The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-06
Adelii1a Patti.
The Panama Canal.

Editor Of Tho -'lmes-Dlspntch:
Sir-plense publish for the bencflt x or
your rea aers. some iinformn ton cor cr RI,
Ing the utility Of the PROPOSED lsthn'1 an
Canal. and the saving IN dlsta 'ce4to SHIPS
going from to some Of the principa ports
OF me Worlo. 8. IT. s.aT
The New York Tribune Which we take tax
to be good authority on the subject re-
Gently printed an elaborate article. from E,
which we take the following para sran rs
a '.1he greatest saving OF dist Will pe
effected by lines running from = n 5 seH ,,,
coast OF the United States to the ipac ~ 8
Coast ports OF this country ind to 81 81
vest Goa ST Of South and Contra ] ssAn ertca !.
Va steame err going from New York n, 70 4 Sa1l
francisco by&the present route ny way 1y
$of5thc Strait OF Magellan. "a y owing tsfor
calls at the usual cpalng ports. covers lS.-s
900 miles. by the Panama route I'D .is
only IS, 2o4 miles, about two-Afths 8ot III g
strait from this port is, 10. 2o6l miles while
by way or Panama 1t is 1892 miles less
or d little more than onc-fourth the DIS
lance. Even as far sou tn as W. lparai So
Chill, the Panama route would be shorter
by 1929 miles " III X 4. ]. I,
from Europe to the same 2,
ports would shorten theratn materially;
francisco, the voyage from Hamburg, for.
Instance, would ibe reduced by 66aS mil es.
to Guayaquil by $500. and ito Valparaiso
( BY 1,543 miles. The lin s from New York
to Australia and New zealand could Out
down their mileage greatly by going py
way Of Panama, Instead ofsoy me tcn ps ~
Good Hope route |as at Present The
saving would vary from 6, % miles 81 IN q
voyage to wellington, New Zealand s
2,202 miles inEthe trip to @Adcla ide, Sout q
Austria LA. The long run from St, YIN =
Cape verd. to Melbourne without q stop.
distance 9,76l les, .pot,ld be short.
ened to 6.5l2 miles between lPannma Sand
wellington New Zealand. q.
s.: ITO China and Japan the saving in dis
Jtance By the Panama Canal route would
mot be so great as Is generally supposed
From New York to Yokohama. JAPAN
& by way OF suez, Is 1900 miles. while
by way Of Panama the distance would be
loOSS miles; to Shanghai, China, the Fan
ANA route would be only 1883 miles less
than that by Suez TO other ports In
China and to Manila the distance pHou a
DO about the same whether the journey
wore made by the PA mama or the Suez
Canal. TO the Hawaiian Islands, how
ever, tho saving effected by the Panama
route would be 6.6Sl miles.
'''Thc chief item In tho operating ex-
penses Of freight steamers is coal. and
shortening the engagements so mucl, coal
saved The average long distance frelght-
or burns about twenty tons of coal a day
to steam 200 to $50 miles: so TT will 7be
readily seen what IA great saving can be
made by using the Panama route. Again,
.on long voyages so much coal has ito he
carried that considerable room which
could be used for freight lis taken sup.
Some Of this freight space could he saved
by, shortening the trip.
"Steamers on the shortened routes
could also make several moro trips In a
year, and thus earn moro for the owners.
1T rs estimated that lnta trip from San
Francisco to New York by the Panama
alone would he effected over the route
via the straitfof Magellan. The steamers
1nithat service now max only two round
trips q year. by using the panama
Canal five round trips a year could be
accomplished