(DOCUMENT SCOTTS CREEK, VA. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR, TRANSMITTING WITH A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, REPORT ON PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF SCOTTS CREEK, VA. NOVEMBER 26, 1913.-Referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors and ordered to be printed, with illustration. WAR DEPARTMENT, The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. SIR: I have the honor to transmit, herewith, a letter from the Acting Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated 14th instant, together with copy of report from Lieut. Col. E. E. Winslow, Corps of Engineers, dated August 18, 1913, with map, on preliminary examination of Scotts Creek, Norfolk, Va., made by him in compliance with the provisions of the river and harbor act approved March 4, 1913. Very respectfully, LINDLEY M. GARRISON, WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, From: The Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army. 1. There is submitted herewith for transmission to Congress report dated August 18, 1913, with map, by Lieut. Col. E. Eveleth Winslow, Corps of Engineers, on preliminary examination of Scotts Creek, Va., called for by the river and harbor act approved March 4, 1913. 2. Scotts Creek is a small tidal estuary of Elizabeth River, within the limits of Norfolk Harbor, Va. Immediately inside of its mouth H D-63-1-vol 10-38 the creek widens considerably and divides into a number of arms or branches, one of which extends eastward into the Naval Hospital Reservation at Hospital Point, two extend southward, and one of the larger branches extends well to the westward. The low-water depth of the main part of the creek inside of its mouth seems to vary from about 2.5 to 3 feet as far as the junction of the western branch and the main southern branch. The improvement of the creek has been urged on three grounds: For the purpose of general commerce, as furnishing a site for public docks for the city of Portsmouth, and for naval purposes. The district officer states that more advantageous sites are available elsewhere for public terminals, and the principal development desired by the Navy is not on Scotts Creek, but is along the front of the river channel. While the dredging of channels in this creek may be justified at some time in the future, the district officer is of opinion that it is not advisable at the present time for the United States to undertake the improvement of this locality. In this opinion the division engineer concurs. 3. This report has been referred, as required by law, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and attention is invited to its accompanying report, dated September 23, 1913, concurring in the views expressed by the district officer and the division engineer. 4. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, I concur in general with the views of the district officer, the division engineer, and the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, that the improvement by the United States of Scotts Creek, Norfolk, Va., in the manner apparently desired by the interests concerned as described in the reports herewith, is not deemed advisable at the present time. EDW. BURR, Colonel, Corps of Engineers, REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS. [Third indorsement.] THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS, September 23, 1913. To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY. 1. Scotts Creek is a small tidal estuary of Elizabeth River, within the general limits of Norfolk Harbor, Va. The depth of the main part of the creek inside of its mouth ranges from about 2 to 3 feet, with a tidal range of about 2.7 feet. There are but a few commercial developments along the creek, the principal ones being near its mouth, where some channel improvement work has been done by the interests concerned. The commerce is estimated at about 4,000 tons, consisting principally of lumber, oysters, and oyster shells. 2. Correspondence with interested parties by the district officer indicates that the improvement is desired on three grounds-for the purpose of general commerce, to furnish a site for public docks for the city of Portsmouth, and for naval purposes. 3. With regard to the first, the arguments are rather indefinite and not altogether well founded, as the improvement would be in the nature of an addition to or extension of the general harbor facilities of Norfolk, and the existing facilities have as yet been utilized only in part. 4. With reference to public terminals there are none at present in this vicinity owned by the city of Portsmouth, and the investigations of the district officer lead to the conclusion that for this purpose there are better sites available elsewhere. 5. In regard to the needs of the Navy, it appears that the improvement desired by that department is not so much within the limits of Scotts Creek as on the main channel of Elizabeth River, near the mouth of the creek. 6. In view of these facts and the small commerce involved, the district officer expresses the opinion, in which the division engineer concurs, that while at some future time the available wharf frontage of Norfolk Harbor may be exhausted to an extent suflicient to warrant the improvement of Scotts Creek, this is not the case at present, and therefore the locality is regarded as unworthy of improvement by the General Government. 7. Interested parties were informed of the unfavorable tenor of the district officer's report and given an opportunity of submitting their views to the board, but no communications on the subject have been received. 8. From the facts presented herein it appears that there is little commerce, present or immediately prospective, on Scotts Creek; that the improvement contemplated would be in the nature of an expansion of Norfolk Harbor rather than to meet any present needs of commerce and navigation in the creek; and that at the present rate of development of Norfolk Harbor it will be many years before facilities now available elsewhere in the harbor will be fully utilized. The board therefore reports, in concurrence with the views of the district officer and the division engineer, that it is not advisable for the United States at this time to undertake the improvement of Scotts Creek, Va. 9. In compliance with law, the board reports that there are no questions of terminal facilities, water power, or other related subjects which could be coordinated with the suggested improvement in such manner as to render the work advisable in the interests of commerce and navigation. For the board: W. C. LANGFITT, Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF SCOTTS CREEK, VA. WAR DEPARTMENT, ENGINEER OFFICE, UNITED STATES ARMY, Norfolk, Va., August 18, 1913. From: The District Engineer Officer. To: The Chief of Engineers. United States Army. (Through Division Engineer.) Subject: Preliminary examination of Scotts Creek, Norfolk, Va. Creek is a small tidal creek emptying into the southwest side of the Elizabeth River about 1 mile below the junction of the eastern and southern branches of this river, that is, right in the heart of Norfolk Harbor. 