The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-07-25
SOME CHAT ABOUT CANALS.



Canals for irrigation and navigason
are as old as the Oldest ciyliizauon Oh
,vhloh we have any knowledge snd SO
lonr. at any rate. as ships pbwS the
seas or until aerial navigation reyolu-
,ionjzes all present means OF trans
nort saws the London Mail. canals viii
meyer become altogether obsolest. and
many of them Joining as they do one
twin sea to another. Will always be of
vital importance, particularly TO mari ?
| time countries.
OF the canals that have been cut, the
most notable examples are the Suez
Canal. between the Mediterranean and
Red seas. in the old world. and the
sault Ste. Marie, between Lakes Su-
perior and Huron, In the new.
Some natural channels, such as the
Caslqulare one OF several branches
which unite the Orinoco with the Rio
Negro, a tributary of the Amazon, are
ready-made canals. Others, like the
Lukuga which discharges into Lake
Lanji can expansion OF the Upper
Kongo) the overflow from Lake Tan
gany.ka, are Intermittent.
OF canals yet TO be cut or completed,
probably the most important are the
Panama and the Nicaragua canals,
both across the narrow neck OF land
which unlles the two great Western
continents.
OF the Panama Canal. which has
financially proved so disastrous TO
thousands OF thrifty Frenchmen, about
two-iifths are finished, and the rest VIII
be completed doubtless by English
energy and capital. The Nicaragua
Canal, Is, for the most part, ready
made-of a total length OF about liO
miles. Not more than 80 miles VIII
have to be excavated. 1t will extend
| from Greytown. at the mouth or the
| San Juan river, on the Atlantic side,
| 10 Brito. on the Pacific coast, and VIII
| have six locks three at the eastern and
three at the western divide.
The United l.ates has got what may
! be termed an exclusive optlon on thls
| vet to-be-cut interoceanlc waterway,
| and has warned the world That us
banks viii be regarded as virtually a
part of it's coast-line and an extension
| OF it's frontier.
shortcut across the lslAmus or
| Krah would enable vessels 10 pass ul-
rectly from the Indian Ocean TO the
Gulf OF Siam and the emma seas, li,i alin
thus save the long passage through
the Straits of Malacca and round SIN
gapore. Some enterprisng American
, capitalists propose 10 cut canal rlshl
across the narrowest part or florlua'
and this. no doubt. will soon follow tue
completion OF the Nicaragua canal
The Japanese, prompted py haVal eAl- eA
gencies. &c about 10 cut sea'to-sea
canal so that their smaller war yes
sells can pass quickly from the racine
10 the sea Of Japar and vice versa.
| Rusaia. by her new Black Sea ana
Baltic ship canal. Will connect her
naval port of Nicolaieif in the souIh
with the arsenal OF I4ibau in the north'
and this canal Will also, no doubt, De
of considerable commercial utillty.
The Belgians, desirous, perhaps, OIL
emulating our Manchester snip canal
are making both Brussels and Bruge'
"norts de mer," while the French have
n big project In the shape OF shli
canal right across France, VIDE ans
deep enough for the largest patliesnlp
To pass from the Mediterranean mt
the channel without running the risl
of becoming targets for our monste
100-ton guns at Gibraltar. GefInan'
already has n waterway from the ED
10 Kiel Bay. by which she can with
draw or reinforce her North sea o
Baltic fleets without roundlng IN
! Skaw. Canada Is now completlns ne
magnificent canal system so that YES
sells may pass from end TO END OF IN
: great lakes through British waters
| chicago is making a huge dralnag
canal at cost of $S000O,0oo.
Canals and particularly ship canal
are costly undertakings The sue
Canal cost slO0OOO0OO the Manehes.e s,t
0 shin Canal 500 900. 900. the North Sc
canal. s37, 500, 900. the North Hollan
and the Corinth Canals sl5,000OOO eacf
, while the partly completed Panam
canal has swallowed mp over SZoo'
000. 900.
: Still. some canals are financial sue
, cesses Off one may say So the mrs
: water. The Khedive.s shares IN IN
suez Canal. purchased by the BIRTHS
a Government in 1876 for S20,00o.OG0, ar
A now worth over $i10,000 600, and thei
: value is increasing.