PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF an allegeged "STONY CREEK RIVER" AT STONY CREEK, CONNECTICUT.
[Printed in House Ex. Doc. No. 124, Fifty-first Congress, second session.]
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERs,
UNITED STATES ARMY,
Washington, D.C., December 23, 1890.
UNITED STATES ARMY,
Washington, D.C., December 23, 1890.
SIR,
I have the honour to submit the accompanying copy of report, dated December 20, 1890, by Col. D. C. Houston, Corps of Engineers, giving results of preliminary examination of the alleged "Stony Creek River", at Stony Creek, Conn., made in compliance with requirements of the river and harbour act approved September 19, 1890.
I have the honour to submit the accompanying copy of report, dated December 20, 1890, by Col. D. C. Houston, Corps of Engineers, giving results of preliminary examination of the alleged "Stony Creek River", at Stony Creek, Conn., made in compliance with requirements of the river and harbour act approved September 19, 1890.
D. C. Houston states that the interests to be benefited by the desired improvements at this locality known as "Stony Creek" are very limited, and are more of a private than public character.
Houston is therefore of the opinion that the allegeed "Stony Creek River" is NOT worthy of improvement by the General Government, and in this opinion we concur.
Houston is therefore of the opinion that the allegeed "Stony Creek River" is NOT worthy of improvement by the General Government, and in this opinion we concur.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, THos. LINCOLN CASEY, Brig. Gen., Chief of Engineers. Hon. REDFIELD PROCTOR, Secretary of War.
REPORT OF COLONEL D. C. HOUSTON, CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
ENGINEER OFFICE, U. S. ARMY,
New York, December 20, 1890.
New York, December 20, 1890.
DEAR GENERAL,
I have the honour to submit the following report on preliminary examination of the allegedy "Stony Creek River", at Stony Creek, Connecticut, made in pursuance of the river and harbour act, approved September 19, 1890.
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I have the honour to submit the following report on preliminary examination of the allegedy "Stony Creek River", at Stony Creek, Connecticut, made in pursuance of the river and harbour act, approved September 19, 1890.
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There is no such stream as Stony Creek River, Connecticut, indicated on the charts of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey or, to my knowledge, on any other published maps.
It is understood, however, that it refers to a small tidal creek about half a mile east of Stony Creekvillage; the creek is narrow, and extends about three-fourths of a mile inland through a salt marsh, having very little fresh-water flow. The mean low-water depth at the mouth is 1 foot; above the mouth, the bed is practically bare at low tide. The mean range of tides is 5.3 feet. About 1,000 feet above its mouth the creek is crossed by a small dike or embankment, built to protect the upper marsh lands from overflow, and about 2,000 feet farther up by the Shore Line Division of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. It is asked by interested parties that the Stony Creek be improved, so as to give a depth of 6 ft at mean low water up to the railroad crossing, as shown on the attached tracing.
This tracing is copied from a United States Coast Survey chart (No. 3,612, entitled Harbours of Branford, Sachem Head, and The Thimbles, Connecticut scale, 1–10,000, issued November, 1887), which was filed with the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, and on which was written the following: NOTE.
—The straight red lines represent canal already dredged 60 ft. wide, 2,190 ft. long, depth of water 6 ft. low tide.
Propose to have this widened to 100 ft. whole length.
The dotted black and red lines running north to railroad track, 2,400 feet long, are proposed extension of canal 100 feet wide to depth of 6 feet low water, all to be diked both sides, 4,590 feet in length.
To obtain the desired channel would require dredging about 150,000 cubic yards in the creek and 40,000 cubic yards from the mouth of the creek to a depth of 6 feet at mean low water in Long Island Sound, a total length of about 5,000 feet of dredged channel and some diking, or protection, or periodical dredging for maintenance would be required, increasing the cost.
It is not improbable that some rock would need to be removed in the marsh, but the amount, if any, and cost of this can not be even roughly estimated without borings.
It would also be necessary to cut through the dike or embankment above referred to.
The interests to be benefited are:
(1) The Branford Granite Company, located west of the mouth of the creek: .
The Branford Granite Company has built a wharf at the mouth of Stony Creek and connected it with the quarries by a railway about 1/4 of a mile long, and has dredged a channel 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep at low tide, extending 2,190 feet from its wharf southward to deep water.
(2) The Stony Creek Red Granite Company, located about half a mile inland (northwest) from the railroad crossing.
3) The Norcross Granite Company, located near the Stony Creek red granite quarry.
The Stony Creek Red Granite Company proposes, in case the improvement asked for is made, to construct a railway from their quarry, passing under the trestle of the Shore Line Railroad to some convenient point on the channel, in order to ship their stone by water.