2. Norfolk Harbor consists of the Elizabeth River proper and the lower portions of its eastern, southern, and western branches. This harbor has been used for many years under improvement by the United States, the original and natural channel depth of 20 feet having been increased by successive steps to the present project depth of 35 feet at mean low water in the main river and up the southern branch to above the navy yard. In the branches of the harbor minor channels have been provided having depths of 25, 22, 20, and 18 feet. 3. The locality is shown on Coast and Geodetic Survey chart No. 400, on the Norfolk quadrangle of the Geological Survay maps, and upon the accompanying drawing. 4. The area drained by Scotts Creek is small, being probably less than 2 square miles. All of this area is low, the soil porous, and, consequently, Scotts Creek is not exposed to freshets, and the water usually contains but little sediment. The level of the water in the creek is entirely dependent upon the tidal oscillation of Norfolk Harbor, the average rise and fall being about 2.7 feet. As the drainage area is small and not wooded, snags do not occur in the creek and snagging operations would be of no benefit to commerce. 5. At the real mouth of the creek, as shown on the old charts and at the point now marked by a drawbridge, the creek was originally only about 400 feet wide, and extending through this narrow mouth there was a short narrow natural depression 8 or 10 feet deep. This depression rapidly disappeared on the landward side in the generally shoal bottom of the creek, while out toward the river the depth gradually decreased within a distance of about 400 or 500 feet, to the broad flat that extended out to the edge of the deep water in the Elizabeth River. Throughout this flat the depth of water varied from about 2.5 to 3 feet, and there was no continuous channel into Scotts Creek more than 2 feet in depth. 6. On the map submitted with this report the drawbridge marking the natural route of the creek, as has just been mentioned, appears to be well inside of the present mouth, but this is due entirely to the extension of Pinners Point and its piers toward the deep water of Elizabeth River in connection with the development of the Atlantic Coast Line and Southern Railroad terminals. 7. Immediately inside of its mouth Scotts Creek widens considerably and divides up into a number of arms or branches. One of these extends eastward into the Naval Hospital Reservation at Hospital Point; there are two well-defined southern arms and one important branch of the creek that extend well to the westward. The low-water depth of the main part of the creek inside of its mouth seems to vary from about 2.5 to 3 feet as far west as the junction of the western branch and the main southern branch. 8. The commercial development of the shores of Scotts Creek at present consist of Hitch's lumber mill and plant on the south shore of the creek around its mouth, three or four oyster houses on the south shore of the eastern branch of the creek, a small marine railway and a small oyster house on the main southern branch. These wharves, though few in number, seem to be sufficient for the present commerce of the creek. They are all privately owned, and only one of them, that pertaining to the lumber mill, has any railroad connections, this being by a spur track across the drawbridge from the Pinners Point railroad terminals. 9. The present commerce of Scotts Creek consists principally of lumber, oysters, and oyster shells, though there may be a small amount of miscellaneous freight. The mill people state that they handle by water annually about 10,000,000 feet of lumber. Of the quantity of other freight it has been found impossible to obtain reliable figures. It is believed, however, that the total annual freight movement over the water of this creek does not exceed about 4,000 tons. The figures given in the inclosed letter from the Business Men's Association of Portsmouth, 200,000 tons, is apparently a wild guess, as is shown by the accompanying estimated value, which would figure about four or five dollars per ton. 10. Scotts Creek has never been improved by the United States, and, so far as is known, has never been the subject of a previous preliminary examination. 11. Some years ago, for use in connection with its lumber plant, the owners of Hitch's lumber mill dredged a channel about one-half a mile long connecting the natural trough in the old mouth of the creek with the deep water of the Elizabeth River. This cut is understood to have cost about $9,000, and to have been made 75 feet wide and 12 feet deep at mean low water. It is still in use, but has shoaled to a depth of about 7 feet. Just inside the mouth of the creek another narrow channel, apparently about 6 feet deep at mean low water, has been dredged to connect the deep water at the mouth with the wharves of the oyster houses on the south shore of the eastern branch of the creek. 12. In connection with this examination quite a number of letters have been received, all of which are inclosed as appendices to this report. In these letters the improvement of the creek is urged on three grounds: For the purpose of general commerce, as furnishing a site for public docks for the city of Portsmouth, and for naval purposes. 13. The arguments in favor of the improvement of this creek, based upon the general development of commerce, are very indefinite, and are necessarily so. Were the United States to dredge a deep and wide channel in this creek, there is good reason to believe that in time considerable commercial development would take place along its shores, but such development would be really an extension of the commercial development of Norfolk Harbor. 14. In a report submitted about a year ago in connection with an examination of a portion of Norfolk Harbor it was stated that in the inner harbor of Norfolk-that is, south of Lamberts Point-there is a total available wharf frontage of approximately 21 miles, upon channels already improved by the United States, and up to that time less than half of this wharf frontage had been utilized for commercial purposes and many of the wharves were but a partial utilization of the possibilities. It was further shown that at the rate at which wharf frontage was being brought into use in Norfolk Harbor it would be several decades before there would be any scarcity of |