The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-04-25

THE WEEKLY ISTsSLsGENcEn.
County and City Official Press.
Wednesday, April Is. 1877.
STRATEGIC COMPETITION.

Instances are not rare where great
sira.egic results have been accom- plisLed
by means II some kind Of cute prac
sieal joke pi-ysd on the elements
Though Genera Batter failed 20 cap
ture Richmond few years ago with
bis Dutch Gap Canal. yet earlier ru.e'
dc gaerFe II this kind were successful
Cyrus the Great. is reported to have
taken Babylon. the then capital Of the
world, by farming the course of the
Tigris aud marching biz troops in the
night UP the dry bel uudcr the gates
Later, Napol.or completed the de.truc-
ton of the beaten armies Of Austria
ard Russia, a, Austcriitz, ty de-
pressing his guns to bear upon
the ice of the frozen river over
which they were retr"atlng
Akin 10 this kind If strategy.
though perhaps rremeii,at.d is the
titanic enterprise which threatens EN-
rires with swift, and certain ruin by
diverting the Ho~ Of the OCEAN current
through canals dag in the iu,eres, OF
commerce.
1t Is alleged that the opening Of the
Susz Canal has so far operated 10 iii
vert the Gulf Stream down the Md
iterranean IS 10 have already very
materially affected the climate OF Eng
land for the worse.
This may bc only one of the sensa
tionai myths Of science, but there is
far too much FEASIBILITY about it to be
either comforting or a@usins Ii ia
truth. time should demonstrate It's
terrible reality i, would indeed furnish
poetic re.ribution-the genius Of De
lesseps avenging the misfor,unes If
tillsnevue and the irsidlous ooze
through the sand gap of Suez. atoning
for the humiliation Of Aboukir and
Trafalgar. and slowly freezing the
life blood in the veins of the naughty
commercial power that abased the
glory OF France.
But more sweeping still is the prop
osition to LET the Mediterranean into
the Sahara desert. (which is lower than
tbs sea level), thus converting it iuto a
second and greater Mediterranean
This would certainly rsvolutionike the
climate Of Western Europe. tor besides
its influence in changing the course of
the gulf stream. ii would destroy its
important office in the economy of ma
ture in supplying from its hot sands
the warm winds that refresh Europe
aud the Mediterranean cosst. II would
be fine thing for the possible embryo
republics in Central Africa, bat from a
conservative point Of view, Ii i, more
valuable ia It's present function M the
laboratory of tropical zephyrs 10 fan
Italy and flavor the vintage of Lusita-
MA and Champagne. than a. water
body TO afford ocean steam navigation
10 the prolific jungles Of Ethiopia and
nemerara
So much for the forebosiings Of saw
ants The important suggestion IN the
subject is its bearing upon the eifec,
tina, would result to our own climate
(which by the way is our glory and our
best wealth from she cutting of the
much talked of canal through the
Isthmus Of Dsrien. II the opening II
that canal would defect in any degree
our Japan current, as some have sur
niset. it would, Il were better 10 les
that costly projeo, alone, Better let
Harry Meiggs isy his blackmailinx
glave upon it TO stay and the Central
American government tie up the route
with real tape in behalf If their local
capitalists.
Railroads are the better aud quicker
medium Of transportation. Il stands us
in stead 10 concentrate all ctr energies
aud attention upon the object Of cheap
and systematic railroad accommodation
This is the winning card for US, even ON
general principles. lei alone where
other methods invoise distGr Dances o:
the c.rshs equilibrium whose eeec, ou
our climatic Conditions would he ~ the
hsss r,hle NAUTICAL.