The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-15
ACROSS EUROPE BY BOAT.
The Latest scheme for "a Great Trans
Russia Canal.

From the London Mail
1t has been freely stated that the
monumental railway enterprise of the
10Th century viii be the transS Siberian
railroad Considering that when this
tremendous length OF line is completed
the Pacific iltoral will be brought into
direct railway communication with the
North sea. one cannot but pause for a
moment to admire the enterprise OF a
nation which in some quarters has been
looked upon for many years as one more
or less barbaric.
There is no question that Russia is
marching onward with firm and yig0t-
Gus steps, and i'll engineering bids fair
to compete with any of the oldest and,
presumably. more intelligent countries.
Its latest engineering scheme is one
which is likely to put into insignificance
any other undertakings of like char
acter 1t is nothing less than to build
a gigantic waterway from the Black sea
to the Baltic: in other words, a canal
deep enough and wide enough to carry
cargo steamers from the north of Rus
STA to the south, or vice versa At the
present time the country Of Russian Po
land in the watershed of the Dneiper
is being actively surveyed toward this
end. and early next year ii is expected
that the work of constructing this g-
gantic canal will begin.
\ glance al the map will reveal the
fiat marsh lands adjacent To the
Dneiper should afford excellent oppor-
tunities for rapid work in connection
with the enterprise in hand. The
scheme at present is to take advantage
of the river Duna from the port Of
Riga on the Baltic coast to the town If
Dunaburg, in Poland. Here canal will
be cut to the river Beresina, which
flows into the Dneiper which itself,
after passing through kiey and Eka-
ierinosiay, empties into the Black sea a
kherSon. close To Odessa. The canal
will, when completed. be In every way
as great in its possibilities as the pres
ent Suez canal. for MOI only is it intend
ed for the development of commerce.,
but II will be built large. deep and wide
enough To allow of the passage of iron
elads and oceangoing steamers.
The enormous trade which has been
done during the past 30 years on the
Caspian To kazan and Nijni SeNgorod
in interior Russia has undoubtedly been
the incentive toward Russia's latest ell
terprise. One has only TO think that a
present the Black sea forms little more
than "A lake for Russian steamers to
1ealize to the fullest the possibilities
which this new canal has in the future
The passage IL the Bosphorus and the
Dardanelles sinks into insignificance
considerably. and the strategieal posi-
ton of Constantinopie will be rendered
practically obsolete The Dneipef river,
next to the Nolga. is the largest water
way in European Russia. 1t is navie-
able for considerable distance, but IL
is intended TO thoroughly excavate the
bed and to render ii in every way prac-
ticable for navigation, SO that six knots
an hour can be maintained by the pass
ing vessels.
The further development Of the I'M
IpgT1 Elnn will hA the sending of
branch lines from the different sections
of the state railway TO connect with the
various new ports which will be built
ON the banks. The towns of Disma
Mozsf cernigov. Aster, Zitomer and
Poltoya lie on the route of the proposed
canal, and il requires very little exertion
of thought TO imagine what will be the
future of these centers, which hitherto
have snbs.sted mainly on agricultural
pursuits and the telling Of timber.
Probably one of the biggest industries
which The canal will affect will be the
ell trade Of the Caucasus. Al present
the great oil wells near Baku give over
their product to ships on the Caspian
sea. which only trade on the Nalga and
the TRIAL Western Russia Is reached by
means Of The trans-Gaucasiah railway
from Baku via Tifiis to Batoumn. where
the oil is shipped from the crilnean or
Southern Russian ports. The compile
ton Of the new canal will mean that
the oil fleet will be able 10 traverse The
Black sea. the Baltic Black sea canal
and at Riga he in position 10 GO
straight round 10 ReFel st. Petersburg
or to supply the big ports on the Fin
nish coast. or go westward u Sweden
and Norway.
The present estimate q tHe GSf 1f
construction Of this canal IS E2l ugo.9 400
and this will include the lightning IL
electricity It the canal along is Whole
length Of some 600 miles
sprouts.