The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-28
LENGTH, DEPTH AND WIDTH
WITH COST OF CONSTRUCTION,
TOLLS, EARNINGS, ETC.
Interesting Information Furnished by
the Department of Commerce
at Wash ing ton.
Ipecial 70 the rndianapol's Journal.

Ill
milan canal at this time lends especial in
terest to a discussion OF the great canals or
the world, presented by the Department OF
Commerce and Labor through its Bureau
of Statistics The ship canals of the world.
it says, are nine in number, as follows:
l. The Suez canal. begun in 1859 and COM
pleted in 1869.
2. The Cronstadt and ST. Petersburg
canal. begun in 1877 and completed in 1880;
3. The Corfnth canal, begun In 1881 ana
completed In 1898.
4. The Manchester ship canal completed
in 1894.
5. The Kaiser Wilhelm canal connecting
6. The Elbe and Trave canal. connecting
the North Sea and Baltic. opened in 1900:
z. The Welland canal, connecting Lake
Erie with Lake Ontario.
and 9. The two canals. United States
and Canadian, respectively, connecting
Lake Superior with Lake Huron.
THE SUEZ CANAL.
The Suez canal is usually considered the
most important example of ship canals.
though the number of vessels passing
through it annually does not equal that
passing through the canals connecting Lake
Superior with the chain of great lakes at
the south. In length. however, 1t exceeds
any of the other great ship canals, it's total
length being ninety miles, OF which about
two-thirds Is through shallow lakes. The
material excavated was usually sand.
though in some cases strata of solid rock
from two to three feet in thickness were
encountered. The total excavation was
about 100000 cubic yards under the orig
five feet. In 1895 the canal was so enlarged
to give a depth of thirty-one feet,
width at the bottom of 10S feet and at the
surface of 40 feet. The original cost was
So, 100000, and for the canal in its present
form slightly in excess of $100.O00,OOO. The
number of vessels passing through the
canal In 1870 was 4S6, with a gross tonnage
of 654 9l5 tons; in. 1875, l. 94 vessels, gross
tonnage. 2,940 70S tons; in 1880, POPS vessels.
gross tonnage, 4,344,5ls tons; in 1890 1883
vessels, gross tonnage. ,129 tons: in
1895. 3.434 vessels gross tonnage, u.SSS.6S7
TONS and in 1900, 3,4H vessels with gross
tonnage of 13,6s9,237 tons. The revenue Of
the canal is apparently large In proportion
to it's cost, the Statesman's Yearbook for
1901 giving the net profits of 1899 at "a, 153 eco
francs, and the total amount distributed
among the shareholders 81, $50 OBS francs,
about 10 per cent of the estimated cost OF
| $l00 100000.
The canal is without locks, being at the
sea level the entire distance. The length
| of time occupied In passing through the
canal averages about eighteen hours. By
| the use of electric lights throughout the
entire length of the canal passages are
made at night with nearly equal facility 10
| that of the day. The tolls charged are
urement," which amounts to slightly more
| than So per ton United States net measure
| ment. Steam vessels passing through the
| canal are propelled by their own power.
The canal connecting the Bay of Cron-
| stadt with st. Petersburg is described as a
| work Of great strategic and commercial i'm
| portance to Russia. The canal and sailing
course in the Bay of Cronstadt are about
| sixteen miles long, the canal proper being
about six miles and the bay channel about
| ten miles, and they together extend from
| Cronstadt on the Gulf Of Finland, to st.
| Petersburg The canal was opened in 1890
with a navfgable depth Of 20l1 feet, the
| h laa-1 nE<r.
| the width ranges from 220 to $50 feet. The
total cost is estimated at about SO 900 900.
The next of the great ship canals con-
Meeting bodies of salt water in the order
of date of construction is the Corinth canal,
which connects the Gulf of Corinth with the
Gulf Of Aegina. The canal reduces the dis
| lance from Adriatic ports about LIS miles
and from Mediterranean ports about 100
miles. Its length is about four miles,
part of which was cut through granite soft
| rock and the remainder through soil. There
| are no locks, as is also the case in both the
| Suez and Cronstadt canals already de-
| scribed. The width of the canal is seventy
| two feet at bottom and the depth 264 feet.
| The work was begun in 1884 and completed
| in 1893 at cost of about IS. 100000 The
| erage tolls are is cents per ton and 20 cents
per passenger
MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL.
The Manchester ship canal, which con-
meets Manchester, England. with the Mer-
sey river, Liverpool and the Atlantic
| n, II. i,
The length of the canal is 35Ik miles, the
total rise from the water level to Manches-
ter being sixty feet. which IS divided be-
tween four sets Of locks giving an average
| TO each of fifteen feet The minimum width
| is 12O feet at the bottom and averages us
feet at the water level. though in places the
width is extended to 23O feet. The minimum
| depth is twenty-six feet and the time re-
quired for navigating the canal from five
| to eight hours. The total amount of exca-
| walton in the canal and docks was about
| As 600 eco cubic yards of which about one
| are operated by hydraulic power; railways
and bridges crossing the route Of the canal
have been raised TO give height of seven
ty-five feet to vessels traversjng the canal
and an ordinary canal whose route IL crosses
by a springing aqueduct composed of an iron
cost of the canal is given at $4,000 600 The
revenue in 1901, according TO the States
mans Yearbook. was f62l,12S. and the
working expense f4S3 267. For the half
year ending June 30, 1900. the canal yielded
G164S toward paying the f1j2,50o of inter-
est which the city OF Manchester has to pay
on the capital invested in the enterprise.
The freight-paying tolls on the canal
amounted to 1,4S7 s41 tons in the half year.
an increase of IL per cent. over that OF the
corresponding period OF the Preceding year.
Two canals connect the Baltic and North
! seas through Germany, the first, known as
the Kaiser Wilhelm canal, having been COM
| pleted in 1855 and constructed largely for
also of great value to general mercantile
traffc. Work upon the Kaiser Wilhelm
canal was begun in 1857 and completed as
above indicated. in 1895. The length OF the
canal is sixty-one miles, the terminal OF
the Baltic sea being at the harbor OF Kiel
The depth is twenty -nine aud jone-half feet
the width at the bottom 3eventy-two feet
and the minimum width At the surface 1s(
| feet The route lies chiefly through marsh
es and shallow lakes and along river val
leys The total excavation amounted &c
about 10000 900 cubic yards and the cost tc
about 100000 The number of vessels
! passing through the canal In 300 was about
N57l with a tonnage Of 4.2s2-25s. and the
| dues collected amounted to 2133,155 marks
lat THE SOO..'
Three ship canals intended to give con.
, tinuous passage to vessels from the head
: of Lake Superior to Lake Ontario and tn.
st. Lawrence river are the Weland canal
originally constructed in 1893 and enlarged
: in 1871 and 1900: the st. Mary's Falls cana
at Sault Ste. Marie. Mich. opened I'm 1ss
ard enlarged in 1881 and 1896. and the Cana
dian canal at st. Mary's river opened in 1895
In point of Importance. measured at Ieas
, by their present use. the canals at the ST
| Mary's river by far surpass that OF the Wei
. land canal the nunber OF vessels passin,
through the canals at the st Mary's rive
being eight times as great as the numbe
! passing through the Welland and the ton