Evening journal., 1894-05-01
MUST HAVE A SHIP CANAL
Baltimore Capitalists Assem-
BILE and Talk it Over.
TO OUT THROUGH THE PENINSULA,

Hours-Even Though Il Cost 10000
600 the Maryland People Would Only
Have to Pay s5 Cents Year Per
Capita.
The governor of Maryland, the mayor
of Baltimore, half dozen City Councilmen
and fifty representative merchants and
manufacturers OF the city. says the Bal
timore News. set the Chesapeake and
Delaware Ship Canal ball rolling at the
City Council chamber yesterday after
noon. They did II In a manner that
promises something more substantial for
the project than enthusiasm, speeches
and resolutions before the next few
months have passed.
It was, as Collector Marine expressed
1t, "a business meeting for a business
purpose" Once or twice the enthusiasm
aroused threatened to break bonds aud
settle then and there the route OF the
canal, disputes over which have killed
every previous project of the kind for
thirty years. But cooler counsel pre-
vailed, and the frst real step, with the
cooperation of the municipal govern
ment and trades organizations, was
taken by naming committee which will
make arrangements for a general public
meeting at an early date and decide what
else is to be done TO make the canal a
reality.
On taking the chair President Seim
announced the object of the meeting,
and had read by Clerk Briscoe of the
| Council, who acted as secretary in the
absence of Councilman Windfelder the
resolutions regarding the project passed
by the Council during the last month
These included a detailed report by
Major Hutton of the Harbor Board, re
gsrding the government surveys for
ship canal, made on the Eastern Shore
ana the estimated cost
Il was shown that Of the many routes
suggested, but three seemed practical
These we're the Sassafras, Choptank and
Elk river, with length of $50, 1919 and
1856 miles respectively, the estimated
cost being SIS, ls4, 1876, $l1, 100000 and
81 005, 600. The entrance to Baltimore
around the capes is 325 miles long, and
Major Hutton placed the saving in time
a snip canal would effect at "a hours.
General AKnus's Address.
Then Chairman Seim called on General
Agnus. who has made a study Of the
canal subject and has recently aroused
considerable interest In the plan among
members of the Merchants aud Manu-
factuiers' Association. He made an
earnest speech and drew comparison
between the size Of Baltimore years age
and it's present standing commercially
and IN population.
But, continued General Agnus, 'ir
spite Of the city's growth our watei
front suffers Fifteen years ago ther,
was no Newport News and Norfolk hat
not attained the commercial inportanc,
she has now. And this meeting is called
to take steps TO stop growth elsewhere
along the South Atlantic coast and give
Baltimore what really belongs to her
She is not pushing ahead as rapidly as
she ought; in fact. In some respects, her
trade is going backward Twenty years
ago Baltimore had 50 per cent of tn.
coal trade of the country and now hes
but per cent. She has been barrel,
holding her own in other lines, while
Newport News has doubled her trade il
year
What was wanted, said General
Agnus, was a South Atlantic port Cnt
this canal across the peninsula, save 2lS
miles, and the port would be established
. and all of Baltimore's traffic would re.
turn, to say nothing Of new trade anC
that now going from Cumberland and by
way of the Severn to Norfolk. HI
pointed out that one steamship line ha'
already been lost, and two more wer
about to abandon this port. But IL til,
canal were an established fact ther,
would be nothing to hinder a large
Mediterranean traffic with Baltimore
which now goes to ports further
North, for the distance to Spanish har-
. bors from here would then be only Rbou
four and half days steaming
The speaker paid some attention to th
Eastern Shore trade now largely goinJ
TO Philadelphia by rail, and thought al
: this might again be diverted back HI
. had no doubt that II the Legislature ha,
!. authority to allow the city to subscribe
! for stock Of the Maryland and Delaware
. Canal Company. which was chartered In
llSS2, but never did any work, It could
+ authorize the counties to do the same.
He thought promotion committee
should be named and fund of $3.50, 90
. raised to investigate and push matters
Il No less thas 10 Western States we're in
q terested in this enterprise he declared
and would either subscribe for stock o.
i. guarantee bonds.
General Agnus closed by slluding &
l. the fact that eve2l If the canal cost 500
= OOO, 900 the interest on that sum woul'
be only 30 cents per capita on Mary
e. lands population, and said it augure'
> well for the scheme that Governor Brow
felt enough interest in it to attend th
meeting.
Committee Appointed.
Mayor Latrobe followed in short ad
dress, in which he pictured the advan
tsges that would undoubtedly accrue T.
Baltimore by this canal. He favored th
municipal government and trade organi
cations moving hand in h md in the mat
ter and said that personally he though
the Choptank route most feasible
At the same time former disputes Of
this subject had to be avoided to schiev
success, aud the mayor moved to hAv
a committee Of Is appointed to arrang
for public meeting soon, select speal
ers for the occasion and generally aid /
educating public sentiment on the cani
idea.
This committee was to consist Of th
present Council appointees, three men
bers from the state at large, to be name
hi nj he