Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-12-30
INTERNAL NAVIGATION.

report: 80 No ''o -0-''""s
The committee, to whom was referred the considera,
non OF the memorial and petition of the President and
directors OF the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
Company, beg leave to REPORT:
nat so long ago in the year 1865 SURVEYS and o.
e. preparations were made for undertaking thisin-
= "O NATIONAL Improvement of which the prac'ibity
- from the proximity of the Of the Che
apeake ara delaware and the of the interne,
aate grount that even at that early day certain nd.
Vidnais wers.prompted to make the attempt
hat in tgear 1899 the Legislature of the state Of
maryland enaceasa aw. which followed up in the
year 1901 by Corresponding laws enacted by the Ieeis
natures OF delaware and Pennsy vania providing for the
incorporation OF n Company with capital STOCK of
> 100000 for the purpose of cutting and making ca,
nai between the river Delaware and the Chesapeake
baY: In pursuance of which acts of ton suh
scrlptons were received for nearly the whole amount
OF the 1000 shares at 200 each SURVEYS were made
engineers ana workmen employed, and position
located for the canal the thmus which separates the
bays OF Chesapeake and Delaware and some material
progress effected in the execn of the work But az
ter expendng upwards Of 100 00c in the purchase If
water rights the Construction OF feeder and reservoir,
aHd digging some portion OF the canal the work was
suspended IN the year 1903 in consequence OF the non
payment OF subscriptions, the evidence a k cctmula
ing that 400 000 the whole amount s,,bscihed even
IL Collected, was sum inadequate to the completion of
the canal, and OF that depression the funds and shirt
OF the company which superinduced by the abb
sehce OF puoc support and encouragement from in
dlvdua enterprise which had far carried on the I'M
upperaklng SINCE that time the subject has been fire.
queh ehoer consideration IN Congress- bills in various
Shapes nave been acted the Senate for ei eniEg
national I'D to this great national work and OF The cd
Gay on March 1871 the last day of the last session of
the Eleventh Congress, bill w ch came FRI m me Sen.
ate appropriatng two hundred tn acres of pub
Tic lands Tor this object, ndein ely pos poned in
me r"uSe OF Representatives, rather, this
Zee nave been taught to believe from the ateress of
period at which the subj CT brought before the
Rouse OF Representatives, than any indspsition
on their part to accede to the liberal provision ropos-
ed by the Senate.
That, conceving the present to be moment when
ne Importance OF such canal will probably be appre-
Grated as it ought to he, your committee beg leave TO
ent merate briefly of the most prominent adyan-
tages to be derived from it:
BY connecting the waters of the Chesapeake and
Delaware, the contemplated canal will throw omen an
internal navigation from the north western parts of tae
state OF N York to the southern exremtes Of The state
of Virginia.
Besides the contributions which such n course os
internal navigation would afford to the sustenarce 81
the community, and to export trade in the products
OF earth, which 1t would transport from all the sa
Gus regions must connect together would moreover
supply the coal from the banks of the James r er and the
Susquehannah, to the cities and settlements along the
Atlantic coast, thus substituting cheap and inev
haustlble species OF fuel for the wood of which the
Country deprived, and of which the price already COM
sttutes so large drain upon the Of the poor
and manufacturing classes.
The beds of Plaster on Paris and her useful
substances, which said exist the shores of the
SusquehanAah, and of which the want is now so Sc.
verey felt in other places might be carried into active
tricts of the union.
The transportation of merchandise of all kinds of arr
thing which the north middle and south interchange
wouid be facilitated in point of price time and safety
to great amount Your Committee informed that
az this time government is compelled Convey by land
IN the winter on, the portage from the Chesa.
Peake to the Delaware "a road rendered m 81 mpas-
sable by land carriage) the bulky pieces Of timber
for the ship of the line building Philadelphia and that
the expeace OF the conveyance this small distance
is enormous.
In the reduction of the time labor and cost Of mi
tary transportation, whether Of or things the i'm.
porance of the Chesapeake and Delaware canal is in
estmable and desirable such Improvement NAV
be in time of war; its would be no less extensively
beneficial in time of peace.
That essential as such canal is this juncture and
advant geous it would be all times the motives TO
its undertaking are increased by the facility aud short
ness OF time with which it may be undoub edy accom-
plshed
The canal begins at WEIGH Point ON the Elk river
an arm OF the Chesapeake, and terminate at dis
lance OF twenty two miles, Christana river branch
Oh me Dea~are-At low water the depth Of water in
Chrstana rs nine feet and i'm Elk twelve feet within
one hundred feet from the shore. The tide rises four
ieet IA both rivers The highest intermediate ground
over which the caual is be carried on level OF thir
teen miles IN length, Is ~ feet above tide water, the
descent 70 be effected by nine locks each side The
digging is generally easy No expensive aoueducts nor
bridges nor any other obstacles occur but those which
have been already overcome in digging the feeder
through rocky soil The supply OF water drawn from
| Elk river, by feeder six miles in length vb:c is
completed, and which is selfa boat canal three and
halt feet Deep unitedby lock of feet high TO the
main canal is calculated fill daily one hundred and
forty four locks quantity sulciept average for
the daily passage of twenty four vessels The canal
twenty six feet wildcat the bottom and fifty at the op
on the water line, being dug the depth Of eight feet.
1t Intended for vessels of from forty TO seventy tons,
drawing seven and half feet water The banks twenty
feet wide tor towngs paths Of which be
ted into turnpike road, being raised three feet above
the level OF the water, will, by increasing the heht
OF the lock gates one foot ADMIT depth OF nue ffe "a