Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-15
The COrinth Canal.


The Corinth Canal.
The Isthmus of Corinth, which joins
the Peloponnesus with Central Hellas
and separates the Saronic and Corinthi-
an Cults, is neither wide nor lofty, being
about three and half miles across and
not quite 250 feet high at the highest
point, the average elevation being con-
siderably under 100 feet. On either side
is loose, gravelly soil, easy for exca-
waiting, while the classical engineers
have done a good deal of the work, but
the backbone of the isthmus, which is
of limestone rock, will offer considerable
difficulty. The canal is to be of the
same dimensions as that of Suez-twen-
ty-two meters in width at the bottom,
with depth of eight meters of water
Zone meter, 1887 inches). A contract
has been signed for completing the work
at cost of 25, 900, 900 francs, the amount
of excavating to be done being placed
at 43O, 1000 cubic meters. The annual
traffic is estimated at 5,S9 I, 706 tons, or
about 80 per cent. of the total volume
following that route. Gen. Turr, who
is at the head of the work. is a Hunga-
rian, who was one of Garibaldi's lieuten-
ants, and who, besides figuring in the
Panama Canal scheme with M. de Les
seps, has plan in hand for uniting the
Danube with the Adriatic.
One of the most interesting features
of the enterprise is found in the fact that
it links modern with extremely ancient
engineering. When cutting canal
through the isthmus of Suez, NJ. de Les
seps was only working on lines already
traced By <Sesostris about 1900 3. g.,
Necho, ssven hundred years later, Fsoli
envy Phifadelphus, Trajan, and, last Of
all, Amru, the Arabian "a. D. 64C!
Gen. Turr's predecessors on the Cor
inthian isthmus have been as many, as
distinguished, and as ancient. Pausan-
las records that in his time: ''The spot
where the excavators began their work
is still plain" but the vengeance of the
gods always overlook these rash con-
tractors and cut them off before the
rocky backbone of the isthmus had been
reached. Perander seems to have es-
sayed the feat abont 600 B. G. About
three centuries later Demetrius was for
undertaking it, but was dis,uaded by his
engineers, who reported that the sea
level was so much higher on the Corinth
side that if the ditch were dug he would
food out the people of Egina and there
abouts.
Julius Cesar had the Corinth Canal
among the schemes cut short by Bru-
tus's dagger. Then CaIigula sent a man
to survey the route, but did nothing more.
After him, Nero took the project in
hand seriously. According to Lucian,
the emperor turned the first three sods
with agoIden spade, and then set the
army to work on the easy sections and
a force of convicts on the rock, but
abandoned the job after twelve days,
when the news of revolt summoned him
away from Greece. Dion Cassius says
that when the ground was struck blood
gushed forth and groans were heard,
and it is certain that the priests always
by predictions and oracles
the belief that any one engaging in the
work would incur divine vengeance, as
they feared the tide of travellers with
offerings would pass the city were the
canal once cut. This was the last at
tempt at canalizing" the isthmus.
The works yet remain. On the sands
on either side are depressions about 1870
feet wide, while cuttings have been be-
gun on the different levels of the inter-
vening rocks, and there is line of bOr-
ings or wells sunk in the rock, which
mark out the proposed route selected by
tae Roman emperor l, 1925 years ago. The
distance is 6,342 meters, and it SAYS q
good deal for the old engineers that af-
ter q critical examination Gen. Turr's
surveyors reported that their line was
the shortest, easiest, and best that could
possibly have been selected.
1t may be added that the Greeks are
at least bestirring themselves to UNDER
take important works. The government
has given valuable concession to a
which has contracted to drain
Lake Coopais, near Thebes, and the
shareholders figure on profit of 80 per
cent. year on the S3,0O0,OOO required
to reclaim, colonize, and cultivate the
land, of the vicinity, and if an old tun-
mel, which has beenfound pierced half way
through the hills, can be utilized, and
the surplus water employed in irrigating
the plains around Athens, the profits
will be greatly increased. Then there
are schemes on foot, or about to be Civ
en- out, for a railroad from Larissa to
Volo, for S600,00o jetty at Patras, for
q fifteen mile railroad between Pyrgos
and Catacola, and for a number of pub
lie roads all over the country, so that
Greece really offers very favorable
field for an enterprising contractor and
capitalist.-Cor. CAicago Times.
Anus Dickinson has, it is said, aban-