Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-11-20
DR4NERRZDGE ON
CHEeyAREzAHE ANAL.


posed Norfolk-Beaufort Inlet canal
farther down the Atlantic coast is in.
tended to make it unnecessary for
| coastwise ships to venture in the
t1eacherous neighborhood of Cape Hat
teras, which has a reputation of being
the graveyard of shipping.
Valuable as are both these projects,
they may be made more far-reaching
in their beneficial effects by the coast
wise waterway project. The origin of
shis plan, which is national in scope,
Is to be found in meeting which was
held at Trenton. The conference at
the New Jersey capital had been called
for the purpose of advancing Tren-
tons interest as a port.
AS the New Jersey city is 40 miles
farther from the sea than is Phlladel.
phia, necessarily it cannot become a
port without some advantage accruing
to the latter. It is of mutual interest,
therefore, that the channel of the
Delaware be made such as BELTS a
first-class waterway. The 30-foot chan
mel from the sea to this city, it is
said, will be fact by next June;
then an attempt will be made to have
it deepened to IS feet. At present.
nothing can be accomplished towards
this end, as the government engineers
reply, very wisely, that it must first
be demonstrated that 30-fOot chan
mel will hold before money should be
spent on survey for one of IS feet.
Trenton, however, while demand
ing a better waterway, has modestly
asked for channel of ten feet depth
at low water and 800 feet wide. It
will have to be cut through bar over
four miles long, which at present pre-
vents approach to the New Jersey
capital to all but barges of the shall
lowest draught. Trentons manufac-
lures and commerce are constantly in
creasing, and tie railroads appear to
be entirely unable to prevent the
freight congestion experienced at this
point.
It was at this conference, to which
the Philadelphia congressman and
Mayor Reyburn had been invited, that
the subject of the Atlantic seaboard
waterways route was first preached.
Congressman J. Hampton Moore elec-
trified his audience in the Trenton
chamber of commerce when he pro-
posed the scheme. The conference
had been called to hear a report 90
the removal of sandbar in the river
and heard one of the most ambitious
and encouraging schemes for water
way Improvements that had been pro-
posed for many years.
The plan suggested by Congress-
man Moore for deeper waterways on
the Atlantic seaboard is said to offer
no especially difficult engineering
features. Neither is it believed that
it will require anything like the sum
about to be expended on the MISSISSIPPI
pi. The waterways, for the great part,
are already here. What is needed is
Improvement. The route of coastal
waterways as planned would make
possible an entirely safe voyage from
Boston to Beaufort Inlet, in North
Carolina, for average sized coastwise
vessels, for it would be entirely Gin
side," thus avoiding the dangerous
shoals in Nantucket sound and the
treacherous sands off Cape Hatteras.
In addition to these advantages, it
would materially shorten the distance
between many points on the route.
: Storms, which now necessitate the
seeking of shelter, or run out to sea,
would be avoided, thus shortening the
time. Freight carrying vessels could
make the trip at any time of the year
in perfect safety and on schedule time.
Delays would seldom occur and GER
tainly no more frequently than on
railroads. Philadelphia would be a
gamer, according to the belief of Mr..
Moore, by the adoption Of his plan, for
it occupies the geographical center Of
this waterways route.