The Arthur Kill or Staten Island Sound from Kill Von Kull to Raritan Bay New York and New Jersey [Three Sheets]

Federal efforts to deepen the Arthur Kill, shortly after the consolidation of Greater New York.

This fascinating set of turn-of-the-century maps captures the immense federal effort to improve the commercial navigability of the waterways around New York Harbor following the 1898 consolidation of Greater New York. Across three sheets, the course of Staten Island Sound is charted in tremendous detail, with scores of depth soundings and channel contours throughout. A proposed 21-foot-deep shipping channel is bracketed by deep blue lines, while related infrastructure, including piers and bulkheads, is shown in yellow. Coastal details reflect the concentration of industry along the waterfront, identifying numerous manufacturers, shipping companies, and other commercial concerns.

The maps were published as part of a larger report compiled by Colonel J. H. Barlow of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and submitted to Congress in 1900 as part of a volume detailing the activities of the U.S. War Department, including the improvement and maintenance of America’s strategic waterways. According to the accompanying text, the proposed work was estimated to cost a staggering $696,000.