Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 32, Number 194, 12 August 1907 — Page 4

JTAGE FOUR.

THE RICHMOND PALLADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAM, MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1907.

APE

COB

CANAL

Contract Awarded" Work Besrins At Once

O BE COMPLETED IN

2 2

Y R A R-S

-4-- .. ,, - : -'M a U.

4 trf

'S-.-vA. " :

AUGUST BirLMONT

DsWITT C. FLANAGAN

7 UGUST BELMONT was As probably actuated by entimcntal reasons as well as Ly financial considerations -when he decided to tak tn active part in the ooostructiiva and operation oi the Capi CodCraat, for the entire trip of and -ihroosh vrWch it will past, from oast to coast, inchdrrt Gray ijLAttiy the summer residence of Joccver Prendent Gro-rer Qevehmd, was fof ruaoy years the property oi Iris ancestors, the Peiry. Juit sotrt tire center of the penintfla, a ad dirct!y over the spot .where thousand of ships will loon be plyinff, stood the old lerTy homestead, built in 1653, a picture of which appears on this page, .the oldest house on Cape Cod. This fine old mansion was constructed throughout of great oak timbers imported from Holland and iwould hare been perfectly habitable end comfortable for wo hundred years longer; but Senator William A. Nye, who acquired the property about seventeen years ago, had it torn down and erected a modern cottage on the site, despite the protests of the older residents, many of arhom characterized the demolition of the historic old landmark as little short of vandalism. ADMITTEDLY FEASIBLE A ship canal across Cape Cod Has been contemplated for two hundred years and more. It has always been a favorite study of engineers, -who have never questioned its entire feasibility, and many a sea captain, weary of his struggle against hurricane and fog, has endeavored to interest financiers in the project; but in spite of the promising character of the business to be derived from it the matter was never taken op by men who were able to bring it to a successful conclusion. So far as known, a citizen of the town of Sandwich was the first who noted the narrow peninsula between Buzzard's Bay and Barnstable, and conceived the idea of a canal that

would do away with the frequent and fatal wrecks that made the eastern shore of Cape Cod then, as it is now, the most dangerous point on the coast and the graveyard of the Atlantic. He brought the project to the attention of the Council of Massachusetts Bay Colony, but those gentlemen were so busy with other affairs that they merely promised to consider the matter. Ten years later a committee was appointed but there is no evidence extant that a report was ever returned; certainly nothing was done toward digging the canal. The project has been reappearing and vanishing, ghostlike, at irregular intervals ever since; but in all the many years it ha3 been under consideration only once did it get beyond the blue-print stage, and then its construction progressed but one laborious mile. When it was announced a few months ago that the long delayed waterway was at last to become a reality it is not surprising that .press and public, recalling the many futile attempts of the last two centuries, were somewhat dubious; hut when it was further stated that the enterprise would be financed by August Belmont and DeWLtt C. Flanagan and that William Barclay Parsons and John B. McDonald were the engineers who would prepare the plan and have charge of the construction every doubt was at once removed. CONTRACT AWARDED "With the awarding of the contract and its approval by the joint board of Railroad and Harbor and Land Commissioners of Massachusetts just given the last obstacle to the construction of the canal has been Temoved and the last requirement of the Massachusetts Legislature met; it only remains to apportion the work among the sub-contractors. According to William Barclay Parsons, the chief engineer, dirt will begin to fly within sixty days and by January, 1910, the big ditch will

August' Belmont, De Witt C. Flanagan, William Barclay Parsons and John B. McDonald, The four men most active in "construction and operation of big ditch comtemplated

for two centuries.'

THE PERRY JIOMESTEAD, BUILT IN 1652

be completed and in full operation. - The successful bid of $li,yQO,ooo.oo was made by the Cape Cod Construction Company, of which August Belmont is the President; Arthnr L. Devens, Vice President; John B. McDonald, Vice President in Charge of Construction; William Barclay Parsons, Chief Engineer; John F. Buck, Secretary and Treasurer, and DeWitt C. Flanagan, E. W. Lancaster and Dudley Pickman, Directors. The canal 13 obviously so feasible and its operation gives promise of 6tich large financial returns that it is exceedingly difficult to understand how its construction could have been so long delayed. It is almost equally incredible that anyone could

