Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-12-07
GREAT ENGINEERING pRoJEc

GREAT ENGINEERING PROJECTS.
The greatest engineering projects which
| were brought to completion in the nine
| tenth century were the Suez canal and
the Pacific railroad. The two made posi-
BILE an almost direct line of travel around
the globe, seven-eighths of which is water
and one-eighth land.
However, as We are told by Mr.. Walter
years of the century have been pregnant
of engineering proposals so vast that the
| accomplished ones fade by comparison.
First and foremost at least from our own
standpoint, is the Nicaragua canal. That
this canal will be completed within few
years no one can longer doubt. The Span
ish war gave it an impetus that will not
be stayed until the work is fully finished
and ships are passing across the isthmus
from one ocean to the other.
Another great achievement in engineer
| ing that is nearing completion is the trans
| Siberian railroad. 1t is believed that this
road sweeping across something like 4,525
miles of Siberian and Manchurian desert,
will be open for public traffic by the be-
ginning of 1903.
Another great railroad enterprise is the
English cape to Cairo line OF this, 1,3A
miles have already been built from Cairo
southwark, together with 1873 miles from
Cape Town northward, leaving but 1850
miles to build in bridging the gap. The
engineering difficulties across this gap are
not half so difficult as those encountered
in building the Pacific railroad. and few
years are sure to see the line finished.
Then for the first time single line of rail-
road will span a whole continent across its
longest way.
However, neither the Russian nor the
African lines are the most pretentious of
all that have been proposed. There has
been for some years a proposal before the
American people to build the connecting
links which would complete road length
wise across both Of the American con-
tinents. A few years ago commission
was appointed by congress to investigate
! the feasibility of this route and to make
preliminary surveys. The report of this
commission was to the effect that prac-
ticable route might be found and that the
road could be completed at an outlay of
about 100000 900. 1t was accompanied by a
map showing that by constructing 5,42s
miles Of track continuous route could be
had from New York city to Buenos Ayres.
The whole distance between these places
is 1921 miles, but roads are already In
operation over 4.169 miles. The gaps to be
closed are 461 miles In Mexico. S21 in Guate-
mala, San Salvador, Honduras. Nicaragua
and Costa Rico. 1854 in Colombia. 65s in
Ecuador, 1888 in Peru, 3o2 in Bolivia and IL
, in Argentina. The difficulties are more
serious than in either the Siberian or AT
rican railroad, but it is believed that the
, rewards would be commensurately greater
Another bold railroad enterprise pro
. posed is a line from London to Hong
, Kong. though it has never been surveyed
, and is not an early possibility.
| But an even holder proposal once came
, from the late Ex-Governor Gilpin, of Col
orado. He proposed to unite the entire
TdITO6u SystchS VI hSuAoPS' <hSA@ eAi'>
| America by building line through North
e ern Siberia across Boring strait to Alaska
and thence down the British Columbi;
, coast to the Pacific roads now in opera
I ton. BOLD as this scheme may seem,
= says Mr.. Hamm, there is really nothing
impracticable about it. With the aid o
, modern methods 1t presents fewer Difficult
tba h,,;Id ~ popifc
e did in 1865. The only great obstacle to b.
i overcome is Boring strait. The narrow
I est part of the strait is from Cape Primo
i Of Wales. in Alaska, to East Cape, II
Siberia, a distance of only forty-eigh
: miles. But almost exactly in the middl
a lies the island Of Diomede. with an are
q as large as Manhattan island. New York
I If the depth of water at this part of tn
>. strait is. as claimed. only forty feet. wit
: a firm. solid bottom for piers. there ar
= no insurmountable obstacles in the wa
of the erection Of bridge from shore t
shore"
4. While we are planning to connect tn
It Atlantic and Pacific oceans, other coun
l. tries are also scheming for new water
re ways. France already has surveyed
le route by which the Atlantic ocean an
er the Mediterranean can be connected acros
lie her own domain. By using the river
lie Loire and Rhone. whose head waters arts
Re almost at the same spot, though runnin
or in different directions. canal may b
le constructed which will give entrance (
t. the Mediterranean far north Of the Strait
IT of Gibraltar. thus dividing with Englan
er the monopoly which she now holds on tn
is nose Of Spain. At the same time Russi