The Washington critic., 1889-06-05
INSPECTING THE CANAL.
How the Big Ditch Looks Throughout
Its Length.


How tho Big Ditch Looks Throughout
Its Length.
A special from Hagerstown to the
Baltimore Sun says: "Mr. Edward Mu
vaney, superintendent of the second di-
vision of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, arrived in Williamsport late yes.
lcrday evening from Cumberland. lie
left Cumberland on Sunday afternoon
and with difficulty made his way along
the towpath on horseback, on foot, and
at times was obliged TO wade through
water. He reports the canal in bad con
dition and says that the people along
the canal arc very much distressed over
the result of the Hood.
They fear the canal will never be re.
built and that their occupation is goue
Hc reports that the basin at Cumbcr-
land is filed up with wash, and that
there arc two small breaks on the nine.
mile level below Cumberland and the
towpath Is washed for one mile six
inches deep. On the next level, a one.
mile level, there is little or no damage.
Tn the next, the eight-milc level, the
towrath at Patterson's Creek bridge is
half washed away for 200 yards, and
there is a small washout at Little's road.
There is large break at the culvert
below Kelly's farmhouse. On the bcrme
side 100 feet of tho bottom of the canal
Is washed out sixty feet through the
bank and ten feet below the bottom of
the canal. Onthe two-milc level below
Old Town the mule bridge at the cul.
vert over the road is carried away. The
timbcrs are close by. The towpath il
washed eighteen inches deep for 300
feet, and the bed of the canal is filled
up two feet deep for 200 yards.
On the three.milc level Mt Town
Creek the top of the guard bank is
washed of for one mile, two feet deep.
There are bad washes at Town Creek
on both sides of the canal. AT Darkcy's
lock there is a break seventy.five feet
long and three feet below the bottom of
the canal. The bed of the canal is
filled in two feet for 300 yards. On the
seven. mile, or tunnel level, IL is badly
washed from the tunnel to the twenty
four-mile stake. There is a large break
at the twenty -four.mile stake, and one
at Mathews farm 100 feet long and two
feet below the bottom of the canal.
Everything is all right at the tunnel
and tunnel locks. On the one-milc
level below the tunnel the towpath is
washed for one.half mile. On the four
mile level there are bad washes.
For two miles one foot is washed of
the towpath, and there Is much filing
in the bottom Of the canal. There are
heavy washes at Twigg's lock, on the
Brick House level. There are bad
washes and fills and break at the
Brick House lock, and the copings and
wall of lock badly damaged.
On the two-mile level the canal Is
entirely filed up for 200 yards by
slide from the mountain side, and the
towpath is badly washed. On the five.
mile level the towpath is badly washed,
and at McCauley's Bend the towpath is
washed out its entire width to the bo-
tom of the canal The backing still
stands, The wastc.wcir at Orleans
aqucduct is washed out. Below Little
Orleans there is II break 100 feet long.
On the three mile level the towpath Is
entirely washed away for nearly mile
and the canal badly filed. AT Sliding
Hill aquecsdct there is bad break, and
the wooden trunk at the aqucduct Is
carried away, but the masonry is all
right.
At dam No. 6 the shcctng is of the
upper side Of the dam for 200 feet,
and on'the lower side 100 feet of the
crib or sheeting lately put on is of.
There is a large gap about twenty feet
wide in the lower crib, extending to the
bottom. All the embankments around
the feeder are gone and the bank is
washed away.
The next, the four.mile level, Is badly
washed and filed. There is small
break above lock 50 and the lock.house
is destroyed. The next, the seven mile
level. is badly washed. The fourteen
mile level is in bad shape. At Licking
Creek Aqueduct there is Il break 100
feet long. The bridge from the pike
lodged against the aqueduct and caused
il TO overflow. At the Big Pool the
towpath is washed for one mile one and
one-half feet deep, and there is . break
above the overflow sixty feet long and
six feet below the bottom Of the canal
The towpati at the lower end of the
Big Pool is washed out three or four
feet for 400 yards, and there Is a break
below the Big Pool 100 feet long and
Two feet below the bottom of the canal.
On the two-mile level below Four
Locks the canal Is badly washed to
Charles Mill, and all the embankment
about the guard lock at dam No. and
the stone wall Of the guard bank are
gene. On the Williamsport level there
are slight washes, and the bridge across
The canal al Falling Waters Is gone,
A number of canal boats are washed
out in the fields, and some of them
badly damaged Kclley's Company
boat is washed in field below Cum
bcrland. The rest of the company
boats are all right Nearly all the
waste way bridges along the canal are
zone. Mr.. Mulvancy says he went
llong the canal Immediately after the
iood Of 1887, and he thinks twice as
much damage has been done by the
PRESENT flood as that of 1877.
The first definite information con.
'crning the town OF Hancock was gotten
tom MI. Mulyaney. Bridges & Hen.
crsou's Cement Works there are badly
maged. The work-house. cooper
~, engipc-house and large quan,