Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-21
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'I don't know OF any reason why
the Susquehanna could not be made
navigable by means of a channel.
have thought for years that It
| could be made so and I studied it
for time as a matter of interest"
was the opinion given here today
by Joseph w. Hunter, first deputy
highway commissioner. 'T have
been studying the highways OF Penn
sylvania for a good many years and
have also considered the waterways.
| They are capable of much improve
ment." Mr.. Hunter remarked he
had gone along the stream for
good part of Its length in his many
trips about the state in connection
| with highway matters and said that
between Harrisburg and McCalrs
| Ferry he believed that the stream
could be cleared out by use of explo-
sives, applying some of the power
ful kinds which have been developed
during the war to this work. "I
| think that 1t would only require four
| dams between those two points. Up
the river there would be different
conditions. In addition to the dams
which would be required on the
| lower reaches the State could get
the use of some of the portions of
| the old canal which could be linked
up. There are waters in that sec
| ticn known as The Levels which
could be used. The truth is that
the subject has not been gone into
| as carefully as 1t might considering
these latter day means. The war
has brought about many things
| W hinh WntlH houn hnan
| impossible. I know 1t has in some
details of highway engineering and
l guess 1t can be found SO in regard
to the Susquehanna.
|
People up the Susquehanna river
are commencing to sit up and take
notice of the project for improving
the navigation of the stream and
men who have come to Harrisburg
the last few days say that people
are recalling with more or less feel
Ing how coal used to be floated down
| from the Wilkes Barre region and
the price per ton would hardly pay
for scuttle now days, while the
| times when the garden sass was
| landed on the river shore from
farms miles away are brought back
/ to. memory with more or less point
In view of war prices. Some of the
people living in the Sunbury dis
trict say that steam navigation was
considerably in vogue In that region
seventy-tive years ago and that boats
were run clear up to above Berwick.
Just exactly why this city can
not use motorboats to get its vege-
tables from the islands and the
farms lying along the shore l don't
see" remarked a Susquehanna wor-
shipper yesterday. Major Gray
has opened up an interesting train
OF discussion and 1 hope he may
be able to open UP q channel. Now
there are a dozen motorboats to be
had cheap around here and as the
old river don't freeze up except for
three or four months what's the
reason we can't have boats bringing
vegetables down the Susquehanna or
up or from the Conodoguinet? The
motorboat can help cut prices
around here just like the motor
truck that goes out and buys UP
the produce at the farm and saves
the price of coming to town."
Major Gray has not only started
the town talking about the improye-
ment of the navigation of the wide
branching river, but he has caused
some of the folks living in the lower
and eastern ends of the county to
con5ecturing what 1t would cost to
put the old Union canal back into
business. The Union was one of the
earliest canals projected in America
and was built in the thirties. 1t
was intended to carry out dream of
William Penn, which called for the
uniting of the waters of the Susque-
hanna and the Schuylkill. By
means of the Swatara and TuIpe-
hocken Valleys it did link the water
ways and while 1t never was a roar
ing paying proposition 1t had possi-
bilities and some engineering fea-
lures which made it notable. The
ditch can still be seen in many places
and as it was a well-graded line It
might some day be revived.
Paul Littlefield. secretary of the
State Chamber of Commerce. who
spent several days in PHILADELPHIA
and eastern counties, said to-day that
he found a growing sentiment i'm