The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-08-26

beloved of Washington, lies the chesa-
peake and Ohio canal, now abandoned
and fallen into disuse. But back in
the days when destiny was writing
most rapidly the beginnings of the
history Of our great republic this
waterway was the scene of active
commerce, with boats busily plying
up and down its length from tide
water at Georgetown, to Cumberland,
Md.
The proposal has been made that
the Federal government purchase this
canal and build national boulevard
and parkway between Washington
and Cumberland. The proposal to
build the boulevard parallel to the
canal is more desirable than the one
advocating the use of the bed of the
canal. The old canal, so closely con-
nected with Washington's early ac-
tivities should be forever preserved.
The suggestion is a most feasible
one, in connection with the proposed
acquisition of the virgin and historic
forest tracts lying at the doorsill of
the Capital City. These two features
of the program for land acquisition
are of outstanding desirability and
have already been discussed in the
pages of American Forests and For
est Life
Should Be Parkway.
The canal is 1912 miles long, with
an average width of IS feet at the
surface. The Federal government
should unquestionably own this strip
of land as a parkway from the
Potomac river to and including Con-
duit road as far as Great Falls. The
State of Maryland should also be in
terested in having, further, a magni-
ficent boulevard, 1856 miles long,
from the Capital City to Cumberland.
This boulevard would offer features
that commend themselves to the trav-
eler-scenery and history. Shep-
herdstown and Harpers Ferry are two
of the most interesting towns that
the canal passes between Cumberland
and Georgetown. At Shepherdstown,
on the edge of cliff overlooking the
Potomac, is a monument erected to
the memory of James Rumsey, in
ventor of the steamboat, though
Robert Fulton is generally credited
with this achievement. In 1887, on the
Potomac river, near Shepherdstown,
James Rumsey made a successful
demonstration of a boat propelled by
steam
1t is interestingto find that, in 1884,
George Washington passed night
at Bath, Berkeley county, Va, and
James Rumsey, one of the proprie-
tors of the tavern, showed Washing
ton then his invention for propelling
beats against the stream by a me-
chanical contrivance. Mr. Rumsey
was afterward made the general man
ager of improvements of the Patow-
mack Co.
Capital For Closer Bonds
The dream of George Washington's
life was to see the East and the West
connected by navigable waterway.
The West, in those days, was known
only as dense and extensive wilder
ness west of the Appalachian noun
tains. Washington had a vision to
see that country of such vast extent
could be held together only by closer
bonds. AS early as 1854, 20 years be-
fore the Revolution, Washington in
person explored the proposed route
by the waters of the Potomac and
Youghiogheny rivers. The result of
his efforts was the formation of the
PatoWmack Co., which was organized
in 1855, with George Washington as
president. The plan of improvement
of the Patowmack Co. was that of
open-river navigation, except at To-
calities where the falls made naviga-
ton impossible, at which places
lateral canals with locks were con-
structed.
Navigation was opened in 1902,
and the canals were in continuous
operation until 1880, when the locks
at Great Falls were abandoned. The
expense of keeping the upper Poto-
mac in navigable condition was
great, and the people began to see
the feasibility of continuous canal
from tidewater, at Georgetown, to
Cumberland. To consummate this re-
guired the rights and privileges Sc
cured under the charter of the Pa
towmack Co. to be surrendered. In
January, 1924, the Chesapeake &
Ohio canal was authorized by act of
the Virginian assembly; in December
1924, by Maryland, and by the act of
Congress approved March 8, 1925.
The Patowmack Co. gave its final
consent August Is, 1928. These acts
constitute the charter of the Chesa-
peake & Ohio canal, which succeeded
TO the rights and interests of the
Patowmack Co.
d..