Evening journal., 1913-09-04
CALHOUN HAD
CANAL PLANS
CENTURY AGO
he FOreSaW the Value Of In
land Waterways While
President
c. 6 D. WATERWAY
AN IMPORTANT LINK

NEW lQhiNs sept -Nt"iiN wv
years have passed since John c. Calhoun,
when Secretary Of War in the admins
tration of President James Monroe.
earnestly recommended that the govern
ment build system of intercoastal
canals which would connect by artificial
waterways Massachusetts, bay, Buzzards
bay. Long Island sound. the harbor Of
New York. the Delaware river and the
headvaters Of Chesapeake bay, Chesa-
pesxe bay and Hampton Roads with the
sounds of North Carolina and ultimately
a canal across South Carolina and ulti-
matelv canal across South Carolina TO
the Savannah river.
Calhoun's plan received enthusiastic
approval What was left Of the Fedaral
party and the Democratic party cor
daily united in support of the Calhoun
canal system The Erie canal at that
fime was in the course of construction.
Interior New England was reached by a
lcanal that stretched from Long Island
sound to Northampton, Mass, and the
lcanalization of the Merrimac and the
lConcord rivers made possible water naN-
lpation in the interior of New Hamp-
Ishire and Eastern Massachusetts to the
Isea at Newburyport.
The Calhoun canal system was TO sup
kplement the transportation facilities
(which would be made possible by the
construction of the great national high
tway from the seacoast TO the Ohio VAL
hey.
Berinnings Of the R. & o.
While tentative plans we're under
conslderation for undertaking the
calhoun canal system. there came OF
a sudden word from England that
George Stephenson had applied steam
Energy successfully TO the transport
htion of cars over rails. That In
formation instantly changed the
hituation. The first evidences OF II
were those furnished by the citizens
Of Baltimore, who decided that in
order to maintain the prestige OF
baltimore II was necessary TO con-
htruct a railroad stretching from Bal
himore ultimately across the APP
balachian range TO the Ohio Valley
Railroad construction absorbed much
of the capital Of the United States
ut that time Two of the canal sys-
tens. the Northampton In New Eng
1and and the Delaware and Hudson,
which hoated coal from the Penn
sylvania mines to tidewater upon the
Hudson, were abandoned and their
towpaths made available for the
roadbeds OF railroads. The pioneers
Of Ohio began a system OF canalizing
with the hope in mind that a deep
raft canal would be built from Lake
Erie 70 the Ohio River
A Striking Coincidence.
Those in this city who are inter-
ested in the revival of agitation for
the construction Of new canals and
in the building of several which are
TO be completed within few months
speak of II as q striking coincidence
that Just at this time. when the Cape
Cod Canal is nearly ready for naviga-
ton and the canalization of the
water approaches to Houston, Texas,
Is about completed and the gigantic
Erie Canal, 800 miles long and cap
able of floating barges OF a thousand
ton burden, is announced as prac-
tically completed and the last dixie
of the Panama Canal construction is
to be removed within a few days,
there comes from Washington an
nouncement that the plan advocated
by John c. Calhoun a hundred years
ago has been, in its main features.
recommended by the board OF en-
gineers appointed by the government
some years ago to investigate the
whole subject of a coast canal from
Massachusetts Bay to the sounds of
North Carolina.
Another curious confirmation of the
report that a strong disposition charac-
terizes the American people in favor of
canal construction came frome Ohio
only day or two before the report Of
the government engineers in favor of
system Of coast canals was made
public. An authorized state commission
an Ohio, according TO information which
has reached this city. is to begin inn
mediately a thorough investigation of
ithe canal system Of Ohio so that a re-
port may be made TO the legislature
which is expected TO embrace all feat
ures, economic scientific trade and com.
mercisl. favorable or unfavorsble. as
.sociated with the Ohio state canal sys-
tenn There are intimations that the
commission viii undertake to report
upon the feasibility of a deep-water
canal being constructed north and south
In Ohio connecting Lake Erie with the
Ohio River.
Favorable Report Of Engineers.
A few days ago the War Department
at Washington placed in the hands OF
Speaker Clark Of the lower house of
Congress the report Of the Board OF En-.
eincers consisting Of five army officers
who are selected for their great ability
as engineers. recommending together
with the recommendation Of the chief oi
the engineers OF the army General
Bixby, that Congress act favorably
upon the report OF this board of engi
necrs.
These skilled engineers have beer
busily occupied for five years in study
ing the entire proposition. II was mo-
necessary for them to give any oficia
attention to the construction of cana
across the shoulder of Cape Cod con
Meeting Massachusetts, Bay with Buz
yards Bay. That important work. frs
recommended more than hundre'
years ago. has recently been undertake.
by private capital. Within a year i
will be possible for vessels of all kinds
excepting the largest ocean steamship
4 70 avoid the dangerous shoals, fog
and storms which have made the wa
ters around Cape Cod a great ocea
cemetery and in addition to save sc,
Z eral hours of time in making psssag
between Boston and New York by wa
Of Long Island Sound
The first great problem for the eng
neers was offered by the propositio
that the harbor of lower New York I
connected with the Delaware River b
an adequate ship canal There is alread