Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-05-12
CURIOUS ~sPECULATfoN.-A,

OrIsts, that OF etiectlBg a thorough COM
municstion between the two great u
ceans at or near the isttimus OF Panama
and the changes which would DO conse-
cuent on such a meeting Of the waters"
have often had a place. Although the
following on hat subject contains mo-.
thing new, we give It to our readers,
FOR the purpose OF shelving, wnst tar
edIfices can be erected al Washington
ON imaginary foundations I'D. Ga=.
ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC.
WASHINGTON CRY, April 81, 1925.
The Hon. ii. B. Poodrard. Judge Of
Middle Florida.
SlR.-Kaowing you to be deeply in
terested in the prosperity of our hap
ply country, ! have taken the liberty of
addressing this letter to you, in the. hope
that it may draw forth a full invesliga-
ton of the subject in question.
Several pieces have appeared in the
National Journal, relative 10 the pro-
jected canal TO unite the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. The importance of
this great work is but slightly touched
on. 1t is viewed only as important in
shortening our voyages to India and
China. and the North West Coast ofA
merica. My ideas on this subject go
be yond these considerations. / will
suggest them to you, and leave it to a
bier pens to follow. Capt. Cook, by as
Economical observations, asceftained
that the waters on the Atlantic side
we're 10 and half feet higher than the
Pacific, oc~casioned by the immense rush
of water into the bays of Campeachy
and Honduras $, impelled by the trade
winds. This great accumulation of wa.
ter now finds vent between Cape Flo
rida & Cuba, " here it runs with a We
loeity offive or six miles per hour, of
a breadth of about 100 miles, and at
an unknown depth. Ittakes its course
along u Southern coast in a N. E. di-
rection, brushing past the different pro-
jections of the coast, anti it gets into
the latitude of the Delaware, when it
curves more to the eastward, nearly
touching Georges and Newfoundland
Banks; then east southerly, until it
strikes the coast Of Africa; then south
and south westerly along the coast of
Africa, until it loosss itself about the
latitude of d to 8 north, replacing the
water blown to the westward. Hence,
the Gulf Stream may be said to form a
circle, s. runs with more or less veloci-
ty as it is more or less compressed.
/ now come to the point When this
canal is opened, the rush'ofw water into
the Pacific will be immense, and pro-
baby eat away a passage for itselfequal
in magnitude to the Straits of Gibraltar.
1t follows %ofcourse. all those places on
the Atlantic side ofthe continent, from
Cape Florida to Porto Cavello, will re-
claim from the ocean all banks that now
have nineteen feet water thereon, and
the effect on II coast, from the Della
ware to Cape Florida, will be proper
tionably effected; the dangerous shoals
Of Hatteras, Capes Fear, Look Ont,
and Roman, will be dry. The Gulf
Stream will be done away, navigation
rendered safe AID easy. The Florida
Reef will be stripped of all its %terrors,
and u voyagers from the eastern
ports to Cuba, and the ports in the bay,
rendered shorter and safer. But these
are minor considerations, to what | am
now coming at. Lands about the
mouth of the Mississippi will be vastly
improved-the descent of the mouth
being nineteen feet more, will cause
the current of the river to eat away its
bed, and leave the banks comparatively
high. 1t will drain immense marshes,
that are now u%nproductive and unheal-
thy do away the expense of levies and
reclaim thousands of acres from the o.
cean-and in fine, make the states of
Mississippi and Louisiana high and
healthy. The effect will be also great
on the climate of Cuba. Coffee is a
great staple of commerce in hat Island.
The coffee tree will not stand frost. Do
the Gulf Stream, and there is
nothing to soften our north west wind
hat causes severe frost and ice at New
Orleans.
Iregret extremely that the people of
the United States are likely to have no
participation in this great work. We
surely, are far more insterested than the
British. find that a company is for
med in London, soliciting Government
protection, and supported by British
capital, to carry this object into effect.
I should not be surprised if u flag
was excluded. unless prompt measures
are taken to insure us a fair participa-
ton with the British.
bvo Jb,,. en- S-u xe