Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-11-07
srrpENnors UNDERTAKINGS.
Grent CannI schemes that VIII
AstonIsh ghe Wortd

About ffty years ago the country was
stirred TO its utmost depths on the subject Of
Internal Improvements and thousands Of
miles Of canals were built IN New York.
| Pcnnsylyauia, Ohio Virginia aud Indiana
These works were very popular for several
years but after time, after the people be
came more blessed with this worlds goods,
and able to travel by rail at more expense Of
money, but at greater speed, the canal boat
was deserted for the railway passenger car
and the canals lost all their passenger travel
and large share Of their freightng busi.
ness, 10 such an extent that many 0f these
canals were abandoned to the growth Of
reeds and rushes and the hlbitatlon Of
minks and muskrats
But within few years new scheme has
| taken possession Of the commercial publics
mind, and canals for the moving OF ships
and steamers from one navignble body of
| water to another. to counteract the great
| railway spirit which seemed 70 monopolize
all the most profitable lines o. travel, ana be
| driving water lines Of transit 10 the wall.
| Among the various projects which seem
| to fnd favor are the great Nicaragua Canal,
| which Is TO unite the Pacific Ocean with the
| Gulf of Mexico, that viii shorten the dis
tance by water to Liverpool and New York
| nj least one half and to New Orleans to
| about onothrd the former distance by YES.
| sell This canal would pass through most
| rich and lovely country that would supply
| Los Angeles with sugar. coffee, rice. and
| most valuable dyewOods and hard woods 10
use In the mechanic arts and also in wood
cnt printing.
| snch a eannl would be OF vast benefit to
| Los Angeles. II would open great market
| for the products Of California and furnish
Us with vast supply OF Important products
| nj low prices. In this respect u would be
| hundred fold more valuable to our city than
the Panama canal which DE Lesseps IS
working nj on the fsthmusof Panama. This
latter canal would be Il very large elephant
on the current of commerce. II Is IN the
zone Of calms, on the west side, and on the
cast side, In 4 feverst stricken land, which
prudent men shun with prudent fear. II
would never pay the Interest on the cost,
and as II Is not under the control Of the
United States government, would be n con.
tinual source OF menace and danger TO the
people OF the American Union. The project
Is very unpopular, although the work on the
canal Is going on slowly and cxponsively.
In addition to that now comes project to
Join the two great Asiatic seas, the Aral aud
the Caspian seas. Late adyices from Europe
state that the preparatory measures for the
junction Of the Sea Of Aral with the Caspian
Sea have reached n further stage by the re-
turn to St Petersburg Of the Russian expe-
ditiOn which has been surveying the route
The Russian government was 50 convinced
OF the importance Of the proposed water
way that General Gluchowsky the Origiua
tor OF the project, was sent, at q cost Of near
ly fl00, ,001 with n corps of experts and engl
neers to make the necessary investigations
The results Of this step have not yet been
made public, on the ground OF their being
under examination BY commission.
This will be great work that Will attract
large population TO country that
has been in part deserted by the more ad-
venturous portion Of the people who have
moved westward aud left the land to the
Nomadic tarlnrs While this work would
quicken the pulse of trade and open new
and large fields to commerce In western
Asia another important project Is on foot
that viii he Of much benefit to American
vessels trading with ports on the Baltic sea
Thisproieet is none other than the union of
the North and the Baltic sea by cutting
ship canal across the province Of liolstein.
tic, which Is now being taken up
by the German authorities in earnest.
The canal Is to run from near the
mouth of the Elbe to the harbor OF
Kiel, Germanys chief naval port on the
"Ostsee." II Is to be constructed Of such
dimensions rs to permit the largest irouclads
In the German navy steamlng from the Bal
tic to the German ocean, or rfcc rfrsd, thus
avoiding the necessity OF making, as at pres
ent the long voyage round the peninsula Of
Jutland, Detailed drawings on the subject
are to be submitted to the new Reichstng,
so 1t seems that these great works now
brought before the commercial world at the
same time betOken new line of action. a
revival of the ship canal business that Is
most important and surprising. A moments
consideration will show the vast magnitude
of these four great international works,
which Will cost, when completed, more than
two billions of dollars,
These works, so stupendous In expend
ture, are more or less linked with national
pride, and in Europe and Asia are connect
cd with national treasures Such simul-
tancous movement for internal improve
ment In the matter OF water navigation the
world has not seen since the birth of modern
history, The works will be watched with
great interest by statesmen and polite Il
economists all over the world They N ri;
mn era of peace and desire fur improve
ment seldom seen so spontaneously On the
face Of the globe Such great historic pro.
jects will by and by be embllmed IN the
pages OF the worlds literature, and be the
admiration Of future ages.