The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1880-02-20
How tO Connect the Commerce
OF the Atlantic AMI the Pacific.
Rooms % THE WASHINGTON
NEWS ASSOCIATION.

Rooms OF THE WASHINGTON
NEWS AssocIArIoN.
Editor Dem0crat-Star;
All branches of industry, but
especially agriculture aud manu-.
iactureS, are yitally Interested in
the problem OF making a closer
connection between the commerce.
OF the Atlantic aud the Pacific
oceans. Whether the great ex-
pense involved, the engineering
difficulties to he overcome, and the
very long time required, will ren-
der imprarticable an int-r.oeeanlc
canal, and eanSe the substitution
therefor OF a railway Tor transport.
ing vessels across the lSthmus, is a
question which will probably have
the attention of congress as well
as of capitalists before long In
advance OF its more general dis
cuSsiOn, We send you the following
letter, which was printed in the
London Times of Il recent date,
from Hon. L. j. Reed, IA member OF
the British parliament, and the
most celebrated naval architect in
Europe:
write to express the hope that
the project of substituting ship
rallsay across the lsthmuS OF
Panama Ior the costly canal which
Is III contemplation, referred 10 in
the letter of your Philadelphia cor.
respondent in the Times of this
day, will receive in this country
aud IN France the consideration
which IL we'll deserves. | have for
some time past had under conSid.
Grafton similar scheme of my
own Tor conveying ships across the
north OF the great peninsula OF
Florida, and although | have not
bad leisure to develop il sufficient
ly to justify me in putting il in de.
tail before the public, | have gone
ii long way towards satisfying my.
self that il is u feasible plan. aud
highly economical in comparison
with u ship canal.
Mr.. Eads, who has now announced
and advocated the plan in America,
is an engineer of the greatest abll.
ity, distinguished alike by the
greatness of his engineering con
ccptions aud 10y theoretical and
practical knowledge which he
brings to bear upon their develop.
ment. ! first made bis acqnailit-
anee in connection with Wal vessels
aud machinery constructed during
the American war, aud found him
most able II grasping the essentials
of the war-shlp problem and in the
application of steam to the objects
in view. He has since given
abundant evidence OF engineering
skill in other spheres and on larger
scales.
Ii may not be generally known
that this country has doue much in
the way Of liiti, 9 vessels bodily
from one level to another, both in
the case of the hydraulic docks of
Mr.. Edwin Clark aud in the Auder
son barge-litt in Cheshire, where
the Bridgewater canal aud the
River Weaver (oi which the former
is forty feet above the latter are
placed in working communication
by the rising aud lowering OF pon
tO0ns with vessels aflOat within
them. ] am satisfied that by mod.
Lying the plans of these hydraulic
and greatly augmentlng
their scale, aud by intrrposing glil.
road communication between the
seas 10 be connected, ships can be
conveyed across intervening land
aud much less expensively than by
canal, where the distance to be-
is great.
AS my own investigation of the
subject have been limited to the
rase OF Florida, where the country
IS generally level, | cannot under.
lake, without further inquiry, to
say how much the mountains of
he Central America route may add
20 the difficulty of connecting tue
Atlantic aud Pacific by the plan
but in all other respects
would presume to claim Tor the
project of Mr.. Eads the most care
ul consideration. | am, sir,
your obrdieut servant,
r. j, REED,