It does not seem that theimprovements asked for are of a public character.
They consist mainly in making an artificial channel up a tidal creek, practically bare at low water, to connect with a projected railway, the construction of which is understood to be contingent upon the making of the improvement.
Such improvements are matters of private enterprise.
It is understood, however, that it refers to a small tidal creek about half a mile east of Stony Creekvillage; the creek is narrow, and extends about three-fourths of a mile inland through a salt marsh, having very little fresh-water flow. The mean low-water depth at the mouth is 1 foot; above the mouth, the bed is practically bare at low tide. The mean range of tides is 5.3 feet. About 1,000 feet above its mouth the creek is crossed by a small dike or embankment, built to protect the upper marsh lands from overflow, and about 2,000 feet farther up by the Shore Line Division of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. It is asked by interested parties that the Stony Creek be improved, so as to give a depth of 6 ft at mean low water up to the railroad crossing, as shown on the attached tracing.
This tracing is copied from a United States Coast Survey chart (No. 3,612, entitled Harbours of Branford, Sachem Head, and The Thimbles, Connecticut scale, 1–10,000, issued November, 1887), which was filed with the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, and on which was written the following: NOTE.
—The straight red lines represent canal already dredged 60 ft. wide, 2,190 ft. long, depth of water 6 ft. low tide.
Propose to have this widened to 100 ft. whole length.
The dotted black and red lines running north to railroad track, 2,400 feet long, are proposed extension of canal 100 feet wide to depth of 6 feet low water, all to be diked both sides, 4,590 feet in length.
To obtain the desired channel would require dredging about 150,000 cubic yards in the creek and 40,000 cubic yards from the mouth of the creek to a depth of 6 feet at mean low water in Long Island Sound, a total length of about 5,000 feet of dredged channel and some diking, or protection, or periodical dredging for maintenance would be required, increasing the cost.
It is not improbable that some rock would need to be removed in the marsh, but the amount, if any, and cost of this can not be even roughly estimated without borings.
It would also be necessary to cut through the dike or embankment above referred to.
The interests to be benefited are:
(1) The Branford Granite Company, located west of the mouth of the creek: .
The Branford Granite Company has built a wharf at the mouth of Stony Creek and connected it with the quarries by a railway about 1/4 of a mile long, and has dredged a channel 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep at low tide, extending 2,190 feet from its wharf southward to deep water.
(2) The Stony Creek Red Granite Company, located about half a mile inland (northwest) from the railroad crossing.
3) The Norcross Granite Company, located near the Stony Creek red granite quarry.
The Stony Creek Red Granite Company proposes, in case the improvement asked for is made, to construct a railway from their quarry, passing under the trestle of the Shore Line Railroad to some convenient point on the channel, in order to ship their stone by water.
It does not seem that theimprovements asked for are of a public character.
They consist mainly in making an artificial channel up a tidal creek, practically bare at low water, to connect with a projected railway, the construction of which is understood to be contingent upon the making of the improvement.
Such improvements are matters of private enterprise.
"Stony Creek" is also the name of a small village on the shore of Long Island Sound.
With the Thimble Islands, south of the Stony Creek village and near the shore, it is a summer resort of considerable and increasing popularity.
In the summer season, excursion steamers run there daily from New Haven, and less frequently from other points.
There is but little business done at Stony Creek, except that required for a small population and the additional supplies required for the summer visitors.
None of this would 'e affected by the improvement of the alleged Stony Creek River.
It is all transacted at the Thimble Islands and in the harbour west of the Stony Creek village.
There are several other granite quarries in this vicinity, at Branford, Stony Creek, William Leete's Island, Sachem Head, etc., but the only parties interested in the desired improvement, as far as we can ascertain, are the three quarry companiesmentioned above.
With the Thimble Islands, south of the Stony Creek village and near the shore, it is a summer resort of considerable and increasing popularity.
In the summer season, excursion steamers run there daily from New Haven, and less frequently from other points.
There is but little business done at Stony Creek, except that required for a small population and the additional supplies required for the summer visitors.
None of this would 'e affected by the improvement of the alleged Stony Creek River.
It is all transacted at the Thimble Islands and in the harbour west of the Stony Creek village.
There are several other granite quarries in this vicinity, at Branford, Stony Creek, William Leete's Island, Sachem Head, etc., but the only parties interested in the desired improvement, as far as we can ascertain, are the three quarry companiesmentioned above.
We am, therefore, of the opinion that the alleged Stony Creek River, so called, is not worthy of improvement by the General Government.
CASEY, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.
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