Evening journal., 1914-09-28
IN FIGHT
FOR WATERWAYS
Association to Demand Pas
sage of Original Rivers
Bill
DELEGATES BRING
HOME ENTHUSIASM

Delaware delegates to the Atlantic !
Deeper Waterways Association Con-
vention returned home on Satm day |
night delighted with the trip and en-
thusiastic over the work of the Con- /
vention. Everyone predicted that an !
unrelenting fight for the passage OF
the rivers and harbors bill as origin
ally passed in the House and sent |
to the Senate would begin in Con-
gress this week by Congressman who
are in favor of the development 9f
the inland waterway projects as pril-
vided for in that bill. This was the
attitude developed at the last days
session of the convention. With
Secretary of the Navy Josephus
Daniels as an ally, members of the
association are confident that the
movement will be successful
Congressman John II. Small, OF
North Carolina, a member of the
Rivers and Harbors Committee, said
that although a minority in tie
House and Senate had made an at
tack on this bill, it would eventually
be passed, If not at this session, at
the next. The items provided for in
this bill, he said. we're essential to
the prosperity of the country.
Daniels ON Navy Plans.
If the item providing for the pur-
chase of the Chesapeake and Della
ware Canal was killed, he declared
all of the work on the project for a
continuous waterway chain from
Maine to Florida would be held up
Until this canal was bought by the
Government all other work would be
of little importance.
Just before making his address,
Secretary Daniels was elected an
honorary member of the association,
the first honorary member ever cleo
ted to that body. While the Secre-
tary advocated deeper waterways for
the movement of torpedo and sub
marine boats, which would keep down
the cost of upkeep of these vessels,
he also announced that although the
submarine had demonstrated its eff
cheney as a fighting machine, there
would be no change in the policy Of
building dreadnaughts The Navy,
he declared, did not intend to put
all its eggs in one basket
In urging the development Of in
]
asked, "Who shall put a cost on hui
man life? If for no other reason
this work should be done to save hui
man life. In the past we have
thought too little of the lives OF men
who go down to sea in ships In the
! ten years, from 1899 to 1905 1923
lives, which would have probably
| been saved by inside routes. we're
! 1,u nN Tv, f.I
/ ships were lost and S30,O00,OO0 OF
property. The total cost Of building
the canals needed for the develop
ment of an inside route could be
saved In a few years by preventing
wrecks. Progress i'm the Slate where
I live has been impeded because of
the dangers of Cape Hatteras"
The convention was the greatest
i'm the history of the organization
During the five days the convention
was in session the delegates inspec-
ted the New York harbor and the
adjacent New York and New Jersey
/ waterways, including an inspection
of the Hudson river from its mouth
to the head of navigation, and the
New York barge canal. During this
time the convention also visited the
| NiAlt1 VI 4NtM lbihs itiin AluuuNs ~
J.; West Point, n. v; Newburgh. ~
Y; Poughkeepsie, n. y; Kingston
n. Y: Hudson, n. Y; Albany, n. Y;
and Troy. AT each Of these places
large and enthusiastic meetings were
held. Along the entire route from
New York to Troy vast throngs of
people greeted the boat bearing the
convention from the banks on each
side of the river.
Resolutions were passed urging
the immediate acquisition of the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and
the improvement OF it to a sea-level
canal the adoption by Congress OF
the New Jersey Canal project. con-
Meeting the Raritan and Delaware
bays: steady progress on the wa
terway from Norfolk to Beaufort and
all of the other improvements along
the Atlantic seaboard that have been
recommended by the army engineers
Wilfred Schoff. OF Philadelphia
was reelected secretary and treas
urer, and Durell Shuster, also OF
Philadelphia, was elected assistant
secretary and treasurer.