Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-09-29


long walk about a year ago, he
called national attention to one of
Montgomery County's most beau
tiful land marks-the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal which runs along
the southeastern border of the
county close to the Potomac RiV-
err.
The placid, muddy calm of the
canal today bellies its turbulent
history.
The idea for a navigable water
way linking Georgetown with the
West to facilitate the flow of
goods from that rich area came
from the farsighted Virginian,
George Washington. He knew
that unless a means of shipment
to the East was available, the
Western farmers and factories
would ship down the Mississippi
or up the st. Lawrence.
So in 1884 General Washing
ton, Gen. Gates, and Col. Black
burn came to Annapolis to con-
fer with a Maryland Legislative
committee consisting of Thomas
Stone, Samuel Hughes, Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, John Cad
valdez, Samuel Chase, John De-
Butts, George Diggs, Philip Key,
y Gustavus Scott, and Joseph Dash
? iell. With the unanimous appro-
val of this group, the Potomac
Company was formed to render
the Potomac River navigable
above Great Falls. President of
the newly incorporated company
was George Washington. On the
board of directors were two for
mer Maryland governors Thomas
johnson and Thomas Sim Lee;
and the early steamboat builder
James Rumsey was appointed
superintendent of works.
After thirty-five years of vain
toll, it was concluded that "the
bed of the Potomac River could
not by any expenditure at COM
mand be so improved as to an
swer the purposes intended"
In 1921 a commission of Moses
T. Hunter, William T. T. Mason,
Athanasius FenWick, and Ellie
williams deemed it imprudent to
give any further aid to the Poto-
nac Company and Invested it of
its charter.
Where the idea for canal to
the West was born, no one knows.
4 Early in the 182Os a Maryland
Nengineer, Isaac Briggs, was ap-
pointed to survey possible canal
courses, somewhere in the Ohio
Potomac-Rappahannock River
area.
The initial estimate of 81 mil
lion dollars for a canal between
Washington and Cumberland
completely shocked the public.
The blow was softened in 1926
when a commission of A. Ste
vert, c. F. Mercer, J. B. Alex
ander, Chauncey Forward, Josiah
Malin, John McIenry, James
Adams, John Haye, ]. Mason, o.
Fl. Williams, B. S. Digman, John
Mcpherson, and John Mclean re-
turned report stating that such
a canal could be constructed for
half the original estimate.
So in 1926 the defunct Potomac
Company surrendered its char
ter to the eager Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal Company and in 1928
the new company was officially
organized with Charles Fenton
Mercer as president, and Joseph
Kent, Phineas Janney, Walter
\ Smith, Peter Lenox, Andrew Ste
NNert, and Frederick May as d.
rectors. Then the fun began!
Financing the big ditch was the
first problem. Estimates of the
complete cost ranged from the
previously mentioned 81 million
dollars down to million. Mary
land appropriated money. Vir-
ginia appropriated money. Bonds
were sold. Stocks were sold.
Loans were made. Individuals
contributed. Business firms con-
tributed. Communities along the
proposed route contributed. A
financial depression didn't help
the disposal of stock. Work on
the canal was to be suspended
three times for lack of funds.
At one time the Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal Company owed its
creditors 81, ia, 566.31 in addition
to the notes, bonds, mortgages,
etc. outstanding!
The route of the canal was an
other bone of contention. Balti-
more, fearing the loss of much
maritime trade to Georgetown,
demanded the canal run from
MChesapeake Bay to the Ohio or
Susquehanna River.
When engineers finally decided
that the best route lay close to
the course of the Potomac, the
Baltimore.terrninus proponents
were taken aback, but not stop
ped. They Immediately began