C&D Canal from Chesapeake City, Maryland.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, or C&D Canal is a 14 mile (23 km) long, 450 foot (137 m) wide and 35 foot (11 m) deep ship canal that cuts across the states of Maryland and Delaware, in the United States. It connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore. The C&D Canal is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. The project office in historic Chesapeake City, Maryland, is also the site of the C&D Canal Museum and Bethel Bridge Lighthouse. C&D Canal from Chesapeake City * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... C&D Canal from Chesapeake City * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Chesapeake City is a town located in Cecil County, Maryland. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into... State nickname: The First State Other U.S. States Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Governor Ruth Ann Minner Official languages None Area 6,452 km² (49th)  - Land 5,068 km²  - Water 1,387 km² (21. ... The Delaware River at New Hope, Pennsylvania The Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. ... Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Chesapeake City is a town located in Cecil County, Maryland. ...

Map of the C&D Canal from The Chesapeake to Delaware Bays

C&D Canal Map File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... C&D Canal Map File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Early years

As early as the 17th century, settlers to the New World realized the nation's growth through industry and commerce would depend upon economical transportation of goods across both land and water. In the mid-1600s Augustine Herman, a Dutch envoy and mapmaker, observed that two great bodies of water, the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay, were separated only by a narrow strip of land. Herman proposed that a waterway be built to connect the two. The canal would reduce, by nearly 300 miles (500 km), the water routes between Philadelphia and Baltimore. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ... Centuries: 16th century - 17th century - 18th century Decades: 1550s 1560s 1570s 1580s 1590s - 1600s - 1610s 1620s 1630s 1640s 1650s Years: 1600 1601 1602 1603 1604 1605 1606 1607 1608 1609 Events and Trends November 5, 1605 - The Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Parliament. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ...

More than a century passed, however, before any action was taken. In the mid 1760s surveys of possible water routes across the Delaware / Maryland Peninsula were made, but a canal would not become a reality for decades. Events and Trends King George III ascends the British throne in 1760. ... Delmarva Peninsula map The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by portions of three U.S. states: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. ...

The issue of constructing the waterway was raised again in 1788 by regional business leaders, including noted Philadelphians Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush. In 1802, following actions by the legislatures of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company was incorporated. More surveys followed, and in 1804 construction of the canal began including 14 locks to connect the Christina River in Delaware with the Elk River at Welch Point, Maryland, but the project was halted two years later for lack of funds. Benjamin Franklin by Jean-Baptiste Greuze 1777 For the former mayor of Nepean, see Ben Franklin (politician) Dr. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American printer, journalist, publisher, author, philanthropist, abolitionist, public servant, scientist, librarian, diplomat, and inventor. ... Dr. Benjamin Rush (December 24, 1745–April 19, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... Canal locks in England. ... The Christina River (formerly the Christiana River) is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 mi (56 km) long, in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. ... Elk River is the name of numerous rivers and places. ...

Construction

C&D Canal from Delaware City

The canal company was reorganized in 1822, and new surveys determined that more than $2 million in capital was needed to resume construction. Eventually the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased $100,000 in stock, the State of Maryland $50,000 and Delaware $25,000. The federal government's investment was $450,000 with the remainder subscribed by the public. C&D Canal from Delaware City * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... C&D Canal from Delaware City * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played a vital yet unofficial role for the canal company in 1823 and 1824, providing two senior commissioned officers to assist in determining a canal route. The engineer officers and two civilian engineers recommended a new route with four locks, extending from Newbold's Landing Harbor (now Delaware City, Del.), westward to the Back Creek branch of the Elk River in Maryland. Canal locks in England. ... Delaware City is a city located in New Castle County, Delaware. ... Elk River is the name of numerous rivers and places. ...

Canal construction resumed in April 1824, and in several years some 2,600 men were digging and hauling dirt from the ditch. Laborers toiled with pick and shovel at the immense construction task, working for an average daily wage of 75 cents. The swampy marshlands along the canal's planned route proved a great impediment to progress as workers continuously battled slides along the soft slopes of the "ditch" being cut. It was 1829 before the C&D Canal Company could, at last, announce the waterway "open for business." The near $2.5 million construction cost made it one of the most expensive canal projects of its time.

1829 to 1919

The Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River were now connected by a navigation channel measuring nearly 14 miles (23 km) long, 10 feet (3 m) deep, 66 feet (20 m) wide at the waterline and 36 feet (11 m) wide along the channel bottom. A covered wooden bridge at Summit, Delaware, spanned the canal across the "Deep Cut," measuring 250 feet (76 m) between abutments. The bridge floor was 90 feet (27 m) above the channel bottom. Three wooden swing bridges also crossed the canal.

Modern day Summit Bridge over the C&D Canal.

