Middletown transcript., 1921-01-08
THE c. & D..CANAL
Ce!awareans See Favorable Action
Fer Waterway
READY TO REMOVE LOCKS

Preparations for the removal of the
lock in the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal at st. Georges are practically
completed, and spring and the required
appropriation by Congress only are
awaited to proceed with the improve
ment of the waterway. What action
Congress will take when it comes to
providing the money required to convert
thu canal into deep-water link be-
tween the Delaware and the Chesapeake
bays can only be conjectured. 1t is be-
lieved, however, by those who have
kept in touch with sentiment at Wash
ington that while there will be de.
cid d pairing down of appropriations
those intended for use in developing the
inland waterways will be treated with
great liberality.
Among the lessons learned during the
past five years none were more deeply
Impressed on the business and political
worlds than those associated with traffic
conditions. Greater shipping facilities
were accepted as absolutely necessary,
while there was generally felt the con-
viction that in the past a mistake had
been made in neglecting the develop.
ment of waterways. This led at the
time to such projects being generously
supported by rublic opinion, and the
feeling throughout this section is that
it has not entirely disappeared insofar
as it was directed toward the e. end D.
Canal. Locally. it is anticipated that
Congress will make such an appropri-
alton as will insure the improvement of
the canal being carried on in the spring
without delay. A similar opinion exists
in Baltimore, and is said to be prac-
tically as strong in Philadelphia.
With the preliminary work for the
canal improvement out of the way and
the stage all set for the actual deepen
ing and Strengthening of the canal to
begin with the opening of spring, to de-
lay the work beyond that period will be
but seemingly needless waste of time
and money. While the work already
done has been strictly in connection
with the plans for the canal improve
ment, it has been confined entirely to
cleaning the ground, as it were, for the
beginning Of the big operations.
SURVEYS MADE BY ENGINEERS
This does not mean, however, that to
delay the latter will not make neces-
sary doing over again much of the
work already accomplished While the
United States engineers in charge of
the improvements have taken every
precaution to provide against the losses
incident to delays, it was not to be ex-
pected that they could carry out the !
preliminary work in a way which would
take into account the results of pro- /
longed and indefinite postponements in
connection with the ma jor activities SO
far as surveys made by those interested |
only in seeing the canal prnject put
through to completion in the shortest ,
possible time the engineers have done !
everyt thing that could have been asked !
of them in preparing for a rapid push.
ing of the work all along the canal.
Much of the material which will be
used IN the preliminary work of begin
nlng the development of the canal has
been distributed ut points where it will
be needed. The first operstions will be
between St Georges and Chesapeake
City, Md The locks will be removed
and the dredges put work. Following
the dredging of st. Georges section the
locks at Chesapeake City %iIkbe taken
out. The result will be that a 12-foot
sea level canal will have taken the place
of the 9-foot waterway with its series
sof locks, which can only he used by
light draught vessels. The work on the
lower stretch will require year and it i
the north end of the canal will be
started.