[32] 
4p 
fivim the base-mark to the mouth of Bear Creek, 956y*/^ i'eet, tola! 
of lockage, 2.388//^ feet. 
I'he preparatory surveys executed on this middle section were per- 
formed by Captain M'Neill, of the United States' Topographical 
Engineers, and Mr. Shriver, Assistant Civil Engineer, employed 
l»y the United States. Tlie talents and activity displayed by 
these gentlemen and their assistans, enabled the Board to collect 
the facts on which they rest their opinion of tlic practicability of this 
inidtlle section, and of tluc best direction tiirough wliicli its route can 
he directed. 
Capt. M'Niell was assisted in these labors by Messrs. De Russy, 
Cook. Trimble, Hazard, Dillahunty, Fessenden and Williams, Lieu- 
tenants of Artillery, whose scientific education, imbibed in the aca- 
demy at West roint, was thus made valuable in the most efticient 
and useful manner, to their country and to themselves. Mr. Shriver 
was assisted by Messrs. Jonathan Knight, John S. W illiams, Free- 
man Lewis and Joseph Shriver. The memoirs, surveys, and maps, 
of these gentleman, accompany this report. 
Before we conclude the article relating to this middle section, we 
should give an analysis of two other routes which have been proposed 
for leading the canal over the Alleghany; tlie one by ascendiiig Will's 
Creek, (a stream which falls in the Potomac at Cumberland) and 
descending to tiie Youghiogeny, by the valley of Casselman's River; 
the otlier by passing frojn the valley of the Potomac to that of Cheat 
River, and thus descending to the Monongahela. 
1st. Two of the head springs of Will's Creek rise very near Fla- 
herty Creek, which falls in Casselman's River, below^ Salisbury,* the 
eastern is called I^aurel Run, and the other Shock's Run. The 
shortest distance between Laurel Run and Flaherty Creek, is one 
one mile 7 56 yards. It was nieasured fi'om Wilhelm's saw mill, on 
Laurel Run, to Englc's saw mill on Flaherty Creek. The first is 156 
feet lower tF>an the second. A deep cut of 333 yards long, and 35 
feet deep, in the highest part of it, on the side of Engle's saw mill, a 
tunnel of 1.483 yards, and another deep cut, 700 yards long, and of 
the same depth as the former, on tlie side of Laurel Run, would be 
required to unite those two streams. The greatest height of the ridge 
above tlie bed of tlse tunnel, would be 156 feet. This route offers 
great advantages, if we only consid«>ied the shoi'tncss of the distance 
and tunnel, but as to the essential condition of a sufficient supply of 
water, it is absolutely out of the question. Flaherty Ci-eek, at Engle's 
mill, gives only 415 cisbic feet in a second, and Laurel Run, at 
W^ilhehn's milf" 0.6(0 cub. ft — (at their lowest stage in 1824.) They 
would only give, togetho!-, 1,015 cub. ft. per second, to feed the whole 
summit level. The details whteh we have already given in analyzing 
the Deep Cs'eek route, and summit level, arc suihcient to show the 
impracticability of receiving a canal by the route of Flaherty's Creek, 
with so small a supply of water. 
As to the route between Shock's fork and Flaherty's creek, the sea- 
son was too advanced to measure accurately its length, or the tunne! 
