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THE GREAT AMERICAN CANALS

ended finally by the granting of the petition. Trustees were appointed for a term of four years to show what they could do. Then the canal was repaired, at a cost of over half a million dollars. In 1891 traffic was resumed and has been going steadily on since that time. That the court is evidently satisfied with the showing made by the trustees is attested by the fact that, at the expiration of the four years originally granted (in which to show that they could run the canal successfully) the court granted an extension of that time for four years more, and at the expiration of the latter grant, further increased it four years, and so on.

The Canal is now, as it has been since 1891, operated by the trustees, under mortgage of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, dated June 5, 1848.