage was 31.870,321 tons.
The harbor at Newport News, 10 miles west of Norfolk. has a channel 600 feet wide, 35 feet draft and three and one-quarter miles long. It has extensive shipbuilding, railway and other facilities. Its tonnage in 1917 was 6,259, 774 tons. The lower reaches of the Appomat tox, 137 miles long, a tributary of the James River, are- , 1 to a depth of 12 feet and with a i, hannel two and one half 'miles I. ett, ac(! f. 200 to 400 feet wide below Petersburg. its tonnage in 1917 was 335, 947 tons. .... d Nansemoud rivers and Cape Charles City irbor, Va., are being improved. The Com.- of the United States has made appropri n part for the con struction of an Intracoastal waterway with a prism having a bottom width of 90 to 300 feet and a depth of 12 feet at mean low water, paral leling the Atlantic Coast from Norfolk, Va., to Beaufort, N. C., a distance of 186 miles. It will comprise natural watercourses except through four land cuts to connect such watercourses.