Evening journal., 1912-09-05
By MOBILE HOWARD ASH


The beautiful Feeder Road" has been
the favorite drive of lovers. for years
Any one who appreciates nature
and has a love of the beautiful. can
get pleasure from a drive or walk
over that road.
The Big Elk creek with its huge
boulders and dashing waters at one
point is for a time hidden from view
by the thick overhanging trees and
bushes. but as one passes on one
find nature has ade a vista through
which one looks TO find our turbulent
stream has become a lovely silent
pool rejecting the foliage and vines
hanging so gracefully over II. On
the other side of the road is the feeder
itself. now only deep depression,
Overgrown with trees. bushes and
! ferns OF many varieties and great
/ beauty. Some places in the feeder are
! large ponds of water. The feeder
road is so narrow IL is dangerous for
large teams to travel that way, as
there is little room to pass another
conveyance. "a careful study of the
route Of the feeder will show a gap.
or streatch of land not touched for
canal purposes This gap. is in Cat
Swamp about two and a half miles
east Of Elkton. Tradition says Jac-
ques or Jacob Casho watched the
workmen as they approached his
lands, which were situated at the
place not touched, which is near
the road on the north side Nearer
and nearer came the diggers. till so
close we're they to the Casho tract.
that the owner thrust his silver headed
cane into the ground on his property
line. and in peremptory voice for
bade any work on his lands. He was
oheyed. and the work was taken up
at, or on. the next property. A gum
tree now marks the southern line OF
this old Casho estate. and part of
these lands are in the possession Of
Jacob Cashos great. great. grand
daughters. Misses Laura e. Clark,
Miss Elizabeth Casho Clark and Miss
MOllie L. Clark
What the plans Of the canal com
pany were for getting through the
lands Of Jacob Casho never heard
but certain It is that his estate was
the only one on the whole line Of the
feeder to escane the cut" Contin-
uing the feeder from this break. the
company crossed the Philadelphia
turnpike from Elkton. via. Red Hill,
at point slightly west Of the "Mason
and Dixon Line" One OF the five
mile stones Of this famous line is only
few hundred yards. (roughly speak
ingl 10 the south east of the feeder
II will he remembered that the mile
stones we're simply marked by "P and
r" I think. but every fifth mile stone
/. had the coat OF arms of William
Penn on the Delaware side and those
of Lord Baltimore on the Maryland
side. 7 have often sat on this stone
near the feeder. and carefully studied
both sides Of Il. AS far as I have
ever heard Jacob Casho did not owr
{ any land, over the "line" in the state
: Of Delaware. though he was the pro
genitor of all the Casho family o
New Castle County. Delaware. as vel
: as the Ash family and some OF th'
Howards Of Cecil County.
: But we must follow the feeder, AM
n only short distance is Il now fror
the turnpike 10 the end Of the sit
: intended for the reservoir near Glas
gov. Delaware. After building thi
: costly adjunct of the canal II wa
abandoned for lack of money. Il
1903 there was a riot among the Irisl
!, and negro laborers employed on IN
+. canal. They we're chased into Elktoi
!. and IL is said several Of the negroe
. were killed. so great was the fury o
I, the hot headed lrishmen. DR.. Evan
y of Elkton interviewed and after mucl
= trouble succeeded in pacifying them
=. For nine years work was suspende
L on the canal, but with the approac
= of another war with Great Britiar
- MARYLAND took steps to hurry tn
= completion of the project, the Legis
n lature in 1S12-13 passed a sup lemer
- tary act to the original charter. The
- seemed to realize the vast importanc
/, Of this water way in time Of war, say
- ing as Il does. between three and fou
4, hundred miles. which vessels wer
{, obliged to travel In making the out
= side trip from Washington, Annapoli
:. and Baltimore to New York. Philade
~ phia and Wilmington. The supplemeI
y .ary charter required the Unite
i, States Government to subscribe rs
(. shares. the State Of Pennsylvania 81
~ shares. Delaware 100 shares an
~ MARYLAND $50 shares of stock. Th
- work on. and interest in, the cant
IL seems 10 nave ldiHuiohth hhhii opN'
NJ 1922 The supply of water to be take
from the Big Elk creek was estimate
4 by the various engineers engaged @
,s the work Mrs Latrobe in 1904 estin
,s ated the supply to be equal to Is
IA locks full per day. In 1922 John RAJ
e del. Jr., who was noted Civil Fl
-v gineer of Albany. New York, and WI
N had been working on the canal Il
10 some time, said the average was
he locks full per day for the whole yea
40 but during the dry months Of Jul
r | August, September and October q
pr flow OF water was only about 30 loci
SIS full a day Mr. Randel is suspect'
on of not having given the Canal Cor
sll pany the truthful figures, being a
he cused of Understanding the flow
a water for the purpose Of having q
ad Canal located farthur down the pc
insula, as in that case for vario
nv reasons. his contracts would be mo
,s+ profitable. The residents of Wilmin
er ton we're very anxious at this tir
and most Justly so, because th
. would be almost cut off II the can
= we're built miles away from Z
Christiana, which creek they hop
would be used as part Of the car