Often the military angle is mentioned in the long and hectic history of
planning the project, but primarily the Canal was visioned to safeguard
shipping in an era when shoals and fogs off this coast took a great
toll of vessels and lives. Also, by speeding up traffic, the Canal was
intended to help in the development of New England commerce.
Prophetic words were uttered by Belmont’s survey engineer while the
construction was under way. These are found in some interesting
material passed on to me by Bill McLaughlin of the Hotel Onset. “The
Canal as planned,” said Engineer Parsons, “is quite sufficiently deep
to take all the smaller vessels of the Navy, even to cruisers.... There
might, however, arise a contingency when the Canal would be of the
greatest value to the country in time of war.”
On the shipwreck problem hereabouts in that day, Parsons noted: “Of all
the wrecks occurring on the whole Atlantic coast from Eastport, Maine,
to Key West, Florida, one-quarter take place in the short stretches
between Chatham and Provincetown.”
Numerous costly attempts were made to put through the waterway, and
failed, before Belmont entered the scene. As the story goes, the
financier was moved largely by sentiment, for when he functioned with
a silver spade at the ceremonious opening of operations it was on land
that once belonged to his ancestors.
Prospects looked bright for another promoting group just before the
Civil War. It appeared the Government would provide a large portion of
the necessary funds. But negotiations halted when the war started.
At a later stage some 500 Italian laborers were imported to Sandwich
from New York and they began work scooping out the ditch, using shovels
and wheelbarrows. This lasted only a few weeks. Another means employed
was a dredge with a chain of buckets, 39 in all, operated by two steam
engines. Lack of capital halted this venture; the dredge was burned and
sunk in the Canal at the spot where operations had started.