The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-12-15
FOR A SHIP CANAL.
CECIL'S WATERWAY SELECTED
AS THE MOST FEASIBLE
ROUTE.
The Chesapeake and Delaware Ship Canal
Commission Recommends the Elk
River-Back Creek Route.

The report of the Commission appointed to
examine the surveys for IA ship canal to
connect the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays
was sent to the House on Tuesday by Sccre-
tary of War Lamont.
The report discusses mt length the various
proposed routes and ends with arecommend-
alton that in the judgment of the conn t.
sion the most feasible one is the Back
creek route. which is substantially located
upon the line of the existing Chesapeake and
Delaware canal. This route, it believes
could be constructed at much less cost than
any of the others suggested, and besides
offers the additional advantage of being
better adapted for national defense and will
give greatest facility to commerce.
CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE CANAL.
The report, among other things, says:
"The subject Of the connection of the Chesn-
pcake and Delaware bays by canal has long
been under consideration. There is one
which has been Tor years in use joining the
Chesapeake. 10y way OF Back creek and Elk
river, and Delaware city. The comstruc-
ton Of this canal was begun in 1924 and
the water was let in July 4, 1929. The total
cost was - $50, 900. of which one nth was
paid 10y the United States. 100000 10y the
State Of Pennsylvania, so. 900 10y the State Of
Maryland and @25 600 by the State of Della
ware the remainder by citizens of the three
States. The canal is l3 5-S miles long. width
at water line when constructed &c feet: width
ut hIt T. ,F u.u,n F,,t
depth Of excavation at summit, 70 feet:
length OF locks originally, 100 feet since eN-
tended to 30 feet, and the width increased
from y TO "A feet. The canal has Il tide lock
proportiOnrd for use Of six feet above low
water at Delaware City, II iift-lork of l6 feet
at Saint Georges and "A lock of l6 feet lift
descending into Back creek on the Cheapeakr
side The summit level. about 10 miles long
is supplied by pumps at Back creek. The
average cost Of pumping is about $4,000
annually; cost Of maintrnances and manage
mcnt, including all expenses. about $4,000
per annum.
This canal came to be deemed insufficient
FOR the objects which a canal connecting
these great bays should subscrve. The pres
sure Ior the construction of a canal to con-
meet the Chesapeake and Delaware bays
came mainly from the Chesapeake side and
from Baltimore, the great commercial centre
of that bay. Baltimore was interested not
only for herself, but for other reasons She
is nearer the great cities Of the West, Chicago
st. Louis, Cincinnati and others, than Pnila-
delphia, New York and Boston, her great
contestants for the trade of the West, hut her
situation AT the head of the Chesapeake BAY
requires her commerce to take IA longer route
to the ocean than is convenient that is
through the whole length of that bay.
THE PROPOSED CANAL.
"A canal will facilitate watcr-horne com
merce, but it may also serve to ohstrurt land
horne by the Interruptions due to bridges
that must be opened when the canal traffic is
not carried on in barges alone. The penin-
sula to be pierced has "A width across the
lower end, near the most southcry route of
about iiity-six miles; at the upper end it is
about one-fourth this width. The number
of bridges, both highway and railroad, which
would be called for dimnishcs the more
the more northerly route is especially indi-
Gated when its adaptation for national de-
Tense is considered. The matter of national
defense involves more than the transit Of
vessels of war from bay to bay. The route
itself must be defended. and its defense in
wolves the construction of Notifications so
located as to guard the canal entrances.
This board is not required to base its Sc
lection on considerations of cost. Neverthe-
less it cannot refrain from inviting attention
to the fact that the Choptank river route
effects Il saving Of time Of 19ls hours at an
estimated cost Of l6ls millions of dolla s,
while the air line, Queenstown and Centre
vile routes, effect savings of II and .lGl5
hours, at a cost of 3714 and Az millions
dollars The additional expenditure involved
would not seem to be justified by the slight
gain of q !, and 3 hours in the time Of transit.
Ii simply the saving in time be considered
it is seen that the maximum saving exceeds
the minimum by only four and four-teenths
hours. 1t is thought that the lee will present
no insurmountable obstacle to continued use
of any one route.
$50 conclude, after examination of the
surveys heretofore made under the direction
OF the War Department this board deter
mines the most feasible route for the con-
struction of the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal to be the Back Greek route, which is
substantially located upon the line of the
existing Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
In the Judgment of the board this route will
be best adapted for national defense and will
give the greatest facility to commerce.
''The cost Of widening and deepening the
existing canal was estimated by the engineers
OF the United States Army, from surveys
made more than ten years ago, at -, sos Al
80, not including the cost of the present
canal the same level throughout without
locks except tide locks at each end 600 feet
long and GO feet wide. The canal to he 81
feet deep, l7S feet wide at low wafer and 100
feet wide at the bottom.n
The report is signed by Thomas Lincoln
Casey, brigadier general, chief Of en,,inoors
chairman; f. P. Alexander. Mendes Co,,,,
George Dewey, captain, United States No.,
William P. Craighill, colonel, CORPS Of ann;
neers.