Newark post., 1919-10-15
CELEBRATE TAX
ING OVER OF CANAL
BY u. S.
Thousands Attend Epoch
Making Event in History
of Delaware


when the Chesapeake-Delawa
Canal was transferred from pri
vate to Federal ownership. Della
ware City was the scene of the
formaities and took on a holiday
appearance for the occasion. U. s.
Senators Congressman, officials OF
the War Department and of the
state government were in attend
ance and visitors to the number of
sevedal thousand.
Submarine chaser 42S in COM
mand of Captain 'Donohue, hy-
Nroplane in command of Lieuten-
ant Charles Little and 500 Phila-
delphians, guests of the Atlantic
Deeper Waterways Commission,
and other distinguished guests
were received by a specially ap-
pointed committee of prominent
men from all over the state. A
procession was formed at Reybold
wharf and headed by the Coast
Artillery Band and artillerymen
from Fort Dupont marched to the
Central Hotel where the ceremon-
les took place.
Judge 7. Bayard Heisel extended
welcome on behalf of the Mayor,
committees and citizens, and Gov
ernor John G. Townsend on behalf
of the State of Delaware. Judge
Heisel then introduced former
United States Senator Willard
Salisbury as chairman of the
meeting, saying the former Sena-
tor had played an important part
in the taking over of the Canal.
Mr.. Salisbury reviewed the un-
protected condition of the Della
ware Capes and the consequent
vulnerability of the State, the
value of the fortified canal as
military barrier against hostile in
vasion and the possibilities of the
deepened waterway as a means of
cheapening transportation.
Congressman j. Hampton Moore
told something of the history of
the canal since it's completion in
1929 and declared it to be an es-
sential link in the Atlantic Coast
al scheme. It's acquisition by the
government he declared to be the
elimination of a 13 years fight by
the Atlantic Deeper Waterways
Commission. "We have won," he
said, "for the Commercial as we'll
as the Naval interests an improved
free passageway between the head
waters of the Delaware Bay and
the head waters of the Chesapeake.
so that at least 325 miles of out
side sailing between Philadelphia
and Baltimore may be shortened
to 80 miles by an inside cut of Is
miles through the peninsula of
Delaware and Maryland. This
opening up of a free inside course
added to the taking over and i'm
provement of the old Chesapeake
and Albemarle Canal between
Hampton Roads and the. North
Carolina Sounds means that we
now have free passageway soon
to be improved for modern needs,
at least to the depth of II feet. all
the way from Trenton, n. j., down
the Delaware River, across the
peninsula, down the Chesapeake
Bay, across Hampton Roads and
through the inside water of Vir-
glnia and North Carolina to Beau
fort, on the coast below Cape
Hatteras."
Mayor General w. NJ. Black who
will have charge of canal develop
ment discussed cost of transporta-
tion and urged cooperation.
Congressman C. J. Linthicum of
Baltimore spoke eloquently at
some length on the benefits which
will accrue to the nation as a re-
suit of the development of this
Great Trunk Line which when
completed will carry the water
borne commerce of the North and
the South at a great redcution in
freight relieving the congestion of
the railroads, linking more closely
the great municipalities along the
Atlantic and forming the trunk
lime of all those rivers and canals
leading to it from the interior"
Senator L. Heisler Ball assured
the assemblage that he would aid
the waterways program in every
way and Colonel J. P. Jervey, U.
S. Engineer for the Wilmington
district who will have charge of
the actual construction told of the
steps necessary to deepening the
canal and expressed appreciation
of the support accorded him by
residents along the canal in the