The evening times., 1899-03-09
BRIGHT OUTLOOK
FOR CANAL. TRAFFIC
Chesapeake and Ohio officials
Predict a Good Season.
Discussing an Electric System for
the Waterway.
ed To Augment Freight Busi-
ness.

Contrary TO the general opinion express
ed last fall that the traffic of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Canal is materially de-
creasing each year, the canal men say that
the outlook for large amount of business
by the way of the canal has not been
brighter in several years.
The Georgetown end of the canal where
the boats have been tied up during the
winter will soon become a scene of actiyi-
ty. Preparations are now being made to
repair the boats for use during the coming
season.
1t has been necessary to make but few
improvements on the canal bed from end
TO end and those which have been made
were inexpensive. General Manager Mich
olson states that he has never known a
time since the beginning of his admins
tration when the canal was in as good con-
dition as now. The recent high water in
the river has done no damage to the canal
worthy of mention and the officials of the
waterway are congratulating themselves
upon the present situation. Only short
time since the danger from melting snow
and gorging ice caused considerable ankle
ty for the safety of the company's proper
ty
The large increase in the output of coal
in the Cumberland and Georges Creek coal
districts which for several months has
taxed the capacity of the railroads run
ming from these districts will. ii is eX-
pected. enormously increase the business of
the canal as soon as II opens, as this wa
terway is the only available outlet at pres
ent The prospects for large crop of
grain. especially wheat, is another factor
which will make business good for the ca
nal men as soon as the crop is harvested.
Before the disposition of the waterway
was settled there was considerable talk TO
! the effect that either the West Virginia
| Central or the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
! road would make a determined effort 10 Sc
cure the canal for the purpose of making
| its banks available for the bed of a rail-
| road, but since the agreement was reached
! between the TWO roads it is probable that
| nothing will be done in this direction for
sometime to come.
There has been some recent discussion
| il is understood, among the officials of The
| canal company as 10 the advisability OF
! equipping the canal from Georgetown 10
| Cumberland with a trolley system such as
was proposed a few years ago for the Erie
Canal in New York State running from AL
| bany TO Buffalo. II is said that the propO-
| sition is meeting with considerable favor
| and Investigations are being made for the
purpose of determining the cost of such an
| innovation. Should the trolley system be
! installed il is thought that the permanency
| of the canal as a waterway will be as
! sured BY the use of electricity an inn
| menSe amount of time in transportation
| would be saved Ii would be easier to
handle the boats and a number of them
could be drawn by one motor. While the
machinery for generating the required
amount OF electricity and the motors TO be
! placed III the boats would cost a great
deal. the canal men express the opinion
that in the end the investment would
prove paying one.