New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-08

Canal BY Archer Butler Hubert with , two
maps and five illustrations limo. pp. zl CleVe-
landi The Arthur II. Clark Company
The story of the Chesapeake and Ohio and
the Pennsylvania canals is the story of the con-
test between Baltimore and Philadelphia for the
trade Of our Western country. a contest that led
To the building Of the Baltimore and Ohio and
the Pennsylvania railroads. These roads sup
planted the great artificial inland waterways
even before they went into effective operation,
and changed the weapon OF warfare from the
mule TO the iron horse. AS told briefly but sue
cnctly by Mr.. Hubert, the battle, though waged
for many years. was full of dramatic incidents
and situations. veritable romance OF CONNER
ciai and engineering enterprise.
The story has as beginning in the South as
early 1888. in the efforts % George Washing
ton TO open up water communication between
the Potomac and Ohio rivers and thence to
Lake Erie and Detroit. "a point, thro which the
Trade OF the Lakes Huron. & all those above it,
must pass" he wrote, If it centres in any State
Of the Union" In Pennsylvania, the story be-
gins with the formation of THE Society for
Promoting the Improvement Of Roads and In
land Navigation OF which the able but I'M
fortunate Robert Morris the first presi-
dent. The society in 1871 secured an appro-
prfation for improving the Delaware. schuylkill,
Conemaugh. Allegheny and Lehigh rivers with
the object Of facilitating intercourse between
Philadelphia and the West. Both schemes
aimed merely at the "canalizaton" of existing
rivers. dsreEarding the sound advice of Benja-
min Franklin IN letter to the Mayor of Phil
adelpha. written from London in 1872, in which
he said: Rivers are ungovernable things. es-
pecially in lilly Countries Canals are quiet
and very manageable"
Washington organized the Potomac Company
in 1I85. but soon relinquished the presidency
travelled stormy road for xirty-six years, in
which 'fS7293s0 had been spent In the attempt
TO improve the Potomac and little had been &C
oomplished." In fact the whole time when
produce could be stream bourne on the Potomac
in the course OF entire year, did not exceed
forty-lve days" In 1923, accordingly the
Potomac Company surrendered its charter to
the new Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company,
which to build a canal. following in a gen.
eral way the route originally marked out by
Washington, not baking at a four-mile
tunnel 1880 feet above tidewater. After the
company had raised its capital and begun work
il occurred 10 # TO get estimate on the proba-
BILE cost of the canal, which proved to be So
enormous to render its completion beyond
Cumberland out of the question; and It was with
the greatest difficulty and In the face Of untold
6iscouragements that 1t dug even that far
This was a blow to Baltimore, which was met
oouraEeously by Philip E. Thomas, who had
teen president of the canal company, with the
revolutionary proposal TO build railroad from
that city to the Ohio. The steam locomotive
had not been successfully adapted as yet, and
horses and even sails were the proposed means
OF propulsion. Yet 100000 quickly sub
Fcribed. For many years the two rival enter
prises struggled IN opposition. but with the
proved practicability Of the locomotive engine
the railway soon forged ahead and reached the
Ohio in 1888 two years only after the canal had
stopped for good at Cumberland.
The Pennsylvania Canal was a State enter
prise and so met none OF the delays due TO In
sufficient financial support that had clogged the
way of its Southern rival 1t was authorized by
an act passed in 1896. in opposition to the argu-
Tnents of those in favor OF the newer and I'M
tried railway, a feature of which was neverthe-
Jess introduced in the construction Of the canal.
To avoid locks in crossing the higher levels,
the boats We're hoated cars which were hauled
by stationary engines up the inclines, device
characterized by Stevenson surprising lin
holiness of design and in difficulty of operation
any modern engineering work BY 1880 the
complete system was in operation between Phil
adelphia and Pittsburg. In 1854, however, the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad was completed across the
Alleghenies and the doom Of the canal was
sealed. IN 1851 il was sold to the railway COM
pany and it was finally abandoned in 1900