Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-12-18

Susz Canal-the Cronstadt and St. Peters
burg Waterway - The Corinth. Connecting
the Gulf Of Corinth and the Gulf Of Esina
The Manchester CanaI-The Kaiser Will
helm Canal-The Elbe and Trave Canal
The WelIand. the St. Mary's and the Can
adian Canals.
Semitic American.
The renewed attention being given
to the proposed isthmian canal at
this time lends especial interest to o
discussion of the great canals of the
world, presented by the Department
OF Commerce and Labor through its
Bureau of Statistics. The ship can.
ais of the world, it says, are nine in
number, as follows:
l. The Suez Canal, begun in 1859
and completed in 1869.
2. The Cronstadt and st. Peters.
burg Canal, begun in 1877 and COM
pleted in 1890.
3. The Corinth Canal, begun in
1884 and completed in 1898.
4. The Manchester Ship Canal,
completed in 1894.
5. The Kaiser Wilhelm Canal,
connecting the Baltic and North
Seas, completed in 1895.
6. The Elbe and Trave Canal, con-
Meeting the North Sea and Baltic,
opened in 1900.
7. The Welland Canal, connecting
Lake Erie with Lake Ontario.
Sand 9. The two canals, United
States and Canadian, respectively,
connecting Lake Superior with Lake
Huron.
The Suez Canal is usually consid-
cred 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, it ex.
ceeds any OF the other great ship can
ais, its total lenth being 80 miles, OF
which about two.thirds is through
shallow lakes. The material exca-
vated was usually sand, though in
some cases strata of solid rock from
2 to 3 feet in thickness were encoun-
tered. The total excavation was
about $4,000, 900 cubic yards under the
original plan, which gave depth OF
25 feet. In 1895 the canal was so en-.
larged as to give a depth of 80 feet, a
width at the bottom of 1OS feet and at
the surface Of 429 feet. The original
cost was $4,000, 900. and for the canal
in its present form slightly in excess
Of 500, 100000. The number of yes.
sells passing through the canal in
1870 was 4S6, with gross tonnage of
654 ,9l5 tons; in 1875, 1,494 vessels,
gross tonnage, 2,94O,7OS tons; in 1880.
2,O26 vessels, gross tonnage, 4,344 $40
tons; in 1890. 1889 vessels, gross ton.
mage, 9,749.129 tons; in 1895, 3434
vessels, gross tonnage, 1888, ,637 tons,
and in 1900, 3,44l vessels, with gross
tonnage of 1858, ,237 tons. The rev.
enue of the canal is apparently large
in proportion to its cost, the States
mans Yearbook for 1901 giving the
net profits OF 1899 at 81. .l53. $50 francs,
and the total amount distributed
among the shareholders 51,538, OPS
francs or about 10 per cent. of the
estimated cost of 500. 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 to that of
the day. The tolls charged are nine
francs per ton net register, danube
measurement" which amounts to
slightly more than 50 per ton United
States net measurement. Steam ves-
sells passing through the canal are
propelled by their own power.
The canal connecting the Bay OF
Cronstadt with st. Petersburg is dc.
scribed as q work of great strategic
and commercial importance to Russia.
The canal and sailing course in the
Bay of Cronstadt are about 16 miles
long, the canal proper being about
miles and the bay channel about 10
miles. and they together extend from
Cronstadt, on the Gulf OF Finland,
to st. Petersburg. The canal was
opened in 1890 with navigable depth
of POI feet, the original depth having
been about feet; the width ranges
from 22O to $50 feet. The total cost
is estimated at about $4,000, 900.
The next of the great ship canals
connecting 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
Egina. The canal reduces the dis.
tance from Adriatic ports about ITS
miles and from Mediterranean ports
about 100 mills. It's length is about 4
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 described.