Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-02-28

bills introduced Into the House OF Dele
yates of this State, on Thursdsy, one look
ing to the construction ofthe needed ship
canal across the Chesapeake and Della
ware peninsula by the Choptank route,
and the other to the building of canal
from the Eastern Branch of the Potomac,
in the District of Columbia, to Herring
bay, on the Chesapeake, ere doubtless in
tended by the projectors to dovetail or
serve as coordinate schemes. In our
judgement the latter is not at all necess-
airy adjunct to the former and, In fact,
the great purpose of ship-canal for the
accommodation of the ocean steamships OF
our general foreign and coastwsc trade
should in no wise be complicated with or
dwarfed by any lesser project. :"
A work of this magnitude and for the
objects in view can stand alone, and need
not be hampered With other projects or
made stalking horse for them.
The object of the promoters OF this pro-
posed canal is to provide shorter water
route, apparently, for the transportation
of Cumberland coal to New York and the
Eastern States. The effect of 1t would be
to divert a large portion of the coal trade
from Baltimore. Herring bay, which will
be more easily recognizedby excursionists
as Fair Haven, is sixty miles distant from
Baltimore, and nearly opposite the Chop
tank river. Coal carried through the ca
nal would hardly come to Baltimore, but
pass on its way to Eastern ports without
touching here at all, as 1t passes now to
Its destination by way of the Potomac
river, And now, after re-
peated declarations on the part Of the
State of Maryland and the canal compan-
les incorporated for the purpose that it
was essential to the commercial and in
dustrial interests of Baltimore that lat
eral canal from the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal direct to Baltimore should be built,
the State is asked for charter to build a
canal from the Chesapeake and Ohio canal
to Herring bay, which would more than
ever serve to divert Ii C coal trade from
Baltimore to Eastern cities-in fact leave
her out in the cold-while at the same
time asking her to subscribe to the stock
of the canal company. The great ship
canal in which Baltimore and the States of
the West are interested is not to be handi-
capped and burdened by any such schemes.
The above extracts are clipped from
an editorial in last Saturdays Balti-
more Sun, called forth no doubt by
the introduction ola bill in the Mary
land Senate providing for the extern
sion of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal.
They mean that the Sun is in favor
Of the Choptank route for the ship
canal, but not of the extension of our
canal to become directly feeder Of
that proposed great water way.
Why? Because such extension and
connection "would more than ever
serve to divert the coal trade from
Baltimore to the eastern cities-in
fact leave her out in the cold" etc.
This is peculiarly selfish view to
take of the enterprises referred to,
inasmuch as the profitable operation
of either depends so largely upon the
construction of the other. Interlock-
ed as are the interests of each with the
other, it is impossible to see how they
can be divorced, or considered separ-
ately, without surrendering vital
reasons why they should be construct
ed at all. The Sun, while favoring
the ship canal project, actually makes
an argument against it when it op-
poses the extention 10 Herring bay
an enterprise which will become
little less an element of the success Of
the former than the great trade of
Baltimore which will flow through
it. Moreover, it antagonizes many
Of those very Baltimore interests of
which it assumes to take care. Pos
sibly it forgets that the extended canal
will be built for Baltimore as we'll as
for the ship-canaland the eastern cit
les, and that all the coal Baltimore
can take will be unloaded there quite
as cheaply as if the city were the ter
minous Of the extension. In the lat
ter event also it overlooks the fact
that there is nothing in Baltimore to
stop the shipment of coal to eastern
cities.
But what claim has Baltimore to a
monopoly of the Maryland coal trade ?
What has she done to develop and
promote that great interest. We say
nothing. Until few years ago no
Baltimore capital held any consider
able control in this region, although
the city, through the railroad, has
from the beginning fattened upon our
arrying-trade--a resource which
more than any other has enabled a
great trunk line to extend its iron
arms in all directions 10 grasp the
great grain and cattle interests of the