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

bottom and the depth 26k feet. The
work was begun in 1884 and complet-
ed in 1898 at a cost of about $5,000,-
600. The average tolls are 1S cents
per ton and 20 cents per passenger.
The Manchester Ship Canal, which
connects Manchester, England, with
the Mersey river, Liverpool, and the
Atlantic Ocean, was opened for traffic
January l, 1894. The length Of the
canal is 35a miles, the total rise from
the water level to Manchester being
60 feet, which is divided between four
sets of locks, giving an average to each
of Is feet. The minimum width is
100 feet at the bottom and averages
It's feet at the water level. though in
places the width is extended to 230
feet. The minimum depth is 26 feet,
and the time required for navigating
the canal from five to eight hours.
The total amount of excavation in
the canal and docks was about As
O00, 600 cubic yards, of which about
one-fourth was sandstone rock. The
lock gates are operated by hydraulic
power; railways and bridges crossing
the route of the canal have been
raised to give height Of IS feet to
vessels traversing the canal, and and
ordinary canal whose route it crosses
is carried across by a springing sque-
duct composed OF an iron caisson rest
ing upon pivot pier. The total cost
of the canal is given at $75,00O,O0O.
The revenue in 1901, according to the
Statesman's Yearbook, was a621, ,12S,
and the working expenses, G4S3 ,267.
For the half year ending June 30,
1900, the canal yielded 916,4S8 to.
ward paying the E112, 500 of interest
which the city OF Manchester has to
pay on the capital invested in the
enterprise. The freight-paying tolls
on the canal amounted to 1,487, ,84I
tons in the half year, an increase of
IL per cent. over that of the CORE
spending period Of the preceding year.
Two canals connect the Baltic and
seas through Germany, the first,
known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal,
having been completed in 1895 and
constructed largely for military and
naval purposes, but proving also of
great value to general mercantile
traffic. Work upon the Kaiser Will
helm Canal was begun in 1887, and
completed, as above indicated, iu 1895.
The length OF the canal is 81 miles,
the terminus in the Baltic Sea being
at the harbor OF Kiel. The depth is
29a feet, the width at the bottom 72
feet, and the minimum width at the
surface 100 feet. The route lies chiefly
through marshes and shallow lakes
and along river valleys. The total ex-
cavation amounted to about 100000
600 cubic yards, and the cost to about
100000. The number of vessels
passing through the canal in 1900 was
l,571, with tonnage of 4,282.258,
and the dues collected amounted to
2,133, ,155 marks.
Three ship canals intended to give
continuous passage to vessels from the
head OF Lake Superior to Lake Ontario
and the st. Lawrence river are the
Welland Canal, originally constructed
in 1888 and enlarged in 1871 and 1900 /;
the st. Mary Falls Canal at Sault Ste.
Marie, Mich. opened in 1856 and en-.
larged in 1881 and 1896; and the Ca.
madam canal at St. Mary's river,
opened in 1895. In point Of import
ance, measured At least by their pres
ent use, the canals at the st. Mary's
river by far surpass that of the Wei.
land Canal, the number of vessels
passing through the canals at the st.
Mary's river being eight times as great
as the number passing through the
Welland, and the tonnage of the form
er nearly forty times as great as that
OF the latter. One of the important
products of the Lake Superior region,
iron ore, is chiefly used in the section
contiguous to Lake Erie, and large
proportion Of the grain coming from
Lake Superior passes from Buffalo to
the Atlantic coast by way OF the Erie
Canal and railroads centering at Buff
falo. The most important article In
the westward shipments through the
Sault Ste. Marie canals-coal-origi-
mates in the territory contiguous to
Lake Erie. These conditions largely
account for the fact that the number
and tonnage OF vessels passing the st.
Mary's river canals so greatly exceed
those OF the Welland Canal.
The Welland Canal connects Lake
Ontario and Lake Erie on the Cana
dian side of the river. 1t was con-
structed in 1888 and enlarged in 1871
and again in 1900. The length of the
canal is q miles, the number OF locks
IS, the total rise of lockage 327 feet
and the total cost about $25. 10000.
The annual collection Of tolls on
freight, passengers, and vessels aver.
ages about S225 900 and the canal is
open on an average about two hundred
and forty days in q year.
The canals of Sault Ste. Marie.
Mich, and Ontario, are located ADA
cent to the falls OF the St. Mary's river,
which connects Lake Superior with
Lake Huron, and lower or raise vessels
from one level to the other, height OF
A.