Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-03-21
The Delaware and Chesapeake ship Canal

VIEWS OF BALTIMORE PAPER ON THE SUBJECT.
The Baltimore Gazette says;-
We have adverted, on two occasions, recently,
to the project for cutting ship canal from the
Chesapeake to the Delaware across the penin-
sua OF the Eastern Shore. This grand idea
which would shorten the distance from Balti-
more to the Eastern European ports over two
hundred miles, is not q new one. 1t has been
brooded over and talked Of for many years; but
the time for putting IL into execution was never
opportune until now. Before anything could be
done to make the scheme practically effective, It
was essential that our own harbor channel should
be made Of the requisite depth and breadth for
the easy passage of ships OF burthen, and that
our railway communications with the interior
States should be perfected. Both OF these have
finally been assured, and the way has thus be-
come clearly open for the ship canal-the crown
ing work of our system Of railway and ocean
transportation. 1t would give to Baltimore the
advantages to which she Is entitled from her ad-
mirable geographical position, and make ultimate
ly her port the favOrite port Of entry and depar-
ture for the great cities Of Chicago, st Louis,
Cincinnati, Pttsburg, and Louisville, the pro-
ducts that centre there, and the manufactures
for which they are distinguished. Even at pre-
sent-notwithstandng the distance from Balti-
more to the Capes is from 100 to 200 miles, and
in sailing either to the Eastern ports or to Eu-
rope we have also to run nearly parallel with the
coast for a hundred miles more-owng to the
delay in passing goods through the New York
Custom House, and by reason OF our shorter
lines of rail, we can deliver imports from Europe
in any of the great cities we have already nam
cd, earlier than they can be received through
the port OF New York, it's shorter ocean route
being RcounterbalAnced, in q great measure, by
our shorter lines of inland transportation. II
then, by the proposed ship canal, we can lessen
the distance TO the Eastern ports and to Europe
over two hundred miles, as We certainly can, or
but hundred and eighty-three miles, as Colonel
Earle asserts-takng the upper or Sassatras
river line for his estimate OF distanee-we shall
30 an rinIa nd linz md
the quicker despatch of business at our Custom
House. put New York at disadvantage.
In our previous articles on this subject we sta
ted that preliminary surveys had been made OF
live separate routes" for the canal, with one &C
tual survey of the country lying between
the Sassafras river and the mouth OF Blackbirt
creek on the Delaware Bay. This latter is whA
is known as the upper or Northern route, and
the only advantage it possesses is the shortnesi
of the cutting-I716 miles. Looking simply q
the smaller money cost, in the first instance, l
would undoubtly be in its favori but there ar
other things to be taken into consideration
building for all time great interior waterway
Chief among these are the saving, in point o
distance, as compared with other routes, and tn
freedom from obstructions by ice during tn
winter months. Now, by the Sassafras rive
and up the bay in all distance Of forty-eigh
miles and then down the Delaware Bay 70 Tn
Capes, further distance OF htty miles. by 50
ing up the bay it would meet, in the winter SCI
sen. the worst ice. fields that vessels comm
to or going from our port could possibly 81
counter In our latitude; whilst the canal itse
would be subject to total blockade for two
three months of each year. Moreover, to Z
up one bay for the purpose Of going down a
other-though the distance to the ocean won
even then be shortened hundred and eight
three miles--is not exactly the sort OF saillI
that navigators would prefer, especially in cas-
where similar canal could be cut at poll
down the bay where ice rarely forms, and whic
by an almost true diagonal line from the mou
route, the Delaware within mile or two OF z
capes Such route would be that OF whit
Chester river would form part. The cuttir
it is true, would be somewhere about double
ianeth al the Sassafras river route but it wou
pass through a region that is almost de
level, and would be comparatively easy TO
cayate, as ii presents no engineering diffculti
and would be beset by no distractions in resp'
to intervening rock.