Locks to pass vessels through the waterway's various levels were constructed at Delaware City, Delaware and St. Georges, Del., and two at Chesapeake City, Maryland. Each measured 100 feet (30 m) long and 22 feet (6.7 m) wide and was eventually enlarged to 220 feet (67 m) in length and 24 feet (7.3 m) in width. Summit Bridge along the C&D Canal * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Summit Bridge along the C&D Canal * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Canal locks in England. ... Delaware City is a city located in New Castle County, Delaware. ... Chesapeake City is a town located in Cecil County, Maryland. ...

Teams of mules and horses towed freight and passenger barges, schooners and sloops through the canal. Cargoes included practically every useful item of daily life: lumber, grain, farm products, fish, cotton, coal, iron, and whiskey. Packet lines were eventually established to move freight through the waterway. One such enterprise — the Ericsson Line — operated between Baltimore and Philadelphia, and continued to carry passengers and freight through the canal into the 1940s. The cargo tonnage peaked in 1872 with more than 1.3 million tons transiting the canal. In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... Two-masted fishing schooner A schooner is a type of sailing ship characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. ... A sloop-rigged J-24 sailboat In sailing, a sloop is a vessel with a single mast on which is hoisted a fore-and-aft rigged mainsail and a single jib, plus extras such as a spinnaker. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ...

Loss of water in the locks was a problem from early on. As boats passed through at Chesapeake City, the equivalent of a full lock of water was lost to the lower-lying portion of the canal. This loss due to locking vessels through the canal, compounded by leakage through the canal banks and normal evaporation, made it necessary to devise a means of lifting water into the project's upper part.

A steam operated pump was purchased in 1837 to raise water from Back Creek and in 1852 a steam engine and large waterwheel were installed at the pumphouse in Chesapeake City. Measuring 39 feet (12 m) in diameter and 10 feet (3 m) wide, the iron and wood waterwheel had 12 troughs which filled with water as it turned; the water then spilled over the hub into the raceway and into the uppermost canal level. By 1854 a second steam engine was in use. The two 150 horsepower (112 kW) engines consumed eight tons of coal daily while lifting 170 tons of water per minute into the canal. The waterwheel and steam engines remained in continuous use through the mid-1920s. A steam engine, once known as a fire and air engine, is a heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ... An overshot water wheel standing 42 feet high powers the Old Mill at Berry College in Rome, Georgia A water wheel (also waterwheel, Norse mill, Persian wheel or noria) is a hydropower system; a system for extracting power from a flow of water. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly...

Throughout the 19th century the canal's use continued to change with the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Rail Road being its only major competitor. Steam power brought larger and deeper-draft vessels that could not pass through the restricting locks. By the turn of this century the decline in canal traffic and great cost of operation and repairs brought a downward trend in canal profits. Clearly a larger, wider and deeper waterway was needed. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and Rail Road was the first railroad in Delaware and one of the first in the U.S., opening in 1831. ...

At the time, however, little thought was given to improving the existing canal. New companies were formed instead, with at least six options to consider for a new canal route. Various committees and commissions appointed to study the issue failed to agree on a plan. President Theodore Roosevelt then appointed a commission in 1906 to report on the feasibility of converting the canal to a "free and open waterway." Order: 26th President Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks Term of office: September 14, 1901 – March 3, 1909 Preceded by: William McKinley Succeeded by: William Howard Taft Date of birth: October 27, 1858 Place of birth: New York City Date of death: January 6, 1919 Place of death: Oyster Bay, New...

1920s to 1970s

In 1919 the canal was purchased by the Federal government for $2.5 million and designated the "Intra-coastal Waterway Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Delaware and Maryland." Included were six bridges plus a railroad span owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were replaced during the 1920s by four vertical lift spans and a new railroad bridge. A federal government is the common government of a federation. ... 1911 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly...

Responsibility for operating, maintaining and improving the waterway was assigned to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington (Del.) District. By 1927 the eastern entrance at Delaware City had been relocated several miles south at Reedy Point, Del. All locks (except the one at Delaware City) were removed and the waterway was converted to a sea-level operation at 12 feet (3.7 m) deep and 90 feet (27 m) wide. These improvements cost $10 million. Two stone jetties at the new eastern entrance were completed in 1926. United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... Alternate meanings: See Jetty (web server) Alternate meanings: See Jettying in buildings The term jetty, derived from the French jetie, and therefor signifying something thrown out, is applied to a variety of structures employed in river, dock and maritime works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks...

The "new" canal opened in May 1927 with great celebration, yet plans already were underway for further expansion as the sizes of ships and amounts of cargo continued to increase. The Philadelphia District took over operation of the canal in 1933. Between 1935 and 1938 the channel was again improved deepened to 27 feet (8.2 m) and widened to 250 feet (76 m) — at a cost of nearly $13 million. The project was also expanded to include a federal navigation channel 27 feet (8.2 m) deep and 400 feet (122 m) wide for some 26 miles (42 km) in the Upper Chesapeake Bay, from the Elk River to Poole's Island. Elk River is the name of numerous rivers and places. ...

