Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-01-29

and Michigan Canal enlarged, the COS
of which is estimated at $l3 ,446, ,625.3(
This estimate is for a channel that Wi
pass boats of 600 tons, with locks 35
feet long, IS feet wide, and feet deer
The lockage lift on the canal is II
feet.
THE OUTLET THROUGH VIRGINIA.
The James River and Kanawha Ca
nal will connect the Ohio River witt
the Atlantic at Norfolk, Va. The Ca
nal has been completed to Buchanan
which is 337 miles inland. The lin
of this new water route to the interio
will be from Norfolk to Richmond b,
the James River, thence by canal t,
Lynchburg, to Buchanan, to Covington
and thence to Green Brier River. 1
then pursues the Green Brier into New
River, New River into Great Kanawh:
River, and the Kanawha into the Obi,
at Point Pleasant. The total distance
to the Ohio River from Norfolk is 6li
miles, 243 of which is by canal. The
canal is to cross the Allegheny Noun
tains at height in one place of 1872
feet above tide-water, and requires 20t
locks between Richmond and Poin
Pleasant. The James and Kanawhs
rivers are navigable for steamboats, ,greai
Improvements having been made in the
latter during the rebellion. This rsute
was not originally designed to be of the
capacity of ship canal but it is estima-
ted that by enlarging it, it can be made
to transport 4 100000 or 5000, 900 tone
The number of locks is serious draw
back, but it has the advantage of being
open the greater part of the year. The
present size Of the locks is 100x45 feet
and the prism of the canal is 30 feet al
the bottom and 80 feet at the top. II
was originally cut 8 feet deep, but has
at present only an average depth of 3
feet. About 2S0 miles of this canal re-
mained to be completed last spring, Of
which only eighty miles will require
actual excavation, 2OS requiring i'm
provement, chiefly such as dams and
locks in the existing river channels
The capital stock of the canal company
was 81, 100000.
PROPOSED SHIP CANAL THROUGH GEOR-
GIA.
Recent surveys have been made of a
route to connect The Mississippi River
at Cairo with the Atlantic Ocean at or
near Savannah, Ga, and the Federal
Government, of course, has been asked
to aid in the construction of what is
called the Atlantic and Great Western
Ship Canal. The proposed route is up
the Ohio River from Cairo to the mouth
of the Tennessee at Paducah,a and thence
by the Tennessee River as far as its
great bend at Guntersville, 21S miles.
At that point it is only short distance
across to the Coosa River, requiring a
canal about thirty-five miles long. The
line follows the Coosa to Rome, GA. land
thence by canal and the Etowah River
2l1 miles, to the Oemulgee at Hawkins
vile. The course would then be clear
down the Ocmulgee and Atlantic, 500
miles, to Altamaha Sound, opening on
the Atlantic about 100 miles below Sa-
vannah. The route has been surveyed
by competent engineers of the War De-
and pronounced by them quite
feasible. What "feasible" means, the
Lord only knows. 1t is very certain
that it is not a synonym for profitable.
The advantage claimed for this route is
that it would never be closed by snow
and ice. 1t is also claimed that grain
can be transported from st. Louis to
Savannah for $4.Ss per ton, against $14,-
40 charged by the railroad. By this
route Savannah would be as near to
Cairo as New Orleans is, and of course
much nearer to New York and Liver
pool. The estimated cost of the work
is $35,606, ,291. This does not include
any sum for the improvement of the
Tennessee River so as to obyiate the
difficulties at Muscle Shoals.
PROPOSED SHIP CANAL THROUGH ALA
BAMA.
The plans for the Atlantic and Great
Western ship canal provide also for the
opening OF a branch from Rome down
Alabamy to Mobile Bay, by
the Ceosa, Black Warrier, and Alabama
rivers. The distance from Cairo to Mo-
bile by this route would be 96s miles,
1t is said that both routes together
would cost about $50,00O,0O0.
A fitting climax fer all these projects
may be found in the last one we shall
name, to wit:
WATER ROUTE TO THE RED RIVER COUN-
TRY.
A proposed ship canal frsm Big Stone
Lake to Lake Traver, in Minnesota, will
open a water route to the "Red River
Country of the North, (which comprises
Northern Minnesota and Dakota and
the whole Winnipeg region in Canada.
This vast tract of land, which five or
ten years ago had never been penetra-
ted save by trappers and surveyors, is
now being rapidly settled. Instead OF
being cold, barren waste, as for a
long time supposed, it has climate
more genial than that of similar lati-
tudes east of the lakes, and its soil has
been found to be fertile. 1t is believed
that the millennium will not have arriv-
ed before millions of bushels of grain
will be in need of an outlet from this
country, anu st. Paul is one of the cities
which is in hopes of securing the ship
ping trade. The st. Peters River,
which flows into the Mississippi at st.
Paul, has its rise in Big Stone Lake ;and
from that lake to Lake Traver, the head
waters of the Red River of the North,
flowing in the other direction, is only
a short distance. The Red River of the
North is navigable for steamboats, draw
ing two or three feet of water for dis
tance of some hundreds of miles to Lake
Winnipeg, and from Lake Winnipeg
the Saskatchewan River is supposed to
be navigable, by birch bark canoes, 200
miles west to the base of the Rocky
Mountains.
OTHER PROJECTS.
There is ship canal completed, OF