Evening journal., 1910-02-15
NOT TO BUY
C. 6 D. CANAL
House Decides to Wait Until
Other Routes Are In
VeStigated

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-Representa-
tive j. Hampton Moore, OF Pennsylvania,
made an unsuccessful effort to have the /
Rivers and Harbors bill amended on the
floor Of the House so as to provide for the
purchase Of the Chesapeake and Delaware !
Canal.
ATr Moore offered an amendment provid-
ing for the purchase. at a cost Of $2.5i4,-
$500 OF this canal, IN accordance with
the report Of the commission contained in
Senate Document 2i5 OF the Fifty-ninth
Congress. MIR. Moore stated that the pur-
chase was to be made COR the purpose OF
freeing this canal and ultimately OF se-
curing and maintaining a depth Of 35 feet
from bay TO bay.
Chairman Opposed Hasty Action.
Chairman Alexander. Of the Rivers and
Harbors Committee. opposed the amend
mcnt. saying that the committee did not
feel that it could this year make such an
appropriation. Ee invited attention TO the
| fact that since the report Of the Agnus
Commission an effort had been made to
have all the various routes across the
/ Peninsula surveyed TO ascertain which
would be the most feasible route. He
thought no decision should be hastily
made. but that Il would be better TO await
1 reports on tho suitability OF other routes
for such canal.
Mr.. Moore made brief speech i'm favor
of his amendment but the House sustain
ed the AFFECTION raised by Chairman Alex
ander and the amendment was defeated.
''The canal" Mr.. Moore said. lis now in
active operation. It has been so since IL
was constructed in 1S29. but it is still OF
the antique order, like all the canals along
the Atlantic seaboard.'
HIGH Charges on Canal.
Mr. Moore read a letter from one Of the
shippers over the canal to illustrate the
difficulties that shippers have even IL
that short artificial waterway An ex
tract from this letter follows:
'rhe present charge for tolls througl
the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal FOL
tho II miles is higher than any railroad
charge for the same distance on any rail
road in the United States and tho rail
road furnishes the motive power, th'
track and the vehicle, while tho cana
charge is merely a privilege OF passage
the customer furnishing IN addition thl
vessel and motive power and all the liza
bility, so it is an easy matter to figure th
great burden this is to the development o
the commerce. as It practically prevent
competition and warps all development.
Vast Traffic Il Can Bear.
Mr. Moore said the canal is used to-da,
by the lumber trade (which comes M
from the Carolinas and passes into th'
ports Of New York, Philadelphia and Bal
timOre and is also used in the shipment O
coal and other bulky commodities" II
depth Of nine feet he said. was INSULT
cient to pass any modern vessel. II wa
tho shortest cut between the bays an
could be used for a monumental commerc
II the canal were improved. lie quote
from a report which said:
1.-The commerce OF the Delaware an
Chesapeake. registered and otherwise, hs
been estimated all the way from 5o,0OO,u
to e0.OOoO00 tons annually. This IS muc
larger than the tonnage OF the entire an
nual foreign commerce of the Unite
States. The Isthmian Canal Commisso
estimated that the Panama Canal. now
be built at a cost approximating 500 ooO