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CHICAGO HARBOR, ILL.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON RIVERS AND HARBORS,

Monday, December 13, 1915.

The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Stephen M. Sparkman (chairman) presiding.

STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES G. SKINNER, ASSISTANT CORPORATION COUNSEL, CHICAGO, ILL.

Mr. SKINNER. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, in the first place, I desire to say we will be very pleased to have you look at the photographs of our new municipal improvement in Lake Michigan, and also the charts or maps that show the location of the municipal Pier No. 2 north of the mouth of the Chicago River, and also the cross section of the pier. His honor the mayor is to be here in a few moments to present this matter, but in the meantime I might take up some of the history and facts and figures relating to this improvement.

In 1911 or thereabouts the city of Chicago definitely decided upon a program of outer-harbor development and pier construction, and I believe you will find in Document No. 710, second session, Sixtythird Congress, the treatment of this proposition in the report of the Engineers of the War Department in which the outer-harbor improvement is approved by the Chief of Engineers, the proposition being for the General Government to add to the existing breakwater. This is also shown on the blue print on the table and also on this larger chart here. Here [indicating on chart] is Pier No. 2, but it is much longer than shown here. Pier No. 2 is 3,000 feet in length east and west. and 292 feet in width north and south. The city of Chicago bought of the shore owner, the riparian owner, a strip of ground 100 feet in width east and west, and 514 feet in length north and south, and also took over this pier protection which was built by the Chicago Dock & Canal Co. as a protection to the entrance to the Ogden Slip, and that company had an agreement with the Government forever to maintain that. The city of Chicago tock over that portion of the agreement. Then the city of Chicago has filled in 500 feet by approximately 1,000 feet, making in all 11 acres of land, and has since made about 10 acres of land to the north under another permit, and east of that comes the 3,000-foot pier. The first level has two freight sheds running from the administration or head house building 2,340 feet, one on the north side and one on the south side, and between those is an 80-foot roadway. That is on the first

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level. On the second level are two passenger structures each 2,340 feet east and west, one on the north and one on the south, and they are 67 feet in width, each of them. At the eastern end is the recreation pavilion completing the full length of the pier.

When this project was decided upon by the city of Chicago, it was approved first by the engineers' office, as is found in Document No. 710, second session, Sixty-third Congress, and the matter was submitted to this committee and to the Congress for an initial appropriation. An initial appropriation of $350,000 was made by the Congress to start breakwater construction. Of that amount $74,000 was diverted for repairs on the outer breakwater here and on the inner breakwater to the south, leaving only $276,000. Of this amount $226,000 has been used in the construction of the link from the northern end of the old or existing breakwater toward Oak Street, leaving 1,500 feet of that work, which cost $226,000. It is still proposed to add 750 feet to that 1.500 feet, making in all 2,200 feet of breakwater protection. Last March, after the appropriation of $25,000,000 was made, with $5,000,000 of transfers, we appeared before the Chief of Engineers and the Secretary of War and asked for as liberal an allotment for pushing forward this project of breakwater protection as was consistent with the claims of other projects throughout the country. We represented to the Secretary of War and to the Chief of Engineers that the city of Chicago had, in round numbers, $4,000,000 invested in this project; to be exact, I can say now that the site and construction cost the city of Chicago $3,668,129, and that brings the work to completion this month. This is upon a bond issue, and those bonds bear interest at the rate of 4 per cent. That means that the taxpayers of Chicago will have to raise, in round numbers, $148,000 annually to defray the interest on the bonds used in the purchase of the site and the construction of the pier. Now, we are very anxious to get the remaining links of breakwater construction completed so that we can make this a paying proposition.

The CHAIRMAN. And there are about 3,000 feet to be constructed? Mr. SKINNER. Five thousand feet; and with the $500,000 that the Secretary of War and the Chief of Engineers allotted to us on April 1, after our hearing in March, contract has been let for 2,270 feet from the lighthouse down to opposite the entrance of the river.

The CHAIRMAN. I mean 3,000 yet to be constructed after that work is done?

Mr. SKINNER. In round numbers; yes. I think Col. Judson told me the other day that, according to his estimate, there would be 2,730 feet which, with the 750 here [indicating], makes 3,480 feet, the 750 feet completing this Oak Street wing and the 2,730 feet making in all 3,480 feet yet to be constructed. It can not be told now exactly just what this is going to cost or just how far the $500,000 allotted to us last April will go. This work is done by contract, and so much is paid per cubic yard of rock or whatever the contract unit may be; and the engineers can not tell definitely just how much of that rock will sink down deeply into the mud at the bottom of the lake before it begins to pile up and finally receive the crowning cap. But it is estimated that the $500,000 allotted last April will complete down to opposite the mouth of the river, and it is for this remaining link of 2,730 feet and this 750 feet here [indicating] that we appear

before you to ask the additional and final appropriation, estimated by the engineers to be $714,300.

The original estimate for this improvement was $1,211,000 plus. Upon a reestimate made by Col. Judson after his location at Chicago, because of the fact that both labor and materials have risen in price, the new estimate of the Engineer Department for the completion of the project was $1,490,300. Now, with the $226,000 to build this work [indicating] and with the $500,000 to build this work [indicating], making $776,000, if you deduct that from the $1,490,300 it will leave a balance of $714,300.

The CHAIRMAN. And that is what you want us to appropriate?

Mr. SKINNER. That is what we want. The Engineers' report in 1912 was to the effect that the improvements should be completed within three years. We have gone ahead and are completing our pier construction within the three years.

The CHAIRMAN. Let me ask you, was it not the understanding that you would complete two piers?

Mr. SKINNER. No; that question was taken up

The CHAIRMAN. I mean in the original project. I see here on page 4, "The first step proposed is the construction of two piers, estimated to cost $4,400,000." Now you propose to build one pier costing nearly $4,000,000.

Mr. SKINNER. The first project

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). That is the project we adopted.

Mr. SKINNER. The first project did not propose as large a pier for Piers 1 and 2 as we have actually built. Upon a reconsideration of the plan it was thought better to build this combination pier with a freight level for the first level and a passenger level for the second level. By the way, I omitted to say that there is a street car that loops out 2,340 feet on the second level to accommodate passenger traffic to and from the pier. In answer to your question, the initial pier, which is shown on the chart as Pier No. 2, is made considerably larger than the project as first laid down on paper. In the matter of the first appropriation, the Secretary of War was authorized to let contracts out of that initial $350,000 when the city of Chicago should give sufficient assurances that it would carry out the project.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, just what was the project, Mr. Skinner? Mr. SKINNER. Well, that is the question we had to appear before the Secretary of War on, and we had to show him whether we were making good in building one pier, and this is what we said to the Secretary of War: We are investing $4,000,000————

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). Aside from what you said to the Secretary of War, what really was the project?

Mr. SKINNER. What was the project? That is the question I am trying to answer.

The CHAIRMAN. I would rather have your own language now than have what you said to the Secretary of War: not that you would say anything different here from what you said to him, but I would like to have an answer to my question. I have never been able to get an answer to that except as I gather it from the report.

Mr. SKINNER. The best answer I could give to that question is to recite the facts as I know them, Mr. Chairman, and they are these: When the project was being initially considered a chart was drawn

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