Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-11-30
NUMBER 10.
The Great Southern Canal.

''i4U dDIOhi' Db' iuuduJ dlluyuBN
the ocean terminus Of the work, has
, not been alive to its importance,
simply because her attention has
been but little directed to the sub
ject. 1t will loom up soon in its lust
proportions, and our people will not
fail to see and appreciate both the
magnitude Of the work, and the
vastness Of the interests it Is destin-
ed to promote. Atlanta is alive to
it, being distributing point to
large portion Of the State and need
ing cheap iron and coal for her man
ufactures; why should Savannah not
be, possessing like interests and be-
ing in addition the great point Of
foreign shipment for the vast
amount Of commerce destined to
pass over the work? A very little
reflection will open her eyes to its
caims upon her attention and ac-
tive cooperation. Make Savannah
the exporting point for the produce
Of the West, and you inaugurate di-
rect trade and foreign immigration.
But | cannot enlarge at this time on
the results Of the work.
I A brief outline of the work NAV
not be an inappropriate subject for
letter at the present time. The
project under consideration contem.
plates continuous line Of water
communication, natural and artificial /
from st. Louis, in the State of Mis-
souri,, to Savannah, in the State Of .
Georgia. The Mississippi, the Ohio. .
and the Tennessee, to Gunters
Landing including the canal around /
Muscle Shoals, now being construct.
ed, form the upper portion of the
line. The company now organized .
in this State, and whose work is the
subject matter under immediate con-
slderatlon, propose to continue this
line South, first by a canal from
| Gunter's Landing, to the Coosa river
at Gadsden, in the State of Alabama,
thence by said river eighty-seven
miles to Rome, thence up the Etc.
wah and Little river to pole near
Roswell, in Cobb county, where it
will cross the CbattahoOchee, thence
via Atlanta to one Of the tributaries
Ocmulgee-Yellow or South river.
The Ocmulgee and Altamaha will
form the remainder Of the line until
point shall be reached nearest Sa-
vannah-say the mouth Of the Ooho-
opee--from which the canal will be
continued to that city. The dis
tance from S.. Louis to savannah by
this route is about thirteen hundred
miles,
Such is the project. For a long
time doubts were expressed as to
its feasibility by intelligent and en-
terprising men, but they lave been
dispelled by recent practical surveys
of the most difficult portions of the
line by scientific commission or
ganized by the government at Wash
iugton for that express duty. The
official report of the engineers.
copies Of which have been received
here, will be presented to Congress
at the approaching session. 1t def
nitely settles the question of practi.
cabilty, and further, the utility and
prohtableness Of the work as an in
vestment, even at the immense ex-
pense required for construction. 1t
is estimated that the portion Of the
line in the State of Alabama will .
cost six millions of dollars and the
portion of Georgia, 50 far as Macon,
twenty millions, 1t is expect d that
the Federal Government will, under
the river and harbor act, put the
O.mulgee in a condition for perma-
nent navigation beyond that point
OF course il would be impossible to
embrace details in a letter like this,
which is intended to give simply an i.
outline OF the great enterprise, '
The engineers, in their report, not
only indicate the cost and character
of the work, but they 60 further and
furnish estimates OF lis business ,
when completed, and the cost OF
transportation as compared with
other routes from ST. Louis to the
Atlantic. These are highly favora- 1
bic to the projected line, and indeed,
give it marked precedence over all :
Others now in operation or in pro- =.
cess of construction :
The cost from st. Louis to New !
York via the Erie canal--the present l.
great thoroughtare for Western pro-
duce--is set down at 81 rs per ton,
or about So cents per bushel of corn.
Between the two cities by rail, the |,
cost is alb ut double these figures. i
From st. Louis to Norfolk, via the Y
Ohio and James river and Kanawha
canal tnow being constructed) the il
cost will be 81 70 per ton, d
From st. Louis to Savannah, by h
rail Green Line, which is the chea- "
pest) the cost is $l6 so per ton, or h
so cents per bushel, for corn "
By the projected canal, the engi- h
neers estimate that freight can be Il
carried between the same two cities n
at 81 IS per ton, or less than fifteen d
cents for corn, which is So S5 less !,
than by the Erie route to the Allan d
tic, and 81 50 less than by the James s
river and Kanawha canal. 9
As regards the profitable working n
of canals, the Erie, which is the a
greatest work of the kind on the con- t
tinent may be taken as test. Des- o
pite its immense cost--as is always /
the case with works built by the fl
State instead OF by private corpora, fl
tions-it has for many years been a a
payipg institution. In 1870 -he re- h
WYNN year is = the C,
We, h. Il