Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-06-24

where they will be welcomed by ZUU WOm-
en- and girls. The imperial tent has been
erected in the center of the island. and
in the open space before it there will
be fireworks and a grand illumination.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CANAL.
Its Route and How 1t was Con-
structed.
The canal cuts the tongue of land
which runs north and makes the king
| dom of Denmark and unites the North
sea and the Baltic, giving Germany con-
| troll of the line of water communication
| between her two seaboards. 1t is evident
| that such canal is of very considerable
| military significance, and creates a new
| factor in the European situation. AS re-
| CARDS time the duration of the passage
| through the canal has been fixed at from
| ten to twelve hours, because more rapid
| transit might by reason OF the heavy
| wash" damage the sides Of the canal,
| Notwithstanding their Strengthening
| throughout by stone and cement facings;
| but in a great national emergency, where
| the injury of stonework and cement
| would be quite secondary consideration,
| the German warships could pass through
| at far greater rate Of speed, and would
| be able to erect movements IN, say, about
| six hours which might take them sixty
| by the old route.
| Commercially it will give her shipping
| interests a decided impetus. 1t will make
| Kiel a port of first-class rank, and it is
| predicted will have contrary effect on
| Copenhagen, the industrial center of the
! Danish kingdom. The value of a canal
| is always shown by the saving of time to
| ships. The new waterway oDviates the
necessity of the long voyage around the
| Danish peninsula. On the whole, it is
! reckoned that steamers taking thirteen
Il, 10 nj
about twenty-five hours by this short cut
| supposlng them to be making SO knots
| an hour in the open sea and 5.3 knots
| in the canal. For sailing vessels which
are towed through the canal the time
| gained will be at least three days. AS a
Steamer makes about twelve double jour,
| neyS a year between the North sea and
| the Baltic, she would gain in a year eleven
| DAYS. 1t must also be taken into con-
| sideration that sailing vessels in passing
| through the sound are often delayed days
and even weeks by contrary winds For
ali ports in England which lie to the south
! of Newcastle and for the Atlantic ports
! of France. the ports of Belgium. the Meth
| erlands, and on the German North sea
coast, a shortening of the journey from
100 to 424 sea miles is gained by using
the Baltic canal For ports in Scotland
those still further north (Norway), the
| voyage between the North sea and the
Baltic is not shortened by making use Of
| the canal There is no doubt. then, that
| a very large number of merchant vessels
will adopt the canal route; i'll fact the
greater portion of the Baltic trade must
| inevitably use it. During the summer OF
| 1890 the tonnage of vessels passing
| through the sound amounted to 30O.0OO
| tons month. Hull alone sent 64.5OO
| tons; London half that amount.
A Triumph of Skill.
The canal. which with the Suez cut di-
vides the honors Of pre-eminence in man
made waterways. was begun June s,
| 1887. The estimate of cost was S37 ,44O,-
| 600. and these figures have not been eX-
ceeded The work has gone forward with
| out a hitch, and is a triumph of German
| engineering skill. During the summer
months 5000 men were employed, and III
winter 400. The canal goes, as the map
| shows, from the Eibe between Brunsbut-
tel and st. MargaretheIn to the Kuden
| lake, which it crosses. then via. Burg to
| Grondal, the highest point of the track;
| from there through the valley OF the
| GieseIau to Rendsburg. where it reaches
| the channel of the old Elder canal, and
| from here to Holtenau, near kiel. On
| both sides of the canal large locks have
| been built with the object Of protecting
| the canal against the changing water
level of the Elbe and the Baltic as other
| wise strong currents would hamper navl-
| CATION. The locks, among the greatest in
| the world are $50 metres long, 70 metres
| wide, and 912 metres deep. The canal
| has exactly the same level as the Baltic.
| On both sides are coal stations and fot-
| tification works are erected. The total
length of the canal is $3.50 kilometres,
or about GA miles lis width at the top
is 60 metres. at the bottom p, it's depth
| S1a metres. The largest honclads can
| pass through the width ev n admitting
without danger of collision of man-of-
| war and a large merchantmen passing
| each other. If two large ironcIads, how
| ever meet, one of them will have to
wait at one of the six sidings. These sid
| ings are 60 metres wide at the bottom
and $50 metres long.
| It was tried of course as much as pos
| sible to lay the canal in a straight line,
yet there are twenty-seven curves, but of
pretty large radi, varying between 1000
! and 5000 metres.
| The Immense Locks.
A DISTINGUISHED feature is it's two i'm
| mense locks There is seldom any con
siderable difference between the food
| tide and the ebb in the Baltic, usually
| not oftener than twenty-five times a
year. The Baltic lock will, therefore
be used infrequently, and most of the
time will stand open. On the extra
ordinary occasions mentioned it will be
a necessity for the prevention of irreg1-
lar currents in the canal. The lock al
the Elbe end, on the other hand. will
have to be kept closed nearly all the
time The difference of tide there is SC
great that the depth of water varies
| from ten feet to twenty-seven and half
feet. The two locks are the largest in
the world, with the single exception OF
that at Bremerhaven, near the mouth
| Of the Weser.
One of the locks is at Holtenau. Its
northern basin is arranged for vessels
entering from the Baltic, and the south
err for ships bound in the opposite direc-
ton. Several steamers or sailing vessels
can pass through either chamber at the
same time The lock at Brunsbuttel
near the junction with the Elbe, is of the
same size. 1t is provided with three sets
of gates, which are to be closed every
four hours. The foundation was built
mostly dry.
Both locks are operated by hydraulic
power In the center of the basin there
are light inswinging gates, calculated tt
relieve the main gates of part of the
pressure in case Of high tide or Other
| emergency On the canal, just beyond
| +ha rpSnnctiya locks inner harhorS have