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.

tary Of War Lamont.
The report discusses at length the various
proposed routes and ends with recommend
alton that in the Judgment of the conn l.
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:
"rhe subject of the connection of the Chesa-
peakc and Delaware bays hy a 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 Ek
river, and Delaware city. The construc-
ton OF this canal was begun in 1924 and
the water was let in July 4, 1929 The total
cost was y, go. 900. of which one fifth WIS
paid by the United States 100000 10y the
Maryland and 925 600 by the Stat" of Della
ware the remainder by citizens of the three
States. The canal is 10 5-S niles long: width
at water line when constructed, G6 feet width
at bottom, 80 feet: depth Of water; 10 feet:
depth Of excavation at summit, - feet:
length OF locks originally, 100 feet-s nee ex-
tended 40 30 feet, ana tn" width increased
from % to "A feet. The canal has tide lock
proportional for Il use of six feet above low
water ut Delaware City, II ilt-lock Of Ii feet
at Saint Georges and lock of Is feet lift
descending into Back creek on the Chesapeake
side The summit level about 10 miles long
is supplied by pumps at Back creek The
average cost Of pumping is about 412,O 900
annually; cost of maintenances and manage
mcnt, including all expenses, about $4,000
per annUm.
This canal came to he deemed insufficient
f2r the objects which canal connecting
these great bays should subserve. The pres
sure for the construction of Il 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-
dephia, 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 Il longer route
tp h, tban il
through the whole length of that bay.
THE PROPOSED CANAL
"A canal will facilitate watcr-borne COM
merce, but it may also serve to ol,struct land
borne by the Interruptions due to bridges
that must be opened when the canal traffic is
not carried on in barges alone The penin-
sua to be pierced has Il width across the
lower end, near the most southerly route, of
about illty-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 diminshes the more
nOrtherly the route. But the selection of
the more norherly 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 rcquir Il to Dase 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 Oh time of 49,. hours at an
estimated cost of 1872 millions of dolla S,
while the air line, Queenstown and Centre
vile routes, effect savings of II and l6l5
hours, at cost of 374 and Az millions
dollars. The additional expenditure involved
would not seem to be justified by the slight
gain of q, and 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 ice will present
no insurmountabe obstacle to continued use
of any one route.
''Ho 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 Creek 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.
1.-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 $1,000 Al
~, not including the cost of the present
canal the same level throughout. without
locks except tide locks at each end 900 feet
long and 60 feet wide. The canal to he 81
feet deep, l7s feet wide at low water and 100
feet wide at the bottom.n
The report is signed by Thomaa Lincoln
Casey, brigadier general, chief Of er,,inooro
chairman; f. P. Alexander Mendeo raho,,
George Dewey, captain, United statso Nm Nn,'D
William P. Craighill, colonel corps ., an.,
neers.