Through the years, as the sizes and tonnages of ships using the canal continued to grow, accidents and one-way traffic restrictions strained the canal's capacity. Between 1938 and 1950 alone, eight ships collided with bridges. In 1954 Congress authorized further expansion of the channel to 450 feet (137 m) wide and 35 feet (11 m) deep. These improvements began in the 1960s and were completed in the mid-1970s. A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ...

New bridges to accommodate highway traffic crossing the canal also became necessary as deepening and widening progressed. Two mechanical lift bridges at St. Georges and Chesapeake City, toppled by ship collisions, were replaced in the 1940s with high-level highway spans. Two other high-level vehicular traffic bridges, Summit Bridge in 1960 and Reedy Point Bridge in 1968, were constructed as part of the 1954 improvement authorization. // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ...

In 1966 a new railroad lift bridge was also completed by the Corps and turned over to the Pennsylvania Railroad to carry freight across the canal. The railroad and Summit spans were recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction as the most beautiful bridges of their types in the years they were completed.

Thus the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal approached 175 years of service as a vastly improved waterway, far different from its 19th century predecessor.

Modern day canal

Today's canal is a modern sea-level, electronically controlled commercial waterway, carrying 40 percent of all ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

Since 1933 the Corps' Philadelphia District has managed canal and highway bridge operations from a two-story white frame building on the canal's southern bank at Chesapeake City, Md. Cargo ships of all sizes, tankers, container-carrying vessels, barges accompanied by tugboats, and countless recreational boats create a steady flow of traffic. Through state-of-the-art fiber optic and microwave links, dispatchers use closed-circuit television and radio systems to monitor and safely move commercial traffic through the waterway.

A dispatch center along the C&D Canal.

Navigating oceangoing vessels requires extensive maritime skills, with strong currents or bad weather conditions adding to the risks. A U.S. Coast Guard certified pilot is required for vessels engaged in foreign trade transiting the canal, the Delaware River and Bay, and Chesapeake Bay. Many shipping firms use pilots from the Delaware River and Bay or Maryland pilots' associations. C&D Canal Dispatch Center * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... C&D Canal Dispatch Center * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Coast Guard shield The United States Coast Guard is the coast guard of the United States. ...

Typically a Delaware River and Bay pilot boards a ship as it passes Lewes, Del., entering the Delaware Bay, and guides the vessel up the bay and into the canal to Chesapeake City. A Maryland pilot then takes over and continues the ship's transit into the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore or Annapolis, Maryland The procedure is reversed for eastbound ships. At Chesapeake City a "changing of the pilots" takes place, while the pilot launch maneuvers alongside a vessel as it continues its journey without stopping. The pilots use the ship's gangway, Jacob's Ladder or port entrance to climb aboard or leave the vessel. Nickname: Americas Sailing Capital , Naptown Location in Maryland Founded  -Incorporated 1649 1708  County Anne Arundel County Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 19. ...

Future of the canal

The canal is significantly important to the ports of the Delaware River, Baltimore, and others along the northern Atlantic trade routes. Millions of tons of cargo are transported through it annually by container and other bulk-carrying and general cargo vessels. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ...

A Corps feasibility study to investigate improvements for the canal and the Baltimore connecting navigation channels of Tolchester, Brewerton Eastern Extension and Swan Point was completed in December 1996 with the signing of the Chief of Engineers' report. The study, co-sponsored by the Maryland Department of Transportation, investigated deepening of the channel to 40 feet (12 m) from its current 35 foot (11 m) depth, plus additional navigation improvements and environmental initiatives. (NOTE: On January 22, 2001, the Philadelphia District announced that this study was being suspended based on recent downturns in Port of Baltimore container ship traffic.) January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey 2001 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ...

View of the C&D Canal eastern terminus at Reedy Point on the Delaware River.

Through the efforts of federal, state and local agencies, all aspects of canal improvements recommended at the conclusion of the study were analyzed for environmental, cultural, economic and engineering concerns. The Chief's report concluded the plan was sound from an engineering aspect, but certain economic and environmental concerns needed to be resolved before the design of a project could be initiated. C&D Canal at Reedy Point * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... C&D Canal at Reedy Point * File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

These issues are being addressed as the project continues through the three-year Preconstruction Engineering and Design phase, which is being cost-shared with the Maryland Port Administration. Technical research, supplemented by extensive public involvement, will provide a strong foundation for decision making in any further improvements to this valuable resource. Such efforts reflect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' commitment to enabling the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to continue its leading role in serving the nation's North Atlantic ports.

Reference

This article is primarily composed from public domain information and pictures collected from the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal website of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/sb/c&d.htm.

Recommended reading

• "Waterway Guide Northern 2003: Delaware Bay to the Canadian Border" by Jack Dozier (Waterway Guide, 2003) ISBN 0972313125
• "The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Chronicles of Early Life in Towns along the Historic Waterway" by Robert Hazel

External links

• http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/sb/c&d.htm
• Crossing the Delaware http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/summer95/p95su28.htm
• Boat Talk Article http://www.boattalk.com/history/082200.htm