Arizona republican., 1902-01-17

Washington, Jan. 16.-'Great Canals of the World" is the title of study prepared by the treasury bureau of statistics for publica- tion in the forthcoming volume of the Monthly Summary oi Commerce and Finance. It shows the commerce, 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 to accommodate the great modern vessels plying upon such waters are of comparatively recent production and few in number. The one great ex- ample of works of this character which has been a sufficient length Of time in existence and operation to supply satisfactory data as to cost of main tenance and operation and practical value to the commerce of the world is the Suez canal, and for this the available statistics begin with the year 1870, while it's new and enlarged dimen- sions only date from the year 1896. For the Sault Ste Marie canal, connecting Lake Superior with Lake Huron, sta tistics date from 1855, though for the canal in it's present form they cover but about four years. Statistics Of the Welland canal date from 1867, but the canal in it's present enlarged form they cover only two years of opera tion. The other great ship canals of the world are of much more recent con struction and data regarding their operation therefore cover d compara- lively brief term, and in some cases are scarcely at present available in detail
 The artificial waterways which may properly be termed ship canals are nine in number, viz:
 l. The Suez canal begun in 1859 and completed in 1889:
 2. The Cronstadt and St. Petersburg canal, begun in 1877 and completed in 1890;
 3. The Corinth canal, begun in 1884 and completed in 1893;
 A. The Manchester ship canal, com pleted in 1894:
 5. The Kaiser Wilhelm canal, con- meeting the Baltic and North seas. completed in 1895;
 6. The Elbe and Trave canal con opened in 1900;
 :. The Welland canal. connecting Lake Erie with Lake Ontario;
 and 9. The two canals. United States and Canada, respectively, con meeting Lake Superior and 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 s100. 900. 900. the present depth thirty-one feet width at bottom 10S feet and at the surface 420 feet. and that the number of yes sels passing through it has grown from 4S6 in 1870. to 1,494 in 1875. POPS in 1890 and 3.441 in 1900. The tolls charged are about g per net registered ton.
 The Cronstadt and St. Petersburg canal which gives a passageway for great vessels to St. Petersburg. is six teen miles long, including the deepen ing of the bay channel, twenty and one-half feet in depth. and the total cost estimated at s10.O00,000.
 The Corinth canal. which connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Gulf of Aegina, is four miles in length, twenty six and one-quarter feet in depth, sev- enty-two feet wide at the bottom, cost about S5.O0O,00O. and reduces the sail ing distance about 1I5 miles. The aver age tolls charged are IS cents per ton and 70 cents per passenger.
 The Manchester ship canal. which connects Manchester. England. with the Mersey river and Liverpool, and