Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-03-11
NEWEST SHIP CANALS.I
A GREAT WATERWAY BEING BUILT
ACROSS RUSSIA.

VIC Nuhtt PioJOSto thut IA Y
making most rapid progress is the
Russian canal across western Russia,
from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Work on the canal began last spring,
and four years will be required to
complete it. 1t is to be 1850 miles
long, and will extend from the port of
Riga, on the Baltic, to the mouth Of
the Dnieper River, on the Black Sea.
The new waterway will be large enough
to permit the largest warships to pass
through. 1t will have width at the
top of oil feet and III feet at the
bottom, with depth of 2Sl feet.
Starting from Riga the route follows
the Dwina River to Dunaberg. From
this point the canal will be dug to
Lepel upon the Beresina River. 1t
will then follow this stream to the
Dnieper, which it will descend to the
sea. The route thus utilities the
river courses which are to be canal
lied, and of the total length of the
canal only 125 miles will be dug. The
canal is being so strongly built that
vessels may steam through it at rate
of six knots an hour. 1t will take six
days for large vessels to pass through
it, travelling night and day. The canal
is to he lighted throughout by cleo
trcity, and the total cost is estimated
at about 500, 00O,0 900. To enlarge the
comm ercial area to be served it is pro-
posed to utilize numerous secondary
rivers and thus connect the canal with
the important towns of Mozyr, Cher
nigov, Jitomir, Poltava and others.
The success of the Manchester ship
canal has led Belgium to think of a
similar undertaking for the benefit Of
Brussels. The project is to mako
Brussels maritime port, with large
dock accommodation and a basin for
shipping comprising about 30, 900
acres. The work has not yet begun,
but there is no doubt it will be carried
ont. The canal will be about seventy
five miles long. The Belgians are
among the best canal builders of the
world, and great deal of their in
ternal commerce is carried on the
twenty-nine canals now in operation.
There is no telling when the pro-
posed Florida ship canal, designed to
save some hundreds of miles of travel
around the end of the peninsula, will
be carried out. The projectors of this
enterprise, however, have made prog
ress in the study of available routes
for thc canal. The route selected by
tie late Genera Stone has been pro-
noanced impracticable by Engineer
Cafnll, who reports that a tidewater
canal is out of the question, and that
the only practicable route for ship
canal is on lock system, beginning
ut the harbor of st. Augustine, going
straight to st. Johns River, 15l miles,
up that river ten miles, thence to
Orange Lake, %, miles, through that
lake nine miles, thence to the Gulf,
south of Wacassassee Bay. the near
est deep water, 45, miles. The total
length of the canal is to be 10S miles.
The Panama Canal Company has
completed the Boca dock, the Pacific
terminus of the canal. 1t remains to
he seen whether vessels will use this
dock. The tide fuctuation at Panama
amounts to oyer twenty-five feet, and
at tho lowest ebb the bottom of the
sea is exposed for mile or more from
the shore. Some persons express the
opinion that the dock will be great
success, while others think it will be
a complete failure, as, in their opinion,
vessels will not venture to tie up there.
The French Chamber has had be-
fore it for some time plan to connect
the Bay of Biscay with the Mediter-
ranean by ship canal. The plan is
to start from Bordeaux, follow the left
bank of the Garonne fora considerable
distance, then cross the river and re-
main on the right bank as far as Tou-
louise, where it will again pass to tho
other side. The canal will finally
cross the river third time and ter
inmate in the Gulf of Lyons near Mar
bonnie. It's length will be 1927 nautical
cal miles. One great advantage that
is urged in favor of the canal is that it
will give northern France sea COM
munication with its southern ports
without passing through the Strait of
dlDrdltuf.
The Suez Canal is as yet the only
great financial success among the ship
canals now in operation. It's total
traffic receipts for the half year end
ing June 80 last were IS, $780, 800. The
charges imposed by the canal company
are ST. per registered tonnage, and
ten of the German mail steamers alone
contribute annually about $500, 900 to
the canal company for passage or q
sum equal to nearly half the mail sub
sides received from the imperial Gov
eminent.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, between
the mouth of the Elbe ON the North
Sea and Kiel on the Baltic Sea, is
more than paying its expenses, and the
net income of the Manchester is slowly
increasing. The Isthmus of Corinth
Canal is only little over three miles
long, but it saves from 100 to 200
miles in the journey to Constantinople
and obviates the necessity of making
the dangerous passage around Cape
Matapan. 1t is not yet utilized by
shipping as much as was expected
New York Sun.
WISE WORDS.