Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-01-18
The Plans of the Maryland Canal.

1t is proposed To secure some legislation this
session i'm aid of the Maryland Canal company
Although the state cannot give any direct aid
10 the company, yet il can assist il indirectly
10y means of the Labor that will be at its dis
poSal in the House of Correction. The law I'm
regard 10 the House of Correction will be SO
amended as 10 require all persons whose terms.
are over sixty days and less than three years
10 be sent there. II is calculated that in less
than three wears there viii be fifteen hundred
persons sent there. winch calculation, n viii
be seen, assumes the construction of much
larger accommodations than at present pro-
Nlded. While The state could no. invest any
money in the Maryland canal, yet il is held
that it could sell the labor OF the prisoners 10
the canal, taking pay in the stock or bonds of
the company, and the argument that will be
made in favor of such action is that hy SO do
ing il will greatly enhance the yalue of its
investment Of twenty millions in The CheS-
apeake and Ohio canal, as well as secure an
additional valuable investment. The line Of
lhe canal from Georgetown Ia the harbOr OF
Baltimore was surveyed IN 1885. The length
Of that line Is nearly forty miles, and the
cost OF construction is estimated at S},00,0O0.
According 10 the plans OF the Maryland Canal
company the canal proper will begin at Ba-
denSbuTg. The Potomac viii be deepened and
improved from the outlet locks above George
town, down to RladenSburg, at an estimated
cost of $4,000 The terminus Of the canal will
be in the PatapScO river at about the crossing
Of the Baltimore and Potomac railroad and -
is estimated that at an expense of $1,000 the
river can be deepened TO nine feet down tOthe
Spring Gardens, which CONSTITUTES a splendid
canal basin, with an ample extent of shore line
on the south side OF the WhetSt0ne peninsula
for coal wharyeS and depOts. The line of the
canal proper would only be twenty eight miles
and the cost of its construction is estimated at
2,SoOOO0. The house of correction is close by
the line of the work, so that while the prison
ers are working on il they can be housed and
fed at the house. Ii is proposed To make the
canal nine feet deep and seventy feet wide, 50
as TO correspond with the Chesapeake and Del
aware canal aud enable it TO accommodate
vessels of large tonnage.
In regard TO the revenue from the canal II is
Slated that charge equal to the cGst ol break
ing bulk at Georgetown would make The in
Nestment paying one. Some time ago ic cost
lhlrtyilye cents a ton to transfer coal from
the canal boats To other vessels; although IL ia
now only twenty three cents a ton. When the
Maryland Canal is completed, boat loaded
al cumberland can come 10 Baltimore, Phila-
delphla or New York, without breaking bulk
Ii can pass down the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal 10 Georgetown, thence through the
Maryland Canal 10 Baltimore, thence To Phila-
delphla through the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal, thence To New York through the Della
ware and Raritan Canal-all without breaking
Dulk. Such facilities, ii Is thought, would give
an immense stimulus TO the trade OF the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. A bill providing
Tor the state aid indicated will be introduced
during the session. An existing law authorizes
the city OF Baltimore 10 subscribe half a mil
lion, and ii is confidently believed that private
enterprise will supply the rest of the means
required baltimore dmeFiCUR.