The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1872-11-20
Atlantic and Great Western Canal.

ror long time, says the Scientific
Amer lean, the question Of 4 direct water
cot: mnrica,ion between the Mississippi
Valley and the Atlantic, on S'me route
where the Nor,hern annual frostS w"u.d
not obStruct win,r passage, has been
discussed and redi>cu<Sed The general
Government has authorized extensive
surveys, and nearly every route that
seemed practirable has been explc"cd.-
The extended growth Of the agricultural!
interests in the West, and the pressure
upon every outlet of its annually in
creaSiug productions, urges the con>lde
ration Of tins question at the present
time more than at any former period.
1t has long been scrn that u highly
practical route for a canal, connected
with certain navigahlc rivers, exists in
Georgia. The annual report Of the Sn.
pesintendent of ? ,h!lc Works, for the
State of Georgia for 1871, does full JUS
,ice to this route, over which constant
water communication at all seasons, from
ST. Louis TO Rome, Georgia. can be OBJ
tai,ed by The construction Of cannl,
thirty miles in length. &C, osS the neck Of
land which, in the vicinity Of Gunters'
vile and Gad>den, separates the Tennes'
see and Coosa Rivers. From Rome, the
proposed caNal is to be continued via the
Etowah river through broad level val
ley, and along Rocky Creek TO the near
est point Of contact between this creek
and Long Branch, thence alorg the
ridge, between the Etowai and the Cha
tahnoche rivers TO the latter, in the Vi
riuitv Of Warsaw ard Dulnth, thence Gy
an auurduct across the Chatahoochec,
and through the valley Of the Ocmu'gee
river via either Atlanta or the Yellow
River to Macon, whence there is always
sean navigation to Savannah and B'nns-
wick, milking about l4S miles more If
canal, the entire cost Of the work being
estimated at slo,o0O,000. The adran
tagcS Of the proposed canal are thus
summed up in the report:
"The distance from ST. Louis 10 New
York, by way nf the lakes and E:ic Ca
nal, is 1882 miles. From St. L"aiS, by
the Atlantic 4 Great Western Canal to
Savannah or Brunswick, 1888, saving
Of S4t miles. E:om ST. L"uis to the
Gulf Of Mexico, by the Mississippi, IS
1870 miles, actually 2s2 miles fur'h,r
than 10 the Atlantic Ocean by the Ge'i-
sia route. By this route, q bargc load
ing 1T ST. Louis or any other point on
the Mississippi OF its tributaries, can dis
charge Lcr cargo on board vessel It
Savannah or Brunswick. without, in the
meantime, breaking bulk, thereby say.
ing the cost of tranShipmcnt, storage,
wharfage, incident to other routes. No
marine insurance will b. necessary and
hcing unobstvucied by ice in winter, and
with abundant water in Summer, it vii.
al ali times afford safe and certain
transit 10 the sea- And being, fer most
Of the distance, river route, it will af-
ford the cheapest transportation known
to the commercial world. \ tun Of frei ght
from St. Lnuis to New York now COSTS
Sll7G, seat by way 0! the lakes. TO
NJ: folk, by the James River and kana-
wha Canal. it will cos, SIS 81 From St.
Louis TO Savannah or Brunswick, S45G,
= Saring Of s7.20 upon present charges,
reducing the freight upon wheat to II
cents busteI, and its coss to New York
to % ceots."
|, will be seen that this proposition
makes bold bid for the trade pf the
Great West, and i, j., we believe, per-
fcctlS feasible. It has been prcnouncc'!
practicable by able and experienced cn-
eineers, and the route wouId, doubtless,
have already heen opened, had not tie
production Of cotton so fully absorbed
the attention Of Southern cap!:ai.
The resources Of :he West are so
large that it vii! ultimately task every
commercial ,hol oughta:e TO relieve it If
IS surplus products.