The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-11-27
a sHrr CANAL INSIDE HArrEaAs.
a scheme for Avoiding the worlds
Most Dangerous Cape.

Most Dangerous Cape.
From the Boston Herald
Cape Hatteras. tho most dangerous
point on our Atlantic seaboard. viii cease
20 exist as q menace 90 coastwIse navi-
cation II the present plans Of the United
States government are carried out. For
generations the name OF Cape Haueras
has becu synonymous with storms. ship
wreck and loss % life an sorts OF
schemes have been proposed 10 minimize
It's dangers
Millions OF dollars have been spent IN
attempts 10 properly light the celebrated
Diamond shoals which surround Cane
Hatteps. II was found impossible. after
years % labor 10 build lighthouse
there. The heaviest and stanchest light
ship ever constructed was placed 40 Dia-
mord shoals. only % be blown away from
her giant mushroom anchors
And during an this while steamers lost
their bearings. vessels were driven ashore
and millions q dollars worth Of property
ara hundreds Of lives continued 90 be
lost. Every winter brought a long record
OF disasters on Cape HaHaras
The sailor coming from san Francisco
dreaded this one spot more than anv
other In tho long voyage round the Horn
Wide berth. Bur H has remained as a per-
manent menace 10 navigation and has
done more 20 lniure coastwlse commerce
on the Atlantic than any other agency.
And now,by means Of an ingenious and
thoroughly practicable system OF inland
cenals and channels. The coastwise trade
viii be- enabled TO pass behind Cape Hat
tcsns. protected from the fury ~ the
ocean the whole way down the coast by
low-lyinr sand bars
The Dismal swamp canal a miserable
ditch Of comparaUt cly small Importance.
is TO be deepened through IT'S whole
length. Here. bOrdered by cypress gum
and magnolia. large coastwise vessels can
sail or tow 10 safety.
The extra Insurance now put on ships
because OF Cape Hatteras ana its dangers
Will. 90 IS claimed. more than pay for the
cost Of towage IN this new inside route
The saving ia time will be great and the
safety 90 human life will be an item Of
no small importance.
Tho magnificent fleet OF yachts kent In
northern waters can then pass up ana
down the coast In comfort and safety
when the inside route is finished. a great
advance 10 coastwise transportation is ex-
pect'd 90 take place
In carrying out the terms Of a bill pass
"a at che last session % Congress. tho
engineer corps Of the army is now engag-
ed in making preliminary survey for an
inside passage from Chesapeake bay
70 Beaufort inlet. This will obvIate thc
necessity for coasting vessels rounding
Cape Hatteras
An inside passage from Boston 10 Flor
Ida IS believed by officials 20 be one OF
the possibilities OF the future The pres
ent plan is looked az as the nrst ana
most important step In this development
To a large extent the proposed water
way DIS a natural one. ana 60 Mt q fo-
the passage Of vessels OF che larger class
a. contemplated ia the survey now being
made, % is simply matter Of dredging
channels through the various sounds ~
ing back OF the narrow strip Of land
which forms Cape Hatteras and the dan
gerous coast on iis north and south
There are two corps OF engineers work
ing on the survey. one under Mai J. b
Quinn. surveying south from Norfolk
along the route OF the Dismal Swamp ca
nal. which IL is proposed 20 utilize. and
one under Capt 2. W. Van Lucas work
ing north from Beaufort inlet Il g. ok
pectei that the reports Of these officers
VIII De ready 20 present 20 Congress when
10 next meets, when an appropriation for
beginning the work Will be urged
Hampton Roads. which will be the
northern entrance 10 the inside passage.
is considered one OF tho safest and most
easy OF access OF any harbor on the
ooIst Vessels viii pass into the Eliza
beth river a. Norfolk and thence down
'he Dismal Swamp canal 10 Pasquotauk
Fer. into Alhemarle sound through Cro-
attn sound. Pamlioo sound Core sound.
Back sound and Beaufort harbor
Tho length Of Dismal Swamp canal Is
IS miles This canal VIII have 20 be wild
-red and made double its present denth
~ eight feet Dredging 10 about the same
extent viii have 10 he done IN the Pasquo-
.auk river for twenty-siN miles
Iu Albemarle sound the work 10 be done
viii not he great. ns "a has good navi-
gable depth. Cro1tan sound. which g.
the name applied 10 tho body OF water
lying west Of Roanoke Island and con-
Meeting Alhemarle and Pamlico sounds.
has a width of seven miles and a depth
of but nine feet Roanoke sound on the
other side OF the ISLAND has a depth or
but four feet.
Pamlico sound. which lies next 70 tho
south. is the largest body Of water IN
North Carolina. II Is separated from
the Atlantic only nv narrow beach eW-
tending from Bodie Island Ugh house 70
Cape Hatteras. distance OF about thirty
five miles. and thence IN q southwesterly
direction FOR another thirty-nves miles
the turn forming the cape Tho distance
along the center length OF this sound g.
about sixty miles.
It's greatest width IS about twenty-four
miles. and Il has q general depth % BE-
tween three and four fathoms Though
separated throughout its length from the
Atlantic by only a narrow beach which
IN some PLACES IS but quarter ~ mile
wide there are only three inlets throurh
which vessels can enter from seward
namely. oregon. Hatteras and Ocracoke
inlets The latter entrance q Is proposed
20 dredge and keep open, though Il IS