Theoretically the daring scheme captured the admiration of all
who were to be benefited by it. At a great banquet at Washington,
late in 1823, the project was launched. Adams, Clay, and Calhoun
took the opportunity to ally themselves with it by robustly
declaring themselves in favor of widespread internal
improvements. Even the godmother smiled upon it for, following
Monroe's recommendation, Congress without hesitation voted thirty
thousand dollars for the preliminary survey from Washington to
Pittsburgh. Quickly the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company and the
connecting Maryland Canal Company were formed, and steps were
taken to have Ohio promote an Ohio and Lake Erie Company.

As high as were the hopes awakened by this movement, just so deep
was the dejection and chagrin into which its advocates were
thrown upon receiving the report of the engineers who made the
preliminary survey. The estimated cost ran towards a quarter of a
billion, four times the capital stock of the company; and there
were not lacking those who pointed out that the Erie Canal had
cost more than double the original appropriation made for it.

The situation was aggravated for Baltimore by the fact that
Maryland and Virginia were willing to take half a loaf if they
could not get a whole one: in other words, they were willing to
build the canal up the Potomac to Cumberland and stop there.
Baltimore, even if linked to this partial scheme, would lose her
water connection with the West, the one prized asset which the
project had held out, and her Potomac Valley rivals would, on
this contracted plan, be in a particularly advantageous position
to surpass her. But the last blow was yet to come. Engineers
reported that a lateral canal connecting the Potomac and