The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-07-28
DORCHESTER FIRST
IN BIG PROJECT
Canal And Deeper Waterways in
The County-N1r. Furst Approves
The Plan.

/ Inc iouhty-Nf. ufSC approves
The Plan.
Dorchester county is first in pro-
| posing, and will carry through, the
! building of a canal which will con-
meet its main waterways and which
viii make inland water navigation
possible ard practical, and at the
same time aid materially in draining
| the IoWlands. The project as pro-
! posed ought to be an inspiration
| 10 richer counties in tidewater Mary
! land to undertake similar enter
prises.
Frank A. Furst, the dredging ex-
pert Of Baltimore, who has recently
returned after an inspection of the
projected canal and deeper natural
waterways, pronounces the enter
prise entirely feasible and practi-
cal.
The canal will connect the Little
Blacllwater River with the Great
Choptank river through Cambridge
harbor and open up an inland wa
terway for traffic from the Eastern
Shore OF Virginia up through Tan
gier Sound ard Fishing Bay to the
mouth of Great Blackwater river,
which connects with the Little
Blackwater river; then through
this canal, through Cambridge har-
Dor, and down the ChOptank river,
TO Tilghman's Island Narrows, out
on up through Eastern Bay to the
Chester river through Kent Island
Narrows. Only l SIS miles are to
be cut through solid land. About
three miles at the head of the Lit
tie Blackwater river, mostly mud,
are to be dredged. The remainder
CT the Little Blackwater river that
empties into the Great BlackWater
river is only about seven or eight
miles, the most of which is deep
enough and will not require any
digging whatever. The Great Black
water river has a depth from 10 to
Is feet from shore to shore at the
point where the Little Blackwater
empties into it, clear down to Fish
ing Bay, where it empties, and will
not require any digging whatever.
A bill was passed at the recent
session of the Legislature with a
referendum attached, authorizing
the County Commissioners to bond
the county to the amount of $60,-l
coo to build this canal.
The Cambridge Board Of
believes there are dozen
reasons. any one of whic
Justify" the 61l
One of the gre
derived, according to Col. AID3nus
Phillips, one OF the leading citizens
of Cambridge, who is taking great /!
interest in the enterprise, would be
ly come to Cambridge from the
great wealth-producing tidewater
section Of Dorchester county las we'll
as the tidewater sections of adj
joining counties. This trade is now
going to otner places.
Col. Phillips says: "A great ma
jority of the thrifty watermen in !
this tidewater section own their |
own power boats, and when they
get their cargoes they take them |
to other markets. AS a result they |
buy their supplies from other mar
kets, when, if this inland water |
route were opened to Cambridge, |
they would naturally bring their |
products TO Cambridge on account |
of the great oyster and fish and |
business.
1t seems to be the opinion of the
leading business men that the open
ing up of this inland water route |
will 50 boost business in general |
that it will double, the population of |
Cambridge IN 10 years after the in
land water route is opened.
After carefully examining the |
route, Mr.. Furst stated that it was
one of the simplest canal PROPOSE |
tons that had ever been brought to |
his attention. Nature seemed to |
have intended this canal and had
done a great deal of the work her.
self, as is shown by the depression |
that extends from the creek a con-
siderable portion of the distance.
There are absolutely no difficult en- !!
feats, he said, in connec-
ton with the work, and when asked |
if he would send an engineer to |
make an estimate of the cost, Mr.. |
Furst stated that he would be glad |
to cooperate in any way and that |