they have, which is an outboard motorboat, is very difficult to get into the water. If you can get it into the water it is just going to be luck, absolutely.

We absolutely need a harbor of refuge, where the Coast Guard boat would be able to put their equipment aboard and make their exit from some inshore point out into the water. I can assure you that in a time of a hurricane or an extremely bad storm we do have plenty of trouble in that particular area. You probably know that we have suffered a great deal of damage along the shore from storms. We have lost quite a few people, as a matter of fact, who have been drowned and killed, and so forth, either on the beach or offshore.

Those are points I wish to make. In the little map at the top you will notice in a square is the location of this project. Roughly it is half-way across the State of Connecticut on the shoreline. The State, recognizing that this is a critical point, is letting a contract for a new armory, which never existed before in this locality and which will roughly cost around $260,000, of which the town has already spent $10,000 to make it a success. The contract will be let in March and the town now is for $1 a year providing them with a wooden, barracks, which is very unsatisfactory, in order to maintain in this area. sufficient security troops.

That is an important factor. If the State and the United States Government did not consider that this area was from a defense standpoint critical then they would not maintain a company there in the barracks, and they would not go to the extent of building this armory either. So I throw that in as being a reason why this area is so critical.

You may perhaps hear some remarks made or may think that the Connecticut River, for instance, is capable of taking care of the situation. A fishing boat, you remember, is not the wieldly kind of a craft, because it is made for heavy weather and to catch fish. Fishermen would almost lay offshore and take their chance of riding out a storm before they would try to go into the Connecticut River. That river is all right in calm weather and in good weather, but in that kind of good weather you do not have to have a harbor of refuge either. However, in a bad storm you do have trouble getting into the mouth of the Connecticut River. A stranger, I venture to say, would have quite a job finding the mouth of the Connecticut River. He could see it a mile and a half perhaps, but would have a lot of trouble getting in there, and many people get killed doing that. Practically every year somebody does get killed trying to get in there with a boat. It does not lend itself to convenient shipping. That's for

sure.

That is about all I have to say unless later you wish to ask some questions.

Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, Major.

Major HOLBROOK. I think I have covered the ground.

Mr. ANGELL. Are there any questions from members of the committee?

(No response.)

Mr. ANGELL. I may say I announced heretofore that there is a debate proceeding on the floor which may require the Members to be there very quickly. For that reason we are attempting to move as quickly as possible.

Mr. Seely-Brown, do you have any other witnesses?

Mr. SEELY-BROWN. No, sir. Unless you care to ask some questions. We have three witnesses and the first and third selectmen of the town of Westbrook are here, if the committee would care to ask any questions about the project.

Mr. ANGELL. I think then at this time we will hear from Colonel Milne, who will explain the project from the standpoint of the Army engineers.

STATEMENT OF COL. W. D. MILNE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS,

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY-Resumed

Colonel MILNE. The report on the Patchogue River is contained in House Document No. 164 of the 83d Congress, first session, and was prepared in compliance with an item in the River and Harbor Act approved on July 24, 1946.

The Patchogue River is located in the State of Connecticut about 7 miles west of the mouth of the Connecticut River. The area bounding the Patchogue River is primarily recreational; fishing is a secondary occupation in the area.

Mr. ANGELL. Will you point it out again on the map, please? Colonel MILNE. That is the Patchogue River right here, with New London to the east and New Haven to the west.

Mr. ANGELL. How large a river is it? What basin does it drain? Colonel MILNE. It is a tidal stream about 3 miles long and runs into Duck Island Roads.

Mr. ANGELL. How wide is it?

Colonel MILNE. The river at its widest part near the mouth is about 300 feet wide.

There is no existing Federal project for the Patchogue River.

The vessel traffic on the river, with the exception of recreational traffic is fishing boats. In the last year for which I have a record, some 250 tons or 500,000 pounds of fish, and 20,000 pounds of lobsters were handled in the vicinity of Westbrook.

Difficulties to navigation are largely due to the very shallow depth on the bar across the mouth of the Patchogue River. The controlling depth is only about 1 foot at low tide. Because of the shallow depth, fishing and recreational craft must wait for the tide to get in and out of the river. Two deaths due to drowning occurred in 1945 when a fishing boat attempted to enter the river in a storm, and foundered in the entrance.

