The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-20
Convention Takes Up Atlantic
 Coast Waterway
SENATOR NEWLANDS TALKS
The Senator Declares That Public Confidence In Corporations Has
 Been Shaken and New
 Measures Necessary.

Philadelphia November 19.-Delegates today to further the project for an in- land waterway along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Much of the route of the waterway al- ready exists and it is proposed that the channels of the canals. rivers, bays, etc., that are to be part of the great water course be deepened and widened so as to permit the passage of the largest war
 ships. It is the idea of the projectors
 to run the waterway from Barnstable
 bay to the north side of Cape Cod, to
 Beaufort, N. c. This would require the
 cutting of a canal through Cape Cod
 from Barnstable bay to Buzzard's Bay
 on the south. reducing the water dis
 tance from there to New York about 75
 miles. The course of the route would
 then run through Long Island Sound
 and down to the Raritan canal at Perth
 Amboy, N J. The route then would be
 through the canal down the Delaware
 river past Philadelphia and through the
 Chesapeake and Delaware canal, down
 to Chesapeake bay to Norfolk, along the
 Elizabeth river and through a cut across
 Virginia to Currtuck Sound. The route
 then would lie through Coajock bay, a
 cut through North Carolina into Abe
 marie Sound. then through Croaton Sound into Pimblico Sound, into Neuse river. By deepening and widening Adams ,l end in Beaufort inlet and the ocean. It | is heieved that- this route would save | millions of dollars in freight to the bus mess interests of the north and south, besides cutting down the water distance of coastwise steamers.
 Roosevelt's Endorsement. Congressman Bingham of Philadelphia presided at the first session. After the disposal of routine matters the report of tho committee appointed to interest the President of the United States in the matter of improvement of eastern inland waterways was read The re- port said the President indicated his
 purpose to treat the subject broadly in his coming message to Congress. The following telegram was sent to the Pres ident by the conventions:
 Atlantic deep waterways conference assembled in Philadelphia appreciate your interest in the important question
 of waterway transportation and sends hearty greetings
 Among the letters of regret read was one from Congressman Burton, chair man of the rivers and harbors commit
 tee of the national House of Representa- tives, saying that he will gladly assist the project under consideration. Senator Newlands was the first speaker. He spoke of the work of the national
 waterways commission, appointed by President Roosevelt, and said the com
 mittee doubtless would at an early date take up the Atlantic coast problem. Con tinuing, Senator Newlands said: Confidence Shaken.
 "Confidence in American corporations has been shaken, both here and abroad Investors are alarmed and improvements absolutely necessary to the transportd- tion of the country are held up. When Congress meets there will be many plans
 for relief; but that body will never take
 up this question in any adequate way until instructed by public opinion. We should immediately have a conference at Washington devoted exclusively to the transportation question in it's broadest as- poets, and composed of men expert in the financing, operation and control of trans portation, including the governors Of states and members of public service com
 missions After full debate and delibera- ton the country will be astonished to
 find how few the points of difference are
 between the transportation managers on the one side and the public on the other. The nation and the states have knocked together the heads of railroads in such
 fashion as to make them realize that they are simply public agents, and they Will come to such conference in much
 more concilatory mood than heretofore.
 believe in constructive rather than in
 punitive retalatory action"
 Need of Development. Congressman J. " Olcott of New York
 presided at the afternoon session and
 among the spectators were Congressman G. E. Wald of New York, Col. F. D..
 Goodyear of Brunswick, Ga.; Prof. Lewis M. Haupt of Philadelphia, Congressman
 Joel Cook of Philadelphia Col. Alex Me- Cure of Philadelphia, Gen. s. M. Mans
 field of the board of harbor and land com
 missoners. Massachusetts; Col. P. A.. Stovall. Savannah, and A. O. CroZier. Wilmington, Del.
 The general trend of the addresses a. the afternoon session was the great need I. of. the development of the waterways not
 only on the Atlantic coast, but throughout
 the country.
 None of the speakers antagonized .he railroads but those who touched upon the
 railroad position said that the volume If
 freight traffic in the country was great
 enough to give the railroads a profitable
 income after the waterways receive their
 share of the traffic.
 Before adjournment for the day several
 committees were appointed, among therl
 being one which will draft a set of reso-
 lutions asking Congress to make surveys
 and otherwise give impetus to the move
 ment.
 Newspaper Man Dead. San Antonio, Tex, November 19.-John B. Wheeler a well known newspaper