Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-10-18
4 FERTILE /: [. [ +. sEC ii d |!
Opened By The Dismal "a Swamp
Canal Now Re-Opened.
Green Flelds mt Feeder
go luke Drummond being Enc
Inr=ed-A Ii,tie'B OF interesting
History,

The trip through the reopened Dismal
Swamp Canal, recently chronicled in
these columns, proved a revelation to
many Of the gentlemen who enjoyed it
as the guests Of the Lake Drummond
Canal and Water Company, for 1t i'm
pressed on them the fact that con-
tiguous to this waterway are many
thousands Of acres OF fertile land await
Ing the plow, and back Of these acres
arc broad areas of forest rich In pine
and hard woods, inviting capital to
come and open them up and convert the
raw timber Into lumber and finished
products.
The land along the easterly side of the
CANAL especially show cultivation and
what can be accomplished. The lands
along the western side of the canal APP
pear practically unimproved, with the
exception OF beautiful green oasis at
Wallaceton. Here Captain Wallace has
a mill and farm OF several hundred
acres The meadows are as green as
those of the west, and dozens Of big
hay stacks speak eloQuently Of as fer
Gle soils and as fat, tender cattle as
Southwest Virginia can boast OF.
WEALTH OF THE FOREST.
Back Of the canal. on both sides, can
oo Seen STeul forests WnCrG q wealth.
or Pine and hardwood waits for the axe
and saw OF the lumbermcn, and 1t Is
safe to predict that within a very few
yearB these woods will resound with
tho hum of the band saw, circular and
gang and smaller saws eat up the
waste Into shingles and >lath.
A few miles OF train road, easily and
tncxpensively constructed, will connect
these forest mills with the banks Of the
canal. where barges can economically
convey 1t to Norfolk, Richmond, BaIti-
more and other markets.
AN IMPORTANT LINK.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is one of
the connecting links Of inland water
ways between the Chesapeake Bay and
the sounds of North Carolina-the Abe
marie and Pamlico Sounds. Tho vast
Importance OF this new link arises from
avoid the dangers Of Cape Hatteras and
the dreaded Diamond Shoals.
FROM Norfolk, north along the Allan
nc coast as far as tho New England
States. coastwise navigation IS easily
possible, rs there arc comparatively
slight menaces to navigation. From
Norfolk south, however, the great dam
gers of Cape Hatteras ARE constant
menace TO navigation, and all vessels
passIng this point must keep we'll out
10 sea to insure safety. Now, the Dis
mai Swamp Canal enables this danger
to be avoided and affords short, safe
route from the Chesapeake Bay TO Abe
marie and Pamlico Sounds and points
South
In addition to tho coastwlse trade of
chesapeake Bay and It's connections
North and the Dismal Swamp Canal
and It's connections South. the sounds
ana rivers flowing into them present
an inland waterway Of some $500 miles.
covering almost as much territory as
the mississippi river.
U,Uy1y 1Dr~r,pro
The new canal has modern locks $50
ieet long, 10 feet wide. with 10 feet OF
water over the nitro sills at any stage
or tho tide In tho connecting rivers,
With but one level, practically In one
direct straight limo twenty-five miles
long, with ample turn-outs every other
mile-Der1nittinE Wide toWs to pass each
other without loss of time and with a
drauEht OF ten feet Of water from end
to end.
The canal Is ample in size for all pres
eht needs, yet it is SO constructed that
1t can be readily widened and deepened
whenever required, and when the
United States Government has Inn
proved the approachcs-Dcep Creek on
the north and Pasquotank river on the
south The government has already
recognized the Importance OF the new
waterway and has appropriated 1857 600
for the Improvement OF the approaches,
and 1t Is expected that the time will
soon come when the increasing de-
mands of trade Will force the govern
inent to carry ont the complete SysrcITI
TO an Increased depth OF channel as far
south as Beaufort.
ENHANCING THE FEEDER
AS the party passed the feeder that
leads from Lake Drllmmond TO the
canal 1t was noted that a large dredge
was ut work enlarEing this arm In both
width and lepth. Lake Drummond lies
Sf H. sol Il
will furnish an abundance of water for
all present and future needs in main
tanning the required depth of water in
the canal.
A BIT OF HISTORY.
1t seems to be Il wcll-established fact
mat the canal was not originally laid
out as continuous canal. Reference to
any map of large scale will show that
there is an angle at one point, Just
south of where the feeder from Lake
Drummond enters the canal. It is pro-
DaDly true that persons wishing to get
TIMBER out Of the cwamp started timber
dttches through which they could float
logs. One of these started from the
north and one from the south, and as
they We're extending from time to time
they finally met at the angle referred to.
It IS probable that about this time diff
ferent persons thought 1t desirable to
have naviGable canal and on Decem-
Der /, 1888, the Legislature of Virginia
chartered a company with capital of
$50. 600 to construct the said canal.
Ten years were allowed for the con-
struction OF the canal, which was to be
thirty-two feet wide, with sufficient
water to allow vessels to- pass 1t draw
ing three feet OF water during the dry
season. The locks to- be ninety feet
long and thirty-two feet wide and to
allow vessels drawing four feet of water
TO pass. The Legislature of North Caro-
a Cf In nj f~,,t e. 4