The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-06-22
The Baltic Ship Canal.

OF all the great triumphs of engineering
skill that have sienalized the latter half of
the nineteenth century none appeals more
strongly to the Imagination. and certainly
none Is of greater commercial Importance,
than are the Suez. Manchester and Baltic
ship canal The first has shortened by
1000 Ia 5000 miles the distance between
England aud the different ports of her
great Indian dependency. 50 that it Is now
possible to 90 from London to Bombay in
Is days. or, by travelling overland to
Brindisi in less than fortnight. The
second of these great canals has transformed
an inland city into a seaport. so that ocean
going vessels of 5000 tons can now ex-
! change their cargoes of cotton, wool. hides.
! lumber. grain and cattle for cargoes Of cot
| ton. silk or wollen goods or of furniture,
hardware or machinery, right in the very
heart Of the greatest manufacturing district
/ in the world. The third of this trio of
/ great enterprises has cut through the Ter
/ man portion of the old Danish peninsula
and united the North and Baltic Seas
I That the canal viii not merely justify It's
it, construction but prove of immense
advantage 10 the German Empire. l. the
confident expectation at both Government
and people
A PROJECT FIRST FORMULATED 800 YEARS
AGO.
The Baltic canal i the hong delayed
outcome Of project that was hrst formu
! Il l.. Il
than 500 years ago. The idea may be
. said to have attained a partial realization
in the construction in 1854 of a small
/ canal from HOlteuau. on the Baltic side OF
[ the peninsula to the river Elder. which
enpties into the North Sea, but this water
way Wa navigable only by vessels of light
+ draft aud i, has played - insignificant
/ part IN the commercial relations oi the
Z world that it, very existence was almost
unknown, except Ia geographical experts
( and persons directly interested in the Bal
( tic trade
In lSS6. however it WAS decided t.
[ construct canal that should be navigable
\ by the largest sized merchantmen and bat
I tieships. and al endeavorS 20 raise the
Necessary capital by stock subscription
having failed ii wa determined to make
the undertaking a national one The Ger
man Empire accordingly agreed to provide
$50. 500. 06O or about Is per cent Of
the amoun, required, aud the Kingdom Of
Prussia the remaining Sl2. 500, 600 The
Suez canal after allowing for all fixed
. 1
certaio Improvements yielded in 1894 a
net profit of s. 9;i6. 353. aud it l. conf
IDENTIFY expected that the Baltic canal viii
likewise yield a handsome return upon the
capital expended On it, construction, in
addition 10 proving ii enormous epmmer
cial advantage from the day Of It's opening,
and Of special Importance irom a strategic
,,andp,iB, in time of war
ruE EoITE AND CAPACITY oF rHE CANAL
The canal cummencss at BruR>butiel. on
the estuary Of the Elbe in the North Sea
and cEgSses the peninsula in northeasterly
direction 10 Holtsnau. three miles north of
kiel on the Baltic coast It, length j.
81 mile. its width, al the water level
l9I feet and At the bottom. - feet ,
inches. and IL. depth % feet q inches
Ahhoagh is other dimensions iall e"nsid
erahly short of ths~e of the Suek canal 1t
j. four feet deeper than the latter in order
that il may h. available for the largest
battleships, . consideration that Is supposed
10 have had greater weight with the Ger
man G9yernmenf than even the magni6
cent commereial possibilities involved in it.
IL, width throaghOu, /, sufficient To al
luw Of two large merchantmen or of a aser-
chastnan and battleShip passing each
other. bat it i not sufficient for the pass
ing II two bsttleships withou, ni>k of ac-
ci,lent aud accordingly 1t six different
points along the route the canal bnadens
ga, to width of 32S feet at the top and
81 49, fee, at the bottom
HOW rHE CANAL T. BRfDGED.
The canal i cr,-~ed by four lines oi
railway aud one Roadway but in ne ease
has this been allowed 10 interfere with its
navigation by the largest sized vessels
At Criminal ami at Ieyensan. the latter
nos far from kiel ii i cres,ed by naguih
cent bridges Of s. ieet span and aiiordine
clear. space between water aud bridge ii
49, feet l0 inches. sufficient TO admit OF
the passage of the highest masted ships
afiuat sith the lowering. IN few exeep-
tional cases, Of the top gallant royal.
Near Bransbuttel a double swing bridge,
consisting Of two parallel and entirely IN
dependent sections. each having single
track, eanies over the canal the railway
from stzehoe To Heide At Rendsburg,
the nost important point between the tive
extremities. the railway from that city to
Neumanster, i carried over by double
swing bridge similar 10 the one at Bruins
buttel and here there Is still another swing
bridge for the purposes of ordinary traffic.
A. the canal runs from sea to sea,
through comparatively level country, the
only locks that il has been found necessary
to construct are at the two extremities, that
at the western end being for the purpose
Of maintaining absolute control over what
ever change of level may be caused by
the ebb and flow of the tide. and that al
the eastern for use when, and only when,
the height of the water is affected by
storms, the Baltic being tideless.
VAST BENEFITS To COMMERCE WILL RE
SULT.
Ii needs only the most rldimentary
knowledge of the geography OF Northern
Europe to understand that the commerce
10 be served and still further developed by
this great enterprise Is one of enormous
magnitude 1t embraces not only that OF
the German ports of Kiel, Lubbock Dant
zic, Stettin and Konigsberg, with %, 444
vessels entered and cleared in 1892. but
that Of the great Russian commercial EN-
poria of ST. Petersburg, Riga and Revel,
with nearly 10, 900 entries and clearances,
and also that of the Swedish capital,
Stockholm. and many minor seaports.
For every one of the 30, 600 or more YES
sels that enter the Baltic annually the
canal will save from 200 to 1000 miles it
distance and from 6 to 80 hours in time
ON the voyage out and home.
E Between any point in the Baltic and the
German North) Sea ports of Hamburg
. Bremen and Emden there will be a saving
of 325 to 490 miles each way; on the
voyage to or from Amsterdam, Rotterdam