The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-12-23
GOVERNMENT MAY BUY
LAKE DRUMMOND CANAL
This Newspaper Has Information That Board of
Engineers Will Recommend Purchase
at $50O, 100000

.orrce that the Board of Eng1n-
oars for River and Harbors OF
the T. S. War Department has
~ode the Lake Drummond Can
- Co. an offer of $5OO,OOO for
tla axe Drummond Canal, con-
d;tional upon the approval OF
the offer by Congress and that
CONGRESS will be asked to Pur-'
crase this canal as part OF the
.o+ion's intracoastal waterway
s~s+em It is just like old Santa
Claus himself spilling a whole
boo Of good things in the lap OF
Elizabeth City
Tho Inst Congress adopted resolu-
5;racting the Board of Engineers
;,vaS+irate and reconsider the Lake
n,,,,rmond or Dismal Swamp Canai
,.., with q view 10 reporting as to the
,;roh;Ii+v of its acquisition by the
T-r;red States. The hearing caneo LoI
-, that resolution was held IN 'Nor1oIh'
y, on Nav 16, 1921. Those VINO
-ho,,qh- the case hopeless for the DIS
,,oI Swamp canal route expected the
-,-;,e.rs to make an adverse report
:+I,i,, ! few weeks. The fact that no
,,or+ Of anv kind has been made pup
~ ;nlica+es that the Board of Engln-
.o.. has riyen the subject careful con-
sideration. .e.od
This newspaper is not only informed
-r,- rho Engineers will recommend the
,,,,~chaSa of the Dismal Swamp Cans'i
-. e5oo 600, but that their recommen-
dsrion will call for sea Level canai
,;a This route This would mean an
ovnondfrrre of millions OF dollars III
l7-i,, This canal the most important
1;,r in tho Atlantic Intra-Coastai wat
.r,,.,1-. II would put Elizabeth CITY on
tto line Of this great inland wafer
no--o. and sea-leveling the Dnsmal
s,z-aron canal would wipe the Great DIS
,,.1 Svamn forever from the map OF
Tar+b Carolina and Virginia and re-
claim for agricultural purposes mllhons
- auo- Of tbe most valuable black
lands in the world ------
A Brief History
Tho Lake Drummond Canal, familiar
u known as the Dismal Swamp Canal
r-as authorized more than century
400 and has been in more or less con-
tinuous use by the public as water
vav for transportation since 1t was OPP
enpd TO traffic. Under the present or
ganization and ownership 1t was I'M
nroved 70 its present capacity about
1850, since which date 1t has carrleu
tho huIk of vater-borne traffic between
Norfolk and ports North to the lnlano
waters of Eastern North Carolina. AS
2 quasi public corporation it has not
only been recognized and used by the
nrhlir. but the Federal government III
the exercise Of its jurisdiction OF nav
igablc waterways has improved the APP
nroa~hes thereto from Elizabeth River
IN the North and from Pasquotank
P;ver on the South This recognition
and Improvement under Legislation pE
Congress- carries the presumption tnaC
tie Dismal Swamp Canal was regard
ed - useful ani essential in the scheIne
q water transportation and that "
promoted Il rubiic welfare. Ihe fur-
r.4r 5rc sumption exists. which appi!eS
t. II r-7blc Utilities. that 1t was III
c-,Iabent upon the corporation whlch
owned and controlled it that 1t shoulo
H. r.et~reired in a condition suitable
for continuous use and navigation TOT
t. r--rp Of vessels which it was IN
tr,.Icd 70 accommodate, and there eG-
i>raI right upon the part of the PUBLIC
br iu7;ciaI nrocess % compel the dis
clargo Of this function and duty. Be
sid :. the onenirg and operation of this
calel created certain vested rlghts III
tie rropIe and property abuttlng tne
canal and contiguous thereto through
connection with highway and othef IA
ciIitieS Of egress and ingress Ihls
cOGtinguous territory became VesIeu
not only with the right to use this canal
for the purpose of transportation ana
to demand is maintenance for sucn
purpose. but in so far as its operation
impressed itself upon contiguous prop
ertv by enhancing it's value and enlarg-
ing its earning and productive capacity
such results were indissolubly hnkeu
with the canal and could not be sep
arated. except by due process OF law
It's Relation to Other Waterways.
There was another canal, known as
which began on the Elizabeth River and
finally intersected with North River and
Abcmarle Sound in North Carolina
This canal and the Dismal Swamp Can
al have frequently been referred TO az
parallel waterways. Except in so tal
as both originate on Elizabeth River
and both finally intersect at a common
point in Albemarle Sound, the two can
ais are dissimilar. For illustration II
may be stated that both the Norfolk
Southern Railroad and the Atlantic
Toast Line Railroad originate at Nor
l'k and intersect each other at Wash
Ms'on, Greenville and Wilson. Norti
Carolina, and yet these two railroads
are certainly dissimilar. This is tru'
because they traverse and serve differ
tnt sections of country between th'
points Of their remini. The routes
the Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal AM