in Croatan Sound soon shoals up, while there is reason to believe that such will not be the case in Alligator River. Consequently there is no reason for choosing the Croatan route in preference to either of the other two.

Between the Long shoal route and the Far Creek route there is little difference; they are practically of the same cost and enter Pamlico Sound at about the same point. The Far Creek route is the shorter in total length and is also shorter by 3.5 miles in the dredging through the shoal margin of the sound, where alone there is reason to fear any difficulty in maintenance; consequently it is, in the opinion of the Board, the better of the two. It is, in fact, the cheapest route for the waterway in this division.

The Juniper Bay route and the Rose Bay route both enter the deep water of Pamlico River and avoid Bluff shoal. In this respect they are equal, and in cost the Juniper Bay route has a slight advantage. This bay, however, is quite open and exposed to southeasterly storms: the deep water is far from the shore, and the long dredged channel through the shallow water will probably not be easy to maintain. Rose Bay, on the other hand, is, by its position, well protected from storms, and, as the deep water makes far up into the bay, there is formed a harbor well protected by marshes on either side. The dredged cut from the shore to deep water is quite short, and, from its position, its maintenance will probably not cause much trouble. On these accounts Rose Bay is, in the opinion of the Board, preferable to Juniper Bay as a terminus for this part of the waterway.

In the opinion of the Board the Rose Bay route is much the preferable one in this division. Although the estimated cost of the Far Creek route is lower by about $1,400,000 than that by way of Rose Bay, it has the great disadvantage of debouching into the open part of Pamlico Sound, whence a long stretch of open and exposed waterway would have to be traversed in order to reach protected portions of the route, whereas the distance from Rose Bay to the protection of Neuse River is comparatively short. In addition, the exposed Pamlico Sound terminus of the Far Creek line would require the protection of a harbor of refuge at or near that point, costing, in all probability, not less than $1,000,000. In this part of Pamlico Sound storms of great violence are frequent and much damage has been done by them. On the other hand, Rose Bay is in a well-protected location in Pamlico River and has a naturally protected deep-water harbor. The Rose Bay route has also an additional advantage of being conveniently situated with reference to the Pamlico River and the cities and towns located thereon. Taking into consideration these and other matters, the Board is of the opinion that the Rose Bay route possesses sufficient advantages to offset the difference in cost, which difference will be comparatively extremely small when the cost of a harbor of refuge in the vicinity of the mouth of Far Creek is considered. The Board therefore selects the Rose Bay route for the waterway in this division. The length of this route is 80.5 miles, the excavation required, 24,500,000 cubic yards, and the estimated cost, $3,719,000.

Third division, Pamlico Sound to Beaufort.-In this division the choice of routes, as previously noted, is limited to two-the Core Sound route and the Adams and Core Creek route.

The Core Sound route is 45.8 miles long, and will require the excavation of about 30,000,000 cubic yards, distributed over 3.5 miles of

this distance. No expense will be incurred for right of way, bridges, or retaining walls. Its cost is estimated at $4,500,000.

The Adams and Core Creek route is 50 miles long. It will require the excavation of about 9,600,000 cubic yards, distributed over less than 20 miles, the construction of 6 miles of revetment, the purchase of 600 acres of land for right of way, and the construction of two highway drawbridges. Its cost is estimated as follows:

Excavation, 9,600,000 cubic yards, at 12 cents.

Revetment, 68,000 feet, at $1.50

Right of way, 600 acres, at $25
Bridges.

Total......

$1,200,000

102,000

15,000

20,000

1,337, 000

Compared with the Core Sound route the Adams Creek route will cost less than a third as much, will be cheaper to maintain, is much better protected from storms, and is about 4 miles longer.

The Board therefore considers this the better route, and the one that should be selected.

Beaufort Inlet.-In the three preceding divisions of the waterway the estimates have been based upon an excavation to 17 feet below the assumed mean low water. Here however, on account of exposure to the ocean swells, it is thought well to increase the depth of excavation to 20 feet, and on this depth the estimates will be based. From the 20-foot curve inside to the 20-foot curve on the ocean side of the bar is about 4,200 feet, and the excavation required is about 300,000 cubic yards.

