The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-19
ABOUT THE KEEL CANAL.
Distances 1t Saves and AccOmmOda-
tiOns 1t Affords for Shipping.

From the Commercial Bulletin.
American shipping that now enters the
Baltic by way of the British channel will
enjoy one of the principal savings of dis
tance and time by the new route when the
Kiel Canal is opened, says the New York
Sun. The ports which make no gain are
those Of Norway and Scotland. Among
the ports that make the greatest gains
are those on the Elbe, above the mouth
of the canal, the shortening of distance
for Hamburg being reckoned at 425 sea
miles. Those on the Weser will make
considerable saving. But not quite as
great, as their ships have to turn east
ward to enter the canal in going into the
Baltic; but that of Bremerhaven is put a
SZ3 miles. The northern ports of England
diminish the gain in proportion, as they
lie north Of the canal, the voyage from
Newcastle being shortened less than 10
miles. But from the straits of Dover the
gain is estimated at about 240 miles, and
that concerns not only all the ports of
France and Spain and Southern Europe
generally, besides Ireland, but also Amer
ican traffic.
The question of distance is. of course
not the only one involved, because the
passage through the canal is slower, lit
tie over five knots. The difference be-
tween this speed and that which good
steamers viii make in the open sea is
considerable, and is to be deducted from
the gain in distance. Nevertheless il is
estimated that the time gained from Ham
burg Will be about forty-five hours and
from the English channel over twenty
two hours. The saving in this respect is.
therefore, saving of fuel and provisions
as well as of wages and becomes an offset
to the tolls. AS for sailing vessels the
gain is very much greater, since apart
from their liability to storms and unfa-
yorable wind in going northward to the
Skager Rock and then southwark trough
the Callegat, they will be towed through
the canal at a steady speed. Thus they
may perhaps count on an average gain Of
three days or more. All these points have
been the subject of very careful measure
ment and calculation, as they are the BASH
of the system of tolls charged The object
IS TO make II clearly for the interest Of
both steamers and sailing vessels to use
the canal, and the tolls are supposed to
be put where profit will still result TO
the shipping.
In order that the canal may be constant
~ employed and earning money, it will be
lighted at night by electricity The level
Is fixed for that of the Baltic, and in order
TO protect 1t from currents so strong as to
impede progress, huge locks have been
built. The width of the canal at the ton
is sixty metres and twenty-five at the bot
tom and as is obvious large merchant ships
can meet and pass each other, while, with
a view to the demand of the very largest
war ships or other vessels, there are half
dozen stations in which to accommodate
one of the DassefS. Very high tides are To
be feared only rarely, and the heavy locks
provided offset this source of trouble. AS
a compensation for the currents in the can
al, there is less danger of ice forming, al
though. of course, it is expected that in ex-
cessively cold weather it will be entirely
frozen over.
Nearly eight years have now passed
since, on June g. 1887. Emperor William I.
laid the foundation stone of the Holtenau
lock of this canal, near Kiel. The presi-
dent of the reichstag handed the emperor
a trowel and hammer, and the emperor,
tapping the stone, pronounced the work TO
boone of peace honor defense and progress.
Then various princes, ministers, members
of the bundesrath and other functionaries
each struck the stone three times. The
practical task was pushed forward vigor-
ously, and ii is said that nearly 5000 Off
Gals and men were kept at work upon it
continuously. The canal is about GA miles
long It's course from Holtenau is through
the route of the old Elder Canal and
thence by a course as direct as possible.
and vet with not a few decided swervings
from a straight line, it reaches the Elbe
canal a little east of Bruins buttel The Ed
err canal, which was, of course, a Danish
enterprise, had existed over a century, the
advantage of avoiding the long detour
around Cape Skagen having been obvious
for generations. Germany, in taking up
the new project of a ship canal, had large
" in view it's strategic uses, but it also had
lis advantages on the commercial side, and
these. to a greater or less extent, the whole
xyovId ran share.