The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-07-17

Locks. The last of which we thought
unnecessary, and the first more ex-
pensive in the first instance, be-
sides being liable to many incon-
veniences which the other is not; as
it would probably be frequently
choaked with drift wood, ice, and
other rubbish which would be
thrown therein through the several
inlets already made by the rapidity
of the currents in freshes and others
which probably would be made
thereby; whereas a navigation thru
the bed of the River when once
made will, in all probability, remain
forever as the current here will
rather clear than contribute to
choak the passage.
It is true, that no track path (tow
path) can be had in a navigation
thus ordered, nor does there appear
a necessity for it. Tracking con-
stitutes large part of Mr.. Ballen-
dimes estimate. The want of which
in the rapid parts of the River iii
Mr.. Rumsey's plan for working
Boats against stream by the force
of Mechanical powers should fall
may be supplied by chains buoyed
up to haul by, which would be equal
ly easy, more certain, and less dan
gerous than setting up with Poles.
Whilst track paths, it is apprehen-
ded, cannot be made to stand, and
may endanger the Banks if the
Wood is stripped from them, which
is their present security against
Washing.
Notwithstanding this technical ex-
PLANTATION and the obstacles he saw, it
was finally decided to have canal
and lock and dam on the Virginia
side, Through the Marshes" and this
was built. The remains of the old
canal are still in existence, and the
American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers purposes restoring this canal
with its ancient and primitive lock as
its contribution to the George Wash
ington bicentennial which will be cele-
brated in. 1882. That Washington de-
signed the canal and built the works
is probably not true. Mr.. John Bal
lendine seems to have been the engi-
neer who did that, and Washington's
plan was to blast the rocks out of the
channel and pull boats up stream over
the falls by chains buoyed to the top
of the water, if Mr.. Rumsey's boat
failed to be practical.
From the Seneca Falls Washing
tons party journeyed to Harper's
Ferry, where he began an extensive
survey. Truth compels me to say that
Father George commenced this work
"about sunrise" on the Sabbath day,
and all that day he went up and down
the Potomac at the junction with the
"Shannondoah," looking for a pas
sage. Once he imperiled his life, and
his companions on shore had to beg
him to come out of the rapids and not
do any more shooting" at that. point.
1t might be all right for the Indians to
tempt fate in their frail canoes, but
America needed George Washington
It is rather wonderful, is it not, that
should have been more
with the development of the
river in Western Maryland than he
was at the head of navigation at
George Town? It should not be for
gotten that canal engineering was in
it's infancy in that day, and no such
feat had ever been at
tempted, even in Europe. Washing
toms vision was so clear, his genius
so certain, that it has not been i'm
proved on 145 years later. When the
old Potomac Navigation Company was
taken over by the Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal Company, the engineers of
the latter company carried out the
ideas set down in Washington's diary
and canalized Father Potomac no
higher than Cumberland, which was
then thought to be the head on navi-
cation. After many years use and
a varied history, that canal fell into
disuse. Now comes the Hoover project
to standardize finally the canal and
make it effective.
***
In the army engineers plan three
great projects are called for. They
are, indeed, the major engineering
feats in the valley of the Potomac and
will probably be the most elaborate
and expensive on the canal. They are
dams with locks at Little Falls and
at Great Falls, and an enormous dam
at Harper's Ferry. These dams will
create something more than power,
for they will stimulate the Industrial
development of Western Maryland.
There is even now, Major Somervell
told Senate committee the other day,
a waiting demand for the power that
will be produced by these dams; and
when they are completed with their
locks a regular barge
line between the coal fields Of Cumber-
land and Baltimore may be set up.
Each lock will accommodate three
l. 00-ton barges and a tug.
Advocates of the plan point out