Evening star., 1938-07-11
ARMY ENGINEERS
STUDY NEW CANAL
Will Determine Whether U.S.
Should Build Inland
Waterway Link.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Army engineers are determining In
survey now Under way whether
the missing link in the great inland
waterway from Boston to the Ric
Grande River should be supplied by
the Federal Government.
Commercial vessels and. pleasure
craft may sail over protected waters
through varying picturesque scenes
behind the coast lines of the Atlantic
Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico all the
way from New England to the border
Of Mexico with the exception of one
place.
That missing link in the chain OF
canals, rivers. bays and inlets is in
New jersey. For 80 years efforts have
been made to have ship passage
across New jersey to provide a route
from the Delaware River to Raritan
Bay. near New York
The Delaware and Raritan Canal
extending from Duck Island. south
of Trenton. N. j., on the Delaware
to Raritan Bay. on the ocean side of
the State, seemed to many the logical
waterway to cross New Jersey.
Canal Needs Rebuilding.
The canal is not now in frequent
commercial use. 1t needs rebuilding
Once owned and operated by the
Pennsylvania Railroad. it was sold to
the State of New Jersey and placed
IN control Of the State of Delaware
and Raritan Canal Commission. The
commission wishes to transfer owner
ship to the Federal Government, to-
gether with its improvement and
operation.
A proposal was made that the Fed
eral Government make the canal q
free public waterway, providing a
depth of IA feet and bottom width OF
IS feet. Maj. Gen. Julian l.. Schley
chief Of Army engineers, ordered a
survey which will require several
months.
spokesman for the Army engi-
neers said it was expected the survey
would result in recommendation for
approval OF the proposed acquisition.
The survey report is expected to be
ready for presentation at the next ses-
sion of Congress
If Congress gives its approval, Army
engineers pointed out, the complete
inland waterway system would pro-
vide not only unique and valuable
route for commercial and pleasure
craft along most of the Eastern side
OF the country, but also a waterway
OF great defense value.
Close to Navy Yards.
The protected passageway runs
close to Navy yards, munitions plants
and storage depots and the great
manufacturing centers of the East.
In the World War the railroads
were unable to carry the great bulk Of
freight thrown upon them so sud-
denly spokesman for the engineers
said. Then the inland waterways of
the country were put to use and proved
a highly valuable transportation fac
tor.
I'VE must keep this in mind in de-
velopment Of our inland routes, and
there is no doubt the great inland
waterway from Boston to the Rio
Grande would prove highly effective
IN event OF another war
If enemy submarines should patrol
our Eastern coast, endangering ship
ping in the Atlantic and the Gulf
commercial vessels could ply this in
land waterway with greater safety
and carry thousands Of tons of essen
tlal materials"
Under present conditions craft using
the inland waterway may keep inside
the protected Chesapeake Bay and
cross part Of Maryland and Delaware
by the Chesapeake and Delaware
Canal. But that is the end of the pro-
tected route. To proceed farther
North the vessels must 20 to sea
around Cape May and pass up the
open Atlantic to New York, where
the through inland route to Boston
again is available.
Bordentown Route Abandoned.
BY opening the Delaware and Rari-
tan Canal vessels, instead of going to
sea at Cape May, could proceed ur
the protected Delaware Bay and
River, turn into New Jersey at Tren-
ton and cross the State in a protected
canal at New York.
A proposal that a new and deeper
canal be dug across New Jersey from
near Bordentown, on the Delaware
River. to Raritan Bay, on the At
aantlc side, virtually has been aban-
doned, engineers said, because the
delaware and Raritan Canal offers a
far better business proposition.
The canal would pass through a
highly developed region, which has
11ne. modern roads, homes, business
buildings and factories.
The Army engineers expect to re-
eelve around August from the diyi-
sion engineer at New York reports on
surveys OF two other proposed inland
waterways in New Jersey.
one suggested waterway would ex-
tend across Cape May County to con-
meet the New Jersey State inland wa
terway at Cold Spring Harbor. N J.
with the Delaware Bay. This would
enable vessels to go from the Atlantic
70 the Delaware Bay without passing
dangerous Cape May point The other
Is proposed intracoastal waterwa,
from the Shrewsbury River to the
Delaware River above Cane Nav nv
way OF the Manasquan -Barnegat
Canal
m e