Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-01-04
LINKS IN Big WATERWAY
Start on Two Canals to Be Rec.
commended.
One 10 Connect the Chesapeake and
Delaware Rays--Other from Nor
folk, Va, TO Beaufort, n. c.
Cost about 1000 $40.
(From the Wilmington. Del, starr

From the Wilmington. Del. Star)
The Star IL In possession Of unquestion-
ed information to the effect that in a
report which Secretary Of War stimson
will send to Congress this week. prob.
ably on Wednesday. 1t will be recon.
mended that work start NJ once on the
construction Of the ship canal connecting
the Delaware and Chesapeake bays, and
also on the proposed inland waterway
from Norfolk to Beaufort. n. C.
The combined cost OF completing both
waterways. including the acquisition "
the present Chesapeake and Delaware
canal ana the Albermarle and Chesa-
pcake canal. will approximate si7ooo.on.
With an appropriation by Congress Of
these funds. or an appropriation with
which the task can be begun. work on
the first and mos: important links Of
the great inland waterway Of 1000 miles.
from Boston on the north. TO tho Rio
Grnrde river in Texas on the south,
will start The? will be building stimuli
taneously.
The cost Of building the Delaware.
Chesapeake section. the key to the whole
problem. will approximate $1,000 ,OOo This
in: carnl for s2sl4,2Sa7o. This price was
determined by = commission comprising
Gen. Felix Asnus OF Baltimore. Maj. g
A. FinHier, engineer corps. L. S. ~. and
Lieut.. T. T. Chambers, civil engineer,
L. s. ~ report being made January
l. 1877. Il. connection with which the
route OF the present Chesapeake and
Delaware canal was favored for the i'm
mcnse waterway.
The cost Of building the section from
Norfolk TO Beaufort. y. c., will APP
proximste $500. 40. OF this sum $780,
Ono will he used In buying the Albemare
and Chesapeake canal. This will leave
H5ot0o with which to do the construu
ton work on that particular section.
The report Of the secretary Of war
will set forth reasons why work should
| be started on the above sections as
soon as money shall be available. 1t will.
moreover. urge that they be built be-
fore any other work on the intereoastal
chain shall he done.
Further recommendations will he that
a portion. At least. OF the governmental
dredging plan now being used in disginr
| the Panama canal be utilized on the
proposed Delaware Chesapeake water.
way. This will save both time and
money Some OF the work Will also b
done by contractors.
Some idea Of the immensely OF the
canal that will connect the Delaware
and Chesapeake bays car be gained from
the fact that It will have a width or
the bottom Of is feet and an average
depth at low tide Of = feet. Tidal con
ditions will obtain because all locks vii
be removed and the tide will ebb and
flow Just a. II does in the respective
feeders.
II il intended that boats drawing 2
fee. will be able to proceed through tn
waterway at any time. In order to maxi
this possible it will be necessary ia
make the actual depth about q feet a
low tide.
FOUR YEARS TO BUILD.
The ship canal entrance proper iron
the Delaware bay will be just belov
Fort Du Point The waterway at thi
point will be 800 feet In width. The pres
ert canal entrance, with depth OF
feet, on the northerly side OF Fort D
Point, will he maintained for the use O
light vessels. The army reservation wi
therefore be between both legs OF tn
proposed waterway.
The present shallow canal and the prc
posed deep canal will Join couple c
miles west Of Delaware City. The ne'
ship canal entrance will be in the marshe
. adjoining the fort and will continu
: across the country. In order that tn
range Of the large guns now in plac
on the reservation shall not be Interfere
t with 1t will be necessary for the go,
: eminent to buy the intervening propert
on the south between the present site ,
Fort Du Pont and the proposed shi
, canal. This will be a comparatively srna
tract
n Chesapeake section can be built In lie.
h The soil Is not hard to dig The Norfoll
r Beaufort section can be completed
about two years and six months.
While the uniform width OF the sh
canal between the two bays will b
more than l:5 feet that width on II
bottom making this necessary, it w
q he greatly widened on the turns in o
der TO expedite navigation.
s When the work on the Delawar
: Chesapeake and Norfolk Beaufort se
n lions shall be We'll under way. the ne
s task will be the construction OF = sh
n canal across New Jersey In order
l. reach New York. II has been demo
If straicd that commerce actually in sig
l. 70" the proposed inland waterway fro
n New York to Beaufort Is enormous
grcater than any commerce that CT
h .easonabiy he expected for the Panan
~ canal
e. Tho cost Of the canals connecting NJ
j. York with Beaufort and thereby e
o. ablng large seagong vessels from NJ
lie York to reach Philadelphia. Wilmngto
q. Baltimore. Washington and Norfe
10 without getting glimpse OF the A
10 lanuc ocean viii be less than scr, oOo, 0
I; The Panama canal will cost s4OO. 6OO, o
>" ODD FELLOWS INSTALL.