River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-08-27
A Plan for Extending the Ocean
Over the Desert OF sahara.

There is the element Of physical mag.
nitude, if not Of mental power, says the
Philadelphia Press, in the proposal to
run the Atlantic ocean into the heart Of
Africa. so that white winged commerce
may scatter her wealth, and also It's at
tendant progress and civilization into the
desert Of Sahara. If this can be done
and is done, so much the better. AS to
the practicability-we have seen the con.
>truction and success Of the Suez canal !;
we know that, with patient toll, calcu.
latng science, and not unreasonable pc
cuniary outlay, the Haarlemmer nicer
was drained, and thereby converted into
fertile meadows. We know that even
in our own time what is called 1.-The Bed.
ford level was literally rescued from the
ocean in the east Of England, and it is
well known that even now practical
scientists are confident that a great part
of the Iuydeer Zee can be pumped dry.
so rs to recover for North Holland the
large district which was submerged by
great foundations in the thirteenth cen.
fury.
At an important public meeting held
in London the other day, and well at
tended by leading city men and others
interested in commerce, civilization and
science, it was shown by MIR. Donald
Mackenzie, who has studied the subject
for years, with repeated personal eXami.
nation Of the ground, that nothing can be
much easier than to make p cutting some
five or six miles long through the barrio or
Of sand at Cape JUDY, exactly opposite
the Canary Islands. so as to admit the
Atlantic into the great Sahara desert, a
very considerable portion Of which lies
below the level Of the ocean. by which.
indeed, geographers, biologists and tradi.
tions tell us it was covered in some re.
mote period Of the past. The new idea
IS to make a short ship canal, or rather a
passage for the Astounding waters OF the
Atlantic. We have assurance, from what
has been done by the cutting between
Port Said and Suez, whereby the Medit-
o'ranean and the Red Seas have been
connected by canal navigable for steam.
hips and sailing vessels, of what NAV be
done at comparatively small expense and
trliling labor. for there are no engineer.
ing diff ultieS on the northwest coast Of
ACrca. The Suez Canal, deducting the
- miles ofthe Bitter Lake which VI. de
Lcsseps utilized Ter his purpose, consists
Of 7S miles-the cutting from Cane JUDY
70 the Desert of Sahara j. calculated TO
be only six miles in length
independent of the aid which the flood.
Ing of Sahara would give ~ the promo
tion Of civilization, religion. and the
suppression Of slavery, il is believed Thar
a large trade with the interior of Africa
would be developed Timhu too Cor I'm.
stance, city upon the Nrer noar the
border of sahara. is the cptrcpot COR the
trade between the native. Trench. au3
British occupants of the Guinea coast.
Scnecemh.a, and the native inhabitants
~ North Africa. 80 present il Is almost
inaccessible but it would literally become
q seaport " the proposed change took
phase. easily reached hy steam by the en-.
terprise Of Europe and America As faf
asst has been possible 60 ascertain, the
natives favor the plan. which cannot "a
iat much. however. considering that theiY
conception oft must De vague and no.
perfect.
! Il has been asked, on the other side Of