Historical Research Volunteer - WWI and the C&O Canal

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Love digging back in time and using primary documents for historical research? The C&O Canal Trust is searching for an experienced volunteer interested in doing research on the role the C&O Canal played during World War I. The centennial of end of WWI is coming up in 2018 and we have little documentation of the role the canal played in supplying the War Department with coal. We would like to have a clearer and more accurate picture of the Canal's role through answers to the following questions:

• Who were the receivers and how active were they in the canal's operation, policies, etc.?
• I believe the court handling the bankruptcy was no longer requiring annual financial reports. Is that correct?
• What was the legal status of the C&O Canal Company? Research in the court records of the bankruptcy which I believe are still in the archives here in Hagerstown, will be necessary.
• Was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Transportation Company still operating the canal? What was the nature of its organization, where were its offices, and did employees report to the receivers?
• What was the corporate history of the Canal Towage Co. (CTC) and what boats did it own or operate under contract at the time?
• What non-Canal Towage Co. boats were still operating on the canal and were their cargoes important? This will likely require research into the industries in Georgetown, etc. at the time.
• Where was the coal delivered? (I.e. where were the coal wharfs?)
• What more can be learned about the 10 coal boats the government had built and put in the canal in 1918? Is it correct that the CTC operated them under contract?
• What exactly were the powers of the Railroad Administration relative to the canal? Did they only apply to the coal shipments?