The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-09-01

North Carolina Wisdom of her Sub
soripti0n to the AibemarIe and Chess
apeake Canai-ThOmas Jefferson Its
Originator, In 1887.
There is now no inland nav cation between
the Old North State and the Seaboard, except
that afforded by the Albemarle and Chesa-
peake Canal The Dismal Swamp Canal is
now entirely useless as q medium Of inter-
communication. Although both these i'm
provement5 tap the Albemarle Sound. and
thus the entire county, ii may be said, which
is watered by the Sounds and rivers which
permeato it, yot the present capacity of the
Dismal Swamp Canal is far inferior to that
of the Albemarle and Chesapeake. The for
mer reaches from the southern branch OF the
Elizabeth river to South Mills, at the naviga-
bic head of the Pasquotank river. The lat
Ter connects the southern branch Of the Eliza
beth, by a capacious gut, with the North
Landing river, and Currituck Sound with the
North river. The width of the main Dismal
Swamp Canal is twentyfour feet, with a
depth Of four feet, and length of twenty-five
itS CUSt VI COilSti W ar Va
million dollars.
The length of the Albemarle and Chesa-
peake Canal is divided into two sections-one
connecting the southeast branch Of Elizabeth
river and North Landing river, eight miles and
halt, and the other connecting Coinjock Bay
and North river, FIVE miles aud half, max
ing an aggregate length Of fourteen miles,
with only one lock, which is this side of Great
Bridge, In n orfolk county The width q the
Canal is stated 10 the Eighth Census at sixty
feet, but it is nearly eighty, and the depth is
eight feet Its superior present capacity,
therefore, will be at once recognized, 1t was
constructed at a far less cost. Had North Caro-
lima listened to the opposition to this Canal,
which was e1erted against it in certain quar-
tiers, In which, however, its Importance has
been subsequently admitted, the entire region
Of country, watered by her Sounds, would
now be without the extraordinary facilities
it possesses: for, the Dismal Swamp Canal is
st present a work perfectly useless to the
portion of her people who have relied upon
it as a means OF transportation OF their
produce to the Seaboarl. The wisdom of her
Legislature, therefore, in the subscription made
to the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. has
In reading the notes OF Mr. Jefferson, rea
tive to his estimate of the position Of Norfolk
additional evidence of his foresight and sa-
gacity is afforded He says "NoiJoA will
probably be the emporium for all the trade
Of the Chesapeake Bay and its waters; and q
Canal, eight or ten miles, will bring TO it ali
that of Albemarle Sound and its waters"
In the latter portion of this extract is owl
IDENTIFY indicated what is now the Alternate
and Chesapeake Canal, for the eight " ten
miles" of which he speaks, could not be rea-
ii5ed elsewhere than are contained in this
great Improvement But what is surprising,
is that although Mr. JEFFERSON penned these
notes as far back as 1897, and a glance at
the map would have been conclusive as to the
locality he had in view, and its decided snre-
1iority over that selected for the Dismal
Swamp Canal; yet, strange to say, his sagaoi-
ty was not appreciated until within half
dozen years, more or less, when the feasibility
and superiority of the route selected by the
projectors of the Albemarle and Chesa peake
Canal were realized. In fact, Mr.. JFFFER-
SON may be justly regarded as the origina-
tor Of the enterprise He realized its ilnpor-
lance eighty years Or more ago, or W hen the
commerce of Norfolk filed ''our common har-
Dor" with shipping We therefore claim that
Mr.. JEFFERSON was in 1887, the originator or
indicator OF the present Abemarle and Chesa-
peake Canal,
We have called attention to the Importance
OF the Dismal Swamp Canal. which should be
put in order, 81 as TO render it available to the
public, So great work. which has cost so
large a sum should not be suffered to remain
in its present crippled and useless condition.
Its commercial Importance, AZ Il great high
way between North Carolina and 'our coin
mon harbor cannot be over estimated and we
reiterate the hope already expressed that steps
will be shortly taken to complete the necessa-
~ repairs n.H .t.
"The Negro Taylor iynched.
"DETRoIT, Tuesday, Aug %, 1865,
' Il