Middletown transcript., 1883-04-20
The Shin Canal Project.

The Ship Canal Project.
TO the Editor Of the MiddIetolUl Tran
script.-An article has been literally
published in several Of the daily papers
in Philadelphia and in Delaware rela-
tive to the "DelaWare Ship Canal. |"
Much has been written on the great
subject and much money wasted. With
your kind indulgence | propose to add
my mite to the heap Of knowledge.
Would that I had the spirit of the inn
mortal Townsend Of happy memory,
one Of the great lights of Delaware, /
might possibly be able to do ample
justice to the subject. Anyway I will do
my best and hope to shed more light on
the dark and doubtful project. The
Wilmington Gdzette of April 9th, /
think, "gives some interesting details
concerning the operations of the Mary
land and Delaware Ship Canal Com
pany. Y The statement is made that
everything now is in a very healthy
condition, financially speaking, and the
great canal also in condition (healthy
condition. to accommodate the vast
tonnage that is patiently waiting for
Mr.. Tibbetts' open sesame from bay to
bay. The $1,000, 900 already in the
pockets of Tibbetts q Co., metaphori-
cally speaking g,-oromises to pay, sup
pose he means from the French bankers
will enable the enterprising projectors
to make the canal fdit accompH. That
is, as soon as the Legislatures Of Della
ware and Maryland renew the charters
granted some years ago, and by the
labor of four years at the expense of
the above large sum. From what is
stated in the articles mentioned, the
canal is to be without locks. 1t is
hardly possible that any intelligent
engineer would suggest such plan,
knowing as he must that there is a
difference Of four or five feet between
the ends Of the proposed canal the
tide rising much higher in the Delaware
than at the Chesapeake end But this
is probably a part of Mr. Tibbetts'
plan-tO have a current in his canal to
help along the large vessels and other
craft through from bay to bay, thus
saving time and money. At the ex-
pense Of his crumbling banks however.
Another advantage he would have
the current thus created would help
remove any deposits Of mud which
might accumulate along the line.
Again. it is urged by those who pro
pose to construct the canal'' (Tibbetts
and the French bankers) that I'm addi-
tional benefit will be secured from the
close communication with the tide
water canal and the Susquehanna river
at Havre de Grace, HnOt a great dis
tance from the mouth of the Sassafras
canal" (ship canal, | suppose Well,
yes, the advantage is very decided, for
then there will be two canals across the
Peninsula, running parallel with each
other, ten miles apart, to carry off the
heavy tonnage pouring ont Of said river
and canals every year such as "coal,
lime and lumber" Now it is a matter
Of record that the tonnage from the
PENNSYLVANIA canals, with the toll rev
enue from such, has been decreasing
yearly since 1870-from 100000 tons
yearly to about 10000 tons, and the
toll receipts per annum of $4,000 to
about So, 900 year. Then it is well to
note the fact that a ship canal Of
twenty-one feet in depth" is neces-
sary to carry such tonnage in Pennsyl-
vania canal barges to Philadelphia, even
though the distance be greater by
twenty Or thirty miles than by the
present canal, which last has a depth
Of ten feet. Then again the canal
constructed over the Sassafras route
will form valuable link in chain of
inland navigation between New York
and Charleston, S. C., via /" the Del
aware and Raritan canal'' and the Ches-
apeake bay. The arrangement is well
thought Of by the intelligent gentlemen,
the Messrs. Tibbetts and bankers The
Delaware and Raritan canal has a
depth Of seven and a half feet the
proposed Tibbetts canal is to be twenty
one feet deep, and the southern canals
have less than eight feet. And 50 I
might 60 on referring to all the advan-
tages Of, 4het project and for the moving
Of the vast tonnage between the port
Of Baltimore and eastern ports, but
time will not allow Of it. | have no
desire to sing or speak of the advanta-
ges Of the present canal, which has, SO
far, answered every requirement Of
shippers of merchandise. And yet, /
might add, the time will come when
the Chesapeake and Delaware canal
will be enlarged to meet all the wants
Of the ever increasing tonnage, conse-
quent upon the growth Of our large
cities, such enlargement to be made at
minimum cost Of probably not more
than one-fourth that Of the proposed
unnecessary work.
Pro Bono PUBLICO.