Evening journal., 1914-01-27
Some Early History of fhe
Chesapeake and Delaware Cana

- (AG4 II q x ~0tIQI
alton in excess of sl4,OOO,OOO tsee page
9s, H. K. Document 70. 39l. cd Con.
gress, I'd session.. The board stated as
its opinion that the figures given above
are only partial and may be taken as
conservative and well below the actual
existing amount of. commerce"
/ The traffic committee appointed in
/ November. 1910, by the president of the
/ Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association
TO report on the commercial prospects
/ of canal connecting the Delaware
river and New York bay. reported as its
estimate that 100000 tons of freight
would pass through sch a canal and
stated that this was probably an un-
duly conservative estimate" lSee page
III, II. r. Document No. 39l. 62d Con.
gress. I'd session.. II seems reasonable
to assume that volume of freight an
proXimately equal is probable through
a modernized and toll-free Chesapeake
land Delaware canal. The engineers fur
ther report that free canal would pro,
.duce a saving on tolls OF not less than
Sj77 800 per year, and that there would
be a further saving Of 2l 3-4 cents per
ton on the general run of freight, which
would amount to not less than S55l .033
per year. Without considering the saw
ing in marine insurance and i'm main
tenance and operation. which would be
very large. the annual saving on exist.
ing coastwise commerce through the ac-
quisition and reconstruction OF the
Chesapeake and Delaware canal would
amount TO not less than 81 .229 .244.
The summary of canal statistics re-
ported by the engineers is as follows
Miles.
Length of land cut. t............. 1875
Length of dredged channel in
Delaware river ........ o
Length Of drcdged channel in Back
creek ....................... as
Length of dredged channel in Elk
river ....................... s5
Length OF dredged channel in
Chesapeake bay .......... 100
Distance from Baltimore to en-
trance to Delaware bay via Cape
! Charles ........ INSTRUMENTATION. 32O.O
Distance from Baltimore to en-
trance TO Delaware bay via
canal ................,... 1861
Saving in distance from Baltimore
to common point .............. 1900
Saving in time from Baltimore to
common point ..............h hours l6
Number of locks .............. None
Number of highway bridges. 9
Number of railway bridges ... /
Estimated cost of acquiring pri-
vate waterway ........ SOL ,2S9.1O
In a supplementary report on the
lChesapeake and Delaware canal (63d
Congress, lst session. II. r. Document
No. 1861 under date of August o. 1913,
the chief Of engineers reported finally
in favor of the immediate acquisition of
the Chesapeake and Delaware canal in
, the following terms:
Regarding the further improvement
of the already recommended waterway
, between Chesapeake bay and Delaware
bav, the chief of engineers concurs with
both the special board and board of en-
oineers for rivers and harbors in the
opinion that it is advisable for the
, United States to buy the Chesapeake
and Delaware canal at a cost to the
/. United States not exceeding s2,5l4,2 200
and to then enlarge il to a sea-level
, canal Of y feet depth and 90 feet bot
tom width with the least interference
p practicable to existing traffic, following
I in general the methods indicated by the
! special board. at cost which, including
the first years maintenance, amounts
in. round numbers to SsO0oOOO. OF whlcl
So 600 600 should be made available by
the first appropriation. and economical
4 work will then require subsequent ap
propriations of from S5O0,OOO to 81 600,
( COO per year.
Z The chief of engineers concurs with thu
hoard of engineers for rivers and har
. bors in the view that further deepening
4 TO p feet at an extra cost OF S4,5OO,OO'
o should await further observation as t
. the commercial changes resulting IRON
- the first increase i'm canal depth and es
{ peciallv the release from canal tolls
. Moreover. the chief of engineers Is o
i. the opinion that the general pubi
o beneft will be that due to the increas'
$ of commerce by use of barges IN tow
. and of medium draft boats, and that tn
v added benefits sccruing from heavy drat
e boats will be mainly local and conse
louentlv should await corporation b.
Y the local States or those most direetl.
y benefited As the work TO be done !
II progressive. and as under present Fed
a lerai laws the engineer department cal
= ialwavs receive and eXpend local fund
If for such purpose. it win always be pos
, sihle to increase the project depth aboN
a II feet up to p feet rs fast as loca
l. lco-operation furnishes the funds
Tho opinion OF tine tuhhheiNi"A i"NN'
4, csts of the seaboard States has been re
/, peatedly expressed through resolution
N adopted at the annual conventions q
r Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association
lc The fifth annual convention, held a
Z. New London. Conn., in September, l9l-
" went on record as follows;
m Resolved, That we demand Of Con
IN arcss at its next session an act acquu
re ing the Chesapeake and Delaware cana
10 one of the most essential links IN th
whole intracoastal chain. one OF IN
R. most feasible to improve for modern re
ID uuirements. and the next in logical orde
N of progress northward. all OF which
ID fnillv shown bv the recent report OF th
10 United States army engineers. And I
N event of failure to negotiate satisfa'
o. tory contract for the purchase OF IN
" Icanal. we favor the immediate conden
NJ nation thereof by the government or tn
I'd construction of canal over an sltern'
he tive route"
Id The sixth annual convention Of n
A. association. held at Jacksonville, Fla
in November. 1913, subsequent to Il
al lpublcation Of the favorable report b
IS the cnicf of engineers, adopted the 10
cr lowing resolutions;
he Resolved, That we demand of Coz