Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-02

By STAFF Correspondent
In concluding this series OF articles. it is de-
sired to place in somewhat closer comparison
than heretofore, the relative advantages claim
ed by parties representing these too separate
and distinct enterprises, and in doing so it may
be thought proper, for the sake of brevity, to
ignore the harmony usually secured by supply
ing the connecting links of a subject Since
the articles were commenced considerable in
terest has been manifested In the success
Of the barge canal and in addition to approx
ing letters from various quarters. a large
amount of printed matter relating to- or bear
ing upon the interests involved, has been re-
ceived through the mails some of it from un-
known sources Much of this it has not been
practicable TO use in the limited space as
signed to the articles, but it is proner to ac-
knowledge the valuable aid it has afforded on
various divisions of the subject As attention
has been given almost exclusively to the T.
vantages OF barge canal, very little was said
about the proposed ship canal, which, no doubt,
many have considered as the same ENTERPRISE
but the subject of controversy between two
partles dlnerlng in opinion as 90 comparative
feasibility; this is not the case, however, as
Will be seen by what follows.
THE SHIP CANAL.
In column of matter clipped from the New
York Herald. dated October 18th, 1879 some
OHo HAS 6uClOSbu us an interview by q COrre-
spondent or that Journal with several parties
representing at that time the Florida ship
canal From that interview we extract the
following dialogue emitting the names of the
parties.
General = was found in his office, on
South street [St. Louisl, and asked whether a
ship canal was intended across Florida
" 1t is, most emphatically,' answered the
'''Have you the money to build such grand
canal as is proposed?'
Yes
"'Who has it?'
B" I have it right here
Are you going TO spend it right away?'
NO. There is contingency.
Whose money is 1.-THE Frenehmans or the
Americans Was it raised In Paris or here 2
" In both places-we have the money
What do YOU ant from Congress-
Nothing whatever
"'Why not l was told by Captain Rea. of st.
Louis. President of the Mississippi Valley
Transportation Company-a friend of your
proJect-that it is absolutely necessary, be-
cause you are afraid the State of Florida char
ter will not sufficiently protect you in reference
to the question of national neutrality ?
NOW what has neutrality to do with us
Our canal is to commence and end in sin"le
SCaCe-Florida; and in American waters neither
international nor Interstate affairs will con-
Germ us. My idea is that the prime questions
are-rtght to construct, place and money to
construct We have them all except the right;
and allow me to say that the legislative and
executive branches of the State of Florida are
10 full accord with us. There is question at
issue that will not be determined for some
days. and, while would like to tell you many
things, cannot do so till that question is deter
mined
"'Well, you cannot go on for some time,
presume. because you await information?'
Exactly SO; surveys have been made, the
French engineers have made others-cursory
and have gone back to report. l cannot tell
you hat the report is. can hardly say that
l fully know
'''What are the attitudes to overcomeg
Our opponents say hundred feet l ssy,
upon authority OF the engineers. about eighty.
But the money is ready. and we are ready to
put ship canal across Florida
Where do you propose to cut?'
really do not know; but in the most
THE QUESTION OF CUTTING.
How, about cutting through ridges, high
lands and timbery
1.-The further up Florida you get the nearer
you get to your object of connecting the At
lantic Ocean with the Gulf, and the more sail
ing distance around and insurance and time
difficulties increase as you go from the low
lands or lower Florida to the highlands of
Northern Florida. The idea is a tide-Water
canal
Why don't you commence werk?
"'Ask me that two weeks hence
DO the Florida people want it?
YES; all except few interested parties
Opposing progress! Who opposes pro-
gressf'
Naturally the railroads oppose a canal.
Besides there are people who' want barge
canal, and who oppose a ship canal. They say
a barge canal can do all the business
What is a barge canal?'
"'The same as the Erie Canal "
With all this readiness, ''nOneu in hand -
abundant patriotism, perfect feasibility of en-
terpr1se, Florida Legislature in accord, and
nothing tohGteUer to ask of Congress,
nearly three years have passed, and not a lick
struck on the ship canal which was by this
time, to have revolution zed the great trade of
the Gulf and the Mississippi The ''contipgen-
cY," it seems, never happened, and. of course,
the wheels were never set in motion There
must have been obstacles to the ship cansl
which were overlooked in the enthusiasm of its
friends and promoters and we will see if some
of them cannot be brought to light
Obstacle number one may be the fact. that
although the ship canal was said to be ''pri-
vate enterprise, IL nevertheless possessed an
unmstakable French accent and q very SLIGHT
intimation from Washington would have been
sufhclent to spoil the contingency" while the
Florida Legislature, aside from the diplomatic
International feature for future consideration
might have reflected that it would do as well
to place such a monopolizing power of trade
under the control of home Influences The fact
that trustworthy citizens were connected with
it, was not sufficient. The capital invested is
what 0oUerHs in grand public enterprises, and
not the dsbursing officers who may be changed
with every revolution of the wheel of fortune
Il may be that the French capital
caps when the surveyors made their
report, and here, ttoo serious obstacles were
presented: There existed barge canal com
pany, proposing, with less than one sirfh of
the money required for the ship canal not onIv
to cross the same peninsula forty or ffty
miles north of the ship canal, but actually
with no increase OF that one sixth, to open
land.locked water route all the 1Ody to the
mouth of the Mississippi The serious nature
of these facts were probably paraleled by an
other reflection; True they might possibly ac-
Ofirn the franchises fr0, -
OF Florida, but what security could the State
give to foreigners against future disrup-
tion OF friendly national relations? It
might do very well to invest money in canals
among such feeble nations as those of North
Africa and Central America, where French
power could be welded in the enforcement of
their rights; but TO venture so grand specula-
tlon wholly within the territory of a giant
power, captious, aggressive and already com
mltted irrevocablY against foreign ''entangIing
alliances, would indicate a degree of blind
ness and imprudence Of which the astute
Frenchman could scarcely be guilty
Here was presented three very serious obsta-
cles, and fourth might be found in the luke
warmneSs of The Floridians themselves when
they came to consider that the great depth and
width OF the ship canal across the backbone of
their tropical peninsula converted the South |
ern section OF 1t into an island that could no
longer be entered except over the most exten-
sive and costly bridges. Only where this mon
ster canal approached the tide water could
boats or ferries be thought of as means of
crossing IL. anu Cnrougnout ltS passage OF the |
broad sand hills of the interior from fifty to |
one hundred miles, suspension bridges of great
extent would be absolutely necessary on ali |
important public highways, entailing a per-
petual heavy expense not mentioned in the |
cost of the canal, or to be assessed upon the |
counties within whose limits they were CON
structed.
fifth obstacle arises from the fact that q |
ship canal is practicable only at point SO far |
south on the peninsula as to render failure in
its grand object Of providing a shoft cut from |
the Gulf to the Atlantic, and, at the same time.
free from the dangers OF the cape reefs inevita-
bic. great effort has been made to show
that it would save eight hundred miles of navi |
CATION between the Atlantic and the Gulf. but |
we have already shown that only little more
than tnat distance Is saved by the barge canal, |