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1940

1941.

1942.

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1945

Comparative statement of traffic in and out of Portsmouth Harbor

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Does not include estimated 90,000 tons of petroleum products delivered to United States naval base. Does not include about 125 trips by naval vessels and tankers.

› Preliminary estimate by U. S. Army, Corps of Engineers.

Source: Figures for 1940 to 1950, inclusive, are from Document 556, 82d Cong., 2d sess., pp. 14-15. NOTE. While there is considerable evidence of increased shipping during the past 2 years, complete figures are not available.

6. Give details of present commercial navigation on the waterway, including number and type of vessels; length, beam, and draft; and type and tonnage of freight handled.

The great bulk of commercial navigation in Portsmouth Harbor and the Piscataqua River is in oil tankers and barges, colliers, and gypsum cargo ships. Oilbarge shipments would be replaced by tankers up to 800-foot length if the proposed harbor improvements were made. In addition to the commercial ship traffic is naval activity which includes a variety of ships.

There are approximately 300 to 400 pleasure and fishing craft stored in the waterway. There are 6 marine railways, 3 yacht clubs, 4 sportsmen's clubs, 5 boatyards in the waterway. Storage costs for pleasure craft vary from $1 to $5 per foot.

7. Give description and location of any publicly or privately owned property that would be available to the United States, free of cost, for disposal of dredged material.

The harbor channel is so deep that removal of material to a spoil area is unnecessary. It is assumed that the ledge can be blown into the channel. Furthermore, the improvements proposed will be permanent and not recurring. The depth of channel and action of tide eliminate any need for periodic dredging. It should also be noted that the tide action makes this the most northerly ice-free port.

Annual sailings and tonnages in and out of Portsmouth Harbor, 1952

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NOTE. The above figures represent the major users of the port. They are not complete nor all-inclusive. The number of ship sailings do not include any pleasure craft or fishing vessels.

The Simplex Wire & Cable Co. expects 12 ships in 1953-54 with total tonnages of from 48,000 to ,000

tons.

EMPLOYMENT CHANGES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

(Prepared by Division of Employment Security, Economic Analysis and Reporting, July 15, 1953)

The year 1949 was in a recession period (unemployment averaged 9 percent). For this reason a comparison of employment in 1952 with that in 1949 calls for explanation of statistical data.

Throughout the State in 1952 textile employment decreased even below the 1949 level; in 1947 and 1948 textile employment averaged approximately 23,300 workers. The apparel industry had a decrease in employment because the Textron plant in Manchester was changed to a fabric mill and at the end of 1952 operations were ceased.

Lumber and furniture employment increased somewhat in 1952 as compared to 1949 because the latter was a period of reduced activity. This also applies to paper.

Employment in printing increased primarily because of a new firm in Nashua. The leather and leather-products industry increased employment gradually after World War II as more materials became available.

Metalworking industries experienced considerable cyclical decrease in employment in 1949 recession period; however, much increase occurred from partial mobilization demands and expansion by means of new industry. The electricalproducts industry has continued to expand from 1947 to date. Much of this occurred in the Dover-Somersworth area.

EMPLOYMENT CHANGES IN THE DOVER AND PORTSMOUTH AREAS

The closing of the American Woolen branch in Dover accounted for the decrease in textile employment. The decrease in lumber and wood products in the Dover area reflects the increase in inventories nationwide. The Portsmouth area obtained a new establishment in the furniture industry.

The changes in leather and leather-products employment (chiefly shoe manufacturing) reflect the frequent fluctuations common to this industry. Expansion in metalworking industry has been primarily in electrical products although some increase in machinery employment other than electrical occurred as a result of partial mobilization. Both Clarostat and General Electric provided many more jobs during this period. In the Portsmouth area employment at the naval shipyard increased rapidly from the end of 1950 to the middle of 1972.

Arerage employment covered by unemployment compensation in the Dover job center and in the city of Dover, 1949-52

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NOTE-Dover job center includes Dover, Durham, Lee, Barrington, Madbury, Somersworth, and Rollinsford.

