Mr. SCOFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I feel obligedto interrupt the interesting debate that has congoing on for some days to discuss an item of business thatdeeply concerns my district and State. I wish to call the attention of the House to the importance, not to say necessity, of making a moderate appropriation to improve or rather repair the harbor of Erie. Alt ough this har bor is situated some 90 miles west from the eastern terminus of Lake Erig it is consider abl nearer to the Atlantic ports at Philadelphia and, Baltimore than another harbor on the lake, and by the short route now opened through Pennsylvania and NewJersey, it is only about equally distant from NewYork. Many and can pensive channels of communication with the country east and south of it have been opened by the capital and enterprise of our State; for this is Pennsylvanias only port upon the great I chain of lakes. Both a canal and a railroad, connect it with all the commerce of the Ohio 1 river, with the iron and coal trade of Pittsburg, and the peculiarmanufactories of that city, and with the extensive fields of most excellent bitu mine us coal in western Pennsylvania and cast: tern Ohio. By continuous rail and unbroken gnu c it is connected with the commerce of the world at Baltimore, Philadelpliia, and NewYork, as well as with the vast mineral wealth of eastern and the lumber and rock oil of western Pennsylvania. In these channels of communication, the cities of Erie, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, as well as many counties and towns along the various lines, have made large investments in the hope that their respective lo calities might profit by as well as add to the immense traffic of our inland seas. The harbor itself possesses extraordinary natural advantages. it is formed by a ieuinsula putting out from the shore in an arching direction and bearing eastward and then southward until it dams off and landlocks a bay 5 miles in length and one 4th that distance in width. It is large enough to hold all the shipping on the lakes, and so well wrotected that the sever est storms to which they are exposed do not in the least affect it. No engineerin could have devised a better harbor. It would almost seem as if it had been arranged in the creation especially to throw into the markets of the world the vast mineral wealth hidden in the surrounding country., For near to and immediately in front of it are the great oil wells of Pennsylva fiiighwliose steady flowing is shipped at Erie oing distance, for we measure space by time now, stretchin in a semicircle around this bay are beds of bitumine us coal, exhaustless and almostas cheap as the waters of the lake. Much further to the cast and across the Alleghany mountains, but ingher and more accessible to this harbor than any other on the western waters, are the anthracite coal fields of our Statein quantity and quality, as everybody knows, unrivaled by the world. The Allegliany mount ains are crossed on other routes, as for instance the Baltimore and Ohio and Pennsylvania Cen tral, with terrific grades, but further north, on an air line between our harbor and this cool, the west branch of the Susquehanna has worn away the mountains and opened a channel through which the Philadelphia and Eric, but recently completed, passes almost on a dead level. It would seem as if God had lowered the crest of the mountains just in front of this harbor to allow this heavy butvindispensable freight to pass upon gentle grades to the ping of the lakes and the workshops and dwsheip ings of the West. So much for the value of the harbor. A word or 2 now as to the repairs needed. Many years ago a breakwater and 2 piers were constructed by the Government at the entrance of the harbor.” The breakwater extends from the shore in the direction to meet the east end of the peninsula as it curves to ward the mainland. Between this breakwater and the peninsula are the 2 piers, running at right angles to the breakwater but parallel, of course, with the shore and each other. Between these 2 piers is the gate or entrance to the harbor. By a mistake, as is supposed, in the engineering, the outside pier is much the longest. It was supposed that this inequality in length of the piers would best protect the entrance against the formation of ars by the deposit of sand. The effect is just the reverse of the intention. The lake has its tides, as on may as., as well as the ocean, occasioned by the win s. The water rises in one part of the lake when the wind has been long in one direction, and falls when it changes. The swollen waters of the bay dischargin between these piers creates at times a powerfu current. This stream of water, after passing beyond the shore pier and finding no tur ther obstruction on that side, while it is still crowded by the pier on the lake side, turns a short corner shoreward and passes off to the lake through east and west. Within a few hours freight. short and irregular curves. Of course and 1866. 699 bars form on each side of this current over which vessels cannot ass. This narrow and crooked channel is difficult of navigation in fair weather and impassable in foul. We ask for an appropriation sutiicient to extend these piers a ittle further. iuto the lake, and make them of equal length and also to dredge the channel impaired by the original error in their construction. I do not ask this appropriation on behalf of the city of Erie alone, nor of my district contiguous to it, but rather in the name and on behalf of the great State within whose limits the harbor lies and by whose foresight and treasure the great works through which tide water and lake commerce meet, and by which cheap transportation is furnished to thatportion of her territory upon which the whole country is nowin ameasure dependent foriron, fuel, and light, were projecte and built. My colleagues from the whole State will join me in asking Congress to give the assistance now so urgently needed and so long withheld. On motion of Mr. COOK, at 40 minutes past 7 oclock p. m.) the House adjourned.