The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-18

terest in Hamburgers, secured for his
project the attention and eventually
the support of the chancellor. But for
a long time it hung fire, for much the
same reasons which operate now to
block the English Channel tunnel
scheme. That is to Say, the military
party was sharply opposed to it.
Prussia and Germany had been made
by the sword, and it was natural that
Soldierly arguments should be listened
to first of al. Count Won Moltke de-
clared that canal like that would re-
quire a. whole army corps to stand
guard over it, and his hostility set the
note for all other military experts.
Many important commercial centres,
like Bresiau and Leipsic, saw too a
menace to their own business in any
thing which simplifed Baltic trade.
Little by little, however, as the new
empire emerged from its military stag
of development, and began to expand
its industrial and commercial life, Herr
Dahlstroen's scheme conquered its way
in popular estimation. Won MoltEe
himself was at last brought to see that
the facilities such canal would give
the German navy in case Of war out
weighed all objections on other
grounds. In 1886 the reichstag approx
ed the plan. On June 3, 1887, the vener-
able Emperor William, on his last visit
augurated the work.
1t is Characteristic of German exact
ness of method and performance that
the task has been conducted on time.
The contract said eight years, and
eight years il is. It IS understood too,
that the expense has been kept within
the original estimates still rarer
achievement. The whole cost was to
be f7, 500, 900, of which the kingdom of
Prussia contributes f2,50O,0O and the
imperial treasury the rest, and, as has
been said, there are no suggestions
that these limits have been exceeded.
This is far different story from that
which Manchester SOrrowfui1y recalls.
Her ship canal was to cost much less
than that, on the original plans-and
quite properly, for it is only trifie
more than half the length of the Baltic
canal-but in the end the bills have
footed up over Els, 000, 0c0, and the con-
Germ is next door to bankruptcy into
The bargain.
The Baltic canal-for by that name, to
avoid confusion with the Dutch water
way called the North Sea canal, it will
be generally known-almost rivals in
international Importance the Suez
canal itself. It is sixty-two miles long,
and stretches in a single level from the
Baltic to the open sea-estuary Of the
Elbe. Its eastern terminus is little
place called Holtenau, where, like the
old Elder canal, finished in 1884, it en-
tiers on the west side of the broad and
magnificent Kiel harbor, or Keller
Fjord. and thence to the Baltic. The
western terminus is an equally tiny
village, called Brunsbuttel, which lies
on the widening Elbe, ten miles across
from Cuxhaven. At each of these ter
rninal places there is an entrance lock,
500 feet long, and SO wide, with depth
of 80 feet on the sill; These are the
only locks on the whole work, and
these are more for emergencies than
steady work.
The work has not presented any ex-
eessive engineering difficulties. At two
points, however, the task was some
wha1 complicated. One of these is the
Meckelmoor, a low-lying, Doggy swamp
no the west Of Rendsburg. 1t was I'M
possible to cut a channel through this
In the ordinary way, and recourse was
had TO the device of bringing grear
sses Of sand from other parts Of the
excavation and tipping them into the
nnorass. with the result that the shtfty
and wet material, under pressure, was
forced inward and ont. The other point
was at Gruntha1, on the watershed
above mentioned. where particularly
deem cutting had to be made and an
extensive engineering plant employed
for long time. The total excavation
in all materials amounts TO 69,0G0,OOO
n1,bic wards. which is 16,50C000 more
shan at Manchester.
CuriouSly enough, most OF ehe con,
tractors at least for the sluiceS and
l-+ier masonry work, have been Dutch
srns. and the huge dredges and ex-
svators everywhere in evidence along
ne line of forks are called Hollandern
nv the pecsantry, on account OF tneir
,,i.ca of origin Great quantities Of
fr;cl[ have been used. both for locks,
brideas. sluices. etc, and to secure the
slopes toward the bottom under water;
rr'o e1,T2plv these, brick works were Quilt
IN the spot. At the busiest times,
10 coo men were employed. and the
591,rober is said to have averaged
nearly 5000 all tbs, year round. Twelve T:ts
Larrsclls we're built at different points
r1o,g fhe canal for their lodgment,
With, With a hospital fer each four barracks;
The work was carried out under direct
governneneal Inspection by t It y en
+e-ssrfre TO find that in Germany, as
in the United States, the native gets