Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-08-05
A SHORT CUT.
PUGET SOUND AND GRAY'S HAIR
BOR CANAL.


of Opposition Raised on the
Ground of Impractical bility.
The great Architect created all
things with design and economical
purposes, which in time served the re-
quirements of population; but it was
left to the Spanish sages to proclaim
to the world that changes were neither
feasible nor practicable because they
were beyond their comprehension.
The historian tells us that there was
q project to connect Madrid and Lis
bon by water carriage, under Charles
the Second, but the Council of CASTLE,
after full deliberation, answered, "That
if God had chosen to make these rivers
navigable he could have done so with
out the aid of man, and therefore,
such project would be in direct vio-
latiOn of the Divine DEGREES and an
impiOus attempt to improve the works
of Providence" Had these wiseacres
been conversant with the early dawn
of history, they would have known
that when Queen Semiramis (B. c.
1916 laid the foundation of the city
OF Babylon on the plains of Shinar, a
a branch OF the river Euphrates divid-
ed the eitys site through the center,
north to south. TO prevent damage,
both to the new city and the overflow
ing OF the surrounding country from
the foundations caused by the melting
SHOWS from the mountains of Ar
menia, the builders found it necessary
to change the course of the river by two
artificial canals, which turned the
course of the waters into the river
Tigris before they reached Babylon,
thus leaving the channel dry whilst
they raised prodigious banks on both
sides of the river, built with bricks
cemented with bitumen, which work
began at the head of the artificial Ca
nal, and extended below the city, to
keep the river within bounds.
Every age has its problem, by solv-
ing which humanity is helped forward,
and God gives men, in such times,
with strong minds, great hearts, and
true faith to work such designs. Look
at the splendid works OF antiquity,
which dazzle the mind and stimulate
the imagination of statesmen and engi-
neers. Who is not conversant with
the history OF Joseph of the Bible, in
Egypt. But that story is incomplete.
Let us follow Diodorus, the Sicilian
geographer, who thus describes what
he saw during his visit in that part Of
Egypt: "a little south OF Memphis,
a canal was cut for a lake, brought
down in length from the city forty
miles. Its usefulness was worthy of
all admiration and the magnitude OF
the work incredible. The circuit OF
the lake is said to be $50 miles and in
many places it is 800 feet in depth.
Who is he," he exclaims, "that con-
siders the greatness of the undertak-
ing and does not feel impelled to ask :
How many thousands of workmen
were employed and how many years
were spent in completing itr Engi-
neers in our day have surveyed this
work of the great Hebrew premier, in
the province of Ben Jusuf, whose sa-
gacity founded the fortunes Of his
race. For if the Arab tradition is cor
rect, King Raiyan invested Joseph with
the insignia of prime minister as re-
ward for about 100000 acres of land
perennially irrigated. Well may mod
ern engineers claim this patriarch as
the founder of their profession. To.
day, we have to deal with transporta-
ton canals such as were cut through
the district of Ningpo 400 B. c. and
now extending through all the valleys
of China. Amongst all of these the
Great Canal takes precedence. At the
time of its construction, there was no
similar waterway in the world. AS
early as 1856 Father Magilliam writes
that he navigated the grand canal and
other rivers for more than l 800 miles
without going by land more than one
days journey. OF European nations,
in canal building, France takes the
lead, having spent since 1880, $S7 900, :
600 on her 1860 miles of navigable
waterways, 70 miles OF canals recently
constructed. Germany has completed
her Baltic and North Sea canal at a
cost of $4O,l5O,S3S. The Manchester
canal to Liverpool cost $73, ,75O, 900,
and even Ancient Rome to-day has a
project for a canal to the sea.
The question arises, what advantages
are there in canal carriage in a land
of railways, traversing the country
through. We will answer by abridg-
ing Evan r. Jones' U. S. Consul at
at Cardiff, Wales, report on Canals
"Q) 1t admits of any class OF goods
being carried in the manner and at
the speed which proves the most econ
omical and suitable for it, without the
slightest interference with any other