The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-11-28
AN INLAND WATER ROUTE
From Boston to the Carolinas Safe Navi-
cation for Domestic Commerce.

prOyement OF inland waterways along
.he Atlantic coast and more particular
y the furtherance of a project for a
Session to the Carolinas, began its SEES
SONS in Philadelphia Nov. 10th with
an attendance of 500 representatives,
,oming from nearly all the Atlantic
states from Maine to Florida. The
general trend of speeches at the after
noon session was the great need of the
of the waterways not only
along the Atlantic coast but through
put the country. None of, the speakers
the railroads, but those
who touched upon railroad opposition
said the volume of freight traffic in the
country was great enough to give the
railroads. profitable income after the
IS aterways receive their share of the
attic The dream of Massachusetts for
years, canal across Cape Cod, was
resented by William Barclay Parsons
If New York and L. E. Chamberlain
# Brockton, Mass, president of the
tsSachusetts State Board of Trade,
each of whom offered and explained
/ terent route for canal to be con-
ucted by private interests. Charles
Der Clark of Philadelphia said the
ject under discussion would open up
,n miles of tidal waterway and link
cotton fields of the South with the
on mills of New England and per-
the shipping of freight from the
south through a deepened Erie canal
The Great Lakes to Duluth. Mich
. the route of the waterway already
IS and it is proposed that the chan
I.s of the canals, rivers, bays, etc,
at are to be a part of the great water
rse be deepened and widened SO as
permit the passage of the largest
auships. 1t is the idea of the projec-
ulS to run the waterway from Barn
-t0ie Bay on the north side of Cape
t to Beaufort Inlet, n. C. This
s5uld require the cutting of canal
rough Cape Cod from Barnstable
BAY to BuzZards Bay on the south, re-
iucng the water distance from Boston
IN New York about Seventy-five miles.
re course of the route would then run
trough Long Island Sound and down
20 the Delaware and Raritan canal at
Perth Amboy, n. J. The route then
would be through the canal, down the
Delaware river past Philadelphia and
trough the Chesapeake and Delaware
,lnal, down Chesapeake Bay to Nor
ok, along the Elizabeth river and
trough cut across Virginia to Curri.
lck Sound. The route then would lay
trough Coanjock Bay, cut through
North Carolina into Albemarle Sound,
Zen through Croaton Sound into Pam
20 Sound, into Neuse river. By deep
-ang and widening Adams Greek and
in,
h+aufort Inlet and the ocean. 1t is be-
we'd that this route would save many
Millions of dollars in freights to the
.aSlness interests of the North and
south, besides cutting down the water
lance of coastwise steamers.
" ednesday's sessions were largely
ssen up with addresses on the water
'yS that are proposed to form part of
great inland route from Philadel-
a south to Beaufort, n. C. The
aeakers at the morning session includ-
. Gen. Felix Agnus of Baltimore, who
Ike on the Chesapeake bay and its
uection with the Delaware; Hugh
Garden of New York, formerly of
s nth Carolina, who described condi-
Is in Hampton Roads and the Chesa-
lake approaches to Maryland, Vir-
ia and North Carolina; Cong. Small
North Carolina, who took for his
inject, Behind Hatteras-The Nor
k-Beaufort Route, and Maj. G. A.
Flagler, .. s. A., on The Engineer
z Outlook-Chesapeake and Della
'are and Norfolk Beaufort Routes.
ten. Agnus said that in his opinion the
rsent conference is the most impor-
mt in the history of the American
rade and transportation He referred
the Chesapeake and Delaware canal
TX in the greater waterway scheme
nd said
4 feel that we are at the climax of
he efforts and public spirit of many
'ears; that we are no longer dealing in
Aeories and paper plans, but are con-
llering plain business propositions and
'ssured advantages and profits. This
,.heme of safe navigation for our do
nestle commerce means more for our
.ountry and more for our wealth and
ppiness than Panama.
There are three vital facts in the
work we propose to begin here this
week:
First, transportation by water is
tar cheaper than transportation by
and.
Second, the conditions of traffic be-
tween the north and south have been
acute and unsatisfactory for several
Years. The lines of railroad we now
POSSESS are not equal to the demands
and it is not likely that they will be in
leased for years to come nor is it prob
able that their present rates will ever
he lower Here we have the absolute
aeceSSity for relief made so manifest
nat not even railroad man can dis
pute it."
Third, the growth of the country is
not only proceeding at an astonishing
rate in the numbers of the population,
ont is expanding almost incredibly in
the ratio of trade movement to the
population itself.
Undoubtedly, much of our recent
trouble was due to the fact
that transportation had not been able
to give that quick exchange of mate
rails and products which would enable
Us to make the freest use of the money.
In other words, slow transportation
means the tying up of our currency,
which under the most favorable cir
is hardly adequate to the
leeds of the country.
Here on the eastern seaboard where
the biggest work of the world is being
done and where the necessity for quick
is largest we face sit
uation that calls. for prompt relief and
the only possible way out of the difficult
ties is to provide these water facilities.
1t seems to me most extraordinary
thing that we should divert millions of