be found to oppose it in view of the

many and varied interests that would be benefited thereby; yet for years the most powerful forces have been arrayed against it and every possible obstacle has been thrown in the way of those who have endeavored to bring the project to a successful conclusion. The most potent opposition and the most difficult to combat, was that of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad whose tracks crossed the route of the canal three times. The re-routing and rebuilding of a considerable section of the road at this point was absolutely essential to the successful operation of the canal and, naturally, the Company fought any such radical change with the utmost vigor. The cessation of hostilities on the part

of the Tailroad company wa3 largely due to the public spirit and broad mindedness of President Mellen who came to the conclusion that the people of Massachusetts generally would benefit so greatly in that it would enable them to get raw materials so much cheaper, and that the railroad would share in the general prosperity. FLANAGAN OVERCOMES OPPOSITION For successfully combating these forces and overcoming, one by one, the various obstacles to the construction of the canal, credit is chiefly if not wholly due to DeWitt C. Flanagan who has carried on the fight single handed since 1809 when the charter was granted under which

J the canal will be built.

v

A, - - ..- -r' ' '.:.

1

r" " ' t 1 t

WJI. BARCLAY TARSONS

JOHN S. MCDONALD

Mr. Flanagan's attention was first drawn to the project by Levi Hussy, the inventor of a patent dredge owned by a company in which Mr. Flanagan inherited a one-fourth interest. Mr. Hussy and several of his friends tried to obtain a charter to build the canal' but failed. He showed the maps, plans, etc., then in existence to Mr. Flanagan who was so much impressed with the feasibility of the idea that he at once got control of the company and applied to the Massachusetts Legislature for a charter which was granted June I, 1891. From that time to the present he has given almost his entire attention to the canal, frequently at the expense cf other interests which would have given more prompt and certain returns; but the more thought he gave to the project the more enthusiastic he became. PREVIOUS PLANS ALL TALK Before he applied for a charter, Mr. Flanagan made a contract with a Baltimore Trust Company, who agreed to underwrite it, but when

) the time came to deposit the

?oo,ooo security with the Ma.achur.etts State Treasurer, the aa'u of the Trust Company had become involved and Mr. Flanagan had to furnish the money himself. In 1903 he sent a representative to London in the hope of interesting English capital; but John Bull invariably referred the matter to his American correspondents who, without taking the trouble to inquire into the merits of the proposition, just as regularly reported that the Cape Cod Canal was a specter, which had stalked at irregular intervals for two hundred years; that all previous efforts to give it form and substance had ended only in talk and that there was no reason for thinking that this latest attempt would result in anything tangible. About this time bills began to be introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature which had for their object the nullification of the charter

(t every session since several such! bills have been presented) and a-s; enormous amount of time, lalor and money had to be expended in proventing their p.issage. BELMONT THE MAN Finally, in 1004, Mr. P!ngn came to the concljsion that, financially and temperamentally, Aujuit Belmont was just the man h wanted, and he brought the natter to his attention in December of that year; but it was not until twelve, months later that Mr. Belmont agreed to take hold of it. From that time on, howrvet, the progress was rapid. The isthmus was surveyed from shore to shore, borings' were nia ie to ascertain the character, of the material tc be excavated, , estimates of the cost of construction, operation and maintenance were prepared by William Uarclas Parsons, E. L. CorthH and othel cmi-"iir.? engineers, the route of th canal was determined upon, and sta titici regarding the amount ol traffic annually passing around the. Cape were collected!. The plans ) dri'vn by Mr. Parsons were finally suMriHed to and approved by the !

joint board of Railroad and Harbor and Land Comaiissioners of Massachusetts, the contract has beea awarded, the necessary securities, bends and forfeits have been deposited with the State and Countr

Treasurers, and the actual work of I digging will begin almost immedi-i

atelv.

The ctnal wi'l be twelve mileti

long and will extend from Buzzard's Bay, at Bourre to Cape Cod Bay, I

at a pomt rear the town of Sand

wich. It will be ion fet wide at

the bottom and 200 feet on the surface at the nar-oest portion, l6' feet 3t tfc" bottom and 320 feet on the surface st tS widest part and I will have a depth of 25 feet at low: water. It wi.'I co $12,000,000 to ! build, and, it is estimated, will require $coo,ooo pet year for operation tnd maintenance '

RICHMOND PALLADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAM.