From experience on a similar bar at the mouth of the Cape Fear River it is assumed that the dredging can easily be done by a hydraulic dredge and at a cost not exceeding 15 cents per cubic yard. It is estimated therefore that the cost of the improvement of this bar will amount to $45,000. Its annual maintenance should not exceed onethird of this. As the distance from the junction of the Core Sound and Adams Creek routes inside Beaufort Inlet to the 20-foot curve inside of the bar is 0.8 mile, the total length of this division of the waterway is about 1.6 miles."

ROUTE RECOMMENDED.

The routes selected by the Board in the different divisions of the waterway and their lengths and cost are as follows:

The selected route passes from Norfolk up the south branch of the Elizabeth River to near the mouth of Mill Creek; thence in a direct line by a land cut to the Pasquotank River at the mouth of Cooper Creek; thence down this river to and across Albemarle Sound and up

the straight portion of the Alligator River; thence in a land cut through the marshes of the upper Alligator River, across the neck of land and into Rose Bay; thence into Pamlico River, down this river, around Brant Island light-house, and up the Neuse River to opposite the mouth of Adams Creek; thence up Adams Creek and by a land cut to the head of Core Creek; thence down Core Creek, Newport River, and across Beaufort bar to the ocean. The length of this route, allowing for a direct line across the deep water of Albemarle Sound, is about 190 miles. This distance can be considerably shortened, and the route will be a better protected one if a cut should be made across Brant Island shoal not far from Brant Island. The Board has not sufficient data upon which to base an estimate for the work, but it will not be great.

This route has the advantages of the greatest possible amount of protection from storms throughout its length, of having safe harbors. at each end of every land cut, of passing close to Elizabeth City, Morehead City, and Beaufort, and of being conveniently located with reference to the cities on the Pamlico and Neuse rivers.

In thus expressing its choice of the route the Board desires to specifically state that the selected route has been defined in general terms only, and that before the definite location of the different parts of the route can be made further detailed surveys will be necessary.

The Board is of the opinion that the selected route is a perfectly practicable one and that a waterway can be constructed along it for $10,000,000, provided that the appropriations are of sufficient size and are made with sufficient regularity to allow the work to be carried on constantly and systematically. The annual cost of maintenance of the completed waterway is estimated by the Board at about $150,000.

COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE.

The termini of the waterway, as defined by the act, are at Norfolk, Va., and Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, but as Norfolk is at present connected by a deep channel with Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and Beaufort Inlet opens on the same ocean south of capes Hatteras and Lookout, the object of the waterway is evidently to furnish an inland connection between the Atlantic Ocean at Chesapeake Bay and the same ocean south of both capes.

These two capes, and especially the former, have long been the terror of navigators. Before the introduction of steam the passage around Cape Hatteras was hazardous in the extreme, and though at the present time this cape is not as great an obstacle as formerly, yet it is still a serious menace to navigation. The records of the LifeSaving Service show that within the last quarter of a century not less than $3,000,000 worth of property and 67 lives have been lost in the vicinity of Hatteras alone, and if the records of all the losses between Cape Henry and Beaufort were available the total would be much greater. Indeed, in a recent publication it was stated "that 17 per cent of the vessels trading along the coast are wrecked at this point. Not only is Cape Hatteras a source of danger, but by reason of the conflicting winds and currents to be met with at that point sailing vessels are frequently delayed in rounding the cape, even when the weather is not stormy enough to be a source of danger. Indeed, these delays have been so frequent that the establishment has several times been

seriously contemplated of a line of seagoing tugs to wait near Hatteras to tow away any sailing vessels that might be delayed there.

All these dangers, both of loss and delay, have had their effects upon the rates charged for freight and insurance between the South and North Atlantic ports, and could these dangers be avoided there would, of course, be a considerable saving in these items.

It has been clearly demonstrated in recent years that the cheapest method of transporting bulky freight is in large barges towed by suitable tugs. Transportation by this method is now carried on to a large extent on the Great Lakes, and it has been successfully introduced between points on the Atlantic coast north of the Chesapeake. In all cases the introduction of this method of carrying freight has resulted in the reduction of freight rates by from 30 to 60 per cent.

