Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-23

put their presumption Investment of twenty
three dollars in the way of a great public i'm
provement, they must expect to have the merits
of their claim challenged.
The advance in the value of property along
the river front since the question OF improving
orr harbor and channel has been before Con-
gress Is wonderful. Those reeking marshes, the
s'KidweIl meadows" have risen from S2S to
81 ,oo0, 600 or thereabouts, and if we are to be-
heve President German, of the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal company, and the other honorable
gentlemen who appeared before the House COM
mittee on the District in behalf of that company
yesterday, even that useless, foul and unsightly
ditch from Rock creek to nth street-a rival of
our flled-up Washington canal in worthlessness
and flthness-has suddenly como to be consid-
cred a great artery Of trade, 'smore valuable
than all the rest of the canal from George
town to Cumberland essential not only TO
the prosperity of the canal company, but
to the future of the coal trade of Maryland,
Who would have thought it? Here the build
ers, millers, merchants and other business men
OF Washington have had, for yearspast, either to
land in Georgetown their coal, their building
stone, cement, grain and country produce which
came down the canal, and haul it to this city at
great expense, or have the boats locked out into
the river at Rock creek, towed down to Gies-
boro and back again up the Washington chan
nel-a detour of eight or ten miIes-when here
was this valuable mile-long canal, which would
have saved all the wasted time and money en-
riehed our people and the canal company, and
developed the coal trade, allowed to lie idle,
when the company, by expanding a few dollars
annually in dredging the Rock creek BASIN
might have made II available. Someti mes
often in faet-when the basin was a little worse
than usual, or its lock-gate into the river out of
repair, boats had to come to Washington from
Georgetown by way of Alexandria! In vain
were all the protests of our usiness men, in
vain their petitions TO the canal company and
in vain numerous article. in this paper calling
attention to the matter, and pleading with the
canal company to save our people this great
expense.
Judge Merrick saws this property-the cana
from III street to Rock ere ek-..is essential to
the development of the coal trade of MARYLAND,
VIII the committee request him to explain how
IL is essential TO the coal trade when the fact is
that ten tons of coal have not passed through it
in as many years. ''We must," said President
German, "get our coal boats from the canal into
the Potomac" What has that got to do with ii
Ii he must get them into the Potomac he knows
they need not go to 18th street. Why not spend
q few dollars to dredge Rock creek, and put the
lock at its mouth in order. shippers have been
So0JCCeSN W StCat anu INCONVENIENCE
years past, because this has not been done. Or,
better still, why not build an outlet lock into
the Potomac above Georgetown, where it ought
to be. He win not then have to go through
basin foolshly located at the mouth of a running
stream, which nils up fast they could
dredge it out, if they dredged IL out at all.
But, he says, they want the river front from
Rock creek to 18th street. What good is it to
them or anybody else unless the harbor is i'm
proved, when vessels cannot get within a mile
or two Of it? To use a slangy eXpresson-but it
seems to ut this case NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Cor
mans statements are too thin. Again, he says
the canal to 18th street has never been used be-
cause the basin filed up. Correct; but why let
the basin I'LL up? Because, he says, they had to
depend on the good faith of Washington to keep
mp the connection. But If the route to 18th
street was so essential, why did the canal COM
pany depend ON Washington to dredge the
basin and keep up the connection? So again
he mentioned the trouble about change of
grades in Georgetown That city was willing at
any time % have the low stone bridges over the
locks, which interfered with the passage of the
largest class Of coal boats only, replaced with
iron structures, which would have necessitated
but slight change OF grade; but the fact is, the
canal company not only wanted George
town TO give the requisite permission,
Dut 10 Oulld me Dffugcs. Ana 50 II
has been with that company throughout.
We could give many illustrations Of the very
accommodating spirit of this company to the
millers OF Georgetown and others OF our bust
ness men who contributed largely to their re-
ceipts If It was pertinent to the matter in hand
and we had the space. We merely desire at this
time, however, TO expose the shallow pretence
that the canal from Rock creek to 18th street is
ESSENTIAL to the prosperity of the canal company.
the coal trade, or the state of Maryland, when
PRESIDENT German knows, and we all know,
.nst fhe project for improvement of our har-
Dor should not be carried out, that valuable
piece OF property would continue to be the nui-
sance In the future that it has been in the past
an unnaSigabie receptacle for filth, affordinr
=" accommodation to the people Of Washington
and no revenue TO the canal company.
Oakcs Ames has recovered his me mory with
vengeance.