Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-25
PROPOSED IMPROVEMENT OF
THE C. d O. CANAL.


IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION.
A special meeting OF the stock and bondh old
ers of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal company
trade was held at the Arlington Hotel yester.
day to consider certain recommendations sub
mitted by the president and directors OF thai
company looking to the Improvement of cana
navigation. The canal company was repre-
sented by Hon. A. P. German, president; Hon.
. Ely. d. Farnanais. Hon. Patrick HamIlI and Col
James u. Berrer, directors the bondnolder5 by
| MI. w. w. Corcoran Gen. Bradley T. johnson
Charles c. Glover and E. Francis Riggs Of Riggs
Co., Joseph Bryan, Gen. Corse Messrs. Berry
Garden, Mcdonald, Baldwin, Matthews, Cults,
A. Bowie Davis. A. Ross Ray, Hy. t. wild, Ber.
nard Carter, DR.. Wala and others, and the
coal interests by Fly. Loveridge. president
dent American coal company. President CDR
| man, OF the canal company, after calling the
meeting to order and stating briefly why the
call had been issued nominated Mr.. Corcoran,
OF Washington, the Oldest Dondnoldsr. for chair.
| man. Mr.. Corcoran declined the honor, and
| Mr.. A. Bowie Davis. OF the trustees or the bond
holders, was then called to the chair, Mr.. Jno.
| M. Pheian, OF the canal company, acting as
! secretary.
President German then submitted report,
holders OF construction bonds under the act TOT Of
| 1874, and is voluminous document. 1t states
that having been entrusted With the manage.
ment OF th IN ~, work Since lsI2, and given great
attention to It's general condition. and having
become familiar with the details OF its manage.
meDt, &C, the board deemed 1t a duty to SUD-
mlI tnis special Communication. so that those
pIeselI might nave the opportunity to consider
the suggestions and be prepared to take action
at the annual meeting, to be held on the first
Monday In June. II uDpalatable facts are pre-
sented, it will be because their desires are to
render the stockholders service, and because
their convictions so strong that IL the canal
were their individual property they would make
the improvements suggested even more
| promptly than they can hope to do under ex.
| tStipg circumstances.
The report recItes the history Of the canal
and OF the successive steps by which frs rivals,
and mainly the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
have increased their carrying capacity and de-
creased the charges of transportation, and
urges IN me necessity OF making improvements
upon the canal to meet that railroad competI-
tlon. The report says In this connection that
the canal must be placed In sach condition
that with but slight increase of the power
now required to move 126 tons, they may be able
TO move 240 tons With no more, or but Slightly
increased cost for labor. Other canals In this
country nave had the same problem to solve.
and they have solved IL In different ways.
Tne best way to do this Is to IengGhen the
JOCKS 100 feet. so that two boats may De passed
through together, being coupled and directed
at all times In their movements by patented
device which makes single displacement ne
ceSsary. the TWO boats carrying 240 TONS and
o ooen 5eing propelled Dy a power which only
exceeds Dy one sixth that which Is required to
propel single boat carrying not more than
I2v tons, and manned by the same crew required
TO lengthen ali the locks between Cumber-
land and Georgetown. seventy in number.
by making the composite locks. and having the
timber creasoted, together with improved ap-
planes for opening and closing the gates, SO
as to save the labor OF one man at each lock.
would cost about 81 900 per lock-S49O 900: but
o. lengthening thirty three locks. at cost OF
S23l 600, we can use double boats, coupled on
1913 miles OF the 1s4 miles OF canal, and the
locks remaining unimproved can be left in
groups. AT such points 1t will be necessary for
the company to maintain animal power to
pass the boats through the single locks.
CANALS NOT OBSOLETE.
There is theory that canals are obsolete and
Improbable. This is true OF all canals which
have not been enlarged sufficiently TO keen
pace with the improvements made on other
lines OF transportation. 1t is not true as to
those canals which have been improved By
proper enlargement,
In 1850 the whole output of this
Cumberland region was only. 7sS, So7 tons
In 1890 IL the he Increase is in the tons
same ratio, 1t will be- Ii, 254,9SS tons
AS large as this Increase would
seem to be, It must be remem-
Tered that the anthracite coal
fields, which produced In 1870
Within fraction Of............ COO 600 tons
Produced in 1850 over 2S 900 600 toms
In addition to this, If the Clearheld, Boss
burg and the other semi pituminous coal fields
continue to increase In production at the same
sate Ior the next twenty years that they have
for lie past ten, they viii in 1900 be completely
worked out. While the Cumberland and Pied
mont region VIII last hundred years longer.
II our statements are correct, and we do 1Gt
think they can be contrOVerted, 1t follows that
by the expenditure OF Si90, 600 you can move a
ton OF coal over your work for fifty cents;
that the canal company can receive for It's tolls
and wharfage fifty cents per ton; that It's
tonnage to-day is eco, COO tons; bus IL this re-
duction In cost can be made Its tonnage would,
at the lowest estimate be million tons. which
would be gain OF two hundred THOUSAND
ts2G0, 00o) dollars per annum; that by expeniing
two hundred and thirty -one thousand 1928 900
cost Of tolls and transportation could % re-
duced TO one dollar and twenty five {s1.25j
cents, which would enable the canal to me t
present competition by other lines OF transpor-
tation. But If you fail to make these improve
ments. and the contemplated reduction In
charges Is made by the competing railroad
lines, then 1t is more than probable that your
tolls and wharfage must De reduced In 1882
from f1fty.f (55) cents to thirCy-One (3D cents
which would be q loss OF one hundred and for
ty-four thousand tl4i,0o0l dollars per annum
(600,OCO) tons.
HOW THE IMPROVEMENTS CAN BIZ PAID FOR.
II these facts shall determine you TO direct
that the improvements be made, the question
arises how can they be paid for? In our iudg-
nent there Is but one way, and that is by the
sale OF the repair bonds authorized to be H.
sued By the Maryland act OF 1878. in favor OF
which bonds the state or Maryland has, to the
extent OF five hundred thousand $500, 000) dol
lars, waived her liens on the corpus OF the
work.
The actual cost OF the repairs oecasioned by
the Ireshet OF 1877 ito repair which these bonds
were losue0) was $685. 900, and we do not under
stand that there Is any objection to our raising
the necessary means by the sale OF these binds,
and tie application OF the proceeds together
with the net revenue Of the present year,
10 Ire proposed improvement We know that
the sale or these bonds has peen objected to by
some or the preferred bondholders because OF
the lien which is created upon the corpus of
the work. Whatever force there may be In
that suggestion. We submit, can be to some
extent oD7iated II the holders OF the bonds OF
ls44 Will subscribe for the 1875 bonds which
We now suggest be sold. There Is no other
way by which sufficient sum can be raised,
unless II be that the ooadh0lders can be In
ouced to advance the amount upon either or
binary repair bonds. or upon toll certificates TO
be redeemed gradually.
DISCUSSION AND ACTION
Gen. Bradley L. johnson spoke against the
proposition to issue $500 600 in repair bonds for
frightening locks and repairs OF the canal, as
they had been authorized for another purpose
and urged that the company should go to the
legislature and secure authority to issue new
bonds Messrs. Henry Thompson Wells, Brown
and Cheney, OF Baltimore, and others, adyo-
Gated the proposition.
Mr. Carter offered tie following:
heSoted, That the president and directors OF
tue chesapeake and Ohio Canal company may
JAKE Inc measures Indicated in the com NUM-
cation made by the president OF the Company
Ia Nny