The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-05-22

EulIOr, Wnlcn so much cOmmondS itself
to the citizens of the Gulf States, and of
the Atlantic cities ofthe Southern States.
as the proposed Barge Canal to connect
the waters of the Mississippi by inland
navigation with those of the Atlantic,
and all the intermediate streams which
flow into the Gulf. Much has been we'll
written on this subject, but it strikes me
that the merchants and capitalists of the
Gulf cities are not as much aroused to the
advantages of this enterprise as they
should be. Ever since the Introduction
of the railroad systems, cutting their
navigable waters at right angles, and
intercepting the freights which once
flowed to their harbors, these cities have
langulshed, and some have well nigh
passed away from the arena Of commerce
build this Canal and the commerce of the
Valley of the Mississippi and all its trib-
utares will pass to and by their doors,
and the exports and imports of their re
spective sections will pass through their
own markets, and build up their fair cit
les, coastwise and inland But my ob-
ject in this communication is more c>-
pecially TO draw attention to that consid-
erable section of the proposed Canal
which lies between the mouth of the
Crooked river and the Suwannee One
Of the most remark able rivers of this
country, so singular in the character Of
its rivers, has been placed as by divine
wisdom, exactly at point adapted to
meet the requirements of system Of en-
gineering which will facilitate the build
ing of a commodious and economical ca
nal. The Wacissa rivera river of the
same class with the WakulIa, EIomosassa,
Crystal and other kindred streams which
rise along our Gulf coast, from the Apa-
lachicola to the Suwannee-rises through
the rlven rocks. fine river at its very
source; and stranger still, it rises not
only exactly at a point through which
the proposed canal would naturally pass,
but it rises, so to speak, upon the top of
hill, thus giving it natural elevation
that qualities it, without expense, to be
the feeder for canal extending from the
waters of the Gulf to and beyond the
Suwannee. Many years ago COL John
G. Gamble, who was practical engineer,
ran line of levels from a point below
the source of the Wacissa, to the town of
Newport on the ST. Marks river, and
found fall of thirty feet at tide water at
that point. The country between the two
rivers being an inclined plane Of so light
grade as to appear to the eye as a dead
level thus, canal constructed between
those points would, with the exception
of a very small space near the Wacissa,
be constructed upon the surface by build
ing two parallel embankments, which, be-
would be thirty feet high at the St.
Marks, or an average embankment of
fifteen feet high.
Stress has been laid by the opponents
of this Canal on the expense involved in
building canal wide enough to carry two
large barges with tug between them or
three large vessels abreast. Now | pro-
pose to show that this objection is base
less so far as the canal lying between the
above points is concerned. 1t is well
known to all familiar with the principles
of hydrostatics, that the pressure of
column of water laterally is the same,
whether the column be one foot wide or
one thousand feet wide, therefore no
greater embankment would be required
to sustain wide canal than would sus-
tain narrow one, all other things being
equal. This Canal, therefore, except as
to it's locks and aqueducts-more of these
last further on-could be constructed as
easily and cheaply to carry fifty vessels
abreast as to carry one.
The waters of this river, Wacissa, come
from some distant source, and are as clear
as crystal the river having no superb
cial valley supply, and therefore not sub
ject to floods during heavy rain falls, is
equally free from the effects of local
drought and its waters flow in unchanged
volume from year to year.
Now supposing the Canal to be ten
feet deep, then the bottom of this Canal
would be twenty feet above the tide-water
on the st. Marks at Newport, therefore
the Canal could be carried across the st.
Marks at that point at an elevation of
some fifteen feet above the surface of the
river. 1t could be carried over all the riv-
ers lying west at the same elevation.
Going east, the passage of the Aucilla
could be effected with ample space be-
tween the river and the arches which
would sustain the bed of the Canal, and
all other rivers and streams, AS far as the
Suwannee, would present less difficulty;
nor do doubt that the skill of the en-
gineer could easily carry the Canal at the
same level across the Suwannee
do not know what the topography of
the country between the Suwannee and
the Okefenokee is, but | suspect that
starting from the Okefenokee as feeder
a canal whose surface would maintain
the same level could be brought, largely
with embankment, and connected with
no very great amount of lockage with
the waters of the Wacissa beyond the
Suwannee. | estimate the flow of the
Waci-sa as equal to more than 90
600, 900 cubic feet per hour. You
can verify this estimate thus-at half
mile below it's sources the river is