Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-04-15
A BIG CANAL SCHEME
Proposed Waterway t. Connect
Washington and Boston.
ron DEFENsE m TINE OF WAR

Colossal Canal for Naval Defense from
Washington 10 baltimore. philadelphlas
New York and no~ton. with Heaaquar.
sers II League Island. Il the pian rro.
posed In Philadelphia.
pTsILApEIrHIA. April 15.-There Is
great scheme on foot among number
cf entesprising business men OF this city
to place before congress plan BY which
the most important section of the At
lantic coast will be prot tected from an III.
vasion by any hostile men-of-wur, and
by which Philadelphia will become the
greatest naval centre Of the United
States. Secretary Tracy's recent visit
to this city and the admiration he ex.
pressed for the unrivaIed facilities
which League island has for a first class
naval station and shipbuilding yard.
have had the effect OF stirring matters
up.
These citizens have arranged a scheme
which they consider feasible, and VIII
liam b. Eltonheat. the civil engineer. has
already drawn plans for the construction
of ship channels. 10 run practically i'm
direct line from Washington to Boston.
and to connect with all the principal
towns and cities, for purposes of coast
defense.
All naval officers who have inspected
League island say that there Is not spot
in the United States better suited for q
harb0r for mcn-of-war, and officials who
have been asked about the channel
scheme admit of its practicability, and
think the government could in no way
adopt better measure for the protection
of the Seaboard cities.
Secretary Tracy viewed the back
channel, the stream which separates
League Island from the main land. and
he then remarked that 1t is the best and
most capacious fresh water harborage
for war vessels in the United States.
The idea of the citizens who have
taken the matter in hand is to first se-
cure the construction of connecting en-
mails. and then make this channel the
rendezvous of the American navy.
During the civil war the back channel
was selected by the department over all
other spots in the country as the hest
anchorage for all vessels not in active
seryiSe.
According to the plans arranged, ii is
proposed to cut a wide and deep channel
from d point near the head OF Chesa-
peake to point near the head Of Della
ware bay, New Castle being the obiec-
tive point. This canal would be. per-
haps, fifteen miles long. Another canal
about twenty-five miles long would then
he constructed from the Chesapeake,
near Annapolis, through to the Potomac,
entering that river at point about OPP
posite Alexandria. This would give the
capital ample protection, as man-of-
war could be dispatched there from
League island in an incredibly short
| time.
Then the scheme includes ship canal
from point on the Delaware river below
Boidentown straight across New L~-sev
to Raritar bay. from which point there
is natural deep water communication
with New York, Jersey City and Brook
lyn and all the cities and towns along
Long Island sound. The long sea trip
from New Bedford, Mass, or Newport to
Boston around the strip Of land on which
Cape Cod is located would be e0bviated BY
cutting canal few miles from Buzz
yards bay to Cape Cod bay, and thus
there would be continuous deep water
navigation between Washington and
Boston and by a practically straight
line. The Cape Cod part Of the enter
prise is an old scheme and is practicable.