American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1844-11-26

, lahus, ana ot"cr fostering legislation, proceed
ing from them would not be disputed, for they
possessed the Sovereignty. Engineers went into
the field; and, in the autumn of the same year.
Il good report was returned, known in Virginia
as Moore's Report In 1921, the Legislatures
of Maryland and Virginia appointed Com
mission to enquire whether the old laws and
charters had not lapsed. The Report, known
as Moore & Briggs Report, made in January,
1923, presented the matter in so doubtful II
point Of view, that the Corporators thought it
most prudent to surrender their franchiscs-
which they did the following month of Fcbru-
AIRY. These incidents are named, and rapidly
hurried over, merely to connect the history
with the more important events that followed
II must be here stated that Committee of
Congress to whom application had been made,
in behalf Of the great enterprise, reported very
favorably in May, 1922. In 1923, Maryland
and Virginia passed new charters; bat there
were discrepancies between them. TO heal
these, and to rouse and bring the public mind
to more forcbc action OH the subject, 4 great
Convention was called and held IN Washing
ton, in November, 1928. Delegates were in
attendance, and communications received, from
many States, including Ohio. The various
propositions submitted to this body were all
based upon the idea of Canal extending to
the Ohio, to be called the "Union Canal. y
| Much debate and elaboration took place, and
! the Convention resolved that the wurk-wth
the appropriate name of "The Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal ought to be constructed in two
dvsions-the first, stretching from tide to the
mouth OF the Slvage-the second, proceeding
! from that point, by the best route, tothe high
est navigablc waters of the arms of the Ohio.
And the Convention, which seems to have had
the busiest perceptions of the true nature Of
the undertaking, before it adjourned, appoint
ed q Central Committee TO condense and pre-
sent their ideas to the Legislatures of Mary
land, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and to Con-
grese praying that they might be embodied
and perfected in suitable laws for setting on
foot the great work. Though, at the era of
this Convention, the Coal fields of Allcgany
had been explored, and the shafts Of the miner
had sunk deep in her hills, exposing her valua-
BILE iron hemetites to the eye of thrift and spec
ulation, that body did not, for Moment lose
sight of the national character of the work; it
was conceSsum in their deliberations that
while one terminus was the tide of the Chesa-
peake, the other was, not Fort Cumberland"
nor the mouth of Savage, nor of Stony River
nor the outwolks, nor foot, nor heights of the
Allegany, but that it should press on--through
drift and gorge, piercing the water shed Of the
country, now being fed by the mountain
stream, now woong the rains for it's aliment,
till, descending the western slope of the noun
tain, il should pour out its blessings upon the
waters of the Ohio.
These were the conceptions of this conven-
ton. In the faculties of such Canal, for
trade and commerce, they, like Washington,
/ disoerned elements Of nations wealth; in its
faculty for transporting troops and arms, ee-
meats of nations strength Maryland and
Virginia passed the law proposed and present.
ed by the Committee, in 1928 and 1924 Con-
gress in 1925, and Pennsylvania, in 1896
The charters Of the old Company were merged
in these laws, and all their properties and rights
were voluntarily surrendered by progressive
acts Of the rrOPrietors, in July and August,
1928. The date of the deed of final surrondry
was the 18th of August, 1928. In April,
1924, Congress passed a law creating Board
of Internal lmprovement-of which those dis
tingushed persons, General Bernard and Colo
mel Totton, we're members, and providing for a
survey of the lines Of the Potomac, with other
proposed National Works For the PREDATORY
surveys the act appropriated an adequate sum
Of money. This was very bold and full as
sumption of this work on the part of the Ge-
neral Government. Brgades of Engineers
and Surveyors were forthwith sent into the
! field, and scientific officers Of the army were
detailed to aid in their operations. A patient
and close examination of the higher springs of
the great waters of the East and West, as well
as of the barriers that divided them, resulted
not only i'll proving the practcability of
union of those waters, by continued Canal,
but that it might be effected by several differ
ent routes. The sources of Savage and Yong
hogany present one approximation; the springs
of Wills Creek and Casselmans River, another;
others there are--but it would seem unnecessa-
ry to examine them-these two are so obvious
and SO easy--the latter requiring tunnel of
but three miles, through a mountain of soft
stone, with river to feed 1.-THE former,
tunnel, but little longer, with ravnes and every
facility for constructing supplying reservoirs
that would be sufficiently capacious and reten- |
tive. The surveys of 1924, 1925 and 1926 |
shew all this. President Monroe, in reporting |
the earliest of them to Congress accompanied |
them with strong expression of favor Oh his |
part, to the work. The Engineers, who were
men of enlarged as well scientific minds, |
observe, in their reports, that they except con-
stanty in mind that they were planning u |
work for Il nation;"-that ''the enterprise had |
no equal in any country, in reference to the |
immense political, commercial and military adj
vantages which would result from It's excou-
tom" that it is work ''truly national;" and |
"that when Il nation undertakes a work of
great public utility such as that under consider
alton, the revenue is not the essential object
lis views are of a more elevated ORDER they
are directed towards the great and general in
tercsts of the community"
1t will be surprising to many readers to be
informed that the only unusual impedimcnt in
the path Of tins great work, of three hundred !
and sixty miles in extent, is presented not by
any principal Hill of the chain, for the waters
have cut them all down to their bases but by
very secondary ridge-which is, in fact, the
water shed of the country, and whose obstacles