Middletown transcript., 1878-09-07
what samuel Townsend Knows About
the ship Canal.

the ship Canal.
From the Wilmington Gazette.
Friend Isaac RnotUles &c. E. White, the
railroad agent at this place handed me your
Breakt0ater Light, and in it there was small
editorial on the raging ship canal" and
from one or two words in said article | was
induced to write this reply. You, ] think,
state that Col Sam Townsend, of Appoquin-
mink hundred, assured you FIVE years ago
that the canal would soon be built Isaac,
you surely must have been talking in your
sleep, or dreaming when you wrote that SEN
ience. At no time have told yon or mortal
man that a ship canal with say twenty-five
feet IF water in it would be made from the
waters of the Chesapeake to the Delaware !;
but on the contrary | have both said and
wrote that there neves, in my opinion, would
be such a canal made 10 ten thousand years
refer TO the files of the DeldwGTe Gazette and
the MiddletOwn Transcript. And for the gen.
eral government or State of Maryland to put
a corps of engineers to survey route for any
such purpose as ship canal would be rob-
hery of the taxpayers, for on any line from
LewistoWn towards Baltimore at an average
edePtA pa so feet you come to quick sand, or
tne sand and water, and suppOss tbs country
averages 40 feet above tide water and you
want twenty-five feet in the canal, that makes
65 and then add or feet for the average
rise RId fall of1helidej and if6feet. you have
7lbleeti and then deduct IL feet above quick
sand andssandand WATER, and dayou have So
OF 60zfeet in quicksaad, and that sand, as you
take ft out, more supplies its place You can
NOT pile for ia would go yonr piles Then
ifsou make it a through cut the sand will
have to be removed and the canal treated as
fiyers And there is no river from the banks
Of NfoBhdland 10 the Rio Grand through a
san sell iwith.2 .25 feet of naEigabIe water at
lo Ter mark that is less than from three
fourths toa mile wide Now, Isaac, just
thinS of deepening the channel from opposite
Swan Point, on. the Chesapeake, to Queens
town, to 25 feet at dow wafer; and then Il.
canal so miles lOBglO Lewestown, and then
cut 10 "a feet at low wafer, with proper stone
jetiies 10 keep the channel open. And you,
Isaac, have gigantic work and if it would
be intended 10 lay toll to pay interest, it
would take at least one hundred thousand
collars TO pay the toll on one thousand ton
ship oHee through either way, aud above and
below that figure according to tonnage of the
vessel; and all this to save if you are bound
from Baltimore to the northern part of Eu-
rope, about $50 miles. If bound due east, or
say 10 the Mediterranean, the capes of the
chesapeake are as near as the capes of the
Delaware. And for all trade below that line,
South America, the West Indies and the Gulf
of Mexico, the Chesapeake has the advantage
of the shortest route. And now, Isaac, will
treat yOu TO the best Jamaica, or anything
spirituous to drink if you will never again
mention my name as being friendly 10 such
foolish project as a ship canal across the pc
ninsula and further, Isaac, leave off the
HCol." | am not military man. | am of
the Quaker persuasion but sometimes when
come across dull intellects have 10 use very
forcible language to make the proper impress
sion. SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
Townsend, Del, September 2, 1878.