The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-04-27

Samuel Townsend, Esq. of New Gas
lie county, Delaware, publishes letter
il the -Hdlietopa Transcript, showing
the impracticability of constructing the
proposed Ship Canal across the PENN.
sula between the Chesapeake and Della.
ware Bays Mr.. Townsend is 40 en
NEATLY practical man deep thiakcr,
and eleae calculator. His views axe
worthy Of the consideration Of the day.
dreamers who have been speculating
over the construction Of this work, and
they demolish all their fne theories,
with one stroke Of the pen We sub
join the following extract from his
letter.
Canals Of from five to teu feet can readily be
built, but when you begin to talk Of ship
canal for heavy, sea.goiug vessels, With depth
Of Is feet, (yoa want all Of that depth, for II a
ship draws 81 or y feet Of water, you want
some water below The keel or you can't steer it.
In reading the Baltimore San person might
DO led 70 suppose that the Chesapeake Bar one
Of the finest BAYS ia the world, had suddenly
fllsd up, and that the commerce Of Baltimore,
a city Of 800, 900 or $50, 900 population, wanted
q more direct route 10 Europe; and that By
cutting canal from somewhere about the
mouth o!the Chester riye-, on the Chesapeake
Bay, to the Delaware Bay at the mouth, or
outiu the Bay, opposite the mouth Of Nispillinn
or Anrderkill creeks, distance Of say So
miles, and save, as 10 assumsd 10 the Bait.
San, 1870 miles going aud $50 miles return
ing. Now let US look at the time It takes by
the different r5ates. At a speed OF 10 miles
an hour, the le0 miles would take IS hours BY
the bay and sea route Suppose the canal
was made (which | think | will prove will
never be DONE with the best Of luck, with no
veseel In tho way, II would take ono hour to
snuh and lock ship through the frst lock,
and thete would have to be At least four locks,
taking four hours thea two miles an hour IA
high rate Of speed for a ship 10 pass through
a canal and IS miles would take 2Tb hours
now allow hours foe lockage and you have
jlL hours by the canal, or l3x hours more
than by lhs bay aud sen route, to say nothing
Of general canal detention.
Let us look at the possibility Of making
such canal and Its probable cost. On this
proposed route at an average depth OF II feet,
you strike water and sand, and unless prevent
u.
which can only be done hy enormous cutstone
walis and the seams eemented. For the
purpose of showing the whele scheme up as
an absurdity, we will take the lock al st.
Georges, on the Chesapeake L Delaware canal.
II is, believe, 1870 feet long, with ten feet
depth Of water and 20 feet wide. This cham
Der, have been told, cost 500. o0e, and that,
too, aftss having the Advantage OF the canal
70 deliver stone on the spot. Now II $50 feet
long ard IL feet deep Gust 800, 600, what
would leo feet long, IS feet wide aud Is feet
deep cost7 or say three times the width 81 the
lock, which would be rs narrow as a ship
canal could be, aad ihsn az you 20 down below
the 10 feet TO get rs feet the wall would have
TO BE- doubled and trebled, and other expsn-
ses In proportion, 80 that each length Of $50
feet, three times the width, rs feet, and Is feet
deep would cost 81 10000 and as there are
nearly 80 tines the length Of $50 feet lock
in mile, II would be about $50, 900. 900 10 the
mile, and IS miles assumed, 1t would cost the
moderate sum OF 1850 millions Of dollars. To
extend the mouth OF ii out ia bay from Is to
40 miles wide, 70 get the proper depth and to
make the proper hafbors and fnlets, and
transportation Of stone for the canal and bay
walls out In the bay to deep water, would
cost $50 millions more, making in all 1000
millions OF dollars 10 make 4 ship canal TO
accommodate city Of $4,000 population
that would not probably dispatch more than
one or two ships q week to a European port
The interest alone on that amount, yearly,
would be 40 millions-about one-half Of ali
the real and personal property Vi the city OF
Baltimore; but, this Is the age Of hambuk
projects. The city Of Philadelphia would not
rest until she obtAined charter TO build a
bridge across the Delaware so to 100 feet high
In the centre. When they cane 10 look the
matter In tbs face, and count the cost, II
vanished into thin air, and Is not now talked
Of Some visionary men in England have
talked sometimes Of tunneing the English
Channel, from England to France, and some
times Of bridging Il. Il Is all moonshine, but
10 attempt to dig ship canal across a quick
sand plain aud out into shpal sand-bar bay,
as the Delaware u, 70 sase $50 miles, beats all
the projects ever heard Of
SAauEL TowSsrsn.
Townsend, Dsiapars, April 10, 1879.