Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-17
FIVE MILLIONS
RECOMMENDED FOR
{. & D. CANAL
Project Also Urged on House Com
mittee by Large Dele
cation.
CANAL IS TO BE DEEPENED
sperial Dispatch From Every Evening 8
Washington CORES nondent

Special Dispatch From Every Evenings
Washington Corres"ondent
Washington, Dec 1.-THE prospects
are most favorable that the House rivers
and harbors committee viii include n
nrovision in the annual waterways bill,
now under consideration, for an ap-
preparation of s. ,000 900 for the Immediate
purchase by the government OF the Chesa-
peake and Delaware Canal as link IN
the proposed Atlantic inland Waterway
to extend from Boston to Norfolk.
A hearing on the project given by the
committee. today, to delegations from
Philadelphia and Baltimore, who urged
its adoption. disclosed most favorable
attitude towards the plan on the part
of the committee members, which is
strongly in contrast to that shown on
previous occasions when the proposition
has been urged
Another strong factor In favor of the
proposition developed today when II
became known that the Secretary of War
has prepared for transmission 10 Congress
a recommendation that S5,00D,o00 be
appropriated Mt once to purchase the
canal and commence the work of digging
it to a depth of II feet throughout.
This recommendation, 1t IS believed, will
be amply sufficient 70 sway whatever
hesitancv the committee may now have
about undertaking this project at this
time
The War Departments letter viii
ask that s2,5l4,O00 be spent for the
purchase Of the canal, the figure set ny
the Agnus commission in 1907 and that
tho half million dollar balance bc set
aside for Immediately commencing the
work Of deepening the canal to Il feet
throughout.
TO BE DEEPENED TO . FEET.
While only a l2-foot depth is recon-
mended now, il is understood TO be the
purpose Of the army engineers TO ulu-
mately advocate n % foot depth. The
securing Of a 12-foot depth now, however,
is thought TO be the most advisable plan,
because the asking OF forty or fifty
million dollar appropriation now would
most likely result in Congress turning
the plan down altogether.
The delegation from Philadelphia who
were presented to the rivers and harbors
committee today bv Congressman j.
Hampton Moore were George T. Sproule,
secretary Of the commissioners of navi-
CATION: George :. Webster, director and
Joseph Hasskarl, assistant director OF
wharves, docks and ferries; Wiilred II.
Schoff, secretary Of the Atlantic Deeper
Waterways Ass cia n. and Mayor Pres
ton OF Baltimore. MIR. Moore. appearing
10 the dual capacity Of President Of the
Atlantic Deeper Waterways Assoc'a n.
and Congressman took prominent part
also in the discussions before the COM
mittee.
The purchase Of the Chesapeake and
Delaware Canal was urged upon the the
committee rs matter Of deepest national
and commercial Importance by the
delegation. They pointed out that this
canal, as link in the big plan of an
inland waterway all along the Atlantic
coast would prove a good and cheap
medium of transportation along a route
where railroad traffic is seriously con-
gested and would be a great military
asset for the Navy in case Of war.
The committee s attention was called
TO the fact that business organizations
of all kinds have gone on record as ad-
vocating this inland waterway, and that
within the past two weeks it was strongly
endorsed by the convention Of the At
lanfic Waterways Association meeting
at Boston, and by the convention of
the Southern Commercial Congress in
Baltimore