Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-11-06

a,Ons ~ v;rrinis The loss Of lie ii tho centuries
frat have since INTERVIEWED must have beeh Terrible
and of property, almost incalculable.
It must not DO supposed sthat the people or gov
disabilities or urmndfnl of the great advantages Of
a safer and less expensive route. As early IS 1850
a committee was appointed to inquire into the prac
ticability and importance of re opening ROANOKE IN
let which lies nearly opposite the foot OF Aioemarie
Sound The report of that committee Is an lnterest
ing document, and fully coreoborates all that is said
above of the dangers to be avoided, and estimates
the annual saving to the counties drained by the
Abemarle ut 1856 000 even at that early period, al
though part only of the dangers and expense
would be avoided by re-opening the inlet at Roam
oke. At the instigation of North Carolina the UNI
ted States Government undertook the work in 1904,
but were last year forced to abandon it after years
of labor and immense expenditure owing to the re-
filing of the trench by sand, almost as the machines
employed in the work progressed; ana alter 'ne
work was abandoned, the machine was forced 10 an
almost equal amount of work in cutting its way
back to its original position.
1t was to afford the country we have under re-
view the advantages of cheap speedy outlet to its
trade as we'll as to avoid the terrible sacrifice OF lie
and property which we have endeavored to describe,
that the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal was pro-
iected. The idea was not entirely novel, surveys
having been made in 1907, under the direction OF
the Hon. Albert Gallatin. Surveys were also made
by T. L. Peterson, Esq, by direction of the Norfolk
civ councils. in 1851 but it was left to the genius,
energy and untiring perseverance OF Marsnal faikS
to inaugurate this work, which will be OF essenuai
service to the eastern portion of North Carolina, as
the great Erie Canal is to the central portion OF
New York. Mr.. Parks had long been an efficient
advocate of the line, and finding nothing likely to
accrue from the action of Norfolk, taxed the work
upon his own unaided Efforts He first obtained IA
vorabe charters from the Legislatures OF North Car
DINA and Virginia, but vas forced to 60 through
49, ~,,sk0o md o.
Dor before he could get the stock Of his company
taken up. He finally succeeded in 1854, and the
company was organized, Mr.. Parks being elected
President, A. N. Burt Secretary, and John Lathrop
Chief Engineer. 1t is worthy Of remark that, for
years previous to its completion MARSHALL Parks,
the president and ruling spirit of the Dismal Swamp
Canal So to father and son, of the same name,
the State of North Carolina will be indebted for the
two great artificial outlets of her trade. Marshall
Parks senior, died in 1910, leaving many projected
improvements upon his canal uncompleted, the neg
lect of which has made the necessity of the new Ca
nal so imperative
The new canal is divided into two sections; one
of eight and half miles, connecting Elizabeth river
Uhe head of Norfolk harbor) with deep water on
Currituck Sound, and the other of five and hall
miles, connecting that sound with the sounds of AL
bemarle and Pamplico. Thus, by two short canals.
with an aggregate length of only fourteen miles,
joined to a natural river navigation of some fifty
miles, perfect water connection for large vessels is
formed between Hampton Roads, through Norfolk
and Portsmouth harbors, and the whole vast exten!
of the inland waters of North Carolina The open
ing of this canal will inaugurate new era in the
commerce of the old North State. Its productions
of all kinds will enjoy perfectly safe and very rap
id transit to market at rates full thirty, and on some
articles full fifty per cent on the transit charges to
which they are now subjected. The canal, through
its entire length, will have width of eighty, and
minimum depth of seven and half feet, with only
one lock of few feet lift forty feet wide, and two
hundred and twenty feet long. Thus sde-whee
steamboat of two hundred and fifty tons can pass
and timber in RATS be towed through its waters
1t is claimed that there will saving of three and
half cents per bushe On grain and greater proper
ton of saving on other productions, besides differ
ence in insurance Of and three fourths of cent
for goods UNDER and six per cent on those above
deck, by way of Ocracoke. If We apply these com
bined savings to the present trade of the territory
we have an aggregate saving of more than half q
million of dollars, which would be five per cent. on
ten millions. And this saving would be so much
gain to the owners of the SOIL that we may add that
much to the value of ten millions of land, Or
one more dollar per acre; even provided there was
no ncease to the trade of this portion of the State
If, however, this trade be doubled, the gain would
be twenty millions if trebled, thirty millions, or
quadrupled, as no one can doubt it will be, forty
millions. The simple saving in transit charges
lars to each of these ten million of acres, forty
millions of dollars in the aggregate. There is an.
other view which presents the prospective advanta
ges Of this canal in still stronger light. There
at least one quarter of the land of the territory
named which is now covered with heavy growth
of timber. At present this has to be cut down and
pd Hho a acre ct this lane
advantages OF the new canal. this timber will be
available for masts planks staves shingles, firewood
and other purposes, at rate which would at leas,
equal the cost of clearing, that The actual gains
to each acre of land prepared for agricultural pur
poses will be twenty dollars. If two millions only
OF the ten be thus cleared, the saving on this item
carriage of aggricultual products In this connec
| ton we VIII remind the reader that this canal will
give all the land bordering the eighteen hundred
miles OF interior navigation before described trans
portaton far superior to that enjoyed by the strip
OF land twenty-five miles wide on each side of the
Erie Canal, in New York. the enhancement of the
| value OF which has amounted to over S47 900 DOC
since that great work was projected. When the
Ai6emare and Chesapeake Canal is completed, there
will be daily steamboat connection between every
accessible point of Eastern North Carolina and Nor.
| folk, by which any kind of production can start as
tar south as Newbern and reach Norfolk in twenty
hours, or, If desired, may reach New York twenty
four hours later, fact Of great significance in view
of the vegetable trade before mentioned. It is only
| oy taking this comprehensive view of these advan
tages that we are enabled to realize the wonderful
transformation which is to be wrought by this four
teen miles of canal navigation.
But short the canal is, the difficulties that lie
in the way Of its construction are of the most for
m'dabie character; and its accomplishment may bt
classed with those monster feats of European engi
neerng-.George Stephenson's railway over Cha
Moss; the crossing over Aycliff Bogg; the famou.
Ellsworth cutting on the London and Birmingham
Railway; the cutting through Winston dyke o.
the Wynchburg hill; the sea wall of Paenmaer
Muer; or Stephenson's celebrated railway founda
ton across the quicksands from Poulton to Hum
Phrey's Head. The route of Mr.. Parks canal la,
through heavily wooded Swamp with water ovel
the surface. Many of the standing trees were cy
press ana jumper OF immense size, with large roots
| running fifteen II foot