The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-11
THE WATERWAYS.

Governor Swanson has appointed
delegates from virginia to attend tho
Atlantic Seaboard Waterways Conyeil-
ton. to be held In Philadelphia on the
18th instant, and 1t Is to be hoped
that some of them at least will attend,
ms the project in view Is one In which
Virginia is seriously concerned. The
plan In contemplation Is the construc:
ton of CONFLICTING links necessary to
make an inside waterway from Cape
Cod to Beaufort, N. c., and President
Roosevelt has promised that lle will
recommend the enterprise In his forth.
coming message to Congress. Tho plan
in detail includes the construction OF
the Cape Cod Canal. connecting Mas
sachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay
with Buzzards Bay: the enlargement OF
the Rnritan Canal; the deepening Of
the Delaware River from Trenton to
Philadelphia; the purchase and en-
largement of the Chesapeake and Della
ware Canal, or the construction Of q
bHlp Sabdl uCiOoo liz JA|C!a y o. S.AANts
land Peninsula farther south; and the
Of the Dismal Swamp
Canal to connect the waters OF tho
Chesapeake with those OF the North
Carolina sounds, and in addition some
dredging in the sounds and in Beau
fort inlet will be necessary in order
TO make deeper channel.
Such waterway was suggested
and earnestly advocated twenty odd
years ago By the late Marshall Parks,
OF Norfolk, but like many other pro-
gressive men, he was ahead OF the
sentiment of the age. He blazed thel
way. however, and there is now al
bright prospect of success.
The navigable streams bays and
lakes of the country are natures own
highways and afford the best and
surest competition with the railways;I
provided, as the orfolk Virsinian-
Pilot points out, the steamboat lines
are not controlled by the railroad cor
porations. and the people should see
to 1t that they are not. Our Norfolk
urges as another meas
ure OF importance in this connection,
that each and every city having water
should exercise al
certain control over wharfage and
terminal facilities. by acquiring
control OF all available terminal
facilities it says. ''the railroads
can as effectually block water compe-
ution as by the methods now employed
to that end: whereas, the possession by
a city which enjoys water communica-
hon. or which may hope to enjoy It'll
as a result OF future development In
that direction. of water front property
is the best guarantee 1t can have that
its benefits from such communication
Will suffer no curtailment."
This Is matter which Richmond
should seriously consider. We now
have only one steamboat line on the
James. and 1t is an open secret that
1t is controlled by group of rail-
roads. A correspondent who calls our
attention to the fact. and who thinks
that the city should buy up whatever
water front Is available and allow free
wharfage, concludes his letter with
this statement:
The only available property that RI
know of at this time is the old Clyde
Line wharf. and il the Clyde Line
never returns to Richmond then the
railroads can buy this property and
shut out for all time any hope oil
receiving other water transportation
than the Old Dominion"
1t is James River that gives
Richmond the water rate, and the city
will be recklcssly negligent If it fail to
take whatever steps may BIO ncces-
sary to preserve to shippers every adj
vantage and benefit OF transportation
which the river affords.
Ono side of the new ten-dollar gold