Average employment covered by unemployment compensation in the Portsmouth job center and in the city of Portsmouth, 1949-52

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NOTE.-Portsmouth job center includes Portsmouth, Newcastle, Rye, Greenland, and Newington.

UNITED STATES NAVAL BASE, Portsmouth, N. 'H., July 10, 1958.

Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors,
Public Works Committee,

United States House of Representatives,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SIR: In view of the meeting in the near future of the Seacoast Regional Committee relative to proposed removal of obstructions in and improvements of Portsmouth Harbor, particularly Gangway Rock, the following facts and figures are submitted:

The naval base, Portsmouth, is vitally interested in any improvements that can be made to better the harbor.

During the calendar year of 1952, there were 178 movements of vessels to and from the naval base, representing a total of 276,295 tons. Of this number of vessels, 4 were Government-chartered oil tankers which delivered 26,245 long tons of fuel.

Trusting that this information may be of assistance to you, I am,
Sincerely yours,

G. E. PETERSON,

Captain, USN, Acting Commander, United States Naval Base.

SIMPLEX WIRE & CABLE Co.,
Cambridge, Mass., July 13, 1953.

Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL,

Chairman, Subcommittee Rivers and Harbors,
Public Works Committee,

United States House of Representatives,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SIR: Our company would like to be recorded in favor of H. R. 4938 relative to channel improvements in the Piscatagua River at Portsmouth, N. H. We understand that H. R. 4938 will implement the project entitled "Plan A" as presented in a report from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, under a covering letter dated August 12, 1952.

This company is now building a submarine cable plant in the town of Newington, N. H., at a point approximately 14 miles above the 1940 highway and railroad bridge which crosses the river. This plant site is a little more than a half mile upstream from Boiling Rock which is mentioned in plan A.

We shall be shipping the cables made in this plant in deepwater ships since they are intended for use on the ocean bottom.

Cable ships vary in tonnage from about 2,500 tons gross to about 8,000 tons gross. We expect to have regular visits from the largest one now operating, the overall length of which is approximately 484 feet.

In addition, it may occasionally be desirable to ship cable by cargo vessels in order to save the long trip on the part of the cable ship itself from the point where she is operating to our plant. Such a cargo vessel very likely would be a Liberty ship.

Thus we are interested that the river shall be suitable for the passage of large oceangoing vessels. Today it is possible for the ships to reach our plant site. The transit is difficult and there is substantial danger of an accident to a ship on the way. If plan A in the report were to be implemented it would make the river very much safer and would be of substantial benefit to the ships which will reach our plant, as well as to the other shipping in the river.

Before deciding that our plant site was suitable, the writer spent considerable time on the river and made one trip up the river to the Sprague dock directly opposite Boiling Rock in a collier, which was a converted Liberty ship.

During the passage between Gangway Rock and the navy yard the ship came so close to the navy yard piers that it was necessary for the pilot to go out on the starboard wing of the bridge to watch her carefully and make sure that his stern did not hit the piers as she swung in straightening out for the draw of the 1923 highway bridge.

The ledge off the southwest tip of Badger's Island forces such a ship so far to the westward that she cannot make a straight entrance into the draw of the 1940 highway and railroad bridge. She must approach it diagonally and be swinging all the time that she is passing through the draw. Such a situation requires very fast work on the part of the accompanying tugs for they must shift position while the ship is going through the bridge, and their assistance is needed both on entering and on leaving the draw.

Boiling Rock is a hazard to any deepwater ship in the river above the 1940 highway and railroad bridge because all of them must go upstream from Boiling Rock to reach the turning basin when they are outbound. Boiling Rock is on a corner in a narrow place in the river and the transit of that section is a very dangerous one indeed for a deepwater ship.

