Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-08-22
THE FLORIDA SHIP CANAL.
Report of Chief Engineer stona-Cost of
Construction and Advantages to
COtpnerca
delayed Telegram.l
rl. $3.50 ~ .


Commerce..
delayed Telegram1
New YORK, August 20.-The meet
ing OF the board of directors of the
Florida ship canal and transit com.
pany adjourned to-day after session
of four days. The meeting was called
for action upon the report of Chief En-
gineer Stone rs to the practicability
nnk cost of the canal The report was
entirely satisfactory, containing de-
tailed estimates, and was adopted after
careful examination of the way and
statistics. Gen. Stone furnishes the
following summary of his report for
publication: In May last, in accord
ance with resolution of the board of
directors, | began survey to ascertain
whether or not the construction of
tide water ship canaf across the
peninsula of Florida would be
practicable, and if so what it
would cost / secured the services of
A. f. Hill, civil engineer, who went to
Florida on the first of last June, with
authority and engineering assistance
and labor. There he was well furn-
ished with instruments and all OBJ
tainable information, and with the
aid of four corps of engineers made in
two months u thorough examination
of three lines. On the most favora BILE
line his examination was so thorough
as to justify me in visiting Florida for
personal examination, the result of
which was / adopted it with
certain notifications, as furn-
ishing the best route
yet prepared. Taking that route as a
basis, / have computed that tide
water ship canal OF sufficient wild tn
and depth to allow the passage of two
seagoing steamers of first class without
inconvenience Cal. be constructed at
cost ofS46, 000, 900 as follows: eXcavating
$50 600, 900; sharbors at termini, $45,-
100000; engineering, right of way and
contingencies, $3.50 000 Total length
of canal, 1917 miles, and highest eleva-
ton in crossing the water shed l43
feet, but this deep cut would
be only for short distance. A
large amount of the excavation can be
made by steam dredges. AS whole,
] am able to report that the engineer
ing difficulties are decidedly less than
expected. OF its commercial advan-
tages will mention the following AS
the most important of many--First,
great saving in distance between the
Gulf OF Mex co ports and ports of the
Atlantic states and Europe; second,
complete accordance of the great dam
gers of navigation through the
Florida straits. The saving of
distance on steam vessels between
New York and New Orleans is 500
miles, and New Orleans & Liv-
erpool Alp miles; New York &
Pensacola 800 miles This means that
a steamship sailing eleven miles an
hour would give about fortv-tiye hours
in the passage from New York to New
Orleans, and same on return trip, less
the time of steaming through the canal
at six miles per hour or about thirty
seven hours each way. Taking the
present average of the round trip at
Jwenty-one days, including four lay
days in each port, the canal would
make the round trip eighteen days,
enabling her to make profits on at
least three more round voyages per
wears at no increase in expenses. The
gain by working the dangerous pas
sage through the Florida straits is.very
great. The official statistics of five
recent years SHOW three hundred and
| twenty-siX salvage cases We're adJudl-
Gated on in the United States
! distrist court for the southern district
! Of Florida to the value of more than
! Sll, 01O,000, and careful estimates show
the present loss from wreckage to be
about So, 900, 900 year. Though some
what out of my province as engineer
NAV suggest not the least important
commercial advantage of the proposed
canal will come from the saving IN in
surance, which is now
much heavier for Gulf ports
than for South Atlantic ports. andsan
expense which on large steamers IS
5000 to $500 per day. Within SIX
weeks shall be prepared to begin
with the details of locating the sur
veys, which will he necessary before |
can report to your board the precise
line which the canal should follow
froln the Atlantic to the Gulf, but the
above estimates of costs are more
likely to he reduced than increased by
closer examination of the route.
|