Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-07-26
Tho e 4 O. Canal Situation.

them officially. Ii they can Suggest
no remedy, as seems probable, tney
will report their helpless condition 10
a general meeting of the stockholders
The next step, unless measures 1or re-
lief can be found, will bethe appoint
ment of receiver.
President Gambrill said on Monday
in reference to the crisis In the affairs
of the canal: 1.-The waterway Is prac-
tically useless to us now, owing W
the heavy damage from the receh'
flood We have done all we could 10
nut it once more in working oruer'
hut orr efforts have been futile. Inc
$500 900 repair bonds which were Is
sued find no takers, owing to general
feeling that they will provean unsafe
investment. We have advertised tor
proposals to make the repairs oiler-
ing to pay for them in toll certinca'es
IF twenty per cent, but have not had
q single bid. Five coupons OF the
bonds have matured without takers
coming forward, and under the stlpu-
lo+ions q receiver can be asked 1or
when only three have been passed..
There seems to be no prospect that
either the bonds will be taken or any
bidders for repairs will come forward.
If we cannot settle our troubles oy
August / shall report to the direc-
tors and they in turn Will state the
facts To the stockholders. If we can
do nothing then the management OF
the canal will pass into the hands OF
the courts.
Repairs have been made TO only
two sections of the canal. Inc
Georgetown level, which eAtehos
from the mills in Georgetown, u. w.
70 +ha dam between four and 1--WE
miles I'D the bed, will soon be III con
ditiop. A number OF mlilers derive
their water-power from the canal De-
,ya.n those points, and they have
taken the question of repairs INTO
their own firm, have been awarded
the contract at $13, $50, together with
So $50 for repairs to the feeder anu
feeder gates. The entire work Will
be finished in about two weeks. IL
is going on under the supervision OF
myself and Division superintendent
/ b. Biser, of the canal. The amount
has been raised by the millers ana
deposited in bank by Mr. George
w. Cissel. representing their interests,
and myself. The total of Sl6'oooi Is
accepted by the canal management
as an advance of the rent the mliiers
have to pay. 1t will amount TO tha1
in two years.
1.-THE other portion Of the canal re
haired is the stretch of Twenty-Five
miles between Cumberland ana Ihe
lumber mills of Frederick Mertens q
Sons. The firm is now running BOATS
upon it. The section was repaired
Inv the Messrs. Mertens at cost OF
50 OOo for which they will be REIN
bursed in the event the repair bonds
are sold. No other repairs have been
made beyond patching up u Few
holes for letting the canal water
from dam No. into Hancock, Nd,
and from dam No. into William
sport.
..With regard to the conference be-
tween myself, Directors Berrett' NC
Clure and Dobbin, representing the
canal. and Messrs. Victor Cushwa'
lanes Finday and F. H. Darby, rep
resenting interests i'll WlliiaihsporV,
which conference was held at the Car
rolton Hotel on July 9, must say
that the delegation made us no stated
proposition. They simply asked now
we would consider their plan. Ihelr
idea was to go to work and repair the
canal between Merten's Mills ana
Williamsport, and run it between
those points themselves until they
could be reimbursed by the receipts
from tolls. We informed them that
as managers for the stockholders we
could not accept such a proposition,
which would be nothing more than
surrendering the canal to outside
parties. The claim of the three VIII
Transport gentlemen that they could
do the work for one-half the cost es-
timated by us cannot be accepted as
a lust one. Our estimate was SoO,Ooo
for the entire Cumberland division,
which is one hundred miles long. 1t
extends from Cumberland to dam NO.
4. or thirty-nine out of the one hun
dred miles. Then again our estimate
was rpermanent repairs, while their
scheme was only to restore navigation
temporarily The directors placed
the cost of running the entire Cum
berland division, including the wharf
at the northern terminus, at S2,'OO a
month, while the Williamsport con
ferees stated their belief that 81, 800
would be sufficient for the same pc
Rod. They formed their opinions
upon the supposition THAT they woulu
not have to pay lock tenders and
other employees during the dull sea-
son. which is not correct.
The best way l see just now of
settling the troubles with which the
canal management is confronted, is
to prosecute the repairs on receivers
certificates, which would come iii be- |
fore all other claims for payment in
the event of foreclosure of the mort |
cages held by the State and other
parties. II the people doing business |
along the route choose they can pay |
the expenses themselves and put in a
new management. The situation is a
critical one for the canal, and see