Evening journal., 1915-11-12
REDF|ELD BACKS
THE coast Canals
Tells of Economic Advan-
tage at Waterways Conven-
ton in Savannah
EMPHASIZES SAVING
IN MONEY AND LIVES

SAVANNAH, Ca, Nov. l2.-Canal
transportation as a commerce developer
and a rival to the railroads is again
coming into its own, declared Secretary
Redfeld at the third days session of the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association
here. To reap the full benefits of Ameri-
can wealth. he asserted, it is necessary
that an inland waterway chain between
New England and the Gulf should be
constructed. Many millions in property
and many lives, he said, could be saved
if this intracoastal system were COM
pleted.
Secretary Redfeld told of the waste
which was incurred by vessels and barge
owners, because craft leaving Philadel-
phia for New England or Southern
points were forced to 60 by an outside
route. while both the canals connecting
the Delaware river and New York har-
bar and the Delaware bay and the
Chesapeake, taken together, were hardly
as long as the Panama canal
The American merchant marine, hc
said, is growing more rapidly today than
ever before. More tonnage is now build
inc and more was completed in the last
10 months than Great Britain has added
to her merchant mariner in any one OF
her most prosperous years of the past
decade, he declared, and more tonnage
has been added in the American marine
in the last six months than during any
three years past.
Progress in shipbuilding, he said, has
brought forth the self-propelling steel
barees. which will almost revolutionize
Transportation on inland waters. Ameri-
can minds are now awake to the adyan-
tage of these means of transportation
and what it means in the saving OF
money and lives. Il is ridiculous and
expensive. he asserted, that coal barges
are being towed down the Delaware. 90
miles. to sea. He had often heard that
much of the New York Central Rail
roads strength was due to the fact that
New York was at one end with four
large cities in between. He could think
of no water route that was better than
the inside route from New York to
Norfolk. with Philadelphia and Balti-
more on the way. TO give large tonnage.
Waterways and Our National Sc
,urity" was the subject Of an address
BY Henry l.. West. executive secre-
tary of the National Security League.
The war in Europe. he said, had dem
onstrated the necessity of inland
canals, because of their effectiveness
for the national defense. With coast
line from Maine to the Rio Grande
one section of an enemy fleet might
land men at some remote point while
other sections engaged the navy. This
would make it necessary for supplies
and men to be sent up and down the
coast. As the railroads only touch
the principal coast cities by long de-
tours an inland canal system is essen
tial. Routes like the ChesaDeake and
Delaware Canal, he said. offered the
only unexposed passage for submar-
ines and light fighting craft in the
Middle Atlantic SECTION of the country.
The growth of the barge traffic and
some of its hindrances was the sub
iect OF John W. CAST Of Norfolk. who
told how this traffic had been held
down in some places bv pilotage laws.
Colonel William c. Langfitt OF the
United States army engineers. told of
the work in the Savannah district. and
said that the acouirement Of the Ches-
apeake and Delaware Canal by the
government from private owners is
virtually assured
Yesterday afternoon all of the dele
gates visited Fort Screven. where they
witnessed the firing of mortars
drills and mine explosions. Last
night there was a convocation of
mayors Of Atlantic coastal cities, at
which almost every city along the
sea coast was represented.