Local interests desire to have the river improved by the dredging of a 14-foot-deep and 100-foot-wide channel from Duck Island Roads to the crossing of United States Highway 1.

The Chief of Engineers has investigated the request of local interests and has come to the conclusion that a 14-foot channel is not justified on the basis of existing and prospective commerce. But he finds that a channel 8 feet deep and 75 feet wide from Duck Island Roads to the crossing of Highway No. 1 is justified.

Mr. ANGELL. What distance would that be?

Colonel MILNE. From the 9-foot depth in Duck Island Roads to Highway No. 1 is about 1 mile.

In addition, the Chief of Engineers has recommended a breakwater some 600 feet long at this point on the west side of the mouth

to control the littoral drift, which is from west to east, and thereby reduce the total maintenance costs.

The Governor of Connecticut concurs in the recommendations of the Chief of Engineers. The Bureau of the Budget, with certain exceptions, has indicated that the report is acceptable.

In the original document the cost was estimated to be $120,000 Federal; and $80,000 non-Federal; or a total of $200,000.

Revisions in September 1953 show a Federal cost of $135,000, and a non-Federal cost of $91,000. The annual charges, based on the 1953 revised costs, are $10,980 Federal and $3,190 non-Federal, total of $14,170.

The benefits as revised to September 1953 show general benefits of $28,705 and local benefits of $8,525, a total of $37,230, giving a benefit-cost ratio of 2.6 to 1.

I would like to explain very briefly those benefits. A channel 9 feet deep would eliminate the delays that the present fishing fleet now experiences in the Patchogue River. There would also be an increase in the number of vessels that would use the river as a base for their fishing activities. These opertaors would receive the commercial benefits that would result from the improvement.

In addition, there would be a very sizable benefit to the recreational fleet, which now includes about 30 vessels. We feel that there would be an increase in the recreational fleet. Due to the recreational and other local benefits in this project, the Chief of Engineers has recommended that local interests pay 40 percent of the cost of the project. In addition to that requirement of local cooperation, we have recommended that local interests furnish the necessary lands, easements, and rights-of-way and that they hold and save the Federal Government free from damages.

Mr. ANGELL. May I ask, are the local members ready to make that contribution of 40 percent?

Colonel MILNE. The indications are that they would be, sir.

Mr. ANGELL. The Corps of Army Engineers recommended the project?

Colonel MILNE. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANGELL. Are there any questions by members of the committee? Mr. OAKMAN. I would like to inquire as to the nearest harbors of refuge to the east and to the west.

Colonel MILNE. Except for Duck Island Harbor, which is to the south, New Haven would probably be the nearest harbor that would provide a suitable refuge for small boats to the west.

Mr. OAKMAN. Approximately how many miles would that be? Colonel MILNE. New Haven is 25 miles to the west, and New London is 20 miles to the east.

Mr. OAKMAN. So there is a very important matter of life concerned, as you pointed out there, for small boats and pleasure craft and fishing boats, in the case of any storm arising?

Colonel MILNE. That is correct. It is a type of benefit that is not susceptible to a dollar analysis.

Mr. OAKMAN. It looks like there is no possible way of evaluating that type of thing, and yet it is very important.

Colonel MILNE. Yes, sir. And we recognize it as a true benefit.. Mr. MACK. Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ANGELL. Mr. Mack.

Mr. MACK. You spoke of the jetty being desirable from the standpoint of alleviating the drift and cutting down maintenance costs Do you mean by that if the drift occurs the channel would tend to fill up?

Colonel MILNE. In this particular area the predominant littoral drift is toward the east. From our experience we know, if we dug the channel here without the provision of a jetty, the littoral drift. would rapidly clog the channel and it would shoal to a one-foot clearance again. So a jetty would reduce the maintenance cost and keep the channel open.

Mr. MACK. How many fishing boats are using this part?
Colonel MILNE. Sixteen at the present time.

Mr. MACK. What is the type of fishing carried on there?

Colonel MILNE. 20,000 pounds of lobster and 250 tons of fish, but I do not have a breakdown of the kinds of fish.

Mr. HAGLE. I think I can give you that information. I am very close to this project. The fish consists mostly of a small type and variety of fish, such as bluefish, blackfish and bass, weakfish and flounder, in great abundance right there.

Mr. MACK. Do you have shore facilities there for processing the fish catches?

