Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19

est In the Great FalS REGION
To the geologist many pages of
the book of nature lay open
there, for that part OF the earth at some
remote time must have been turned in
side out, so topsy-turvy seem the rocks.
To the botanist it is a great garden in
which the vegetable forms of the north
and south meet and mingle and where
the upland and the lowland. the hill and
the swamp plants grow as neighbors. To
the mineralogist there are deposits of the
precious and non-precious metals and de-
posits of minerals that are not metals.
To the romancer there is scenery bold and
wild in places and pastoral and placid in
other places. To the fisherman there are
bass and catfish and herring in the spring.
To the antiquarian there are ruins-the
ruined locks and ruinous canal which was
q link in the first lake-to-sea project that
stirred the United States. This scheme
has frequently been treated in a frag-
mentary way, but great deal of histori-
cal Significance is buried in this ancient
canal.
The olden scheme contemplated union
Of the Atlantic and the lakes by means
of the Potomac river, short portage
over the Allegheny mountains. one of the
streams flowing into the Ohio river from
the western slope of these hills. river
flowing southwark into the Ohio, and
canal from the headwaters of that river
to the headwaters of some river flowing
northward into Lake Erie.
The pioneer of this idea probably was
and the first promoter OF the plan GER
tainly was. George Washington. 1t en-
gagged his attention before the revolu-
ton. claimed a large share of his time be-
tween the surrender Of his military COM
mission at Annapolis and his induction as
President at New York, and remained
with him a hobby till his death.
Had Mixed Motives.
Washington's purposes In the further
ance of this project were manifold. In
personal sense he wanted confirmed his
conviction in the practicability of the
plan. He wanted that his name should
be associated with such a stupendous
work Of national improvement. He was
the owner Of large tracts OF land in the
Ohio, Shenandoah and Potomac valleys.
which would be made more valuable. He
believed that there was money TO be
made out of the scheme. but he wanted
none Of the cash dividends. In larger
than personal sense he wanted the United
States to control the trade of the con-
tinent east of the Mississippi river, be-
that the United States should have this
trade and because he believed it would
be prejudicial to the United States that
England and Spain should have 1t. He
wanted the people of the east to eStab-
lish and maintain intercourse with the
settlers In the western territory out OF
which the powerful states of the middle
west have grown. Again. he wanted that
than that New York Pennsylvania
SHOULD have il. He desired that the trade
o. the Ohio country and the lake region
should pass to the sea through the Po-
tomac valley, rather than through the
81. Lawrence. the Mississippi. the Hudson
or the Susquehanna valleys. The big
project was as much, if not more. politi-
cal than commercial.
Those persons who desire to go thor
oughly into the original lake-to-sea water
way project may construct ambitious
narrative out of the correspondence of
Washington, Henings Virginia Statutes
the acts of the Maryland assembly and
from the Maryland and Virginia Gazettes
In resurrecting the voiumnous data con-
corning the project it is impossible not to
get a clear light on the humanity and
naturalness OF George Washington. The
letters OF Washington tell more about
himself than is to be learned from some
well-written books.
A Frank Avowal.
The following letter from Washington
to Jefferson contains reference to a pre-
vious interchange of opinion on the SUBJ
ject of inland navigation. but it is the
first letter of Washington on this matter
that is to be found in the Library of Con-
Hress:
Mount Vernon % March. 1884
Dear Sir: My opinion COMEDIES perfectly
with yours respecting the practcabity of an
easy aud short communication between the
waters OF the Ohio and the Potomac. OF the
ADVANTAGES Of that commune u iOn and the
preferences II has all Others. and Of the
policy there could he in this state and Mary
land to sdopt and render IL facile. But con-
tess to you freely that I have no expectation
that the public will adopt the measure for be-
aides the jeslousies which prevail and the DIM
eulties Of proportioning such funds as may be
allotted for the purposes you have mentioneu;
there Is two others which, in my opinion, Will