Evening star., 1940-08-18
Canal Opening
To Seneca, Nd,
Is Due Shortly.
Much Of Delay Is
Blamed on Holes
Made by Muskrots

NSuOc Oy NIuSNIO\S
The long-awaited opening Of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal from
Washington to Seneca, Md, is due
shortly.
After numerous delays, it appeared
yesterday that last-minute repairs
might be completed this week and
water allowed to fill the historic wa
terway between Lock above Chain
Bridge and Great Falls. Other re-
stored sections already are full and
in use by the public.
The office of National Capital
Parks, which more than month
ago predicted the canal would be
open over the entire stretch to
Seneca by August Is, was forced to
postpone filling the Lock 5-Great
Falls section last week, not because
of inability of contractors and c. c.
C. enrollees to complete restoration
work, but because of muskrats.
Blame 1t on Muskrats.
If 1t weren't for the muskrats the
canal would be full and open today.
However, the animals, during
the 16 years that the Great Falls
Lock section has been empty. have
industriously honeycombed the bed
and banks of the canal with their
carefully concealed holes.
A little more than a week ago
these holes we're discovered when
park engineers started putting water
in the dry section. The muskrat
holes proved just big enough to start
the water leaking through the bed
of the canal. The leakage, if it had
been allowed to continue, would have
caused a number of major washouts.
The waterway had to be drained
quickly and C. C. C. workers and
engineers are now working full
steam ahead to plug the rat" holes.
Once plugged, water will be let into
the canal slowly and a constant pa
troll of C. c. c. enrollees will keep
a weather eye out for leakage of
any kind.
Once the canal is full and the
banks thoroughly soaked, the entire
Washington-Seneca stretch of the
canal can be opened to the public.
Entire Burden on C. C. C..
The outlook for the canal this
year, however. is anything but rosy.
For to the Office of National Capital
Parks there was no appropriation to
continue restoration or to maintain
those features of the canal which
have already been restored.
This places the entire burden of
finishing the restoration on the two
G. C.. c. camps assigned to the
job since the canal was bought two
years age by the Government.
The $500 900 balance, which was
left over after the canal was pur-
chased for 100000 from the B. g.
o. Railroad in 1888 and which was
to finance initial restorative work,
is practically gone.
Park officials attempted to Justify
an appropriation for the canal both
at hearings on the Interior Depart
ment appropriation bill and at SUBJ
sequent deficiency bill hearings.
They told congressional committee
men how water power sold to pri-
vate industry would net the Gov
ernment about $4,000 this year
and how the canal would be left
without capable supervision unless
maintenance funds were provided.
Congress Refuses Money.
They were asked to justify canal
appropriation on the grounds of
national defense, and, when they
could not. Congress refused to make
any appropriation.
Just what this will mean cannot
be foreseen, 1t is certain, park off,
clals said yesterday that the task
OF maintaining the canal and con-
tlnuing its restoration will prove
hard one this year.
Failure to appropriate funds for
the canal, besides working a hard
ship on the canal itself, has forced
the parks Office in addition to notify
some 80 odd former employees of
the canal company, many of them
having worked 40 and so years on
the canal, that their services could
no longer be paid for They were
hired by the Government when the
canal was sold.
Workers Are Retained.
An Interior Department press re-
lease dated November 3, 1898. said:
Uncle Sam smiled benignly on
IS employees of the old Chesapeake
& Ohio Canal Co. today as he
notified them they were to continue
their daily tasks along the canal,
which many have tended for 40 and
so years."
Today all but three of these old
employees are without jobs; without
means. in their old age. of support
ing themselves adequately. ell.
Preparing to restore the historic
waterway, recently purchased for
$4,000, 900 from the receivers of the
canal company" continued the re-
lease, "the National Park Service
announced that Secretary of the In
terror Ickes has ordered the reten-
ton of the old canal workers whose
services are needed in connection
with maintenance, operation and
reconstruction of the 180-mile right
Of way to Cumberland"
Temporary" Says Masters.
The park Office says the offer
to keep these old people on the
job, continuing the tiny pensions
they had received for years from the
canal company receivers, stipulated
that the jobs would only be tenn
porary-for a year or two.
The press, however, said nothing
about the Jobs being Temporary.