The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-11-09
AGE AND HISTORY UNKNOWN.
"A Canal In tho Crimea That Is One Of
the WORLDS Wonders. 4.

3 Is
"A Canal In tho Crimea That Is One Of
the Worlds Wonders.
The great Russian engineer, Mel
nikoff, writes from Odessa to the
Smithsonian institution describing the
ruins of an ancient canal discovered in
the Crimea, which he regards as one
OF the wonders of the world. It is
certainly twenty seven centuries old,
and among similar ancient objects of
historic interest is second only in age
to the great pyramids. The hanging
gardens of Babylon and the Colossus
of Rhodes are shrouded with no
deeper mysteries than the existence
OF this great ditch, whose ruins can
be traced for long distance through
the Crimean plain. Whether it was
a water way in the olden times and
the pathway of ancient commerce
between the Black sea and the sea of
Azov, or a means of defense for the
people living in its vicinity, is ques-
tion which wise men, supposed to
know all about antiquities, cannot
explain, says the Philadelphia Tele.
graph. +:
Xenophon, the distinguished Athen-
ian, who conducted the retreat of
10, 900 Greeks from the up-country
march, so called, writes of bitches
which were dug by inhabitants of
hostile territory through which they
passed as all impediment to their
march. Water was often turned
into these, SO that crossing was rem
dered more difficult. Perhaps the
ancient and wonderful canal served
the same purpose on very large
scale. While it was of grand pro-
portions, which at that early dav
surpassed the engineering feats of
the Suez canal, the rtifcations for
it's PR lection are no less interesting.
At each end of the western side there
was a lofty castle, the ruins of which
remain to this day, the cubical con-
tents exceeding 10000 meters. A
part OF these stones, as we'll as those
with which the bed of the canal was
paved its entire length, were removed
some time ago to build a town which
adjoins.
During the Crimean war some of
the stones remaining were utilized
in the construction of hospitals for
the wounded soldiers, which struct-
ures are still standing. Along the
banks OF the canal there were once
at least six towers, but what purpose
they served, unless for. defense, is
uncertain. There was also a high
wall which'extended its entire length.
At an equal distance from either end
there was a gigantic fortress. built
IN the form of a square and covering
a space OF 52,40) square meters.
The canal is as straight as an arrow
It's entire lenght except at this point
where it forms three sides of a SQUARE
about the fortress. Here there was
smaller canal on the outer side,
which may have provided greater
security.
One OF the gateways OF the for
tress IS still partially preserved and
through it passes dilapidated road.
Ihe canal was built by Assando ].
OF Bosporus in the seventh century
b. g., and is nine kilometers long.
I Mention is made of this in the writ;
lngs OF Pliny and Strabo, but nothing
is said about the great amount of
time and money expended in it's con-
structlon or for what special purpose
it was done. 1t passes by the modern
town of Perekop, and is not fai from
the Greek city Of -Neapolis, whose
name was changed by Assando after
the building of the canal of Taph-
eras, which il the Greek word for
ditch. Its width on the bottom was
about five meters, and its depth ten
meters. Whether it served formerly
as great and towering fortifcation
or not it certainly contained water
enough to sail ships of considerable
burden.
Undoubtedly before the time OF
Christ many ships used it as short
cut across the peninsula between the
two seas. The bed is now dry, ex-
capt for few standing pools, but it
is said that the oldest inhabitant can
remember when for several miles in
the central part there was sufficient
water to form a roadway for the
lighter craft of the semi barbarous
people This is accounted for by
the fact that some time in the if
teenth century the canal was repaired.
The Russian government has a pro-
ject under consideration of opening
up great water way across the
peninsula: between the two seas, and
his connection with this scheme is
what led the engineer, Melnikoff, to
Inquire into the history of the canal
and attempt to explore it's wonders
/ Melnikoff writes in French and con-
veys a vivid description of the
ancient ruins. He has just written
pamphlet, which is fresh from the
press, and this contains in Russian a
full account of all that is known and
all that has been said about the canal
in the centuries since its construc.
tion. 1t also contains diagrams and
illustrations of the canal as il now
appears
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