Middletown transcript., 1914-03-28
MR.. BROCKSON wins
Resists Attacks on Bill For Pur-
chase Of the Canal
WOULD STIMULATE COMMERCE

on Saturday, which continued until late
in the afternoon, various abortive at
tempts were made by Congressman
Frear and Stafford of Wisconsin to de-
feat the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Delaware items in the appropriation
bill for the improvement Of the rivers
and harbors of the country. Congress
man Franklin Brockson of Delaware,
in an eloquent and powerful speech,
blocked the obstructionists and succeed
ed in saving the slice of the appropria-
ton originally set aside for Delaware
by the house committee. After de-
scribing the canal and the details of its
construction, Mr.. Brockson said: The
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Co.,
still owns and operates this canal. The
United States and the three States
which l mentioned still own stock in
that company, representing the money
which they contributed for the con-
structions of the canal.
The pending bill provides for the
purchase of this canal. l am fully sat
isfied that it should be owned and oper-
ated by the government.
In time of war this canal enlarged
might be of great value to the United
States in transporting troops, ammuni-
ton and supplies, and in moving and
shifting and small draft boats of the
navy.
The canals entrance into the Della
ware river is already well protected by
two strong forts, Fort Delaware and
Fort dupont.
This canal will form one of the most
important links in the proposed intra-
costal waterway from the North m
Atlantic ports to the Southern Allan
tic ports.
The report of the Board Of Engineers
for Rivers and Harbors states: "Aside
from its future value as a link in a
through waterway connecting north
ern and southern ports, it will be
of great value to existing commerce
and will yield immediate benefits. The
board therefore recommends the pur-
chase of the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal at price not exceeding 81, 514,-
289. 70, or its requirement by condem-
nation proceedings, if necessary.
The report of the Special Board of
Engineer officers as to the usefulness
of this canal in its relation to existing
waterways and their commerce states
that free canal would be availed of,
according to recent estimates by 1,107,-
Aid tons of freight from southern
points and by l, 43O, ,208 tons from north
ern points, together with freight of
considerable amount of which the ton
mage was not stated.
According to the reports of the
Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Co., the
average annual shipments through the
canal for the last five years have been
TIC, 644 tons, for which the tolls have
averaged $163, Isl. 33, or a general av-
erage of % 3-4 cents per ton. Apply
ing this general rate to the traffic re-
ported as now existing and ready to use
a free canal, we find that free canal
would produce saving on tolls not less
than S577, 309 pr year. In addition to
the saving on tolls, further saving of
21 3-4 cents per ton on the general run
of freight is estimated as probable, due
to the cheap transportation expected to
develop over a free route. The saving
from this cause would be not less than
$551, 933 per year.
Without considering the saving in
insurance, the annual saving on known
existing coastwise commerce which
would use a free canal may be stated as
not less than 81, ,229, ,242. The same re-
port also shows the probable value of
this canal as a means of avoiding disas-
ters in the Atlantic Ocean This report
states: During the last five years
many vessels and lives have been lost
along the coast between Cape Charles
and Cape Henlopen between which
points there is no harbor of refuge ex-
cept the inadequate one at Chincoteague.
Among the vessels so lost were 30 en-
gagged in the coastwise trade which
might have used the canal, if the same
had been available and free, and which
would in that way have avoided the
dangers which caused their loss. The
value of these vessels and their cargoes
is not known, but the aggregate ton
mage was about $4,000, and it may be
assumed that there was lost with them
not less than 1900 tons of freigh'. AL
lowing so per cent of the cost of new
vessels of the sizes reported, their value
may be assumed as $3.50, 900. Consider
ing the total tonnage and value of all
freight reported to the board as shipped
along the route of the canal, an average
of $4.81 per ton has been deduced for
the general run of coastwise freight.
The cargoes lost may then be assumed
to be worth not less than $57, ,72O and
the value of the canal as a preventative
Of marine disaster may be takan as not
less than 100000 per year. With the
% vessels that were destroyed, 49 lives
were lost. Such loss of life and prop
erty could practically all be avoided Oy
the enlargement of this canal so that
all the commerce of that locality could
pass through the canal. "
Notwithstanding the size of this canal
and the toll charges it has been and is