Evening journal., 1912-01-06
cONGREss is URGED 10 BUY c. & D. CANAL

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6-The pur-
chase by the federal government of
the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
at an estimated cost Of S2,514 ,29O and
of the Albemarle and Chesapeake
Canal at a cost of 100000, as a part
Of the proposed intracoastal water
way from Boston to Beaufort, is
strongly recommended in a report
transmitted to Congress Wednesday by
Secretary Of War Stimson.
Secretary Stimson transmitted the
report OF the special survey board, of
which Col William NJ Black, of New
York, is chairmalf which made The
survey, also the i-pOrt of the higher
board of rivers and harbOrs engineers
of the War Department. of which Col.
William T. Russell is chairman, as
well as the letter of General Bixby'
who, as chief of engineers, approves
the recommendations of the engineers.
The report is in response to directions
given by Congress in the Rivers and
HarbOrs Act of 1909, directing that
survey be made for continuous
inland waterways from Boston to the
Rio Grande.
It is by far the most important and
comprehensive report ever transmitted
to Congress on canal matters, with
the single exception of the reports up
on which the construction of the Pana-
ma Canal was based.
Besides recommending the purchase
of the Chesapeake and Delaware Ca
nal, so as to link up the Chesapeake
Bay with the Delaware River, the re-
port transmitted today recommends
the progressive development ano
change of this canal to a tide-leve
canal of % feet depth at mean low
water at. further cost of S9,9lO,2li
making a total initial cost of Sl2,424,5Ol
of which Congress is urged mos
strongly to make S3,000,000 immedi
ately available.
Congress is also informed that th'
War Department has decided upon thu
purchase of the Albermarle anG
Chesapeake Canal to connect tn
Chesapeake Bay with the North Caro-
lima Sounds and that the engineer
favor the expenditure of S2,235,0OO 70
ITS Improvement and increase i'm dept
to u feet. and an immediate appro
priation Of S735.O0O for such purchas
Is urged. as well as an authorization
to enter into contracts for S2,OOO,OO
to begin work of deepening this cana
to 10 feet
Most Important Link.
The reports submitted yesterdaI
indorse in strong terms the report o
the special commission, of which Gen
Felix Agnus was chairman, submit
ted i'm 1907 90 Congress, recommend
! ing The purchase Of the Chcsapeak
land Delaware Canal. I'm fact, tn
army engineers as well as Genera
Bixby. declare that the purchase an
Improvement Of this canal is the mos
important link in the whole chain {
proposed waterways between Bosio
and Beaufort
Representative J. Hampton Moor
president of the Atlantic Deeper Wal
erways Association. stated after reat
y ing the report, that he would imm'
diately ask the Rivers and Harbol
Committee to fix a day when it woul
take up the report transmitted, an
. that he would urge the purchase
2 the Chesapeake and Delaware Cam
I as the first of the canals to be bougl
by the government through an al
preparation in the next River and Ha'
Dor Bill.
n The vital importance of the Chess
4 peake and Delaware Canal is furth'
Il emphasized i'm the report by The fa'
n that General BiNby and the army 81
cineers recommend that tho cana
s proposed to connect Philadelphia wit
a New York and New York With Bo
z. ton be postponed until after the can
l. connecting the Chesapeake Bay al
v the Delaware River is completed.
N Baltimore banking interests as we
y. as commercial and shipping men, a
N also vitality interested in the report
the oficiers recommending the Du