Palladium Printing Co., Publishers. Office North 9th and A Streets.

RICHMOND, INDIANA.

' PRICE iPsnCopy, Dally 2c Per Couy, Sunday 3c tPer Week, Daily and Sunday..... .10c

IN ADVANCE )OneYear .,... $5.00

Entered at Richmond, Ind., Postofflce As Second Clasa Mail Matter.

The telegraphers of the country maj he said to be cutting a dash.

Fountain City Methodists have Improved their church and freed It of Indebtedness, much to their credit.

Murder and-euicide is very prevalent In the United States just now. The crime wave and the heat wave seem to go hand In hand.

Crop reports continue to be of an encouraging nature and as they Improve the bugaboo of bad times retires further Into the background. Calamity liowlers have received a knockout blow.

Apparently there Is no prospect -of securing proper Inspection of meat In this city. Isn't it about time the city council makes an effort to solve the situation? An earnest, serious effort would be creditable, even though it were unsuccessful.

The movement to secure protection for the aged veterans who attend the rational G. A. II. encampment this year, Is a commendable one for annually many of them fall victims to sharpers and others who have no compunctions of conscience and rob and cheat the uninitiated.

.Judge "Artman, of Indiana, who has been speaking upon the evils of the licensed saloon, in various of the large cities of the country, ha3 been accorded a liberal hearing and dispatches taU that he has created a strong Im

pression. Judge Artman has become famous through his ruling that the saloon is a public nuisance and that its licensing 13 unconstitutional.

John P. Brown of .Connersville, a high authority on forestry, said a mighty sensible and truthful thing when he declared that the only thing that can prevent a timber famine and interference with many lines of business, is to plant trees. The people of this section should heed the warning; it is not too late to secure to the coming generation an abundant supply of timber.

Indiana Knights of Pythias are to be congratulated upon the magnificent home that they will dedicate at Indianapolis this week. Indiana Pythians are a magnificent body and the organization is one in which Richmond and Wayne county plays no small part, for they have a large Pythian membership in a prosperous condition, and they have also furnished a supreme chancellor of the world-wide organization in the person of Charles E. Shiveley.

The eyes of all Quakerdom will be on Richmond this fall, for the city is not only to entertain Indiana yearly meeting, the largest and most influential body of the kind in the world, but is also to entertain the Five Years meeting, which is the general conference of American Friends. There is. little doubt but what some important action will be taken by both bodies and especially so by the latter. The brightest minds in the Friends' society will gather in Richmond next October.

Richmond's chautauqua is now near at hand and every effort is being made to make it a success. The enterprise is fully deserving of public support and the people of Richmond, Wayne

county and western Preble county should accord it their presence and help. Richmond has the promise of a permanent chautauqua, along the most successful lines, and success of this year's enterprise will be a step in that direction for the promoters of the greater chautauqua will then be encouraged to press forward.

Dr. Henry A. Buchtel, governor of Colorado and former pastor of Grace Methodist churchy Richmond, has incurred the disfavor of Judge Benjamin Lindsay, of juvenile court fame, who puts Buchtel in the class of machine politicians and under the influence cf boss rule. No doubt these will prove surprising statements to the Richmond

public, where Dr. Buchtel Is so well known, and where he is to speak before the chautauqua. A ; statement from him. as to his connection with the Guggenheims and others of baneful political influence, would be of interest.

To tiie Point. Little Fred Uncle John, did you ever hoar the story about the good little boy who had a nice uucle? Uncle John -No. Tell it to me. Uttle Fred Well, the nice uncle gave the good little boy a quarter. That's ail. Exchange.

Nothing Is Impossible to the man v!3 cn will. Mirabenu.

When you want a quick cure without any loss of time, and one that is followed by no bad results, use Chamberlain's Colic, Choiera and Diarrhoea Remedy It never fail3 and is pleasant to take. It is equally valuable for children. It is famous for its cures over a large part ol the civilized worid.

Mews of the Haisoa.& Lrocal and General.

REVENUES OF INTEREST.

SHOWING ON THE PASSENGER BUSINESS DONE IS WATCHED.

