The Santee Canal connected the Santee and Cooper Rivers and stretched twenty-two miles. It was chartered by an act of March 22, 1786, with capital of £100,000 sterling. Construction began in 1793, and the canal was completed in 1800 under the direction of Col. John Christian Senf, a native of Sweden, as chief engineer. Opened to traffic from the Santee River to the Cooper River in 1800, it was 20 feet wide at the bottom, 35 feet wide at the surface, and 5½ feet deep, carrying 4 feet of water and capable of carrying boats with loads of up to 22 tons. The canal remained in operation until about 1850.