Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-18
REVIVAL IN SHIPPING
: ON COASTAL WATERS
c. & D. Canal 5ooms Business;
Traffic Greater Than W'th'n
Past Ten Years.

,,,,.,.ar.,lso CITY Md. March IL
Many sidelights may bc thrown on lhe
Mccts Of revival of steamship uaihc
through the inland waterways. In many
:. .s,,Cccs valuable industrial districts
49,, =, ,,,ccss of development which in
.,,hcr ave wears Will add millions of
t,,,,rs IN value to large sections Of
varvland and Delaware. Tourist trat-
III. will be largely increased with the
resunptinn Of the day runs which are
manned by several OF the companies
whose boats are in service between the
upper Delaware river and Baltimore
n - even being planned to organize
two weeks water trip for tourists which
Will afford them an opportunity OF Visit
Al I. some Of the most interesting sec
SONS Of the middle Atlantic scaboard
through the use Of the steamship ser
ice maintained by the companies
,peratinG ont of Baltimore and Phila-
d.lphia. This trip il is said. could be
scheduled as n weekly feature at
l.upular rate. and. ii is believed by
steamship men. il would prove an at
traCtivc outing for hundreds OF city
4 rsihents who could in this way get all
,f the benefits OF sea voyage at
cost nominal as compared with that
even Tor the EtOIItSl OCEAN iui4S
Stcanlhoating on the inland waters
along the coast is experiencing re-
yival this season unequaled by any
thing of the kind within the past ten
Years Not only are the old-cstablshcd
lines adding TO their fleets but new
organizations are entering the service.
As a result. shipping interests are sat
lied that traffic conditions must indi-
anffCin3TRd hN'
those who watch too closely freight
1lovemcnts as reported by railroads.
Marine and waterways shipping is ac-
c.pted as the thermometer in traffic
4rclcs. as It is said that patrons of
such services are invariably those NOV
Ing the smaller tonnage representing
y II. less extensively developed indus
= reS. and are. as a result. the first 70
E,,I the effect OF trade depression. With
the small shippers showing an activity
b.rrsaging business Improvement the
only logical conclusion is that trade
conditions. while fuctuating. and at
times giving evidence Of depression, arc.
Is The whole. tending upward rather
|,bau downward. and that as proof of
.thls the demand for enlarged waterways
|uafNc facilities can be accepted as con-
.cusiyc.
Practically all Of the boat lines run
|i.ac out ~ Baltimore and covering the
irtlnd waterway service have enlarged
|t3eir fleets this season Hardly an
|u.d bon: IS ~ be found on which work
II not being rushed TO replace it in
commission Many Of these boats have
leen Cut 81 service for from one 10
tvo years. Others have been under
ase and running on foreign routes.
4 Many cf the boats that FIVE years ago
,.!cd the waters Of Chesapeake Bay.
thc covcs and rivers Of Delaware. Mary
and the Carolinas and Virginia. were
,ased during tho last year Of the war
tv coastwfse companies. These boats
ave been recalled and added 10 the
home fleets.
III addition. a number OF new boats
ave been launched this winter. while
theirs viii be overheard within the
rext two weeks. As estimated here.
re combined Chesapeake Fay fleets
S.u aggregate approximately 700
eight and passenger combination
-tcamshiDs when the season IS in full
swing.
Il is estimated here that throughout
.he canal zone and the district border
ac On the Chesapeake between here
au9 Raltimore alone the increase N
nm values as the result Of the develop
x u the Chesapeake and Delaware
anal approximates 20 per cent and the