Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-17
OUR MAIL POUCH.
RenIy In Riyermau.

To the Editor of The Dispatch:
While heartily indorsing the attitude of The
DISPATCH on the Trans-Allegheny Canal
project, your correspondent cannot but lament
the fact that in booming" the 'MorgantOwn
route" many friends of the project. both in this
State and in Maryland are having their atten-
tion directed to an utterly impracticable project
and away from the only scheme, to connect the
Ohio with the Potomac. which has the sanction
of engineering authorities.
believe the tNuble dates from the first COM
munication of "R1verman," and l see from
Saturdays paper that he still sticks to his idea.
This might not be SO bad if others, following in
his wake, had not come to the conclusion that
there must be something in the talk of route
via Morgantown, for excepting as "Riverman"
suggests, it is only feasible by boring tunnel
the entire distance, and. of course, on that
plan there are airline routes from here to New
York-or to China Just as well. He appears TO
think that the waters of the MOnongahela in
the neghborhood of Morgantown, and those OF
the Potomac at Cumberland, are at about the
same level, and accordingly If tunnel was D ut
through from one place to the other it would
be continuous pool without current. etc.
The elevation of the river at Morgantown is
7S9 feet above mean tide. The Potomac at
Cumberland is COL feet above the same datum.
q
guire. say, IS locks from the eastern portal OF
the tunnel to reach Cumberland. However
the Is locks is small matter compared with the
tunnel he would have to build. which would be.
say, from Morgantown to Kevser, "a miles
above Cumberland. length of 80 miles in all,
or twice the length and necessarily larger
tunnel than that proposed under the English
Channel, between Calais and Dover. There
would be small hope of shafting to expedite the
work upon such tunnel for if it passed be-
Cheat nrODlDly would
near Rowlsburg, it would be 100 feet low
eer, or under the Youghiogheny River
be the near next lowest which notch would Il
would be over quarter of a mile beneath that
stream. Deep shafts cost fabulous sums to
construct and add enormously to the cost of
excavation. There has been no engineering
project undertaken within ancient or modern
times presenting half the difficulties that would
be encountered in such a vast undertaking as
large canal tunnel so miles long would present.
1t must be remembered that unless the tunnel
was large enough to pass boats, with ample
margin of depth beneath them, they would in
going through drive the water out ahead of
them, as piston would in cylinder. Tunnels
on the French canals have had to he enlarged
on account of this very difficulty. As for going
fast through tunnel, unless it be made incon-
ceivably large, it would be physically imDOssi-
Bile for steamer to do it, and river man
ought to know the reason why.
The canal tunnel, even if it were built on an
air line from Morgantown to Cumberland,
WOulu D6 THAN L0e 1OuR0 route. lis
tance to Morgantown 102 miles, MOrgantown on
an air line to Cum mberland-about 20 miles, total
172 miles. Whereas by Colonel Merrilrs survey
the distance via the Yough, Castleman and
Willis Greek route to Cumberland. is only l52
miles, 1t is to be granted, of course, that the
tunnel route would be infinitely preferable on
account of the small amount of iockage it
would prevent. but why talk about the imprac-
ticable?
Again, Riverman, rather delusively, think,
presents to his readers the picture of this canal
doing q business of 30000000 tons annually.
This is an amount by 5000, 900 tons greater than
the entire annual business of the great lakes,
including the 5000 600 tons of iron ore, the en-
tire grain, and the coal trade. A prospective
business of 5000, 600 tons of freight per annum
is enough to warrant the construction of a good
canal. and good, big canals are the only things
TO be thought of these days.
Colonel MerrilPs suggestion to your washing
ton correspondent is good one, viz: That
Maryland should cede her rights in the Cbesa-
peake and Ohio Canal to the United States. and
then let the general government go ahead and
carry out "WashingtOn's proiect"-and the
project of the engineers of 1S24-6 and 1915,
viz. the short-lfne route via the Youghiogheny;
but for goodness sake don't let us scare Uncle
Sam into believing that he is to be called upon
to make 50-mile tunnel. PAsCHALL.
PITTsBURG, March II.