The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-05-25
miscellaneous.
The Susquehanna and Tide Water
Canal.


Although the Susquehanna canal is not in
Hartford county, Its completion, as Will be
shown, had no small influence on the inter
csts and the actions OF our citizens and there
fore ii enters legitimatcly into our local his
tory. This work, although so insignificant
in extent, derives no little importance from
the fuct that it was the very first work of the
kind actually commenced in the United
States, though several had been projected in
Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
As the Little Pioneer of our Big bitches"
it had all the pioneer peculiar difficulties to
contend with, which irCt gives its history II
smack of iovcly. T'.c object Of the enter
prise was 10 convey produce around the
rocky raj 'As, which nc navigable only dur
ing Il frcsHet, and ever hen in but one direc
ton.
The CHI gtCr was gr ated by the Lcgsla
tuyr in he NOvemj session, 11S3-Only
three MOI tbs after on Independence was nc
kmowlcdg al by Great Britain, and the work
WAS begun ut once. Among the nCOrpOratOrs
(whO had already subscribed f1S,j0O of the
100000 required by the act,) were VIM. Aug
Justine Washington, Charles Carroll OF Car
rollton, VIM. Russell Zone of the leading iron
manufacturers Of the United States and
more than forty others, some of them of lIar-
ford and Cecil, but mostly citizens of Balti
more. The title Of the act was, "An act for
making the river Susquehanna navigabc
from the line of this State TO tide water"
certainly Il misnOmcr, since canal built
outside the banks Ola river, as this one, does
not make that river any more navigabe
than it WAS before. The work was to begin
before the first of October, 1884, and com,
pIcICd within seven years. The number of
shares signed was twenty, of $1,000 each.
one-flnh to he paid every three months, begin
ming on the LIST of April, 1854; the payments,
when necessary, to be enforced by legal
process. The owners of land through which
the canal was to pass were to "havC full lib
cTty to become subscribers at any time be-
fore the first day of June next, if application
be made before subscriptions are filled up"
This indicates that it was thought the work
might possibly be completed for 10000
about $4,000 If this was So it was q
rOseate view which was soon to be dspeled
The company was authorized TO purchase
lands contiguous 10 the canal, to be condemn
ed If necessary, provided the whole amount
should not exceed 200 acres. These lands
were intended for the erection of grain mills
and saw-mills along the canal, which was to
supply the water 10 operate them, the grain
to be derived from the fertile regions of Penn
sylvania, and the timber from her piney
MOUNTAINS, DOtu llOuI anu Iullutl W
their chief market in Baltimore Hence it
was that Philadelphians threw every OBJ
stace in the way of the completion of the
canal, which, when extended northwest, as
contemplated, would tap the centre of their
State and drain its riches in the lap Of a rival
CITY.
The act required the lnCOrp0ratOrs to meet
at IIavrc de Grace in the following February
and elect Governor and three directors. At
tie same session of the Legislature a supple
mcnt were passed relating to tolls in which
these words occur, land whereas the said
corporaLors have already made considerable
progress in the said undertaking and are
prosecuting the same with great activity"
and so on; which certainly shows that the
company were no laggards in starting. This
supplement contained n clause making the
canal, the locks and other works real estate,
and exempting them from all taxation I;
which clause, however, was afterwards re-
pcalcd. In 1900 "thc canal being began and
progress made therein but not being fully
completed" the time originally fixed for its
completion was extended eight years, and
the company were authorized to increase
their shares 10 thirty, making total thus far
of 100000
In 1895 II competing company was inaug-
uraled. During the November session of
that year the Assembly was pelitiOncd by
James Wilson, Samuel Hughes, Gabriel
Christie, Mark Pringle, Gideon Dawson,
John Hall, and John Lee Gibson, seven of
the most prominent citizens OF Hartford
county, ain behalf OF themselves and Others"
who Represented that in agreement had been
entered in u between item and certain citizens
of seven counties of Pennsylvania (Which
are name } DO: jcrinl on the Susquehanna,
for rcmov ny the obs nCtions and improv-
ing the navigate n of re bed of that river
and that Ncrti ms for mt purpose were then
making. They thercI re ask for authority to
raise by 10 terry $500 by means OF two tracts
adjoining tIavre de C.uce, (which they are
DESTROYS G laying out INTO lots and annexing
to that own" wherctur il was enacted that
the Commissioners of Ilavre dc Grace cause
said land "to be laid out into lots, streets,
lanes and alleys, which shall be part of said
town; and that the petitioners are authorized
! to carry out every scheme ola lottery TO raise
not exceeding $4,000 to be applied as afore-
said, but some of il 10 the opening or improv-
ing of the Susquehanna canal" Of course
it was understood that the citizens of Penn
sylvania, in the counties concerned, as above
stated, were to raise II proportionate share 10
improve tho navigation Of their part of the
river.
This combination seems to hive been the
germ which gradually developed into the
| Tide Water Canal Company, which, forty
years afterwards swallowed up the parallel
and rival line. 1t is difficult 10 say what
started the fatal rivalry, possibly the appre-
tensions of lIavre de Grace, that Port Deposit
/ if re -infOrced by Il canal, with its terminus
there, would soon overshadow her unless
counteracted or neutralized by vigorous action
on her part The Pennsylvanians were no
doubt actuated by the hope that if compel
/ ing line was constructed their produce would
! get cheaper transportation to a market.
In the November session, 1897, IN addi-
tional supplement TO the original act, was
passed authorizing subscriptions Tor ten
more shares of $1,000 each (making total
| Of 100000 double the amount first autho-
rized) and the time for the completion OF
the work was further extended to the Isl OF
December, 1905. Two years later the company
were empowered to add fifty more shares "the
amount of each share to be determined at a
meeting of the company within six months
A section of the bill required the company
to expend $4,000 within five years from that
date, in opening and clearing the bed Of the
river; when they should be entitled to half
tolls arising from the navigation thereof
that is, TO half the rates already fixed for the