Middletown transcript., 1874-12-05
Maryland & Delaware Ship Canal
7 g Letter. from Hon. Reuerdy Johnson,

promises to be more advantageous 70
large portion Of the United States than
such a canal. Yle57asse4fs ai ssasaqea
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, i,
with its various connections. including
its road to Chicago, brings Baltimore,
as shipping port. much nearer to the
South, the Southwest, and the North
west, and of course, diminishes the
distance to the sea- The effects Of the
canal will be to make the passage
from Baltimore to the ocean fully two
hundred and twenty five miles less than
ii is at present, and T. avoid What at
times IL dangerous voyage around the
capes. Greatly as Baltimore 4 and
Maryland will be- pro6ied by such >
work. the profit to the sections referred
to will be as great, ifnot grestery And
1.-THE advantage 10 the General Govern
meDt. during peace. viii Be largely
promoted i and on the oceifIence Of
war, the result will be yet more bene6-
cid. Eflests mfshthid- -Etar aay from
one bay. to the other with perfect safety,
and with SO much speed as to be able
70 meet any enemy that might appear
in either bay. Y a5si . ia9is.selsg9e
| The. engineers Who, have surveyed
the route for the larger canal Of one
hundred feet 10 width and twenty-6ye
feet in DEPTH without locks, are, I un-
derstand. clearly Of opinion athat' the
improvement i entirely practicable,
Eea Your company WAS chartered BY
Maryland. April |, 1872, and BY Della
ware. March 26, 1873, and both chart
ers are perpetual. By these grants the
company ia authorized to- construct
Ship Canal without locks, and the COM
pany, I ain told, has. wisely decided
that the canal shall be 100 feet in
width, and Is feet ID depth: This viii
enable ships Of the largest class readily
to pass from bay to bay. and with as
sured safety Not only will the route
70 Europe from Baltimore be diminish
ed 10 distance 225 miles. but the effect
upon the carrying trsde to the eastern
and northern peisies will be most, bsne-
fetal, 9,1tois nd exsggerationg To- say
that it will increase such trade, as far
as transportation is concerned. At least
.one-third.i This 4is to say. whereas, BY
the present route, vessels now engaged
in it can make only two voyages. they
win be able. BY means 'of the canal.
within the same period, to make three.
The trade Of Baltimore. with the West.
with the1 appliances of transportation
the city at present has. through the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, has al
ready greatly increased. To instance the
trade in grain alone in 1871 there
was brought here 100000 bushels,
and in 1873. 7.510.057. And it is
estimated that the quantity win be in
creased during the coming year to ,20,-
900, 900. And all other productions
Of the West. believe, during the same
period. have increased in thossams pip
portion. Ii may therefore. Be consider
ed s7certaip. that when yoarscanal is
compietsd. the increase wiif be still
greater. because the effect will be to
render the transportation, to the East
ern and Northern States, and to the
ocean, a6t-only ssbbrterlin in aistikee tshd
in time, but consequently to reduce the
cost to the producer.
In the Commercial Convention held
in thai aicitySip 1871. .eompossd ldfgeu-
tlemcn. from every part of our country,
Of great Intelligence. and possessing
great practical knowledge, the subject
oflthis canal Was fully oossidarsd The
result. was the adoption. BY a apani-
nous. vote. Of preamble and resolu-
tion. which stated that. the. building Of
the cana. ..is,Qf national Importance.
and is especially of Importance to the
West, the South, the Southwest and
Northwest lHy lesssuiag tbeL distance of
European ports, and to New Englapd.
for the export Of cereals and provisions,
tobacco. cotton and all other products, |
and for all importations to meet the re-
quirements for the consumption Of those
vast regions" .P.: a1 i,' aais inei5i...
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
also esteems the work of great impor-
tanoe: ZIP tbsf hast supsal rspertT TO the
stock holders. the matter is thus refer
red to; ssThe construction Of such a
canal will reduce the distance between
Baltimore and New York. and the
ports Of Nev England. and all Enro.
peau ports nearly two hundred miles for
steamships and all large vessels. As
Baltimore has become the entrepot Of
vast business from the South, and from
the great West, the economies Of trans-
portation, which eau be effected by this
important reduction of distance. vim
ensre 80 largely to the interests ofthe !