The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-01-27


the right of Bright and Fitch as Senators
from this State, viii be found on our first
page. 1t should be;read by every citizen,
as an importont document in our political
history. =s-asa-sss-..s.sszsssss=.7s
gaFAt the Canal meeting on Tuesday
evening, many Interesting facts in relation
to the Canal, its construction and manage
ment were elected by the discussion. It
was stated that Mr. Williams, the chief en-
gineer, living at Fort. Wayne, had never
been over the line South of Terre Haute but
twice since ls37--when he, was first app
pointed-and those visits were to supervise
its location-he had never seen the work
since it's construction. Mr.. Ball, the resi-
dent engineer, had occupied himself with his
farm near Terre Haute the past ten years,
making an annual or biennial trip along the
line in comfortable packet boat, perform
ing part of the journey by night, and get
ting only passing sight of but one half of
the work. His knowledge of the condition
of the Canal, which he was paid $4,000 per
annun for experimenting, was not usually
so accurate as that which could be gathered
from any citizen in the streets here, Such
had been the attention given BY the two
chief engineers-who were annually receiv-
ing about $4,000 from the Canal Treasury
to the Southern. division. Whether their
labors had been equally arduous upon the
Northern division was unknown. If a pri-
vate company should take charge of the
Canal, it was considered that the services of
these two gentlemen.sconld without the
least inconvenience or loss, be entirely dis.
penaed with, and their salaries, and those of
other drones, amounting to- about $4,000
per annum, be saved to the company. If
that sum was now inilthe treasury from last
two years earnings, itwould be amply sufs
6cient to put the Canal in repair from here,
to Newbury, ifnot to Terre Haute s. Il y 1 -.si
Mr. Jones had passed along the canal last
week as far up as Petersburg. There were
no expensive repairs anywhere required so.
far as he travelled. : A few thousand dollars
would put it in good condition, and no very
important repairs would be needed for two
years. The people alehgd the lime were
ready-if the work should be given upl-z-to
subscribe any amount that might be needed
to put it in good order There was not a
farmer or merchant that hesitated tojpledge
himself to take stock. There was every
assurance that if the canal could be got out
of the hands of the Trustees ample means
would be provided to put it in good order
and to keep it So and to make the work
blessing and benefit to the country through
which it flows instead of disappoint-
ment and loss, as it had always been The
imous in ascribing the grossest neglect and
the most shameful mismanagement to the
Trustees and Engineers. These gentlemen's
professions of devotion TO the interests of
the canal and an impartial regard for the
PROSPERITY of the Southern Division, had
been earnest and often repeated, and might
be sincere, but there had never been, in the
eyes of all men who watched them, a more
remarkable instance Of inconsistency be-
tween professions and performances, than in
the conduct of the Trustees and Engineers,
from the beginning of the work. If they
had begun with the design to make this part
of the canal useless, and keep it SO, they
could not have found a more effectual mode
than they adopted ' azssa SO es.-5a,
II was conceded on all hands thatIit was
best to get this division of the canal out of
their hands on any terms, and to let them
retain the lands if they have auy legal right
TO it.
By statements from the collectors office,
it appears that the imports and exports by
the canal, from this city, during the last
eleven months-though during that time the
canal was not navigable one third of the
time-amounted at a very low estimate of
value, to sum between $4,000 and
100000. According to the estimate of
others, they were nearer one million in
value. This is equal 10 one eighth of the
entire trade of the city. The loss of this
trade would be seriously felt in the pros
perity and business of the city. Judge Fos-
. ter stated that while the revenues on the
Northern section of the canal had been
rapidly declining during the last three
years, the tolls and business on the Southern
division had been steadily increasing af-
fording some encouragement for the future.
Squire Rowley declared that the canal had
never been completed, for from the day it
was opened for navigation to the present
time, it had never been in condition to
pass boat with a full load it had never.
more than three feet water at the summitsi
whereas the original plan was to have had
at all times four feet at least. According
to the terms of the act of Congress, the
lands were to be donated to finish the canal
from Terre Haute to Evansville; they could