The Wilmingtonian., 1886-01-30
BaItimore's Ambition.

Baltimore's Ambition.
1t would seem that the parallelsma used
by Mayor Hodges Monday last, in his an
nual message to the Common Council of
Baltimore when dilating upon the prospec-
tive advantages of the Delaware and Ches-
apeake Ship Canal are something quite uni
que in the way of illustration of minute
economical calculation iu the matter of
transport over the great International high
ways and their feeders. He said:
'tIt will supplement our shorter inland
route to the agricultural districts of the west,
from which section the bulk of the cereal
product available for export is drawn, by
cheapening its costs Of transportation, and
thus effectively meeting the competition
which the investment of English capital
uuder the fostering, care of the British
government is developing in her
Ind an possessions; which competition is
rapidly growing more formidable and threat.
ems to almost exclude us from the European
markets.
A cursory glance over the direct transpor-
tatiou lines from the agricultural districts of
the west to the Lverpnol market some six
thousand miles, would cause one to wonder
how ship canal Of some thirty or forty
miles, even were it found in the general
wheat traffic zone (Which extends almost one
hundred miles north of Baltimore and almost
excludes New York itself) could affect the
cheapening of. transcontinental grain rates
to Baltimore. most marked detour would
be necessary in order to make that city a
grain shipping port for the great wheat grow
,eipg Districts cf Tic Northern states aud Can
ada. The merchants Of New York are
alredy viewing with alarm how that the
Chicago and ST. Paul wheat markets find
quicker and more advantageous passage for
their grain by shipping by the still more
northerly route of Montreal and shutting
out even the ancient traffic line of the Wei
land canal, thus demonstrating that New
York itself is south'of the direct grain line
to Liverpool Where then are Mayor Hod-
ges ideas of commercial geography gained :?
The Delaware and Chesapeake Ship Canal
may undoubtedly bc useful for commercial
purposes as supplemental water way for
the carriage Of products of a more southerly
zone than that of the grain belt; its infiu-
ence and advantages may clearly be seen
there, but to affect in any commensurate de-
degree the international grain trade is a
preposterous anticipation and in no way
justiiiable by commercial facts except per
haps in The over sauguine Imagination Of
our Baltimore neighbors.
The southerly DETECTION from tbs direct
route between the producing region and the
market, needed in order 10 utilizt the port
of Baltimore as grain and shipping port
and the comparatively iufnitesimal advar.
tage of the new ship canal for the specia
product referred to would be about as inAu
ential arguments to change or modify The
grain route as would the constructing Of {
connecting railroad line between the obscure
Peninsula villages of Snow Hill ant
Loretto in order that that the pub
lie may with added facility MAKE
connection at Broad street station, Phladel
phia between the Washington and New
York through express trains. The one
about as pointed an argument as the other
Perhaps some half a dozen strangers frou
down state might advantage by the building
of that connecting link, but as to how
would advantage the general traveln
public over the United States or the Penn
sylvania Railroad system is not 80 readil
apparent.