The Washington herald., 1907-08-04
Washington's Dream of Trade

FROM lfSb 10 lo2O ten enabling acts were
passed by the legislatures of Virginia
and Maryland for the benefit Of the Po
tomac Company. It's total expenditure
during its life of thirty-six years was
over 100000, while only one dividend had
been declared. that CT per cent in 1902.
The Improvement Of the Potomac River
proved commercial failure. In the
winter season ice closed the navigation.
during the summer the water In the
river was generally too low, and spring
and fall freshets wrought great havoc
Hence, in 1923, the charter was surren-
dered in favor of the Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal Company
But Washington never lCst his faith IN
the project. In 1894 there was published
III New York a little book under the title:
Observations on the sRiver Potomac, the
country adjacent and the City of Wash
ington," now known to have been writ
ten by his secretary, Tobias Lear, and
doubtless inspired by him. 1t is what we
should nowadays call a clever adver-
tisement. In 1t we read
In the year 1884 a company was formed fer the
purpose Of removing the Instructions and opening
the navigation Of the Potomac River from its
'4ehA u tAuG NAitl. anu an ACT OF uCfGi Gia1faLlul
passed BY the assemblies Of Virginia and Mary
land. authorizing the company 70 take the ueces-
sagy measures for carving into effect the objects
ior Shich they were Incorporated. and granting 10
them forever the tolls which may arise thcrvfr0m
which tolls are fixed by the same law that en-
powers the company TO undertake the business The
sum agreed upon to complete the navigation was
$4,000 sterling. divided into 800 shares OF El00 10
he Iaid by such instalments. and st such times as
the directors Of the company should find necessary
for the prosecution Of the @ork. Ten years were
allowed the company 90 finish the busipess The
company have prosecuted their work with great sue
cess and what is not common Ia undertakings Of
this nature they viii complete it for something less
than the sum subscribed. The rate OF toll being
iXCd. and knowing with some accuracy the quantity
Of produce that Is brought by land from those
parts If the country which viii. Ct course, throw
.he same upon the river they have a CERTAINTY Of
receiving the first opening Of the river a hand
| some percentage On their capital without Cl-
aIlating upon the articles which VIII be sent Up
I the nyer aud the increase viii BE- almost lncred
/ ible Those who best know the circumstances Of
the country. and some who are rot among the most
sauguine with respect TO the profits Of this under
/ taking have no doubt Of the capitals producing
] 50 PER cent annually In less than ten years from
the time Of the tolls commencing. The locks az the
Little Falls viii bc finished this season and nj fuI
us.. those at Great Falls in 'orSaTduess. and
with the clearing Of the river be:Necu. viii De com
/ pleted next year. Beats carrying from 10 10 1-
/ barrels 4 -four already pass tresf Cumberland 81
/ Great Falls. and many thousand barrels have act
uay been brought in boats TO the latter place dur
! ing the present year. The number Of inhabitants
ou tae Potomac River and is branches. according
20 the census Of T9I. Is over 30e0o. practically all
/ tillers 0f the soil.
Charter Surrendered In 1923.
In 1S23 the charter Of the Potomac Com
pany was surrendered with the accom-
! panying description of the improvements
completed and moneys expended:
Three hundred and eleven thousand. i've hundred
and ffty-6ve dollars from subscribed stock twenty
| years tolls amount not giYenl. aud $4,000 br
| rcwcd. Works executed first large canals tskfI
| 1ut Of the Potomac River and conveyed through
| locks around principal falls OF tLese the chic
/ are the works ut Great Fails where the difference
ai level. scyCnty-siN feet. is sUnn0unied by sea
of five sets of locks Of solid masonry Of stone eacl
100 feet long, Of width from 10 "a a feet uf hn
from 10 to is feet Of cIt5eAl contents from = 90 q
| $500 feet; 81 Of guard locks, and an extensive
! basin with a canal 80 yards long with walls O.
stone. Of the lock seats. the two lower pair A5f
been excayated from the solid rock. At LIttA
Fails the difference # level, thirty-seycn feet,
/ sImGmt5d by q series Of four locks Of solid ma
! sonny II stone, Il the dimensions Of 80 feet long
| z feet wide and by canal tvo and ouehal
miles long Both canals arr p feet vide at sur
face, % feet at bottom. and feet deep.
Second. other works; Erection Of walls and cN
csvatious IN the body Of the river to cOnhue IN
channel within canals 4 frcm 10 TO 3 feet dam
of stone have been run across the RIVER. learm
openings for sluices.
Third: Removal Of obsructions in the channel O
the river
The table Of the business passing through Oh
canals FOR twenty-five years IS shown 20 have bee
@9356i worth Of freight carried in l5G0 boats
with 554 tonnage; tolls collected, S3s.nI.
Mr.. Warden's Remarks.
David Bailie Warden. in a book pub
lished in Paris in 1916 and dedicated T.
Mrs. George Washington Parke Custis
adds:
The beats employed for the navigation Of thes
rivers Shenandoah and totumacj are . feet LONG
feet wide and draw B inches. carry % tom,
Two with more than loo barrels of -four eaci. pas
the locks az the Great 3alis IN an hour, and
rarely happens that the boat or cargo is injured
The cost Of carrying barrel Of -four from Cumbel
land 20 Georgetown was one-haf less hy water, n
cluding tolls, than by land
Although a comparative failure fnan
cially. during the short season in In
spring and fall when the stage of waite
i'm the river was sufficient. COntinuOu
strings of boats We're passing the thre
toll stations, bringing down from IN
valley Of the Shenandoah. in which th
: navigation had also been improved b
clearing the channel and building dam:
cargoes Of flour, tobacco whisky. wheat
corn, ship timber rye, fsxseed, and gin
seng, with peltres from the India
traders I'm the Northwest. Upstream car
! goes were of sugar dry goods iTOr
castings. and notions, while the nation5
l. Indian agent at Georgetown shipped b
! this route all freight for the Western sta
tions. The boats were probably not les
than fifty feet in length by six in widtl
OF very light draft. generally manned b
2 two or three men with long pointed poe
y Coming down stream was simply a ques
! ton of keeping in the swift current {
! the channels and avoiding shoals an
rocks. Polling up with a load was quit
another matter. Sometimes a man woul
so in advance with a rope and tow; ofte
- the rope would be passed around a stoJ
= tree trunk on the bank or through an iro