Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-13

CAPE COD AND THE PROPOSED CANAL. ect than the comparatively insignificant engineering difficulties that had to be overcome. The earliest reference to it of which we have authentic record is found in the diary of Chief Justice Sam uel Sewall under the date of Oct. 26, 1876, but the wording of the entry plain ly shows that it was even then matter of more or less general discussion.
 In 1897 the general court appointed 8 commission of three eminent citizens ito view a place for a passage to be cut through the land in Sandwich from Barnstable bay to Manomet bay for yes sells to pass through to and from the western parts of the country, it being thought by many persons to bevery nec- essary for the preservation Gf men and estates, and that it will be profitable and useful to the public"
 Whatever the commission may have recommended, nothing came of it, and the following century was as barren of results. The canal scheme was not en- tirely lost sight of, however, though it was not till after the British had evacu- ated Boston that an eminent citizen of the commonwealth received the follow ing letter from a gentleman who may be remembered still as having exercised some small influence upon the destinies of the then rebellious colonies:
 NEW YORK, June 10 1776.
 SIR-Congress having requested my attend ance in Philadelphia, was in that city when your letter of the 11th ultimo came to this place. This days post therefore affords me the first opportunity of acknowledging the ceipt of it.
 am hopeful that you applied to General Ward and have received all the assistance that MT. Machin could give in determining upon the practicability of cutting canal between Barnstable and Buzzards bay ere this, as the great demand we have for engineers in this de- partment. Canada, etc., has obliged me to der Mir. Machin here to assist in that branch of business.
 I thank you most heartily for your kind con- gratulations on the departure of troops from Boston and am, with very great esteem, sir.
 Your most obedient, humble servant,
 G. WASHINGTON.
 Hon. James Bowdoin, Boston.
 MT. James Machin, however, got leave of absence somehow, made his survey that same year, and his estimates, amount ing to @, ,14S Is. 3d., with sketch map of the proposed route, were laid before the Massachusetts general court and fa- vorably commended. But it was no time for canal building. The colonial treas uries were empty, or nearly so, and money could be put to better uses.
 But peace returned, and fresh efforts were made in 1901 and again in 1918 aft CT the second war with Britain had en- phasized the necessity for just such an inshore waterway. These efforts, like those that preceded them, died at their birth, and the project slept till 1860, when the federal government surveyed the isthmus once again. The civil war stopped whatever might have come of that survey.
 Since the war many Massachusetts legislatures have granted as many lib- eral franchises in favor of the enter prise, but still the canal is not. In 1885 huge dredge was set at work, and some thing more than mile of the canal was actually excavated. Lack of funds or dissension in the company stopped the work, and the ruined dredge still stands there, monument of blasted hopes. The sea has filled in the excavation so that