The New York herald., 1879-10-15

1 will soon be able to tell You something definite
about it."
'.But tell me all you know about it now. They
say III st. Louis that you represent French Com
pany that is about to build the proposed ship canal
that is to float ship drawing twenty-five feet from
the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf OF Mexico revolution
ize commerce in certain respects. and 80 on
''Your information correct; but the affair is in
definite just now."
"Have you the money to build such grand canal
as is proposed ?"
sYes'
"Who has it p
'I have it-right here
.And you are going to spend 1t right away ?'
"No. There is contingency. The fact is I can
not say ythng to you for about ten days. Then
will tell you all about it."
"whose money is 1.-THE Frenchman's or the
Americans? Was it raised in Paris or here?
''1n both places have the money"
'.what do You want from Congress?"
Nothing whatever."
'.Why not? l was told by Captain Rea. of st.
Louis, president of tho Mississippi Valley Trans
portation Company-a friend OF your projoct-that it
is absolutely necessary because you are afraid the
State OF Florida charter will not sufficiently protect
you in reference the question Of national neu-
tralty?"
..Now what has neutrality to do with us? Our
canal is to commence and end in a single State
Florida; and in American waters neither interna-
tional interstate affairs will My idea
is that the prime questions arerlght to construct.
place and money to construct. We. have them all
except the right; aud allow mo to say that the
legislative and executive branches OF the State Of
Florida in full accord with There is ques-
tion issue that will not be determined for some
days. and. while would like to tell you many
things. cannot do till that question is deter
mined"
"well, you cannot so on for some time. presume
because you await information =?
Exactly SO; surveys have been made the French
engineers havo mado others-cursory-and have
gone back to report. cannot toll you what the
port is. can hardly say that fully know"
"What the attitudes to overcomeY'
''Our opponents say hundred feet say. upon
authority Of the engineers. about eighty. But the
money is ready, and ready, to put ship
canal across Florida
'Where do you propose to cut?"
II really do not know; but in the most practica-
BILE place. AS patriot and a business man assure
you that We mean business for ourselves and the
American public. especially for tho people of the
THE QUESTION OF CUTTING.
"How about cutting through ridges. highlands
and tmbery
1.-The further up Florida you get the nearer you
get to your object OF connecting the Atlantic Ocean
with the Gulf. and the more sailing distance around
and insurance and time you save. But. Of course,
the engineering difficulties increase you 90 from
the lowlands OF lower Florida to the highlands Of
Northern Florida Tho idea is u Underwater canal.
As for the timber like it, because the roots Of the
trees cut away will tic and bind the banks OF the
canal. We would rather have timber to cut through
Machinery does that slickly the spade cuts
through alluval soil. and leaves US the big ad-
vantage of o wall. you might say made by tree
roots.
"why don't you commence worky
"Ask me that two weeks hence. In the meantime
Gov nraxu Of lApfda ul.A a.
Grand Central Hotel"
''Do the Florida people want it?'
'Yes; all except few interested parties"
"Opposing progress? Who opposes progress?"
Naturally the railroads oppose canal. Besides
oppose a ship canal. They say barge canal can do
all tho business
"what is u barge canaly
"rhe Same Us the Erie Canal. But If ship canal
is built no barge canal will be needed. Hence this
opposition to u.s."
The HERALD reporter then visited the Governor of
Florida at the Grand Central Hotel. and the talk
again commenced, like this:-
''What means this ship canal project Florida?
have seen General AspInwal"
cit means private enterprise The facts are that
q French engineer was sent here. They pro-
pose to build ship canal and the people Of Florida
want II. The engineer went to Europe a few days
ago to report He went on the last Williams a. Quion
steamer. and presume s there now. have not
the least idea what he reported but will know
am going south in the morning"
Eyes"
meets
january, 1881. But they are so anxious to 90 to
work that II the report is right and believe the
money to do the work will be forthcoming, will
call an extra session of the Legislature will
know about that. Icannot say more now. except to
t,lk statistics The parties. find, arc thoroughly
reliable and very wealthy and mean. IL they COM
mence, to build the canal"
THE BARGE CANAL VIEW
Accidentally afterward the HERALD reporter en-
corntcrcd Ex-Governor W. II. Gleason, OF Florida
who elected and served three years tile i'm
poachrnent of Governor Reed (,overnor Gleason "a
q tla harp a flis
tion. freely given. was substantially this:-
There are canals now for boats running from
Mobile to New Orleans. through Mississippi Sound
and Lake Pontchartran. We propose to 20 from tho
mississippi River. near New Orlcans--about SIX
Mississippi Sound the Gulf thence to Grants
Pass IA place dredgcd out by man named Grant,.
the middle ground between Mobile Bay and Missis-
sippi Sound; thence we propose TO 10 to Mobile ay
and Pensacola Bay. with no locks required from the
near the river to guard against its and fall.
From Pensacola Bay we propose to 30 eastward to
St. Rosa Sound. Choctawhachee Bay and utilize st.
Andrews Bay in connection with the canal--with no
locks required. Then propose to connect
St. Andrews Bay with tho Apalachcola River
to st. Marks. Thence take the across tho
Ocilla and Fen Holloway rivers (which streams will
act rs feeders to the canal) to the suwance River
From this point you commence to rise over tho
peninsula intorscct the Suwance ut an elevation
OF about sixty-scven feet The canal will then fol-
low the suwanee to q point u little above suwance
Mary's River and follow branch OF the st. Mary's
to below the Great Bend It will then go across to
the st. Johns River, striking 1t at Trout Creek.
little below Jacksonville. thus utilizing the ST.
Johns River, well the inside passage to Fer
nandna. which will require dredging account OF
oyster bars"
TIE LINE COMMERCE..
Governor Gleason contends that threc-fourths Of
the commerce passing around the Florida reefs
from Mississippi and that fourffths of it
comes down the Mississippi River and the country
along the Gulf east OF 1T and west OF the Florida
Peninsula. That consequently almost the entire
commerce OF tho Cult OF Mexico could bc accom-
nodatcd by steamboat barge canal. That the Mis-
sissippi River Is only navigablo for steamers and
barges OF six feet draught above the mouth OF the
Ohio and far Memphis for those drawing eight
feet water. Reasoning from this no claims that
nne-foot steamboat barge canal would accommodate
all that trade.
In reply to the question whether the ship canal
would not with water capacity to accommodate tho