Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-10-15
THE sHIP CANAL.


peakc Bnys-The important WOri
10 be Started soon.
Before Judge Whiteley sitting in orphan
court Mondny the application of JOIN
| II. Biggs, ESQ.,, counsel for the Maryland
Delaware Ship Canal Company asking 70
q commission Of condemnation and awar,
was presented. There was n large attend
ance OF Interested parties, land owners ant
others who were represented by Messrs
Levi O. Bird. John II. Rodney, Hon
Charles B. Lore and Andrew I. Sanborn
Esqs.
After presentation OF the matter tn,
| court granted the application under the
eompany's act of incorporation of 1873, and
named the following well-known Della
wareans to comprise the commission: Johr
| Il. Stotts, Serick +. Shallcross, William II
Cochran, Henry A. Nowland and William
Polk.
There are eight commissions to which
the attention of the commissioners are
directed, five OF which are attributable TO a
disagreement In price between the company
and the property owners, and the. other
three are necessitated by reason of the
properties being in the hands of minors or
entailed. The commissioners are directed
to make promptreturn to the court, which
they will probably do within a month or
two.
By the appointment OF the commission
the last obstacle is about to be removed,
which hns hitherto stood In the way OF
uniting the Delaware and Chesapeake bays.
The right OF way through the State OF
Maryland has been secured by the company
and the same privileges have been l,nr-
chased through this State except in the
eight cases where tho commissioners arc to
condemn the land and made an award OF
damages to the owner. Tho awards will be
promptly paid and the building OF this most
important work will be commenced.
The construction of the tidowater canal
through the Peninsula is perhaps one OF tho
largest engineering schemes ever under
taken in Delaware. The greater part OF the
work to he done IL In this State, md the
estimated cost by the survey for putting the
cuilal IN complete condition is 81, ,458 799, ,98.
The contract has been awarded the firm of
Ferguson IL Fairehild of New York, who
stated this morning that, owing to the re-
cent very great improvements in digging
machinery, the work could be done for less
than $S,000,00
The important water link between the
two bays is to be by what is known ms the
Sassafras loute. and is II miles in length,
10 miles Of which are In Delaware. Its
terminal points are the Sassafras river
which discharges its waters into the Chesa-
peake Bay, and near Liston's Point in the
Delaware Bay. II Is to be 100 wide, 26 feet
deep at low water, side slopes II to foot
with BERN on one side 10 feet wide and 80
feet above bottom. The cost Of excavations
to low water is estimated at "a, ,039 ,470.60.
The great purposes Of the channel is to
shorten the distance between Baltimore and
eastern and European ports and to obviate
the necessity of doubling Cape Charles,
which is always attended with more or less
danger, which is especially great at certain
seasons. By the short cut the distance be-
tween Baltimore by sea and New York and
European ports is shortened 225 miles from
Baltimore and New York via Chesapeake
Bay 475; from Baltimore by ship cana! and
Delaware Bay $50 miles.
It is urged by the canal company that the
artificial water belt will offer the best and
cheapest means of defending the ports OF
Washington, Baltimore, Annapolis, Phila-
delphia, Chester, Wilmington, New York
and New England from any foreign fleet,
and gives entire protection to the mercan-
tile marine by Offering means of retreating
from one bay to the other.
The canal is TO be constructed by q syndi-
cate of capitalists, and the stock Is held in
New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. A
charter under the laws of both states is
owned by the company, which prohibits the
toll charge to exceed 20 cents per ton. It Is
understood the stock is nearly all taken,
enough OF 1t to ensure the compile
tion of tho work, and repre-
sentative of the stockholders stated
to-day that the company had decided
to start the work as soon as the commission
had reported the right of way matter is sat
isfactorily disposed of. The construction
will be pushed forward with all rapidity
when begun, and the canal will be ready
for transportation in the shortest space OF
time that theibest improved machinery and
large forces Of men can complete the enor-
nous undertaking.
The digging OF the channel has been
under consideration for number Of years,
but various stubborn obstacles have pre-
sented themselves until now 1t seems the
last is to be overcome by recourse to the
commission, and the construction Of the
canal is now but question of time enough
to complete the work.