St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-01
A CANiE. SCiE EnE,
which, if Put in Operation, will, it
is Alleged, Benefit twenty Two
Afate. and Territories.

Atates and territories.
New YORK, Nov. 30.-The Post says:
A syndicate IS in process of formation to
Garry out the plans OF the Atlantic Mexican
Gulf Canal company, which received fresh
charters lis year from the legislatures OF
Georgia and Florida, together with grants OF
valuable lands and waterpower. Charters
have been issued to GOV. George A. Drew, OF
Florida, and his associates, among whom are
Gen. Finley, OF Florida; Judge H. H. Tomp-
kins of Georgia, and Col. Rogers, of the
Georgia Central railway. Alexander Curtis,
of Georgia, the secretary, is now in this city
on business connected with the composition
# the s, indicate. Curtis to-day gave an ac-
count of the companys project to the follow
ing effect:
THE ROUTE
of the proposed canal has been surveyed by
Gen. Quincy A. Gilmore and the assistant
officers of the United States engineer corps,
under a resolution of congress directing
measures ITO ascertain the best water line
for transportation from the mouth of the st.
Mar, g river, on the Atlantic coast, through
the Okeeffeenokee swamp and the state OF
Florida to the gulf of Mexico" The import
ance of the proposed canal as a national
work was urged by President Grant in two
messages to congress. in which he declared
that, valuable as the opening OF his great in
ternal waterway wOuld be in time OF peace,
its existence anu custody i'll time or war
would be O. absolutely incalculable value TO
the nation. The surveys made by Gen. Gill
more extend over two ears, anu their results
caused him to report the canal scheme emin-
emily feasible. AS an evidence of the import
ance of the enterprise TO the country at large,
he stated that no less tnan tweI T. two states
and territories are vitality intert sted in the
opening of the waterway, the pr; ctical results
of which wonld involve the enol nous traffic
al trlhutAr-
les. Gen. Gilmore stated that he products
along 3d. OOO miles of rivers and waterways
already
TEEMlNG WITH COMMERCS
could in this way be borne to safe and COM
modious ports, and that only by this route
was it possible 10 avoid the heavy and almost
prohibItory taxes on commerce by the APP
proach to the mouth OF the MISSISSIPPI
through the Gulf Of Mexico. The canal, in
the language of the company's charters; us
to be OF such dimensions that it shall be
deemed suitable and capable of being used
by all such boats, steamboats,, tugs, Darges
and other craft as navigate the MISSISSIPPI
river above New Orleans. Beginning at t. 9
mouth OF ct. Mary river, which forms the
dividing line between the states OF Georgia
aud Florida it is to run through Okeefeeno-
kee lake (which is to be used as the summit
level supply; thence to St. Marks on the
Gulf OF Mexico; thence it will follow the al
ready existing line of waterways which extend
almost unbroken from that port to New Or
leans With the advantages OF this route
there will be az saving to commerce OF
the heavy rates of insurance made impera-
tive by the dangerous navigation of the Ba-
hamas and the reefs of Florida and in the
coasting service. saving in distance l,2OO to
I,5OO miles. Official statistics go to show that
the average tax on commerce through high
insurance, etc., over the present route is
about ST., UOO 600 yearly. From this it would
appear that the deepening of the passes at
the mouth of the Mississippi by jetties, how
ever great local success, does not detract
in any way from the Importance Of this canal.
as the special difficulty TO be overcome lies in
the Bahamas and the Florida reefs.