Middletown transcript., 1912-01-20
WILL PURCHASE c. ID. CANAL
Major Raymond Directed to Pre-
pare Exhaustive Rennrt

start at once on the construction of a shil
canal connecting the Delaware and Ches
apeake Rays as the most important Iinl
otan ex nsive system of inland water
wals from Boston to Beaufort, n. c., i!
followed by another important story or
the same subject.
1t was learned Saturday from an Official
source that the Secretary of War has di.
rected the special board of government
engineers, who recently reported on the
ship canal project to also prepare at once
a report on the approximate cost of a
series Of inland waterways along the same
route smaller than the ship canal propo-
sition. This board, as has previously
been annoudced, includes;
Col. William NJ. Black, district engi-
neer officer, New York, charm an; Col. P.
V. Abbott, district engineer officer, Bos-
ton; Major Robert R. Raymond, district
engineer officer, Wilmington; Lieutenant
Colonel Mason NJ. Patrick, district engi.
neer officer, Norfolk, Va, and Lieutenant
Colonel James G. Stanford, district engi-
neer, officer, Newport, R. l.
The board makes it report to General
William H. Bixby. He in turn presents
the finding to the Secretary of War.
Barge Canals a stastsr
In the recent report forwarded to Con.
gress, General Bixby, after definitely rec.
cmmending the imn ediste purchase of
the present Chesapeake & Delaware canal
and it's deepening to a mean low water
depth of 25 feet with width on the bot.
tom of l25 feet, said.
''The change should be made gradually
and in such way as to interfere as little |
as possible with existing traffic; and II |
Ieet depth or thereabout should be secur.
ed through the the canal before the deep.
gu is carried to 25 feet"
In accordance with this recommends
lioD, all of the engineers on the special
board, with the exception of Lieut.. Col.
Patrick have BEEN directed to pre-.
pare reports on the cost of series OF
canals u feet iu depth with a width on
he bottom OF 80 feet. This, in effect,
would be system of barge canals; inland
waterways, wherein coal carriers could
navigate without being exposed the to
langers OF sea voyages. Col. Patrick is
lot participating for the reason that the
width recommended for the Norfolk.
Beaufort section in the recent report.
The latest project hat not been ordered.
s substitution for the mere important
hip canal, Instead, it is part and par
ell of this great inland waterway improve
lent
Working out Three Proposals
When Major Raymond, United States
'ngineer for this district, was directed a
eek ago II make the new study, he
laced the attaches of his office at work at
nee. They are going over the survey in
'ctions OF one hundred feet at a time.
heir task will be completed the middle S
this week. 1
Three propositions for barge canal be-
Veen the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays i
e being worked out at the Office of Msjor
aymond. One is on the basis of a lock h
nal with the establishment of locks at n
elaware City and St. Georges, Del, and
hesapeake City, Nd. Locks are now =.
Gated at those places, but under the pro-
'eed order of things, they will be much
rger. A second project is to have two 3
cks, St. Georges and Chesapeake City.
his would mean sea level canal from
e head of the Delaware Bay at Della u
are City to St. Georges.
and probably more practical
opotition, is to have the entire canal at
le level. This would require deeper
cavation9, but the saving thst would be u
ectad by not constructing locks aud by 10 10
3 absence OF a large pumping plant at 1t
CIty-the present pumping
'tem there to f ! the canal would have br
be enIarged-would doubtless equalize an
Itters as between the respective systems. oil
Larger Than Hudson River Lock
Major Raymond started yesterday that VIZ
ocks shall be installed they will be an
newhat larger than those now in the ma
dson River at Troy, N. Y.
When the report on the Delaware,
section shall be completed, tb,
Major will notify his colleagues on wi
special board. A meeting will then r
n1'N !" Ne" AofA al WHICH Dafge Mt
al report on all of the sections from On
ton to Norfolk will be prepared for On
mission to General Bixby at Wash
ton. I
he system of barge canals, as pro- s"'
ed, is to follow the same routes de- ny
ID upon by the special board for the VI
, canal matter. The shipment Of coal
oil by water is nearly all done by the ano
ms of barges. These vessels must oan
essarily be seaworthy and they must let
drawn by tugs that can 90 to sea. n
ice the cost of construction is greatly woo
eased, to say nothing OF the long larp
ls. lv t
he distance from Baltimore to the :,
lTare Breakwater, for steamer as large II
! must now go, is 32O miles. With W., %n'
completion of a canal between the 'no
ware and Chesapeake Bays that ''"''
d accommodate reasonably large F.
!. this distance would be but ninety soot
miles. NAV
New Jerseys Section softt
much greater saving would be effect collC