The trip in the collier up to the Sprague dock being a distance of only about 41⁄2 miles took more than 2 hours. Nevertheless, the upriver trip is easier than the downriver trip because the slack of the tide is later upstream than it is at the mouth. Thus a ship pretty well carries the slack of the tide with it as it moves upstream. Coming out again, however, is a very different matter and the ship must start down with a substantial head tide, which makes steering difficult, in order to avoid having a strong ebb behind her as she gets down opposite the navy yard, for if she came to this spot with a strong fair tide she would be out of control as she tried to swing the corner.

While it is not posible at this point to estimate the number of ships which will visit our plant accurately, we believe that it will run about one a month on the average.

We are told by friends in the shipping business that the Piscatagua River is the most dangerous place for deepwater ships on the east coast and that the insurance rates of vessels using it are the highest on the coast. The same thing going for piloting charges. We believe that elimination of the three ledges as recommended in the report of the United States engineers would make a very great improvement in the navigating conditions and would permit further industrial development of the area.

Yours very truly,

SIMPLEX WIRE & CABLE Co.,
EVERETT MORSS, President.

Referring to bill H. R. 4938.

Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL,

NATIONAL GYPSUM CO.,

Portsmouth, N. H., July 10, 1953.

Chairman, Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors,

Public Works Committee,

United States House of Representatives.

DEAR SIR: The National Gypsum Co. operates a plant on the Piscataqua River at Portsmouth, N. H. Our raw material, namely gypsum rock, is brought in by boat and is unloaded at our dock.

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We bring in an average of 125,000 tons pear year. This means that we enter between 45 and 50 boats between the months of April and October. Improvements to the Portsmouth Harbor would greatly facilitate our operations. Due to the difficulties of bringing a boat up the river to our dock and from our dock down the river, our boats often have to wait 6 hours either entering or 6 hours leaving our berth causing us a delay of 12 hours per boat.

The suggested improvements would eliminate practically all this delay.
Very truly yours,

NATIONAL GYPSUM CO.,

A. C. OLSEN, Plant Manager.

PORTSMOUTH NAVIGATION Co., INC.,
Portsmouth, N. H., July 13, 1953.

SUBCOMMITTEE ON RIVERS AND HARBORS, PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE,

United States House of Representatives.

(Attention: Hon. Homer D. Angell, Chairman.)

GENTLEMEN: We are interested in bill H. R. 4938 having to do with the much needed improvement of the Piscataqua River.

The kind of ships using this river has changed considerable in the past few years and while at the present time T-2 tankers are the largest ships using this river, there are plans being made to use the very large supertankers. The river in its present condition allows the use of only the daylight high water for movements of T-2 tankers. If this work covered by H. R. 4938 is done it will allow an increase of 400 percent in traffic due to the fact that both the high and low tide, day or night could be utilized. You can see that this would eliminate long waits on anchorage which now at times amounts to 24 hours. This in turn would no doubt mean lower rates on coal and oil which would go far toward helping to stabilize the economy of New Hampshire.

Favorable action on this bill is earnestly requested.
Sincerely yours,

Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL,

PORTSMOUTH NAVIGATION Co., INC.,
J. E. SEYBOLT, Treasurer.

PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Portsmouth, N. H., July 13, 1953.

Chairman, Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors,
Public Works Committee,

United States House of Representatives,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR MR. ANGELL: The Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce would like to be recorded as favoring passage of H. R. 4938, concerned with the improvement of Portsmouth Harbor.

Believing that the economic development of the entire State of New Hampshire would be aided immeasurably by the successful completion of this harbor clearance, the Portsmouth chamber urges speedy action on the above bill. Sincerely yours,

LAWRENCE E. MULLONEY, President.

Re H. R. 4938.

THE INDUSTRIAL FOUNDATION OF PORTSMOUTH, N. H.,
Portsmouth, N. H., July 13, 1953.

Hon. HOMER D. ANGELL,

Chairman, Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors,

Public Works Committee,

United States House of Representatives,

Washington, D. C.

DEAR SIR: This foundation was formed for the express purpose of aiding in the continued development of the area in which the port of Portsmouth is located.

We are familiar with the situation facing this expanding industrial area and the necessity of the improvements which would be provided by passage of H. R.

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