The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-02-11
n National Ship Canal.


terest infused into it by the completion of
he final preliminary survey and report
made by Capt. Thomas Turf; lie nnder airec-
ion of Coz. Win. +. CraphiN. BY this
port the matter j. narrowed! down toa choice
n..iweeu wo routeS-tht lower. or Choprank
routr, and the upper, S.i>SatTtS route
with Il decided preference tor the former,
the Colonel in hi. paper give, facts which
strongly point ont The superior advantages
II this route. It is generally Thought thar
the suggestion in this repor! will have great
weigh; in favor of The soui hern route and
that it will he selected. T&e following in
reres,ing history az the project 10 unite the
waters of the Chesapeake and Delaware
,lvS We en- from the Baltimore Sun:
Thu. importance If The new canal between
rh- chesapeake aud Delaware bays has de-
vrlnpri an inquiry in'" the earliest history
II the undertaking. As early III 1899, mn
Ter GOV. Oslr, an act WAS pasS,t. 10y Che
Legislature To incorporate Il company for
'uttlng - canal hr; weEn the two hays. The
project lay dormant until 1924, when steps
we're taken resulting i'll the completion 1T
he present canal in the year 1879. This,
unwever, is not all the history. In ler-
IRE before the Maryl,nd Historical Soriefy
REV. Gen. 4. Leakiu shows that the (rupo-
-iiinu tor Il canal by the SassairaS r"u!" was
made. a. early a> 1919 by ID mixers and Sluv-
-. the explorers uf the Lahdi>t COLONY.
The L,hidi~iS derived thri" name from jean
LabIdir, Il J->ui: priest, who, becoming
iLnSrni>t, established :. cr,nmunistic sci
lcm-nt III vari,m> places, dying at Altoona,
Denmark. in 1874. The cnlnuiSrS left Vie
yard, Holland, Tor Snrlna.n, given 10 the
Du1cu iii exchange for New York. But
his experiment f'Iiing, bankers and Sluy-
- were. hen sent Ia America in 1G14 for i
suitable Locality. and they reported III favor
ui' that bel wcen fhn Enh-mia and Elk riv-
r. is "a noble piece. at land. and tbs they
,urri,i>ed III 1854 frnm AUGUSTINE Herman
Who had rrr'lv-,i his mnm"r hS patent from
..uld Baltimore in I6;u. III their report
u. explorers SAY: " When the put"h g"I-
'rnrsi thl~ country a can Il al six miles WIS
much talked ot connecting the Appnil1l,-
n-ue and Bohemia creeks Rv Tins III.
lar, llnirr> might buy from the Snuth or
Delaware river all they needed, and i'll turn
.s'nd ih.lr fohacr" more easily IL that river
'ian IL thu. great bay OF Virginia, rs now
Gey do. Il is all IT, consider Wher her
M important >uhject should not hr brought
- higher ant horiti..s han 10 particular Gov
rnors What i now ,iuu- ny land in carts
might IL. done hv water f,r more. ;h.tn 900
niles" The history of the l. ,hilist> is thus
..;rnfi.ird With = work of natuna! import
tace. They wrrt al>" connected with the
name of Augustine Herman, whs made an
-xc-llrnt ,tsap of MARYLAND, and Whose de
-r-ndants are the Siirirns, Hvnsons FRS
lies. BurdlryS, Bri"rs. Dnlancys. Chestons,
ialiowayS. ,'"nning. and R,ndolph-. The
Llhltil>t colony of Bohemia Manor fthe
ir>t communism IN AmrTica) dissolved in
,i,nut tnrIy-tivn years, and the only relics
II Hrrman'S vast possessions are certain
Deal names and a slab of cniite with this
inscription: "AmguSfine Herman. FIrst
Founder and Scatter Of Bohemia Manor,
1851 Among the original Libiiists was
samuel Biyard, the ancestor of several dis
ingui>hrd statesmen. The site of the pro
iecfrd ship canal WAS one" IN Baltimore
.ounty, rs shown conclu-ivelr by WIN. A.
stewart, and the first cnnrt was at
:hiS, as shown in .JnhnSou'> History of Cecil
..ouuty-rhe other courts being suCc.>Sively
IN Bush river, Fosters Neck, at .Joppa, and
baltimore.
The Sun. with its issue of Monday last.
gives its readers an accurate and concise
map Of the various routes. From this map
it appears rha: The upper, or S..>safras rnure,
wonld enter the Delaware at y r",int oppo-
sic the town of Townsend; while tn. lower,
or Choptank route, would enter the same
water lust within the h-e,,kwa.er, III Lewes.
