The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-17

City OF Mexico, which 10 In q valley sur
rounded by mountains. and elevated only
four or i've feet above a lake having nc
outlet. Attempts to drain tho lake havt
besn made in vain for 600 years. It hal
] lately been accomplished by q tunnel siz
miles long through the mountains and
canal of over thirty miles. the whole work
costing some $40. 0Co.o 900.
The drainage of Chicago by locks and
canal into the Illinois River has cost some
$4,000. 900. and Is well worth its cost.
Scientific research has been applied te
the designing Of high masonry and concrete
dams, n we know now that no well-de-
signed dam on . good foundation should
fail. The dams now building across the
Nile by order Of the British Government
will create the largest artificial lakes in
the world. The water thus stored will be
Of inestimabls value in irrlgating the crops
Of Lower Egypt. Their cost, although great,
will not exceed the sums spent by lavish
Khedive Ismail on useless palaces, now fall
ing to decay.
The suez Canal is ono of the greatest n.y.
draulic works Of the last century. and Is a
notable instance Of the displacement of
| hand labor by the use OF machinery. Is
mail began by impressing a large part OF
the peasant population of Egypt. Just as
| Rameses had done over 1900 years before.
These unfortunate people were set to dig
in the sand with rude hoes. and carry 1t
away in baskets on their heads. They died
by thousands for want Of water and prop
er food. At last the French engineers per-
suaded the Khedive to let them introduce
steam dredging machinery. A light railway
was laid to supply provisions, and a small
ditch dug to bring pure water. The number
OF men employed fell to one-fourth. Ma
chinery did the rest. But for this the canal
would never have been finished.
The Panama Canal now uses the best
modern machinery. and the NICARAGUA
Canal. If built. will apply still better meth
DDS developed on the Chicago Drainage
Canal. where material was handled at a
less cost than has ever been done before.
Russia is better supplied with internal
waterways than any other country. Her
rivers rise near each other, and have long
been connected by canals. 1t is stated that
she has over GO,GN miles of internal navi-
cation. and is now preparing the construc-
ton OF canals TO connect the Caspian with
the Baltic Sea.
Thu Erie Canal was one of very small
cost. but its influence has been surpassed
by none. The winning of the West was
hastened many years by the construction OF
this work in the first quarter of the CEN
fury. Two horsea were just able to draw
a ton of goods at the speed of two miles
an hour over the wretched roads of those
days. When the canal was made these
two horses could draw a boat carrying $50
tons -FOUR miles an nOur. Nuu, OF, H. otheE
words. friction. is the great enemy Of civil
~lization. and canals were the first things
to diminish 1t. and after that railways.
The Erie Canal was made by engineers.
but it had to make its own engineers first,
as there were none available in this coun-
try at that time. These self-taught men.
some Of them land surveyors and others
lawyers. shove themselves the equals of
the Englishmen. Brindley and Smeaton.
when they located a water route through
the wilderness. having a uniform descent
from Lake Erie to the Hudson. and which
would nave been so built II there had been
enough money.
The question now Is whether to enlarge
the capacity of this canal by gravity. en-
larging its prism and locks, or to increase
speed and move more boats in a season by
appliances. The last method seems
more in line with those of the present day.
There should be a waterway from the
to Lake Erie large enough for ves- |
sells able to navigate the lakes and the
ocean. A draft of twenty-one feet can be
had, at a cost estimated at 500. 00. 900.