Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1889-01-25
DELAWARE AND VIRGINIA.

Jay III NlEinlh. ne cdudit Wlth Noh-
pleted, will open up TO commerce the
eastern part of Sussex county, Del, |
Worcester county, Md. and Accomac
county, Va. II will be nearly 20 miles
long, 20 feet wide, with depth Of feet
at mean low water throughout The
work viii be done under the supervision
of the United States engineers, and for
IL $40 600 have been appropriated by
Congress, and it is expected that this
sum will be increased by further apprO-
priations. The state Of Delaware has
given 81, 500 to buy the right Of way for
the canal from those owners who cannot
afford TO donate il.
The route Of the proposed canal begins
near Lewes and proceeds up Lewes creek,
which thirty years ago was nGvigable
The remains of a stone wharf are still TO
be seen more than a mile above Lewes,
where tradition says the bricks used in
building Cape Henlopen lighthouse were
rnloaded from brig which brought
them from England The creek has
filled up and the water above the mouth
OF Broadxill creek is only about a foot
deep.
The canal follows the bed of the stream,
diverging at q point four miles above
Lewes, by q smaller branch. which con
tinues toward the coast aud Rehoboth bay.
finding its head in chain Of fresh water
ponds connecting il and the marshes with
the head Of Rehoboth bay, about eight
miles from Lewes Passing down the Re
hoboth bay for five miles the route crosses
the Indian river bay distance Of three
and one half miles, and then to reach
Little Assawoman bay, distance Of FIVE
miles, the channel would follow the line
OF marshy ponds and bitches, passing
through what are called fresh"
and salt ponds until Miller's creek
is reached, and after passing through
Little Assawoman by a distance Of
four and a-half miles, big, or Asawo
man bay proper. is reached. The channel.
as proposed, leads down this bay for FIVE
miles to the head of Isle of Wight bay.
and through this bay to the head Of
Sinepuxent bay, near Ocean City, the
distance being three and three-quarter
miles
From the entrance to the Sinepuxent
bay there is already channel navigable
most of the distance Of twentysix miles
to Chincoteague inlet OF the entire dis
lance of seventy five miles about sixty
miles are now navigable, while fifteen
miles are to be improved by dredging
and cleaning out tie connecting water
ways,
The channel of Lewes creek and the
marshes and ponds between IL and Reho-
both bag must be dredged. Large sand
flats stretch out from the beach side of
the bay, and are caused by easterly storm
tides sweeping across from the ocean and
carrying the loose beach sand with them.
The smallest vessels are now compelled
20 ffrl.t s..a Ia. II
being consumed sometimes in getting
over 1t. Several attempts have been
made to obliterate this obstruction or
bulkhead, as it is more commonly called.
Twenty five years ago temporary rslief was
secured by closing all the smaller chan.
nels by dykes, but a storm swept them
away. Eight years ago a narrow channel
was dredged through the bulkhead, but
it has since filed up completely. In 1882
Congress appropriated $40. 600 to dig a
channel through the shoals and maintain
il by dykes. and this too, has nearly
closed up.
From the northern end Of Little ASA
woman bay TO the head of Chincoteague
Island the bays are separated from the
ocean by low, sandy spit. and in heavy
gales the waters of the bay and ocean
meet, but the only outlet at present Is
that at 0hNcoteague. New inlets have
been opened. however, in former years.
only TO be closed again by tine same winds
and tides. In June, 1921, a heavy gale
opened Sandy Point inlet with one foot
of water, but in 1881 it was closed by
natural causes. Green Point inlet was
cut Though the beach during a gale in
1887, and was closed seven years later
Old SinepuXent inlet. which was opened
by the sea about sixty years before was
closed in 1881. These three inlets were
within space Of three miles. and were
all north of Chincoteague village Green
Run inlet, which was also opened bv n
heavy gale, had depth of about six feet
OF water for nearly ten years. 1t closed
about forty five years ago. after shifting
nearly half o mile south of its original
position.
Owing to the stagnation of the waters
in the uppers bays and in the northern
part of Chincoteague bay the oyster
grounds are at present limited in their
extent. The opening Of the passage be-
tween these waters and Indian River bay
win give the needed outlet to the north.
and create .. circulation Of the waters,
bringing into use nearly seventy square
miles of ground suitable for oyster plant
ing. Oysters from this section have been
celebrated for many years for their ex-
cellence The channels which viii be
constructed between the Laws will be pro
tec,ea from the waves Of the ocean, and
the circulation Of the water which they
will cause will widen aud deepen them.
ard will maintain the channel through
tho bulkhead The passages, or bitches
as they are called, were cut through tie
necSlof land which at that time connected
Burtons Island with the main land by a
| farmer owning the land in order to keep
his cattle from straying This was
nearly ninety years ago, but during
the years that have followed the water
has enlarged them until they are nsVlga-
BILE
The exports for the year 1887 from In
dian river and Rchuboth bay alone
amounted to sac, 000, ana the imports
$S7 900. Along these waters are twenty
two sawmills, and ON the waters soutl
from Little Assawcnan bay to Chinco
league there are about forty sawmills
capable of an annual supply of lumber
of nearly 150. 000 900 feet and representing
a capital Of 81, 500, 000 The cord -wooC
now standing in the forests along tn,
bays and streams easily reached by YES
sells when this canal is finished, is mex
haustible but not now marketable owinl
to the lack of transportation facilities
The area of country to be benefite,
) by the canal is 400 square miles
by producing a current through tn
) bays, says Assistant United States En-
, gineer Charles NJ Bird, in his report
e an area of about 40 square miles of Oys