Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-12-08
CID. CANAL WORK
BEING DONE ON An
EXTENSIVE SCALE
inspection Trip Shows That
Much Progress Has Been
Made on Improvement.
WILL COST EIGHT MILLIONS

Ind tun,ed by winters cold and the
rapid approach OF freezing weather.
{ rec of almost 100 men il working
unctarngiy in the development OF
thc Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
dcVclupmcnts which will change II
from 4 twelve foot stream TO an In
tegra part OF the inland waterway
system. with width ot 30 fee, and
dcnfn 90 30 feet. large enough for a
hattleshlp % pass through.
Daily the rattle OF machinery can be
heard. as rugged steam shovels and
dredgcs dix into the banks cf the pres
.nt canal. and wheeling engines. drag
Elnr after them long strings OF earth
laden car. chue -chus their way up the
narrow gauge tracks 10 the top OF the
bans, thence TO the huge disposal
ave e. Visions ~ the day when the
cHfl Will be a scaleyel stream. with
'u ocks can already bc seen. Long
49, 'ch"s of the canal show where man
anl machinery has hattled through
Oh" undcrbrush and rocSs. At other
points the undrrbrush is being burned
on preparatory 10 the attack by steam
,els and drcdgee
colonel Earl L. Brown. Z s. A. en-
g. r IN charge. accompanied by
Gorge W. Y. Miller. executive officer
e. 'l" United States Engineers for this
's' g.. and Captain n. Med. Shearer.
"i'' oned ~ the local office and repre-
sen'ati'es q the three local daily
now ina nrr~. made a trip of inspect.o1
through the canal on Wednesday. IN
in' "urine-r inspection boa, Josephine
1h" engineering officials expressed
fhr"'%clves as greatly pleased with the
prnrrs~s being made
The Chcsapcake and Delaware Canal
lock level canal. lsN miles long.
irum the Delaware river. AT Delawar re.
faiN. to Back creek. Chesapeake CITY.
MI There are three locks. capable
eft rtselng boats 2io fec; long. % feet.
t'n nches hesm. and nine feet three
inrh's depth. There is one tide lock
10 b'lnware CITY. one lock AT s.. Geor-
So thout four miles from Delaware
'.' ana one lork az Chesapeake city
T'" genersl Improvement rro,ect
n' il for tho Widening of the canal
'' " f"ot 40 The bottom. and about 100
'r' t th" top. The locks will be ellmi-
nn'.d and ne canal will Ne a sea-level
'rwaN. With a depth % y fee,
w'-h ~ eventually - extended 10
81 f"et The improvements viii b.
,'Wnietei ahou' 1925 or 1924.
Huge Drcares Working.
Nanv Interesting features are o,n-
o. 'od with nc deveionmen, q, ,he
cana. one of the mos, interesting a,
fhe nrcsrnt Tim. Ia bring worked on,
q the Chesapeake city end os IN.
~nal F'r the purpose q, carving
e - Nsv&s
necessary - bring into TIE canal n
rurnher ~ a-~dges. which a.. co,.,a- :
''ed among The lsrcew, IN tho world
ff' locks On ihe canal are much
f mail for the passage of Graf,
r'f" OF theSr drcdcee. and the mat
bringing them into IN. canal
'i he engineers FOR some time
- method was evolved whers,.
'rarN has'n. or corrr dam. was
.u'o use
'nnd The north e-se ~ the locks
Mesa peake city = huge hasin was
AIRED. The earth wall between th!s
.~ and ihe hav was cu, on, and ;he
~ 'ie'r were run into the basin. Nex-
'.' entrance was closed and banked
WIN earth. and the place was tne-
h."d With water. The work - rvinr
tn' htsr with water was done on
N"tn">day. and required about one
t'ur Yesterday morning. smaller
hr"dre- IN the canal began work NJ
WfEing away the wall % ea-rh he
tNeen fhe has.n and canal. When
ths a completed. the d-edre~ VIII a..
run INTO the canal TIE Operation Wi,
- -eversed when work % .he arear.s
~ completed. and the tine cones ,o-
their rcmovai
t~""o.oN Project.
The estimated cost of the irn,-ov.
menis totals $1,000 900 q, vhi.h a.
100000 has already been apnropr,t.d
Fourteen million cubic yarde q, a,-.A
W. 20 removed. FIVE bridges will n.
Frlaced WITH new and modern s,-,,c.
iNres' ana one new bridge erected in.
cufinr the reconstruction ~ ~,
ifhnsylvania railroad bridge ac-cs.
no canal of the money already an.
rrop1aied s. 500 600 was devoted ;.
mo purchase q land necessary %,
NO widening % the cana! Fvra hun.
ored thousand dollars were used %,
surveys and fhe frst contrac. vhic,
almost co-nnleted The esco,,
flanagan contract. which has lust beer
siar'od together with sufficient fund
in r'huld he BRIDGES reouiras ~.
ot1'r $500 900 The reualnde, 90 -.
uuu.uup estimated as the cor- ~ ~,
..nhl improvement win be ready n,
Mafrh I. 1928. This money. arnou,.
tns to $500 OOo will be devoted :,
s'nf ana 90 the construction n
Nv "iIes running out into the Della
we river 40 the canal entrance
lhe work a being done b,. w A
'.,naEan. lnr.. contracting engineers
- Brooklyn. y. Y. The first con,rac
lr'' .ded Tor the cutting away o. GOO
'' cubic yards % earth. AZ q COS
I" cents per cubic yard. This con
about completed. Five million
hundred thousand cubic ward, q
earn VIII 10 taken out OF IN. cana
IN no" second contract. The cos, .
fh" se"opd contract will be figured a
To- fa'e oi s24ss per cub.c'yard. Thb
hif contrncf VIII complete tse cana
tnr"arh the deep cut which rs ~
hl"si dihcult work in connection VIII
fhe development % the canal. On
~ me features making this a dlr,cul
TASK IL The fact that the earth whe,
removed. must be lifted M from ,b
cana surface % helgh. OF s0 Zoo,
rheh Transported 20 the disposal area.
70 provide areas for the disposal q
We removed earth the poyernu,ar
purchased large plot OF undevsione
land. This together with An OLD r.s.,
NuH Which - being used for the cam
purpose. will provide space for 10 600
wv euoic Yards Of earth. The REMAIN