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APPENDIX.

[A.]

[See page 13 of this Report, ante.]

ESTABLISHMENT OF HARBOR LINES IN BOSTON HARBOR, AS RECOM-
MENDED BY THE HARBOR LINE BOARD AND
SECRETARY OF WAR, DURING THE YEAR 1890.*

I. CHARLES RIVER.

APPROVED BY THE

Left Bank of Charles River from Grand Junction Railroad Bridge to the Navy-Yard Pier and Bulkhead Lines.

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The State of Massachusetts has never fixed bulkhead as distinguished from pier-head lines. The Board has deemed it best to do so, and the accompanying maps sufficiently indicate the proposed location of the bulkhead lines, beyond which it is understood that no solid constructions shall hereafter be extended.

On the left bank of the Charles River basin, between Grand Junction Railroad bridge and Craigie's bridge, the pier and bulkhead line has been drawn to coincide with the line established by the State legislature.

The tidal prism of the Charles River basin has already been unadvisedly reduced, and this line contemplates a still further reduction; moreover, the forest of piles driven in the water-way below interferes with the current at the mouth of the river. A comparison of the survey of 1888 with that of 1861 shows a shoaling below the bridges of 712,415 cubic yards, reducing the average depth by 3.66 feet over an area of more than 120 acres.

Several Boards and all the officers of the Corps of Engineers, who for many years have discussed and reported upon this subject, have insisted upon the preservation of the Charles River

*The following explanations and descriptions of the several Harbor Lines as approved by the Secretary of War, are taken from the Reports of the Harbor Line Board recommending their adoption.

basin as a tidal reservoir for the maintenance of the channels of the harbor. But heretofore the General Government has never exercised the right to control and direct this matter, although the fact of these encroachments has been officially placed on record. Meanwhile the State of Massachusetts has authorized the filling up of this basin to the line above mentioned without a corresponding enlargement of the tidal prism in other places, and has granted privileges involving a great outlay of capital. To move the pier and bulkhead line back as would be desirable for the "protection and preservation of the harbor," would therefore interfere with vested rights of great value. In granting these privileges the State of Massachusetts has virtually assumed the responsibility for any injury to the harbor that has accrued or may accrue from this cause, and the Board therefore recommends for the approval of the Secretary of War the lines above indicated.

From Craigie's bridge to the navy-yard at Charlestown, the Board has deemed it expedient for the "preservation and protection of the harbor" to establish a bulkhead line, as well as a pierhead line. These two lines coincide as far as Warren bridge, and up to the Eastern Railroad bridge conform to the existing harbor line enacted by State law. Beyond the Eastern Railroad bridge the State harbor line is abandoned, and the new lines, located coincidently, assume a new direction, closer to the original shore line, as far as Warren bridge. Eastward of Warren bridge the pier-head line coincides with the State harbor line as far as the navy-yard, while the bulkhead line follows a nearly parallel course to the northward, at a distance of 600 feet, approximately. The State lime and the proposed lines are delineated upon accompanying charts.

The harbor lines which are recommended for adoption are defined as follows:

Beginning at a point on the northerly side of West Boston Bridge at its intersection with the face of the wharf, and marked by a copper tack through an iron plate on the cap outside of the brick sidewalk, and indicated on the plan by the letter A; thence running southwesterly on a curve of 951.34 feet radius (tangent to a line to be hereafter described running between West Boston and Craigie's bridges) for a distance of 503.01 feet; thence continuing southwesterly on a straight line tangent to said curve for a distance of 6,838.19 feet; thence westerly on a curve of 1,200 feet radius tangent to the last named line, for a distance of 496.97 feet; thence westerly on a straight line tangent to the last named curve to the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge. Again beginning at the point on the northerly side of West Boston Bridge marked A (previously described); thence northeasterly to point B, which is on the southerly side of Craigie's Bridge at its intersection with the face of the wharf,

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and is marked by a copper tack through an iron plate on the cap of the sidewalk, and is referred to point B,' which is at the southeasterly corner of the Boston and Lowell machine-shop; distance from B to B', 73.39 feet; bearing from B to B', 221° 46′ 19′′; thence northeasterly to point C at the southerly side of the Boston and Lowell Railroad passenger bridge at its intersection with the face of the wharf, and marked on the cap-sill of the bridge by a copper tack through an iron plate; thence the line continues northeastwardly to the point C.

The point C' is 58 feet southerly (measuring along the face of the solid bulkhead) from the intersection of the line B C (just described) prolonged to an intersection with the solid bulkhead of the Fitchburg Railroad Bridge; C' is 853 feet approximately northeasterly from C.