Mr. HAGLE. We do not have right now, but they have always been able to dispose of them. The trucks come from New Haven and New London to pick up fish and lobsters just as fast as they are brought in. But I would like to make one comment on the refuge.

Chapman, who was considered probably one of the best as far as small boat handling is concerned, considers Duck Island anchorage the finest one between New York and Boston. If we put in Duck Island as an anchorage-and I live in front of it and I have seen as many as 200 small boats out there at one time-the boats at the present time cannot get into the Patchogue River. They have been stranded there many times for 2 or 3 days without food. I would not even attempt to get into Saybrook Harbor because you have only 300 feet there and there are treacherous currents and tides. Any time you have even a gentle wind it is almost impossible to get in with a small boat. There is no other place to get into up to New Haven. We would have a 2,000-foot entrance between the point of Menunketesuck and Duck Island itself. From there on in if the project is completed I myself will close up the gap between Menunketesuck Island and the mainland, which will make a 2,000-foot funnel that is relatively quiet, so that any rowboat can get in there in any type of storm, unless it were a hurricane. But any ordinary boat or small craft could get in there even in a storm, because the water would be relatively quiet there. They cannot get into Clinton Harbor now. It is impossible. I might say the fishermen in the whole area are waiting and have been over there many times to find out if they can buy land there so that they can come over and fish from the other harbors, because it is absolutely quiet there. We dug a basin there. For 1 year lacking 1 day we had a dredge in there dredging the boat basin, which is within 2 minutes of Duck Island anchorage, and any craft could get in here and get out of the storm. There is absolutely no motion in that basin at any time, and yet it is within 200 feet of the mouth of the river.

Mr. MACK. Are there any Federal facilities there such as lifesaving or Coast Guard stations?

Colonel MILNE. No, sir.

Mr. ANGELL. On the 60-40 basis what is the Federal Government's share?

Colonel MILNE. It was estimated in 1953 at $135,000.

Mr. ANGELL. Are there any further questions by members of the committee?

(No response.)

Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, Colonel.

Mr. Seely-Brown, have you any further witnesses?

Mr. SEELY-BROWN. No, sir. I am very grateful to you for allowing us to appear before the committee.

Mr. ANGELL. Thank you, gentlemen, for appearing.

Mr. SEELY-BROWN. May we have these statements and documents incorporated in the record?

Mr. ANGELL. Without objection, they may be made a part of the record.

(The documents referred to are as follows:)

DUCK ISLAND ROADS AND PATCHOGUE RIVER IMPROVEMENT

DOCUMENT No. 164

House Committee on Public Works, February 3, 1954

TOWN OF WESTBROOK, CONN.

Desired improvements involving Duck Island roads and entrances to Patchogue River, Westbrook, Conn., as outlined in document 164, 83d Congress, 1st session, House of Representatives.

Summary of documents, papers, maps, etc., attached.

1. One copy only of document 164.

2. List of witnesses appearing before the House Committee on Public Works February 3, 1954:

(a) Mark L. Hagle, real estate developer, North Shore, Long Island Sound. (b) John A. Heissler, first selectman, town of Westbrook.

(c) Vaughn Renninger, third selectman, town of Westbrook.

(d) Benjamin M. Schlossbach, representative in general assembly.

(e) John A. Holbrook, former first selectman, town of Westbrook.

3. Letters of endorsement from

(a) John G. Holbrook & Son, marine contractors based in this area.

(b) Letter from selectmen's office certifying that adjoining property owners have agreed to permit placement of spoil.

(c) Letter from the War Department, Office of Chief of Engineers, concerning Duck Island Harbor and improvements to Patchogue River.

(d) Letter from State board of mosquito control concerning elimination of

expense.

(e) Copy of statistical data submitted to the Corps of Engineers, United States Army, Office of the Division Engineer. New England Division, 857 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Mass.

(f) Letter from the State of Connecticut Development Commission signifying approval.

(g) Letter of approval from John Lodge, Governor, State of Connecticut, is contained in Document 164.

(h) Letter from Lewis A. Pick, lieutenant general, Chief of Engineers, expressing approval contained in document 164.

(i) Map prepared by Corps of Engineers enclosed in document 164. (j) Publicity flyer published by Mark L. Hagle showing prospectus of area. (k) Letter from Hon. Benjamin M. Schlossbach, representative in general assembly.

(1) (2) Letters from board of selectmen, town of Westbrook, Conn.