The daily gazette., 1877-11-13
From the Norfolk Landmark. d,
THE INLAND WAFER ROW TIE
FROM NEW YORK SOUTH Il q

Among the many schemes which win
be brought before the present Congress
none, perhaps, will be of greater import
ance 70 our community than the extern
sion OF the inland Waterfront from Pam
hco Sound to the Cape Fear river, which
requires comparatively little to complete
II. y The line now In operation from
New York to the South is composed of
natural waters and canals. ~
Leaving the great commercial metrop-
oils, passing either side of Staten Island,
The line extends up the Raritan river to
New Brunswick, N. j., when the Della
ware and Rarftan canal Is entered; pro-
ceeding through that canal, with it's
locks 22O feet long, "a feet wide, and 7
feet deep, distance of 43 miles, the Del
aware is reached at Bordentown. Going
down that river and passing Philadelphia,
you soon reach Delaware City, the en-
trance TO the Chesapeake and Delaware
canal. oi. hNf
This work has only three locks, of the
same dimensions as those of the Della
ware and Raritan, and is supplied with
water by steam pumps. It's length is
fourteen miles to Chesapeake City, on
Back Greek, an arm of the Chesapeake
Bay. Thence the line passes down the
Elk river to and down the bay, passing
the Patapsco, in sight of Baltimore, on TO
Norfolk, and up the Southern Branch of
the Elizabeth river TO Great Bridge, where
the route extends through the frat di-
vision of the Albemarle and Chesapeake
canal, nine miles to North Landing river,
with only one lock, 220 feet long, 40 feet
wide, 10 feet deep; passing down that
river and across Currltuck Sound, a dis
tance of thirty miles, you reach the
North carolina section of the same Ca
nal, which is only five miles long, aud
thence down North river twelve miles, to
Albemarle Sound. Here the line runs
across the Sound to Croatan, and passing
Roanoke island, you enter an inland sea
-Pimlico Sound. The Neuse and Pim-
lico rivers, upon which Newbern aud
Washington are respectively situated,
empty into it.
IL will be seen that thus far only II
miles of canals have been made to make
available more than 600 miles of safe nav
igation from New York to the South
By this route - Hatteras'' and "Lookout,"
together with the dangerous coast from
New York to Beaufort, N. G., are avoid
ed, and from the last named point it Is
proposed to extend still farther south
ward this great inland water line.
Impressed with the value of the facts
to which we have referred, Congress
directed survey to be made of "a line
between the Neuse and the Cape Fear
rivers, in North Carolina, with a view to
connect the waters of the same" Brig
adler Humphreys, Chief of En-
gineers, assigned the duty to Col. s. L.
Abert, United States Civil Engineer, who
executed the wrok with the limited
amount placed at his disposal, and has
made his report, which has been laid be-
fore Congress.
- Colonel Abert's report is very abl
and interesting paper. He desires to
try, should Congress conclude TO enter
upon the work. He says 1.-THE COM
mercial advantages of such a communI-
cation are undoubtedly great, and must
grow in Importance with the growth of
the country; but as defensive measure
and means of transporting troops, pro-
visions and all material of war, the ad-
vantages of such communication can
not be overesumated.
In view of its advantages it is to be
hoped that our Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress will move in this mat
ter, and procure such legislation as will
insure the commencement of this import
ant work at early day.
1t is computed that the A. & G. Canal
opened up 300 miles inland navigation
in North Carolina, from which North
Carolina, from which Norfolk may draw
all the lumber, timber, and agricultural
products of that country and the exten-
ton of the water line into South Carroll
ma and Georgia would, besides benefit
ting our country in a military point of
view. open up a very extensive region
which could be reached by our steam
canal boats and barges, thus pouring into
Norfolk the rich products of those States,
and thus equalizing, in part, the bene-
freely bestowed on many parts of the Re-
nnhlic