HARBOR. The harbor proper consists of the lower and upper bays, the former covering about SS square miles of anchorage, and the latter 14 square miles. Between the two is Staten Island. The principal passage from one to the other is by way of the east channel called the Narrows. which at one point is only a mile in width. Small vessels may pass also on the west side of the island. The harbor is approached from the ocean from two directions, the principal one being from the southeast. The Sandy Book Bar stretches across this entrance, :ibout 20 miles from the lower end of Manhattan, the deepest channel having been originally 16 feet at mean low water. In 1884 the National Government provided for dredging this channel to a width of 1000 feet and a depth of 30 feet. In 1899 a provision was made for the dredging of another entrince chan nel farther to the Cast, 2000 feet wide and 40 feet deep, requiring an excavation about 7 miles in length. Work upon this channel is still in progress. The other entrance into the harbor is from Long Island Sound. From the Sound, the passage leads through Bell Gate, at Ward's Isl and, into the East River, which is about half a mile in width. The tide flows very swiftly through the river, especially the ebb-tide. Ex tensive improvements were begun on this course about 1868 and are still going on. The channel has been made amply deep and safe for coast wise traffic. In 1901 the battleship Massachu setts, drawing 27 feet of water. successfully passed through it. The great strength of the ebb-tide current serves to keep the port open in winter, and, in a measure, to prevent the deposit of sediment. The North River (Hudson), which is about one mile in width, does not carry as much sediment as most rivers. Some dredging, however, has been necessary.
The Sandy Book entrance to the southeast is guarded by elaborate fortifications on Sandy Hook. (See FORT HANCOCK.) The passage through the Narrows is protected by tort Hamilton oh the east (Long Island) shore and by Forts Tomp kins and Wadsworth on the west (Staten Island) shore. Besides the works at the east entrance of Long Island Sound, the approach from that di rection is defended by fortifications on the close ly approaching points. Throggs Neck and Willets Point, within the limits of the city, and on Davids Island. a few miles to the north. Gov
ernor's Island, just south of Manhattan. is also fortified.
Almost the entire water front of Manhattan, about 22 miles, is deep enough to admit of heavy shipping, and the total frontage within the limits of the greater city is several times this. The docks already constructed occupy but a small part of the available space. Docks and piers naturally were built first on the lower end of Manhattan. the line gradually being extended northward on both sides of the island. The line is almost unbroken on the west side for a distance of about four miles, and many piers are still far ther north. On the east docks are less numerous. In Brooklyn the docks extend along that portion of the shore opposite the lower end of Manhattan and farther south in Gowanus Bay. A part of the water front of Manhattan was acquired by the city from the Crown of England and suhse quently State law; added to the portion belong ing to the city. The greater part of the entire frontage, including in 1901 170 whole and 12 half piers out of a total of 224, is controlled by the city. The Brooklyn water front is owned mainly by private persons.
TRANseoltrAnox. New York City has profited immensely from the advantages of internal trans portation afforded by the Hudson River and the Erie Canal. In recent years the canal traffic has decreased. The canal is still of great importance, however. owing to its competition with the rail way lines. All the railroads which approach New York from west of the Hudson River have their terminals in New Jersey. These lines •are the Pennsylvania, the West Shore. the Erie. the New York, Ontario and Western, the Lacka wanna, the Philadelphia and Reading. the Le high the Central Railroad of New .Jersey, and the Baltimore and Ohio. The Pennsylvania Company has projected a tunnel from the New Jersey shore under North and East Rivers to Long Island. with a great station in SIanhattan. The lines which approach from the north, the New York Central and Hudson River, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford, have a union passenger station, i he Grand Central Sta tion. under the control of the New York Central. The Long Island Railroad maintains terminals in Long Island City and Brooklyn. The daily traffic on all these lines to the suburbs is enormous.