Owing to the difficulties and dangers due to capes Hatteras and Lookout all attempts to introduce the barge system on our South Atlantic coast have up to the present been unsuccessful, and the traffic around the capes is now carried on almost exclusively in steamers or in large sailing vessels. As south of Beaufort there is no very menacing cape and as possible harbors are quite numerous, there is every reason to believe that the opening of a waterway avoiding these capes would be shortly followed by the extension of the barge method of transportation to our South Atlantic ports, with a resulting decrease in freight and insurance charges.

While it is easy to see that the opening of the waterway would result in a considerable saving in freight charges, it is not so easy to arrive at any reliable conclusion as to the extent of the commerce which would be affected and the amount of freight that would be saved.

Being informed that the Board was investigating this matter the commercial bodies of the various cities on or near the South Atlantic coast undertook to assist, and the letters and statistics received from these commercial bodies are appended to this report.

These cities may be classed as those north of the waterway, those south of it, and those situated along its course. A brief analysis of the papers received from these cities will now be given.

The cities of Baltimore and Norfolk are both situated north of the waterway, and in the papers received from them it is estimated that the saving in freight charges on the commerce to and from them will amount to about $2,250,000 annually.

The ports of Wilmington, Georgetown, Charleston, Savannah, Brunswick, Fernandina, and Jacksonville are all situated south of the southern terminus of the waterway, and from the statistics received from these ports it would appear that their total coastwise trade is now about 4,500,000 tons annually, valued at $225,000,000, practically all of which is with ports north of the Chesapeake. Of this total trade they estimate that about three-fourths will be affected by the new waterway, and that the annual saving in freight charges will be about $2,500,000.

While accepting as sufficiently accurate this statement of the present coastwise trade, the Board nevertheless believes that the effect of the opening of the new waterway upon it has been somewhat exaggerated. That a considerable amount of this commerce would shortly seek a cheaper method of transportation is undoubtedly true, but the Board is more inclined to put the ratio at one-fourth than at three-fourths. This commerce is now largely carried in steamers that give it quick

and regular transit, and it would be some time before it would be likely to change to a less regular, though possibly slightly cheaper, method of transportation. Accepting this figure of one-fourth as more nearly correct, we have, as the total present commerce that would be affected by the waterway, about 1,100,000 tons, valued at about $55,000,000. The annual saving in freight on this would probably not be less than $600,000.

The commerce above considered would all, as far as the new waterway is concerned, be "through" freight, but there will also doubtless be a large amount of local freight passing to and from points situated along the line of the canal.

Statements from the existing canals show that in the past few years the total commerce of these canals has amounted annually to about 400,000 tons, valued at $4,100,000 and carried in about 7,000 vessels. As the present conditions of navigation through these canals are such as to restrict the traffic to vessels of small size, and as there is a considerable toll charged, these figures give no basis upon which to estimate the amount of local freight in the new waterway.

Of the cities affected by this local traffic, statistics have been received from Elizabeth City, Washington, and Beaufort. The total commerce of these points is about 1,500,000 tons annually, and they estimate the probable saving in freight charges due to the new waterway at about $750,000.

All the figures given above as to the commercial importance of the. new waterway are based upon the traffic at present carried by water, but there are other items which should be considered. There is a large amount of commerce originating at or near the seacoast and now carried to other seaports by rail that would undoubtedly seek water transportation should such transportation be made comparatively cheap and safe. Cheap transportation is one of the most important factors in the development of a country, and the opening up of a cheap and safe route along the middle part of our Atlantic coast would certainly have a very large effect in stimulating trade between the different sections, increasing that already existent, and bringing into being much commerce that at present does not exist.

Especially would this be true of the country to be traversed by the waterway. This region is at present poorly supplied with rail transportation, while its water trade is hampered by the lack of a practicable ocean outlet, the small size of the existing canals, and the toll charges thereon. With these difficulties removed there would undoubtedly be a great and rapid development of this region and its trade.

To what extent and at what rate this increase and development would take place are matters of speculation, but judging from the effects of the opening of the canal between lakes Superior and Huron there is reason to believe that the development would be sufficiently rapid.

MILITARY IMPORTANCE.

From a military and strategic point of view the construction of this waterway would be of great importance. In connection with other canals already existing, it would permit our torpedo boats and small gunboats to pass by an interior and protected route from one part of our coast to another and to thus concentrate at any desired point.

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