The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-23
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THE CANAL. GEOGRAPHY AND RATES.

ly and with the hope that the United States will
offer s25OOOOOO instead of slOOOO.OOO.
In the meanwhile the Nicaragua route advocates
are awakening and pointing out that the canal must
now be constructed there. President Roosevelt
is quoted unofically as holding against the Mic
aragua canal because it is impracticabe. This ale
CATION against the route is, of course not admitted
by its friends
The present delay in the progress of the canal
preliminaries recalls the fact that only small per
cent of the people of the United States comprehend
adequately the vast Importance of the eterprse.
Curiously many people do not understand how the
peculiar geographical position South America occu-
pies in relation to North America enhances the canal
Most of us were educated from fat maps, and
great many of US believe that South America is south
OF u.s. The body of land forming North and South
America and narrowing to a slender neck at the
isthmus is 5000 miles long. This body of land lies
diagonally across the surface of the globe. The
eastern point of South America is 1900 miles east
of the most western point of the mainland of North
America. The diagonay disposed continents reach
nearly third of the way around the earth In other
words man could, starting in Alaska, walk to
eastern Brazil and thus go third of the way around
the world. South America is not south of North
America but southeast. The continents properly
named would be Southeast America and Northwest
America South America forms to our Atlantic coast
g formidable wall the south. 1t is much more
formidable wall to our Gulf ports A ship from
Galveston bound for San Francisco must sail $500
miles east in rounding South America. Liverpool
is $50 miles nearer Cape Horn than is New York.
New York by water is $50 miles farther from San
Francisco than is Liverpool that much farther in
fact from all Pacific ports and Oriental markets.
Pierce this wall of land at its center and it will
be possible to sail almost directly south from New
York to ports the western coast of South America
The canal at Nicaragua if constructed would save
in distance between New York and San Francisco
1G,0SO miles. than twothirds of the present
water-distance BY the way of the Nicaragua canal
the distance between New York and San Fran
cisco would be AGO miles saving of the 10000
miles not only, but of fifty days time by freight
steamer with corresponding economy between other
points on the two coasts This means in saving
utpI6CldtlOu DI value VI REPAIRS OI IOSS,
ance interest on investment, wages provisioning.
economy of twothirds of the cost of transporta-
ton On a single voyage of a 165O-ton bark from
the coast of Washington state Massachusetts the
saving would be $500
1t is this saving by the piercing of this wall to
the south Of US, which viii make for commercial
revolution in the world. AS the construction of
tunnel in a mine will sometimes suddenly change
the direction of the currents of air in every tunnel
in the system it has punctured so isthmian canal
will change the trade currents of the world. The
Gulf of Mexico coast and the country adjacent to it,
Kansas and the vicinity of Wichita will all come into
this great commercial disturbance, and all inland
sections proftably.
The dispatches have it that there is suspicion
that the transcontinental railroads of the United
States had a lobby in Colombia urging the defeat
Of the treaty. However that may be- it is certain
that the traffic realize that the construction Of
the canal for vast disturbance in rates with
out their ing able to tell the exact result Che per
water caillase from coast to coast will add new.
ana let nope corrective eie nent to the huge ana
-~-A NN-AA'AAO4NOs
find the railroads suddenly changing front and reY
dating the water rate the basis of transportation
system and charges. Heaven hasten the day. The
water rate has long been falacy bluff used by
the railroads to support them in their determinations
against inland cities The man who could ship by
water if he desired but who will not ship by water,
never intended TO ship by water, wouldn't ship by
water If he was given bonus for doing So is given
rate in discrimination against -.-~ls because he
night ship by water although he never has and never
will The system reached its absurdity in Kansas
City which was given water rate on the theory that
boats might come up the Missouri river at certain
seasons OF the year although in the memory of the
present generation there has been no traffic OF that
kind on the river The water rate excuse has been
the corner into which the railroads have been re-
treating for safety and explanation for years
We believe the time is coming when the railroads
viii be smoked cut Of this convenient place OF refuge
and viii repudiate the whole water-rate fallacy This