Effect of the Two-Cent Rate Will Be Determined by the Reduction Shown.

Passenger revenues and the extent to which they will be reduced by the passage of 2-cent rate laws in a large

number of states are matters now occupying a large degree of attention from railroad financiers. It is estimated that revenues from this source of all the roads in the United States amount to not less than $500,000,000 a year. This is about one-third of the freight earnings and about one-fourth of 'the gross earnings of the roads. The normal increase in passenger earnings from year to year is about 7 per cent, when they are undisturbed by legislative interference. The 2-cent laws, for a time at least, are expected to wipe out this increase entirely, if they do not causa an actual reduction in the revenues as compared with previous years. MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. The Pennsylvania is installing the switch for the new power house, north of the station at New Castls. In addition to this the curve extending from the station to the freight transfer house is being raised.

CORRECTS A REPORT. An official of the Pennsylvania corrects the report that, after many tests covering a period of several years, it had determined to abandon the use of steel ties. He said: "The steel tie has

not proved wholly satisfactory, in that it lacks the elasticity of the wooden tie. In other respects there is no objection to steel as material for cross ties, and the Idea of abandoning the use of steel ties is far from the minds of the Pennsylvania officials. OFF ON A VACATION. Messenger Beaty of the Pacific express company, running on the C, C. & L.. between Cincinnati and Chicago has gone to Quincy, Ills., for a short vacation. Martin Kuch of Peru, running between Richmond and that place, will work in his place. WANTS A FAIR TEST. The Western Passenger Association in states having 2-cent fares per mile has taken out all rates of less thrn 2 cents a mile which had rrevlonsly been made to those working in the interests of charity. This action is In line with the policy of the road to eliminate all rates which would prevent an absolutely fair test of the effects of the 2-cent-a-mile maximum rate. TRAFFIC IS INCREASING. The volume of traffic with the Pennsylvania lines for midsummer appears to be increasing as the season advances. Some divisions have not locomotives enough to handle the freight offered. AMICABLE AGREEMENTS. The trend of the times appears to be toward reaching amicable agreements with railroads and the Interstate Commerce Commission on the part of shippers all over the country. An unusual agitation is spreading over tha entire shipping world toward organizing to carry out In the most advantageous manner the ideas of men who are putting in force new methods to cope with the circumstances in which the railroads, commission houses and shippers find themselves at present.

AS HIGH AS 23 BO.

Good Wheat Yield Reported For Washington Township.

Milton, Ind., Aug. 12 -Timothy Connell has shipped 12 car loads of wheat to New York for export. About, half of it grades No. 2 and the balance No.

3. As threshing progresseR the grada improves, the early threshed wheat being slightly damaged. Connell Bros, had 220 acres of wheat that av eraged more than 20 bushels. On field of 20 acres made 30 bushels per acre, and C5 acres on M. I). Heeaoa'l farm made 23 bushel per acrt.

"How stupid it la playing whist with a Rlrl like Miss JadaUut!w "Yes, I believe that girl would nk th nngel Gabriel h?m.eT 'VV Kit's trorn''"

h - li? . 1 - 1

VITAL VOM The TOMSC Best o prevent disease. Keeps the blood rich and ed. No Malaria where VITAL VIM is used. The best cure for Summer Diseases. Get a bottle to-dav. Fifty Cents. Avoid substitutes. . All VITAL ViM v-emed;cs tear this signature.

FOR SALE BY IDr-ug'sist. 4th and Main Sis.

YOU MAY SCOUR THE TOWN and you'll not find an establishment whose facilities or abilities approach ours in the cleaning, pressing, and dyeing of ladles and men's outer garments. Our methods are the reBult of long and careful study and experiment, that enable us to guarantee fast colors and perfect ""rk without a cent of excess cost.

1024 Main St.

Richmond Dry Cleaning Co.

Both Phones Home 1581, Old 412.

4 Doors East of Westcott Hotel.

bin

A

ml AT HAN

AUGUST 23 to SEPTEMBER 1 Ten Days. . Three Sessions Daily. Thirty Entertainments. SEASON TICKETS $2.00

PI if E

p

DM

mm

mm

?5f

Though many reservations have been made, there arc still scores of good sites left. Sec W. S. HISER, Sec'yf Masonic Temple. Phono 2000.