Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-08
/.

Correspondence Of The Bee.)-
- This is the age Of railroads. 1t
R promises also to be the age OF
- canals. Water transportation is
still cheaper than any other, and the Eu-
Topean nations are deepening their rivers
and constructing canals to Join their water
ways. 1t Is only a question of time when
the United States will do the same, and
when we shall have ship canals joining
some OF the principal parts of our country.
/ came from Antwerp to Rotterdam by
boat to learn something about the canals
OF the Dutch, and since then / have visited
their waterways in the north. Holland Is
the canal land Of the world. 1t has more
interior waterways than any region except
the Yangtse Kiang valley about Shanghai,
HAngchow and Soochow. 1t is, all told,
only about as big az Massachusetts but If
you could stretch its navigable waterways
out In one straight line they would carry
you from New York to San Francisco and
almost back to Chicago before you got to
the end of them. There are in all about
two thousand miles of canals-enough to
reach from New York to Denver-and also
three thousand miles of other waterways,
including little rivers and the mouths OF
the Scheldt and Rhine. and also the Zuy-
der Zee and other places where the north
ohh OSOah AuhS ihNO lub ldnu'
Indeed, there is so much water here that
one OF the most important duties of the
government is the taking care of it. The
government has a department known as
rhe Waterstaat, and the queen has in her
cabinet a minister of waterways. This
department has some OF the best OF civil
engineers. II has men who devote them
selves to studying how to keep the North
sea from rushing In and drowning out the
country, for almost one-half OF Holland is
below the ocean, so that in some places
the fishes outside swim high above the
level of the matched house roofs. It has
men who are engaged in planning and
building chip canals, such as the mighty
waterways which connect Amsterdam with
the ocean, and It has others who are schem-
ing how TO build a great dyke across the
zuyder Zee to redeem as much land as a
good-sized Texas county, which, when re-
deemed. will be worth hundreds Of dollars
an acre.
This undertaking is for a time in abey-
ance. but there is no doubt that II will
eventually be carried out. The Dutch have
done much OF such reclamation In the past.
About nifty years ago they lifted 1000, 000,-
900 tons OF water cut OF the region near
HARLEM, and made seventy square miles OF
good farming land. II cost them more than
81, 800, 900, but the land was worth II. In
another place they have redeemed Al. 200
acros at a cost OF about 1000. 900, and as
soon as the work was dcne a foreign syndi-
cate offered them 81. 900, 900 for the prop
erty as a whole. The government refused
this offer, and eventually got several hun
dred thousand dollars more than II cost It
TO make the improvement.
As to the zuyder Zee scheme, this is a
bigger one than any that has yet been UNI
dertaken. 1t is estimated that II will cost
over S75. 900, 900. but It will result in the
reclamation OF a vast tra,t OF land. The
work will take thirty-three years, and the
taxes on the land recovered will then bring
In $4,000 900 a year to the government,
making the matter n good longtime invest
ment. At present the government is afraid
OF II, and although all the plans have been
completed no work has been actually done.
Have you ever heard of ICELAND? 1t is
the southeastern province Of Holland. con-
slsting OF nine islands lying in the mouths
OF the Scheldt and the Mas, formed by the
silt brought down by these rivers. The
most OF the province is below sea level,
being protected against the ocean by mighty
dykes. 1t was through this province that /
came from Antwerp to Rotterdam on the
little steamboat Telegraf III.
As / rode down the Scheldt | passed the