The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-29
JERSEY SHIP CANAL.
PROPOSAL to Construct One
Across the State Meets
With Approval.
PROFESSOR HAUPr'S SCHEME
Interesting Letter on the Subject
by Engineer c. C. Vermeule
Of the Coast Survey.
PROFESSOR HAUPTS SCHEME
Special 10 the Jersey Citu Meas.

Special TO the Jersey Cit1 Nsies.
TRENTON, Dec. 90, 1s93.-At the meeting
of the Board of Trade last evening the sub
ject of a ship canal received much atten-
ton. Professor Louis NJ. Haupt, of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, spoke on the sub
ject. He contended that the tiiue was now
ripe for the ship canal across New Jersey, a
project which was, at tine time Of the build
ing of the Erie Canal. first outlined. II
present was an age of ship canals, and no
cheaper method of transportation could be
found. The Manchester ship canal, thirty
five miles long, with great physical Difficult
ties TO undergo, and opposition to overcome,
cost SO, 000,0 900. 1t was built solely because
of the expense OF terminal facilities at Liver
pool. The proposed canal would be of lesser
length, smaller cost and greater advantage.
The two canals, one connecting the Della
ware and Raritan, and the other the Della
ware and Chesapeake, would benefit n sec
ton containing 100000 people. The
cities alone contain over 1,o1,UOO popula-
ton. Cheap transportation entered into all
manufacturing industries in affe cting their
success. All the seaports along the Atlantic
were from 20 to l20 miles inland.
The of the Chesapeake amount
Ell 70 lt,OOO,OUU OOuS. bldb u blc OHldANdt0 W
l.. 1000, 900 tons; the Hudson to 15,000,0 600
tons. and the New York harbor to f5.000,000
The tonnage of the Suez Canal was from
100000 to 100000 tons. Ii only 100000
tons should pass through the canal annually
it would pay a handsome revenue.
SHOULD BUILD 1T.
E Professor Haupt held that it would not be
wise to have the canal built bypriyate enter
prise. 1t should be built by the Government
and made free to commerce. 1t would be a
calamity to have a private ownership and
tolls collected. 1t would be unwise for the
State to own it and levy tolls on the COM
merce of other States.
Another reason he advanced for the canal
was its advantage from a humane stand
point. The Superintendent of the Life Saw
ing Service in his annual report showed the
loss from Cape Cod to Cape HatteraS. in PA
casualties to be % per cent. of the So, 7SS, 900
worth of property endangered, and per
cent. of the LAO lives endangered. The
annual loss, capitalized, would build the two
canals.
The canal across New Jersey would, &C
cording to the plans, be dug through clay
and mari, from a point near Bordentown to
the Raritan near New Brunswick, a distance
of thirty-three and three-quarteIS miles. 1t
would pass one mile east of Trenton, and for
twelve miles would occupy the bed of the
RaTitan Canal, and then follow the beds of
the Stony Brook and Laurel Brook. The
summit level would be fifty-six feet. Tun-
nels would be made for all railroads to pass
under the canal.
The distance saved would be $50 miles.
The seventy-five miles run would be made in
twelve hours, more or less, including the
locking. 1t would cost $25, 000, 900 to buildit
for the largest steamers of twenty-seyen feet
draught.
President Hill expressed regrets that Prof.
Smock, the State Geologist, could not be
present, as he was an enthusiastic advocate
nf fHn hin 4r,- --lr11 Al -
prepare a map showing the route, and it had
been turned over to G. c.. Vermeule. hydro
graphic engineer of the New jersey coast
survey. That gentleman had sent the map,
accompanied with the following letter.
ENGINEER v~ERMEULE'S
December &c. 1898.
Mr.. Edmund c. Hill, President of the Trenton
Board of Trdde:-
DEAR SRI send you today a map showing
the route of the proposed ship canal to connect
Raritau Bay and the Delaware River. The
location has been selected with the following
points in view
Avoidance OF crossing important lines of rail-
way; the SECURING Of long levels: the intersec-
ton of natural water courses at or near their
natural level, and the utilization of the present
feeder of the Delaware and Raritan Canal as q
source of water supply. The location Is also one
which Will give as direct a route as possible
across New Jersey, and keeps in MUD. as any
feasible project must, the ultimate connection
Of New York Bay with the Delaware, the
chesapeake, and still more southern waters.
1 have not -ontemplat a sea level canal, as /
do not regard this as feas ible. The proposed
canal will allow us to make ali crossings of
highways and railways. excepting possibly
the road at Monmouth Junction. by
This possibility of avoiding draw bridges
win Inearly. or quite. compensate for
any disadvantage which may b. due to
locks. You wild notice that 1 have proposed a
branchsfrom Lawrence Staff on to connect with
the present Delaware and Raritan Canal, and
au enlargement OF the latter SO as 10 afford
cOuu0ctiOQ with fha heart Of Trel1f0 Tho
lower level of the present. canal toward Bor-
dentown could also be utilized as a branch.
Trenton is also well adapted for basins and
quays. In short, the shipping facilities at
trenton could readily be adapted to the needs
OF a very important commerce. al CENTRE which
no doub, that place would become.
The canal proper will be thirty miles in length,
but there will be Invol we'd a considerable amount
of dredging in both the Raritan and Delaware
depth as that of the Manchester Canal
The bottom width 10 be 100 feet, and the width
of the water line PA feet. The locks may either
be in flights or in a single lift of fifty-six feet. or
about what Las been proposed for some OF those
on the Nicaragua canal. They should be in sets
of about three OF different sizes ia order to &C.
commodate the various classes of vessels. l
have estimated for one of 65x600 feet, one of
35Ox50 feet and one of 150x30 feet. The con
ditions for construction are extremely favor
able. and estimating in q liberal way | make the
whole cost about $32, 600. 600. The Manchester
canal cost a little over S2,000,000 a mile, but
there the conditions were more difficult, and a
considerable expense was incurred in building
quays at Manchester and other points and shift
ing the locations of railways.
The advantages of such a canal have been
brought before the public heretofore. II built
of the size here indicated, it will be not only of
great commercial Importance. but a valuable
measure Of defense. II continued to Chesa-
peake Bay along the line of the present Della.
ware and Chesapeake Canal, its value would be
Indicated roughly by the accompanying table of
distances
Nsvigable Distances
Present Route, via Canal
Miles, Miles.
Philadelphia to open
Sea.--.-..s.. -. iW ~
Philadelphia to New
York....-...... ssG 90