From C' the line follows the faces of the solid bulkhead of the Fitchburg Railroad in an easterly direction to the point D', which is at the intersection of said solid bu khead with the westerly side of Warren Bridge.

At the point D' the pier and bulkhead lines separate. The pier-head line lies in the west face of Warren Bridge to the point D, which is about 66 feet southerly from the outer face of the wharf on the same westerly side of Warren Bridge, and is marked by a copper tack through an iron plate; thence the pier-head line extends to the point E, which is at the easterly side of Charles River Bridge, about 80 feet southerly from the outer face of Tudor's Wharf on the same easterly side of said Charles River Bridge, and is marked by a copper tack through an iron plate; thence northeasterly to the point F, which is about 80 feet southeasterly from the southwesterly corner of Hittinger's Wharf, and nearly in the alignment of the westerly side of said Hittinger's Wharf produced, and is referred to point E; distance from point F to point E, 379 feet; bearing from point F to point E is 59° 6′ 27′′; thence northeasterly to point G, which is at the southwesterly corner of the navy-yard shears wharf, and is referred to point G', which is near the same southwesterly corner of the said navy-yard shears wharf, and is marked by a copper tack through an iron plate; distance from G to G', 1.40 feet; bearing from G to G', 150° 35′.

From the point D' the bulkhead line runs northeasterly in a straight line (parallel to the pier-head line F G) 1,470 feet approximately to an intersection with the boundary wall of the navy-yard.

[Approved by the Secretary of War, February 13, 1890.]

Charles River from near Brookline Street Bridge to Market Street Bridge.

The State of Massachusetts has never established lines upon this portion of the river, but the Board has deemed it necessary to do so. The lines recommended are indicated upon the chart and described as follows:

The line on the north side of Charles River begins at the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge, at the intersection of the east side of the

bridge and the harbor line approved by the Secretary of War, February 13, 1890; thence in a straight line, making an angle with the harbor line above referred to of 166° 20', measuring from a northeasterly to a northwesterly direction, 1,020 feet approximately to the point B, which is situated on a line parallel to and 600 feet north of the northeastern rail of the main line of the Boston and Albany Railroad; thence parallel to said rail 675 feet to the point C; thence to the point D by the arc of a circle of 860 feet radius, tangent to the line last described, said arc subtending an angle at the center of 64° 45', measuring from a southwesterly to a westerly direction; thence, on a tangent to the last described circle, 850 feet to the point E; said tangent on the line D E, if produced, will intersect the east side of River Street Bridge produced 155 feet northeastward from the face of the easterly stone abutment of said bridge; thence to the point F at the southeast corner of said abutment; thence, following the face of said abutment and the faces of the stone wharf of the Riverside Press Company, to the point G at the northwest corner of said stone wharf; thence to the point H, which is at the northwest corner of the solid abutment of Western Avenue Bridge on the Cambridge side; thence to the point I, which is in the line of the south side of the first street north of Sands street (Cambridge) extended westerly 320 feet from the west side of Binks street; thence to the point J, which is 400 feet from the west side of Banks street, measuring westerly along the south side of the second street north of Sands street; thence to the point K, which is at the southeast corner of the wharf at the foot of Otter street; thence to the northwest corner of said wharf; thence to the southeast corner of Wellington's Wharf; thence to the southwest corner of said wharf; thence to the west corner of College Wharf; thence to the east corner of the solid abutment of the Brighton Street Bridge on the Cambridge side; thence to the point L, which is in the line of the west side of that part of Murray street which runs southwesterly, extended southwesterly 760 feet from the south side of Lyman street; thence to the point M, which is in the line of the north side of that part of Murray street which runs southeasterly, extended northwesterly 830 feet from the west side of Brighton street; thence to the southeast corner of the Cambridge Gas Company's Wharf; thence to the point N, which is in the line of the east side of Willard street extended southerly 180 feet from the north side of Mount Auburn street; thence to the point O, which is 115 feet from the north side of Mount Auburn street, measuring at right angles therewith from a point 155 feet west of the west corner of Willard street; thence parallel to Mount Auburn street 315 feet to the point P; thence to the southeast corner of the Monument Wharf, marked Q on the tracing.

The line on the south side of Charles River begins at the northeast corner of the solid part of Abbot's Wharf, near Brookline Street Bridge, and at the end of the harbor line approved by the Secretary of War July 27, 1889; thence in a straight line 980 feet to the point B', which is 120 feet distant from the northerly rail of the Boston and Albany main track; thence parallel to said rail 830 feet to the point C'; thence to the point D' by the arc of a circle of 1,200 feet radius tangent to the line

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