The Back Greek route, by way of he Chesa
peake and Delaware canal, entering the
Delawar. at Delaware City, is also men
toned in Colonel Craighill'S report, thou. h
not with much favor.
THE VARIOUS ROUTES.
Commencing II; the more s0urherly one,
the routes, seven i'll number. may be briefly
distinguished as
No. |. or Ch0Ntank rouse;
NJ. =, or Wye river route:
M. 3, or Queenstown rnIte:
No. 1. or G-u'revilie route;
No. j, or Sour heist creek route;
No. &, or Sa>Satra$ route;
No I, or Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
route
The Choptamk roure commences at the
mouth. and proceeds by way of the Nauti-
coke. and Broadkiln rivers to the mouth of
,he latter, three miles above Lewrs.
The Wye river leaves the Ches,. pealIe at
Eastern bay and proceeds To Skipton creek,
winch il rravtr>es to the head of tide, and
thence. in an air line across "A n 1t country 10
Milford. and thence down the Mi-plllinn TO
the Delaware hay, Il miles above L-wes.
lHlS E1lt crosses lHt: 1uthdnpt anu tnp|-
tank rivers, where they are from 500 To 100
Iet.t wide.
Thu. Queenstown route leaves the Chesa-
pesk., at mouth of Che river, p;tsS-S up
ia, river and Queenstown creek Ia Queens
town, and thence. over u country from 6n TO
80 feet above low water, in AN air line, to
The BroadkIln creek, 2li miles abhve It,
mnuth, 1T Wilthsnk'S landing; thence, ca
,uci,iing with the Chopt.tllk route, down
hl Inv 7
The C-utrevllle route leaves the Chesa-
peake 81, miles from Baltimore, and nv
way of Chester river and Corsica creek II .
polut on the Queenstown route mile iniie-
from Delaware bay, following that route TO
she bay.
The Southeast creek route enters Chester
V. r the same ~ the previous route, Themes
III il nearly straight line over fiat country
~ 10 20 feet above. low water, about ~ miles,
Il, LIN. creek, down which and lis ada
c ut marshes it passes ;s34 miles TO Della
ware bay, which II enters 80 miles above
Lrwes and So miles from "a feet of water
III the bay. lhls line passes through the
northern suburbs of Dover, and its de-
bDucht is 4 few miles below MahOn'S river
light-house.
The Sa>safrls route, as located and de-
scribed by eng neerS of the company having
State charters, paS>es W. the Chesapeake
:S9Ls miles from Baltimore To the mouth of
the Ss,ss;,tras river; thence up that stream
To the head Of tide water, l6l@ miles; thence
over II country rising 10 80 feet above water,
and down the drainage of the Black bird
creek, until il tends norther!y, when it
passes over rid.s, of high ground and en-
tiers Delaw are bay near Li>Ion point, l4l3
mile, from head of the tide" on the S.,,-
Sifras, | mtlc from ~ feet of water in the
bty, and Ii miles above LeweS.
'h,.S <t. and Del canal
.ilverges from the Sis.atraS route at the
mouth OF that river, and proceeding up the
Elk river. y iS>es over the line Of the CueSa-
pea Ike and Delaware canal To- the Delaware
river. The present Chesapeake and Della
ware canal, with the Delaware river and
rhe Delaware and RlrItan canal. forms
almost air line water communication he
tween Baltimore and New York.
4 statement Of thr. lengths OF the several
routes from the city limits of Baltimore rU
polut AT SEA y miles outside the break
water at mouth of Delaware by would b.
Is follows: Choptank route, 1881 mile;
Ihnptauk route iul ,ud), 1881; Wye river
route, l2S.42; Queenstown route, 1929:
trntr-vIllr Route, l06 IS; South creek
route, ll5 rs; SiS>ltras river route, l2a.25
The leuGIh OF canal proper, or of eXcava-
non generally, above low water is As fol
lows tor the several routes: ChOptank route,
'1.67 miles, including Broadkill creek, or
ch"ptank route 30 miles, excluding the
Broadklll, through which excavation would
about half above and hal! below; Wye
river route, Il 90 miles; Queenstown route,
u. az miles; Crnirevlllr Route. 1885 miles:
SuutheS creek route, 81. 81 miles: SaSsatras
u'', ii 20 miles, counting all of the Sa>-
-alrt> a> drr'iging, though il Is proha biz.
hat AZ least Two miles of The upper parf
Will class as the Iirua,ikill, half canal and
half dredging, which would make Sass