The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-10-05

State. 1t is a fact, that mankind
study more geography during ter
rible destructive ware, than in
time of profound peace, and there
is more treasure spent in fortifica
tions than in improvements of har
bors and rivers for peaceful agri.
culture and commercial purposes,
The harbor Of Charleston, on the
sea coast of South Carolina, stan Ls
confronting the commercial east
backed by al immense agricultu.
raj west, in all it's natural beauty,
pretty much in the same condition
as it. was when first the white man
was permitted to take charge of
that inlet of tho sea-except in so
far as relates to those bui nished
and hristling specimens Of hostile
architecture. The sand bar stands
somewhat in the shape Of a horse
shoe-the toe over which ships
pass in and out-rcsts in the Of.
fling; one heel stands on Morris
Island, and the other on Sullivan's
Island. By the simple process of
dropping rock from fs. boats from
the heels, toward the toe, the
channel will be made SO deep that
the largest sized vessels may pass
over the bar with safety. This is
a work of time. but the harbor
of Charleston was not made as it
is, to stand idle. The future de.
velopcmcnts of agriculture demand
otherwise.
As rule, where there is a val.
icy, there is to he found water
wherever thore is a stream, there
we may construct Il canal. AS the
Government has the right to open
rivers and improve l,arbors, it has
the right also to construct a canal
tor tue Improvement of harbors
and rivers, whereby the necessary
rock for the work may be econom-
ically hoated from the mountains
to the sea.
In the rear of Charleston, we
find flat country, stretching back
by Monks Corner to Eutaw
Springs, where the waters of the
Santee River arc ready to fill a
canal to Charleston; following the
Santee valley the canal may reach
the City of Columbia; thence
along the valley of the Saluda
River, we have an easy grade to
the base of the Blue Ridge Noun,
tains in Greenville County. Ris.
ing up to the source of the Saluda,
we reach the top of the mountains
and meet the source of the French
Broad River, in North Carolina.
These waters may fill canal until
it reaches the source of the Little
Tennessee River, which stream bat.
ties with, and cuts its way dashina
by through the Allegheny Noun.
tains into the State of Tennessee
When the canal reaches Mandison.
vile, in Monroe County, it may
take a westerly course and cross
the Tennessee River between the
towns Of Washington and Deca-
tur; thence by Pikeville to the
head waters OF the Caney Fork OF
the Cumberland River; following
the valley OF the Cumberland via
Nashville through the State OF
Kentucky to the Ohio River; cut.
ting straight through the State OF
Illinois to the City of St. Louis,
where the canal boats may be ia
ken in tow by steam boats, and as
cend the Mississippi and Illinos
Rivers to the Lake Michigan and
Illinois canal, which is intended
to improve the commercial wealth
Of the City of Chicago. The canal
boat may also take the other side
and ascend the Missouri River
from st. Louis to Omaha City
gathering honey like the busy
bee-through the States of Mis-
souri,, Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota ant
Montana.
1t will be observed that this nat
ural ronte for a nal, is natural il
its character. 1t leads into tb,
very heart of the continent; i
looks up to st. Paul, in Minnesota
it traverses an agricultural coun
try; the boats would come dowI
laden with the good things of tn,
earth, and find safe moOring be
hind break water of rock, whic
would receive and press back til,
violence of the waves for ages. il
the Bay of Charleston. Such
canal would not be closed by ice
On such a road the farmer coul,
float to market, paying a reduce
freight on the produce gathere,
by the sweat Of his own brow.
Whatever the future develop
meRts on this continent may b
with regard to inter-oceanic canal;
} this is good link--a strong an
) lasting one in the chain whic
, leads the -four of the West tlroug
the Suez Canal and on to Chins
1t would be well to have this rout