Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-18
WATERWAY MEN OF
FIVE STATES VIEW
CHESAPEAKE CANAL
Newark Representatives in the
Movement to Urge Fed
eral Ownership.

| PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1S-More
than 600 business men from Phila-
| delphia, Chester, Baltimore, Wash
ington, Norfolk, Newark, IN. j.. and
other cities made up an excursion
which embarked on the steamship
| Thomas Clyde yesterday to inspect
the Delaware and Chesapeake canal.
The excursion was. under the auspices
| of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways
Association and the purpose was to
urge the purchase of the canal by
| the Federal government for its I'M
| provement.
For years this association has adj
| vocated the purchase of the canal by
| the government and its development
into a sea-level waterway. Members
! of the delegation say that the devel-
| opment of the canal would provide
| an inland waterway for ships from
Delaware bay to Chesapeake bay. 1t
would be of vital Importance to the
commercial interests of the Middle
Atlantic seaboard and would provide
a free and unbroken chain OF canals
from Maine to the South, covering the
Atlantic coast.
Advantages Pointed Dat.
The present poor shipping condi-
lions of the canal were pointed out
to the delegation yesterday and the
advantages of a deeper and wider
waterway were pointed out by the
members who were familiar with the
conditions.
The war department has trans
mitted a favorable report to ongress
urging the purchase of the canal, and
1t is up to that body to pass the.
measure.
At I.orewood Grove, Del. the ex-
cursionists were greeted by large
delegation from Washington and Bal
timore, including several members of
the rivers and harbors committee. AT
a meeting which followed Governor
Miller, of Delaware. was the princi-
pal speaker. Among other things
he said:
"The canal In its present condition
is holding back the State of Della
ware. If the Federal government will
purchase the Delaware and Chesa-
peake canal and improve 1t as 1t
should be improved it would provide
one of the finest naval defenses along
the Atlantic coast
He referred to the United states
navy and asserted that 1t should be
the largest and best equipped navy
in the world, so that this country
could command peace. He cone
cluded by asserting that ne would do
everything in his power to bring
about the purchase of the canal by
the government.
Mayor of Baltimore Speaks.
Mayor James H. Preston, of Balti-
more, said that the business interests
of that city demanded that the canal
be twenty-eight feet deep and that it
should be improved to provide for
ships, not barges only. He referred
to the tremendous amount of business
between Baltimore and Philadelphia
and New York through the canal, and
advocated the immediate purchase of
the canal.
Director Porter also addressed the
assemblage. He said 1t was the duty
of the United States government to
buy this canal and make such i'm
provements as would cause it to be
the greatest and most important
waterway of the country.
Other speakers, all of whom urged
the immediate improvement of the
waterway, were Thomas Gallagher, of
Chicago; Congressman j. Harry Cow
ington, of Maryland, a member of the
rivers and harbors committee; Gem
eral George Uhler. formerly United
States inspector general Of steam