Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-13
DEEPER WATERWAYS
OFFICIAL URGES u.s..
CANAL ROL
Chesapeake and Delaware Route
Very Important at All
Times.
CITES SECRETARY BAKER

Wlfred II. Schoff. sccrctary-trcasurer
| of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways As
| socintion, who has made study OF
! inland waterways Is one of the most
! enthusiastic supporters of the Federal
ownership and operation of the Chess
apcakc and Delaware canal. Says MIR.
| Schol1
Every consideration brought for
ward 10y the various military ahd naval
! boards Of inquiry in support of this pro-
| lcct IN time of peace has increased force
now that We are at war. As n short
| water route connecting some of the bus
| lest water traffic routes in the country.
/ il would materially relieve railroad con
| CcStlon and thus tend to eliminate freight
| Cnhatgocs
| AS an essential link in the intracoastal
| waterway cham connecting the pm
| Cipal Eastern sraports. IFS Improvement
| and operation by the Federal Govern
mcnt are impcratlvcIy called for It
! - no less essential ~ any plan for our
| Eastern coast and harbor defense The
Importance II the Chesapeake Il Dcia-
ware canal has been asserted by every
official board that has ever had IT under
consideration
The uec 81 free and improved canal
at thus juncturc would he SIMPLY meal
culahlc The toIpcdolng If an ocean
golnr tug with IT'S tow of coai barpcs
bound for q New England port would
have been impossible If an adequate
inside route were now available, while
recurrence oi submarine activities
may. for lack Of such n protected water
route compel the transfer Of this great
coal tonnage 20 the railroads ALREADY
oycr-hurdrncd with thor unprecedented
Volume of Traffic
The engineering work necessary 10
modCrnzc the canal - So easy, and the
tlnc required for its completion SO short
thar " would seem to be one 81 the most
important war emergency measures now
demanding attention Prophetic in
decd was the argument Of Secretary
Daniels bcforc the Convention Of this
Association four Years ago:
1t seems rs If Providence had lifted
M a sand barrier between the hntet-
land and The tunultuous sen amt hadc
~ 20 60 III and make II deep enough 10
float the nayiCS of the world Since
Providence has put that WORK within
our reach. IL would be national suicide Tor
US ~ fail ID follow the lead
"lf We should bc 50 unfortunate ~ 10
I've attacked moro than tho drcadnauChts,
more than tic coast dcfcnscS moro than
the army. woud hc our ability to send
through every channel these dcath-dcal-
ing submarines INTO the ocean and pre-
vent any foreign navy landing on our
coast; 50 that when YOU are advocating
this inland waterway, when YOU have
The VISION % sec it, Importance to com
mcrcc and / put that as the reason why
the money should be forthcoming to
construct this canal still You see that
il any emergency IL would he vitality
important To the national life that our
ships. when the occasion called, should
he in harbor, protected, ready to save
our cities and our people
IF this canal WAS constructed YOU
could take these submarines and de-
stroyers from Boston 10 New Orleans
ii these inner channels without hurt or
injury That Is for peace. But if We
should be So unfortunAte-and | pray
God We may never see It-as TO have
aar. then the Possession Of an inland /
channel would be essential /
% preserve efficiency and to enable us I
% defeat our opponents, because these I
title craft could ply to and fro, and dart /
,u, and deal Il blow AID return with I
title injury 70 themselves That Is
lie argument on tie side Of national |
license