Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-09-09
The Chesapeake ana Ohio Canal.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
Public works, railroads and canals, particu
larry the latter, bore the brunt OF unusual
elemental asssult during the stormy month of
August. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
annually becoming more and more an object of
general attention and interest as a great
national trade artery,-suffered its share of
carnage. What with extraordinary washes-in
filling the canal brimful of earth and repeated
Uashes-out, emptying the bottom of the canal
into the adjoining river; the summer trade
Upon IT has been heavily diminished. All en-
gagged, poor or rich, have suffered whilst the
several coal companies have been subjected to
unprecedented losses. How much we cannot
say; but the total must be counted by scores of
thousands Of dollars
Whilst all reasonable allowance is made for
really Unforeseen and therefore inevitable cas-
ualty, IL Is not TO be wondered at if the canal
authorities are held responsible for a great deal
OF the disaster that has happened. 1t is said,
and, for anything we have seen, without con-
tradicton, that at a repair where all the tenac-
ity of clay was requisite sand was used instead;
the consequence being that as soon as water
was let in, there was q new and even worse
preach than before. Lack of due preparation
and proper energy was said to be conspicuous
at the mending Of the Berlin culvert, of the
unsafe condition OF which the president is also
declared to have been warned long ago as
last winter, when an Insignificant expenditure
would have prevented heavy outlay. And
then there was plentiful want of tact In not
seiziDg the opportunity furnished by empty
levels to clean out the numerous sand bars
which are making the canal IN many places too
shallow to be passed by loaded boats without
great difficulty, and may yet compel boats to
reduce the amount of their usual losdings at
Cumberland. Within q few days we hear of
lOck-gatPs knocked in INF nd thar
'breaks' have been told of, which may m ~
not prove to be real. And, on the whole, i'm
partial observers pronounce the canal (whosc
condition was 80 highly lsuded in the presi-
dents annual reportl to have got into anything
but desirable condition, and that much care
will be requisite to keep il nayigable during the
short remainder Of the season.
We do not suppose that the gentleman in
chief control OF this work-which is not destined
10 be crushed out 50 readily it's enemies may
have hoped-is more Objectionable than would
be any other keen and active politician, when
placed where he is unsuited both by feeling and
want Of proper education and experience.
Probably no one fixed where Mr.. German is,
for the purpose, mainly, of improving the oppor-
tunities OF the place to help his gubernatorial
patron to a seat once more in the United States
Senate, would do a great deal better than he.
AT any rate, the great wrong done by putting
men Of practical habits, cannot be denied. But
whether it be the fault of this irrational and
ruinous practice, or of the incumben indvid-
uaily, the canal, and those who live by and de-
pend upon il, suffer just the same. ALTHOUGH
the official career of the gentleman in question
he has Gone that which compels distrust of his
cordial interest in the work committed to his
charge. If the drift of the position compelled
him to row in one direction, there has
always been something to suggest that his
eyes and his heart were looking in another.
He began, as early as was polite, by barring his
official teeth at the millers on the Georgetown
level, adopting what are called stringent, that
IL, uBfriendly measures, as respected rights OF
long standing, and thereby naturally arousing
troublesome and expensive litigation. The ext
blow was the raising of the tolls, o measure in
stlnctively felt to be injurious to the business of
the canal, but OF corresponding advantage to
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. What the eff.
fects of this blow have really been might be
traced week after week, in the increased freight
age of the road, and the concurrently diminished
trade Of the canal. And now, after a series of
bitter disasters, and the loss Of a whole months
business at . most important season of the year,
President German falls back upon a do nothing
policy, with q canal under his control that cost
the state and people of Maryland twenty mil
lions of dollars, and, which loudly demands the
best service Of an able mans whole heart and
head to manage for.
On tomorrow a convention Is to be held in the
city of Cumberland to consider the resuscitated
topic of extending the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal to the Ohio river at Pittsburg. This extern
sion across, or through, the Allegheny noun
tains Is to be effected by authority and powers
exterior to the existing canal. And we cannot
but predict the grateful recognition by the city
of Cumberland of the compliment paid her in
being thus made the place Of meeting, and the
readiness with which she will commit to obliy-
ion the recent ignorement of her interests and
wishes, and especially at the time of choosing
board Of canal directory. Be that as it NAV,
however, no little preparation has been male
for the meeting, and, we believe, no little pub
lie benefit is expected to accrue from it, though
cur demure but astute contemporary of the
Baltimore Sun well known as a staunch parti-
san of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad) SOU Ids
a quiet note of warning that Maryland must
not be counted among Its promoters. Whilst
we cordially hope that the meeting will not
prove MISUNDERSTANDING the great OBJ
stacles in the way of work so novel and pecu-
liar-we cannot but think that an opportunity
will, at least, be furnished Mr.. German to do
his canal very great service. He will scarcely
fail to urge the construction, or rather the COM
pletion of his present canal to its first contem-
plated terminus cat the base of the Allegheny
mountain" ''near the bank OF Savage river"
as an essential link in the proposed extension.
This, at least, wOui be an undoubted and a
practicable advantage. Let US hope he might
be able to secure so much for should nothing
else ever follow from the lsbors of the conven-
ton, II will have accomplished something tina
VIII not soon be forgotten, and hide, moreover,
ga multitude of s.ns."
Aftermath" the title Of Longfellow's new
volume of poems, seems to have been felicitously
chosen. The term means q second crop,-or