Evening star., 1917-10-28

The matter is found in that act of Con-
gress. the first session Of the Seventh
Congress. of May ], 1902. which abol-
ished the board OF comm ssioners ap--
pointed under the act establishing tha -
seat OF government on the Potomac and
providing that the city should be under
the government of superintendent to
be appointed by the President. The
canal was the first public utility au-
thoriZed in the District of Columbia by
Congress and 1t is interesting to review
the various conditions which that early
congress put upon that utility. The
following is distracted from the law: a.
That it shall be and may ne lawful to open
and entering subscriptions for opening q canal
10 connun cate from the Potomac river to the
Eastern hrnnch thereof through a part Of the
city of Washington. under the management of
Thomas Tingey. Daniel Carroll of Duddington
Thomas l-sw ard Daniel Carroll Brent. who's.
subscriptions shall be made personally or nv
power of attorney: the said books shall he
opened for receiving subscriptions and continua
open until the sum Of $50. 900 shall be filled un
IN shares Of 500 each and that each person
shall at the time Of the subscription pay down
sio bihg "he-fenth OF ancir share: and after four
feen days pTeyio;is notice by advertisement thers
shall br meeting of the sub.crihers and they
are hereby declared . be in-orpora;ed into a
company by the name Of the Washington Canal
company and may and be stied az such
and make all necessary by laws and regulation.
for the proper Of the business there.
or And such of the subscribers ns shall he
present at the said meeting or a ma iority of
them are hereby empowered and required 70
elect president and four directors for ceadurt-
ing said undertaking and managing the said
companys business for and during such time
not exceeding three years as the said subscrib-
fis or inaio Of them shall think 6i Each
membe shnli he allowed for each share
by him or her held at that time in said com.
pany.
Another section of the act set forth
that:
The president and directors and their sue
cessors or ma jorty of them shall hay. fun
power and authority to agree with any person
or persons 10 cut such canals such locks
and perform such other works as they shall
Judge necessary for operating the canal afor.-
said and the forks thereof. and out Of the mon
fss arising from til" subscriptions wharfage and
tolls. 10 pay the same and 10 repair and i'm
sary thereto aud 10 d.fray an Incidental
charges. ana also TO appoint trea surer clerk
ana such @ other officers. toll ratherers. man
ayers and servants they shall Judge requisite
and TO settle their respective wages.
should not begin to collect tolls or wharf
age until the canal should be practicable
for boats and scows to pass from the Po-
tomac to the Eastern branch The COM
pany Should collect only the same rates
or wharfage on freight landed on both
sides of the canal 'as are now legally
received at the wharfs at Georgetown"
Toll should be collected AT the most con.
venient place. and il was not to exceed
half a dollar on each loaded boat and a
quarter Of dollar on each loaded scow,
but no toll to be paid returning
An important regulation of the company
was this: But when the wharfage shall
produce the annual interest of per cent
on the sums expended by the president
and directors. exclusive of the tolls then
the tolls shall cease, and when the wharf
age shall exceed the annual interest of ls
Per cent the president and directors shall
appropriate cne-haf the surplus to such
pubic purposes as Congress may direct
or reserve the same as fund to nav off
the principal If the canal We're not com-
peted within five years after the passage
OF the act 50 that boats drawing three
feet of water could pass through the
whole extent of the canal" then tho
canal shall revert to the United States.
and all right and authority hereby grant.
ed to said company shall cease and de-
termne."
The canal was not completed within tho
time limit. and the first boat to pass
through it was in 1915 There were vari-
Gus attempts to set the canal going and
many more troubles after the navigation
of the Washington canal began.