Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-20
Circulation Every 1Oz1/
Evening Yesterday 1 ALSA1
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1918.
Our Canal in the War.

Our Canal in the War.
The great war in which our country is
now engaged has pcrtinently called the
attention of the Federal authorities to
the Importance of our inland waterways,
especially canals, as aids to transportation.
From the first week of our entrance upon
the war field the railroad systems OF the
country, now under Federal control and
direction, have becn cOngested with the
TRANSPORTATION of coal, iron ores and other
materials for war purposes, SO that prl-
vate business has suffered seriously.
And even with the railroads so largely
devoted TO the government 5 war trans
portation service, IL has not been possible
TO completely fill the government S
transportation requirements. Hence, the
increase of interest in the important mat
ter of utilizing our canals and other
inland waterways, especially the former,
many of which had been permitted to
deterioratc to such an extent that their
usefulness is seriously impaired.
Among the most important of our
artificial waterways, and one III which the
people of Delaware have q material
interest. is the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canak beginning on the Delaware river,
at Delaware City, and crossing the mar
row stretch of our State and Peninsula
to Chesapeake City, Md, on Back river,
a tributary of Chesapeake bay II Is
the connecting link between the waters
OF the Delaware and Chesapeake, the
short waterway from Philadelphia and
the upper part of this State to Baltimore.
For nearly score Of years the subject
of having this canal taken over by the
Federal government, dcepened, widcncd
and otherwise improved and converted
into a sea level waterway has been 10
the front in our community As result
OF long-contnued efforts, surveys by
Federal engineers were ordered, and. their
reports being favorable, recommendations
were made 10 Congress in support OF the
project. Steps were taken for the con-
summation of It's purchase by the gov
eminent, and are almost completed,
This week, in response to a resolution
of Congress adopted last July, q report
was submitted to the State Department
bv Secretary of Commerce RedEeld,
covering the subject Of line of govern
nent-owned canals and waterways eX-
tending from Massachusetts, TO the South
Atlantic States. In this report the entire
project was earnestly recommended.
Our Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
would be one OF the most important links
Of this inland waterway, large portion
of which is now in successful operation
1t would start with the Cape Cod Canal,
cutting through the Massachusetts, PENN
sula and averting long and dangerous
outside voyage around the cape, and
to New York harbor. Here the Delaware
and Raritan Canal, across the upper part
of New Jersey, would be available, with
adequate improvement, for connection
with the upper Delaware river. Next,
after gong down the Delaware to Del
aware City, the Chesapeake and Del
aware Canal would continue the voyage
to the Chesapeake bay, while the canals
of Virginia and North Carolina would
afford open and safe voyage as far as
Beaufort, n. {.
The Delaware and Chesapeake, ac-
oording 10 the opinion of the engineers, is
one of the best suited for the construction
of 6 deep sea level canal. ''Ihese canals,
the official report says, would provide
the only connections needed to make
q virtually continuous system of deep
intra-coastal waterways extending from
Boston to Norfolk with extensions Of
lesser but vet available depths TO Beau
fort, \. C., and via the New York State
Barge Canal to the Great Lakes This
system of waterways would serve the
most populous and most highly developed
industrial sections of the country and
would add what our railroads do not
now, and cannot commercially provide
q great continuous and efficient through
highway Of transportation extending
from east New England TO the south
Atlantic States"
And now there is promise that this
long projected and carefully considered
project will be accomplished.