The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-06


cAenlinas eoastSs MOI me- but ha1s bold
the ttentions oks the comm
engaged I'M the coastvfse trade Tor slast1yi
yeals.. Hespo.ntsS ont that the port 81.
Norfolk IS situated on the Elizabeth. River
at tho extreme southern end of nlyisa-
ton Immediately coming Nous % Chesa.
peaks Bay, and that thsrs 10 narrow.
strip Of land separating this port from the
inland sounds OF North Carolina. which
lie; at oreseht intrssected BY two canals
owned by private corporations. the Al.
bemarlesand chesapeake and tho Dismal
swamp canals. These canals afford q;
depth not exceeding eight feet While
there = q greater average depth through
the sounds OF North Carolina, yet by irea-
son of5obstructions. all navigation through
them Is confined to about the same draft
of vessels. He proceeds.
Z. he present project contcmplAtes leg:
tslation for the appointment OF com
mission Of engineers to take into Fconsiu-
ton tho entire subject Of an inland
ate9lrway from the Chesapeake Bay TO
Beaufort In1et, NJ C:s, of q depth not less
than sixteen feet. with power to make
surveys and Recommend the most avail
able and economic cal y route sand also
to examine. each Of the two canals IN
question, to. select - that which offers
the best route as part of4this wa ter.
way and to appraise the value Of same.
with a view ITO Its purchase by the gov
ernment This would give a free.:.opcn,
and continuous waterway SUFFICIENT to
meet the demands of practically all Of our
fr1yicn CHI j
but 1t may DO asked why the corn
merce from the inland waters. of North
Carolina does not seek an Immediate out,
let to theEocean on its coast. There is
practically to-day only lone inlet for this
purpose, known as Ocracoke Inlet, and
bv reason of inner distractions, -naviga-
ton is restricted to a depth sof less than
eight feet
Again, the coast OF North Caroi!Sa
1o1 ,h OF Beaufort InletSis the most dan
gerous along our whole seal board Cape
HatterasE and the outer Diamond Shoals
have been most fruitful of disa ster and
are the dread: Of the mariner. Cape Cook
ont and its shoals. south4of Cape Hat
teras, are scarcely less dangerous. These.
with other Dangerous points, are prac-
ticallyt prollibitory to navigation of 5coast-
ing vassels and steamers. Thus tits that
the, finland rivers and sounds Of the State
north Of Cape Fear River and the citySof
Wilmington are practically land-1ocked
from the ocean and are confined to the
northern outlet. by way Of Chesapeake
Bay. The Importance Of this proposed
route to the commerce Of North Carolina
and Virginia can thus easily be appre-
ciated. -
"Howcver,s the commerce Of these
States constitutes its importance only in
a partial degree The North and South at
lartic ports have a direct interest ii the
establishment; Of this waterway. The
North carolina%notg only tend greatly to
curtail water transportation between the
North and South Atlantic ports. butt add
greatly to rates of transportation and
marine insurance = & Il g
The philadelphia Times has some inter-
esting editorial comments on the atrocious
murder OF white woman and her two
daughters by a negro Of that city.ss It
says the crime was so horrible that It
revives the question how far the original
savagery of race may persist IN mani ian
Testing itself inslater. generations, even
under changed conditions and vastly i'm
proyed Influences Our contemp orary
suggests that this negro IS a fit subject
for the study sefa scientists and then spro-
Deeds to discourse upon the motives that
prompted the murderer, concluding that
the easiest explanation, the one frst sug-
sestcd, is that there was an awakening
in him Of the old, unreasoning motives
born in the forests of Africa, where his ii:
race probably flourished when his .an lt:f.
tors were brought to this country as q
slaves.
The editor of the Philad elphia Times
must have been reading DR.. Barringer's
pamphlet If he has not done So lie will
find much to interest him in q perusal OF
that scientific dissertation.