Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-09-16
FILLING Up
Of OLD CANAL

On Saturday morning the Structural
Tubing company began filling up the
canal. 1t seems definitely settled that
the work is to go steadily forward
that ashes, cinder and like material
wherever obtainable are to be dumped
nto the old waterway until the last
vestige of it is wiped out of existence.
At the suggestion of Division Eng
ineer White, Friday evening the com
mittee on sewers waited upon the
Structural Tubing company to deter
mine whether it would be willing to
use the waste from the works in fill
ing up the canal. The committee met
the division engineer on his return
from Northumberland, Friday evening
and reported to him that the Structur-
al Tubing company had consented to
fill up the canal between Church and
Beaver streets and that it would begin
the work Immediately.
During the conference with the div
ision engineer that followed the sub
ject of further filling up was consider
ed. Other industries will no doubt be
glad to help the good work along 10y
filling up sections contiguous or con
venient to their plants; but naturally
there will he sections here and there
along the wafer way remote from the
industries that can not be reached
with carts without more or less loss of
time and which the proprietors of our
manufacturing plants would not con
sent to fill up without some compensa-
tion for extra hauling. This subject
of compensation is one Of the points
that the division engineer is holding
under advisement. Upon the action
relating to it taken by the d. L. and
W. company will depend whether the
old canal shall be gotten rid of in u
very reasonable period of time or the
filling up shall drag along during sew
eral years.
Now that it is decided that piping
is not necessary no obstacle to the
work can permanently intervene. This
is the great desideratum as the pur-
chase and laying of pipe would con
stitute heavy item of cost, one that
would probably make the filling up of
the canal impracticable for wears to
come. From now ON the getting rid
of the old ditch will only be a question
Of time and the utilization of waste
material that accumulates from many
sources. On the question involved it
is not known how soon nor to what
effect we shall hear from the D. L.
and W. Railroad company.
Meanwhile the borough will grant to
individuals permission to dump clean
ashes, along with material free from
Objectionable matter into the canal.
The d. L. and W. Railroad company.
however, will see to it that the old
waterway is not made the dumping
ground for filth in any FORM In day
or so representative of the company
Will appear in this city; accompanied
by one of our policemen he will eX-
anime the bank of the canal to deter
mine who are responsible for the pol
luton that exists. Not only viii per
sons who throw garbage into the canal
be waited upon, but also those who
maintain pigsties or COW sheds that
drain into the canal. The bank will
be closely examined to determine
whether there are any sewers other
than those which carry surface water
that drain into the canal We have
the division engineers word for it
that all persons who contribute to any
of the above nuisances will be pro-
secuted.