New-York tribune., 1906-12-18
DITCH TO CUT CAPE COD.
WORK WILL BEGIN SOON.
Belmont tn MoUe for Ship Canal
With Tsoenty-fUe Feet of Water.

The project OF cutting a ship canal across
Cape Cod. which has been discussed for many
years and attempts TO realize which have at
various times been made. is now soon TO be car
ried through. There is in existence q Massa-
chusetts corporation styled the Boston. Cape
Cod New York Canal Company. the charter
Of which is owned by Dewitt c. Flanagan, OF the
brewing firm OF Flanagan. Nay & Co. The canal
company has authorized capitalization of
So 900 600 stock and S6OO0OOO bonds con-
trolling interest In 1t has recently been acquired
by August Belmont & Co. OF this city and some
of their associates. and plans for beginning
actual work on the canal are now under consid-
GRAFTON by them.
The canal is to extend from Buzzard's Bay
on the Atlantic side of the Cape. to Sandwich.
on the Massachusetts Bay side a distance OF
about eight miles. Much OF the right OF way
has been secured and surveys Were made months
aSc. The Belmont interests are working out
also the financial plan. which contemplates
either the increasing OF the capital stock Of the
company to at least S1O.OOO.OOO or the formation
OF now company, with at least S1OOOOOOO
capital stock. to take over the present corpora
ton.
One of the chief obstacles in the past TO the
building of the canal has been the opposition of
the New York. New Haven Hartford Railroad
Company but that opposition has now been
withdrawn. Although the canal cOmpany's
franchise empowers 1t to build a canal, the route
decided upon will make il necessary TO change
the line of the New Haven's Old Colony branch
near Buzzard's Bay. and it will also be necessary
to build costly breakwater at Sandwich, on
Barnstabie Bay. where no adequate harbor ex-
lists.
William Barclay Parsons, who is TO be in
charge of the construction work. last week ap-
araH yI-irS rAal6 rha lyO7y
Boston lawyer. and Samuel Untermyer. repre-
senting Mr.. Flanagan. who still holds an inter
est in the company before the Massachusetts
State Railroad ComNissioa and State Harbor
and Land Board. and applied for the consent of
these two bodies for the building OF the canal.
Mr.. Parsons said yesterday that the canal
TO be 25 feet deep at low water with
depth of more than 80 feet at high water. Its
minimum width at the bottom would be 125
feet. and at the surface $50 10 800 feet but
there would be four long stretches in which
the width az the bottom would be 200 feet Tine
tidal conditions resemGled those at Panama he
said. On the Buzzards Bay side. he pointed
out, the tide rose eight 70 nine feet. and the
Massachusetts Bay side only four five feet.
AS the movements of the tide in the two bodies
of water We're not synchronous there would be
current at ell times through the canal 1t was
not planned 10 build any locks ne added
The canal will be big enough permit the
passage of vessels as large the Yale and the
Harvard the turbine steamers which Charles
w. Morse IS constructing for service the out
side route between this city and Boston. and
II is understood that these vessels will use the
canal 1t will also be used by the two steamers,
of about the size the Morse boats,
which the New England Navigation Company.
controlled by the New York. New Haven and
Hartford. is now building.
addition lpSSentnP n ma a
tiou-for the Atlantic coast OF Cape Cod is a
peculiarly dangerous shore. on which a great
many boats have been wrecked-and incidental
ly lessening the cost in marine insurance OF
vessels bound for Boston. the ship canal will
make possible an important saving in time 1t
Is estimated that tug with barges In tow Will
be able by going through the canal, to de-
crease the time OF the trip between New York
and Boston by about thirteen hours.
1t is expected that the canal will be opened
for traffic within two and a half years. The
State Of Massachusetts, II is understood, re-
serves the right to limit the net profit OF the
canal company to 10 per cent year thus as
suring reasonable rate Of tolls. and also
tains the privilege of buying the entire right
of the canal company at the end of ten years.
paying for IL a sum equal TO the cost OF con-
struction plus 10 per cent allowance.