The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1904-11-25
CANALS
Now Tricky Dot the World
Here and There.
What all the Different Nations
arc Doing in This
Line
CANALS

earth with railroads they began also
10 look do va up,n the old meth DDS
Of transportation watch had served
their fathers and foreiathers. Among
lie thtngs despiset were canals. In
many cases oldtine canals that had
carried merchaudis. tor generations
were drained dry aud their beds ut
iiz:d ior the laying OF railroad
tracks.
But the canal is coming to Its own
again. Men ere discovering more
and more that it has its place in the
economy OF commerce. place which
railways cannot entirely fill.
The digging of great canals ranks
among the foremost works and pro-
iects of many leading nations at the
present time. The world is getting
to be cut up with canals all over its
land surface, and b .fore the end OF the
present century the canal mileage on
The globe Is likely to be nearly doub-
led.
America is undertaking the two
biggest canal schemes at present pro-
iected, the Panama canal and the
ihousand-ton barge canal.
Few Countries have given more at
tention to canals and canal schemes
Than the United States did IN the
DAYS before the railways. Oi the
MANY canals cor Instructed in that era
the most important was the Erie ca
ma through the State of New York,
connecting the Hudson river with
Lake Erie.
In the words of distinguished ex-
pert. This canal, although origin
ally built OF small size, played a very
Important part in the settlement OF
lac great West, or what VAS then the
great West by furnishing a rout in
connection with the Great Lakes by
which the products of the new West
IN country could reach the markets
along the seabcard. and by which In
,cru it could get its supplies OF cloth
Ing, tools, groceries, etc, at an eco
nomical rate OF transportation. 1t is
certain that toe settlement and de-
yelopment of the New York and New
ENGLAND hinterland were enormously
expedited by the Erie canal"
This canal has n.a aged to with
sla1d the Q s.;on Of the railways.
although the country around it is ABB
solutely sridironed with them.
Undoubtedly it has had much to do
with the development of New York
City and New York State Along it,
o.Dk, There has built up what has
BEN cal the most important
t-a.n e c.i,-s in the country Al
5-1y, Liy, CoAoes, Schenectady,
L,.l- Fills, Unca, Rome, Syr-cuse,
&3,u-st-. Lacsport aad Bni1Alo.
r.t... ~ -.rrl or1 zee bsi-
..a1y branches, the Osyego and
T.. ~p. canals are no" pdpab.y
3aadeQoate .ot the work they are cal
Ell apon to co. The Erie canal can
only accountable ats carrying $40
IONS OF freight. Agitation fox the en-
Argement OF the canal has been going
on Tor many years, and at last New
York State has decided to spend SOL
0oo, ooo 20 enlarge the Erie canal to d
capacity that will enable it to be used
5y thousand-ton barges. A similar
enlargement OF the Oswego and
Caamplain branches is to be made.
This great work, which is now being
commenced, has attracted compare
lively little notice outside of New
York State, but it Is declared by lead.
ing authorities to be by far the greatest
public work ever undertaken by any
State of the Union.
This projected work is in the very
'front.' rank OF canal propositions,
said Col Thomas w. Symons, who
was the FIST to suggest the thousand
ton canal in a report to the Federal
Government away back In 1867. 1t
5 uvershadowed in the public mird
- the Panama canal on account Of
tae iutetn floral character and the
interesting complications that have
s..eadlt t1e ,uaugratlon Of hat work
" the Uul,od States.
"Lr commercial importance the
- g.. .y "ays the e4Ua. a tue
,er.uia canal Ga the Panama ii is
hooa3 10 some time reach a tonnage
o' n, 600, 600, on the Erie all works