The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-10-25

during his trip there, apropoS oI
the Florida crOSs-State canal now
in a preliminary constructio,t'
STAGE. and for which six FLORIDA
counties on Tuesday overwneimL-
ingIy voted bond issues Tor tnc
purpose of financing the righT-oI-
way. The article appears oe'o"'
Editors nOtel.
"Working men and small store
Eeepers put up their savings OF
thrifty lifetime TO build the Man
chester Ship canal. They paid over
. million dollars TO the British
Government for the privilege OF
launching the enterprise.
They paid, in cash, more than
S7,OOO,O0O for the rlght-ot-way
and hundreds of thousands of dol
lars to buy off the organized OPP
position of vested interests.
1.-THE canal was constructed our
ING a period of great depression In
the area which it ultimately bene-
fitted. and it took seven years OF
actual construction work to COM
piete the job"
VISITOR TELLS STORY
Such was a statement made by
Robert w. Crossdell now of Hen
Jacksonville, n. c., who as a young
man, was present and took part IN
the English canal enterprise which
in many of it's problems, parallels
the conditions now faced in Florl-
da by the Gross State Canal prof.
ect. ~. o.,
was a dream for $50 years." Mr..
Croasdell declared.
sIdle factories, empty resi-
dences and vacant stores in the
town of Manchester inspired the
people of that and nelghooring
Communities to make their canal
dream a reality in order that ships
from the seven seas of the world
come inland 80 miles from the
River Mersey and bring to them
at low transportation costs, the
raw materials they required Tor
their industries.
TOWN PUTS UP MILLIONS
"The town of Manchester, which,
at that time, was a relatively
small community languishing in
the depths of a depression, put up
SOS 100000 of the S76,0OO,OOO
which was required as a guaran-
tee before the British government
would consent to the constructor
of the canal.
"The balance of 100000 was
subscribed by working men, store
keepers and other snail investors
who had nothing to show for tnen
investment but a promise ina,
they might be paid 8 1-2 per cent
interest if and when the canal was
constructed and earned revenue;
over and above operating costs.
Opposition to the Manchester
Ship Canau project was highly OF
oanized and engineers of high re
nown declared that if the cana
were built it would retain tide wa
ter from the River Mersey ant
dry up the bar of the Port o.
Liverpool"
NONE HAPPENED
Other fantastic and fearful pro
phesies of calamity were made b!
authoritative spokesman, many O.
which are now recalled by Mr.
Croasdell because of the prophes
les of calamity now being pointed
against the construction OF the
Cross State Ship canal.
Needless to say, said Mr.
Croasdell, "none of these calami
ties occurred. In fact, the Por
of Liverpool which was one of the
active opponents of the Manchest
er Ship canal, entered into thu
era of it's greatest prosperity fol
lowing the completion of the Man
chester Ship canal.
AIDED RAILROADS
The railroads which were alst
most active in opposition, recelv
ed the greatest increase In traffl
because of the establishment o
many new and very large indus
tries along the canal to serv
which many miles of new railroad
sidings were necessary to cop
wit = increased freight move
mcnt.
M. nv large industrial plant
which aad been outlawed from op
eratin in congested area becaus
of ode nuiSanCes or risks, such a
papnr mills, oil refineries, soa
factor IS, immense tanneries an
mani facturers of explosives es
tablis led great plants on bot
shores of the canal in section
layinm between towns where tn
canal passed through the ope
country side.
IMMEDIATE PROFITS
1.-THE working men, store keel
ers and other business men IN Tn
corr nunities reached by the C;
nal who invested their savings
the cost of its construction, r.
ceived their first and almost IN
mediate profits from the tremen'
ous increase in business which r
one,ed idle factories, cause
emDtv stores to be released, e.
larged the practice of protesSio
al men and set the community
SerTed by the canal far forwal
ON the road, to the industrial al
business supremacy they now no
within the United Kingdom;
"The city of Manchester pecan
a seaport with a population
766,000.
OPPOSITE EFFECT
TT is rather interesting to r
call" said Mr.. Croasdell. that
mass meeting which had been cal
ed by disgruntled taxpayers WI
protested against APPROPRIATED
by the town of Manchester of cit
funds to buy right-of-way, ha
lust the opposite effect to tn;
for which the meeting was Gale,
l.