New-York tribune., 1902-01-13
GREATCANALS OFTHE WORLD
STATISTICS OF THE NINE MOST IMPOR-
TANT-MUCH BUSINESS DONE
ON THEM.

TANT-MUCH BUSINESS DONE
ON THEM.
Washington Jan - (specaD.-"Great Canals of
the World" is the title of a study prepared by the
Treasury Bureau OF Statistics for publication in
the forthcoming volume Of the Monthly Summary
of Commerce and Finance" 1t shows the com
merce cost and dimensions Of the great canals Of
the world, especially those connecting great bodies
Of water. and which may be properly termed ship
canals.
Ship canals connecting great bodies Of water and
of sufficient dimensions 10 accommodate the great
modern vessels plying upon such waters OF
comparatively recent production and few In num-
Der. The one great example Of works of this char
acter which has been sufficient length of time in
existence and operation to supply satisfactory data
as to cost of maintenance and operation and prac-
teal value the commerce Of the world is the
Suez Canal, and for this the available statistics
begin with the year 1870 while its new and en-
larged dimensions only date from the year 1895.
For the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. connecting Lake
Superior with Lake Huron statistics date from
1855 though for the canal in its present form they
cover only about four years Statistics Of the
Weland Canal date from 1867, but for the canal in
its present enlarged form. cover only two years Of
operation. The other great ship canals OF the
world are of much more recent construction and
data regarding their operation. therefore cover
comparatively brief term, and in some cases are
scarcely present available in detail
The artificial waterways which may properly be
termed ship canals nine IN number. viz:
!. The suez Canal. begun in 1859 and completed
in 1863
Q The Cronstadt and St Petersburg Canal, be-
gun in 1877 and completed in 1890.
g. The Corinth Canal. begun in 1884 and
pleted in 1893
A. The Manchester Ship Canal completed IN 1884.
s. The Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, connecting the
Baltic and North completed in 1895.
G. The Elbe and Trave Canal connecting North
Sea and Baltic, opened in 1900.
Z. The Welland Canal. connecting Lake Erie with
Lake Ontario.
and O. The canals. United States and Ca
madam respectively. connecting Lake Superior with
Lake Huron.
The description which Is given OF each OF these
great waterways shows that the length of the Suez
Canal is about ninety miles. the cost 100000 the
present depth 81 feet, width bottom 10S feet and
the surface 42O feet, and that the number Of
vessels passing through IL has grown from 4s6 in
94 in 1875 2O26 in $780, $3.50 in 1880 and 344
in 1900 The tolls charged about 81 per net
registered
The Cronstadt and st. Petersburg Canal. which
gives passageway for great vessels TO St Peters
burg is sixteen miles long including the deepening
of the bay channel 201a feet in depth and the total
cost estimated at 100000.
The Corinth Canal. which connects the Gulf of
Corinth with the Gulf of l41gna, is four miles In
length. 2sA in Depth z feet wide at the bot
tom. cost about s. 100000 and reduces the sailing
distance about ITS miles The average tolls charged
are 1S cents ton and 20 cents a passenger.
The Manchester Ship Canal which connects
Manchester. England with the Mersey River and
Liverpool was opened in 1894. Its length is 351k
miles. depth 26 feet. width at bottom 100 feet and
at the surface 175 feet and cost s75OOOpoo The
commerce on the canal shows a growth from $40 2O4
tons in 1895 to 800 tons in 1900
The Kaiser Wilhelm Canal. which connects the
Baltic and North seas through Germany is sixty
one m miles hoft tn Length m 2 feet in depth Y feet wide
cost about s40.oo00oo The number Of vessels pass
2sos5 in 1900 Of which number 1916 Were Sailing
vessels The tonnage in 1897 1885, and in
A additional
the same bodies OF water by way of the. Elbe and
forty-one miles depth about 10 feet. width 72 feet
The great North Holland Canal. which connects
Amsterdam with the sea. cut in 1S45 but deepened
Width Of S feet at Rs q The % se 9@d
Canal. which connects the Atlantic and North Sea
90 feet in width at the bottom, 250 miles long, cost
sea level. The Canal du Midi cut through France
from Toulouse on the Garonne 10 Cette the
deep 60 feet wide and 500 feet above sea at its
highest point and nd has ia locks total cost
Lakes are the principal ship canals. and three
strgctea in 1873 and enlarged in 1s7 and 1909; the
epened IN s5 and enlarged IN and FSer he anada5
canal at St Mary's River opened in 1895. The
practicaiy identca in ton and densions ans a1s
are used interchangeably by vessels engaged in
Of the canals at the St MaTys River Is SUFFICIENT
the State Of Michigan but subsequently was taken
cost Of 81 10000 The cost Of the Weiand Canal
about 100000 largely due to the fact that
twenty-five locks are required in surmounting the
rise OF 327 feet in the distance of twenty-seven
canals fys river Freag s@fR9Fa sed
during the last few years. while the number pass
ing through the Welland Canal has materially de-
creased, the number passing through the St. Marys
canals being. in 1873. 2517, and In 1901, 2OoH OF
which Is S37 passed through the United States canal
and 4.2H through the, Canadian, The number of
vessels passing through the Welland Canal has de-
creased from s.425 in 1873 TO 2.2O2 in 1899. The
marked contrast between the business of the ST.
Mary's Falls and Weand canals IS largely due to
the fact that the freights originating in the Lake
Superior district chiefly discharged at Lake
Erie ports, and those destined for the Lake Su-
perior region are chiefly produced in the section
contiguous to Lake Erie, the Lake Superior
freiEhts being chiefly iron, copper and grain, and
MANUFACTURED The business OF the ST. Marys
Falls canals by far surpasses in volume that Of
any other canal of the world the freight tonnage
Of the American and Canadian canals combined
being In 1901 "a GIG s76 registered tons while the
tonnage OF the Suez Canal in 1900 was 37s52 tons
and that of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal 1882 094 tons