The Penn's Grove record., 1919-10-17
National Canal Now

Last Saturday was a big day in Del
aware City, when the Chesapeake and
Delaware Canal was transferred from
private ownership tN the Federal Gov
ernment. The town had on a holiday
attire with flags and various decora-
tions.
Shortly after noon, the submarine
428 arrived in command of Captain DON
ohue. A hydroplane in command of
Lieutenant Charles Little followed,
coming from Cape May.
The Queen Anne with 500 Philade1-
phians aboard as guests of the Allan
tic Deeper Waterways Association ar
rived at 2 o'clock, after having made
stops at Chester and New Castle.
Those in the reception committee who
met the visitors at the Reybold wharf
were Judge T. Bayard Heisel, Mayor
George N. Bright, EX-Mayor William M.
Householder, George l.. Batten, G. Earl
Baum, DR.. Hiram l.. Burton, Henry
Cleaver, David A. Hay, of Wilmington,
H. C. Clark, James A. Mulligan, Fred
erick d. Bender, Hon. John G. HIGGINS
and Mr.. Baldwin, of New York city.
United States Senator's, Congressman,
Mayors and Wal Department officers
were there in numbers and the total
attendance of visiting citizens reached
above a thousand.
The of Commerce of Will
mington was largely represented.
Among those present from Wilmington
were: Ohio B. Rowland, Sylvester ID.
Townsend, Joseph Bancroft, John T.
Nields, David A. Hay, Clarence c. Kill
len, Captain Philip Reybold, John b.
Bird, Henry L. Tatnall, William H. Hill,
Clerk of the Peace John L. Wright,
Harry Pierson and James F. McIvor.
Former U. s.. Senator Willard Sauls-
bury, presided at the celebration. 1t
was largely thru his efforts while in
Congress hat the appropriation was
finally made to purchase the canal and
make it a public waterway. Millions
will be spent on it in future years to
widen and deepen it at U. S. expense.
The old canal had outlived its use
fitness, because railroad t~ransporta-
ton was more rapid and more certain
in winter. A Trust Company in Phil
adelphia, held the bonds on which in
terest was d~efaulted. J. Hampton
Moore who has been a Representative
in Congress for years, and last month
nominated for Mayor on a camoufage
Irish-American ticket, was most active,
for years in working up sentiment for
the appropriation and incidentally for
the Trust Company to get cash for the
almost worthless bonds under a patrl-
otto inspiration to have a great inland
waterway for transportation for fear
of enemies on the ocean.
Judge T. Bayard Heisel extended a
welcome on behalf of the Mayor, COM
mittees and citizens, and Governor
John G. Townsend on behalf of the
State of Delaware. Judge Heisel then
introduced former United States Sem
ator Willard Salisbury as chairman of
the meeting, saying the former Sena-
tor had played an important part in the
taking over of the Canal.
Big Step in Coast Defense
The former Senator said in part:
"If coast defenses are necessary to
this nation, it was very necessary that
the seaboard of Delaware, New Jersey
and Maryland should be prepared TO
prevent or stop the progress of an IN
yasion of this State covered by the
victorious navy of any European nation.
.Down at the Delaware Capes was
the most unprotected fine harbor on
the Atlantic seaboard from Massachu-
sets to Virginia. In the writings OF a
member of the German General stan
such an invasion had almost been
threatened and had we been hghtlng
erma alone, defenceless on our
coast. this State might a been sub
iected to the horrors of invasion. SINH
liar to those of Belgium.
My conception of the way to defend
this state, to- defend the upper part OF
the Delaware River with it's great fac
tories, was to make an impossible mill
tary barrier here on the line OF the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which
and invasion from the capes of Della
ware could not hope to pass. Our mill
tary chiefs told me if this old canal
could be d%eepened and widened and
made a sea level canal, it could abso-
lutely defended against any invading !