The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-01

AA~AO Dai n1AASAan Inc rlLISOuTg OIL he
south, and will give it the same rela-
ttonship to the gulf that Pitrsburg now
mas TO the Atlantic coast He said the
immensity of traffic which originates
within forty miles Of Pittsburg. and
which is the marvel of the world, will
be duplicated in the same territory
surrounding the city Of Birmingham
he said that when he acquired his
large interest in this property he did
50 because of his abiding faith in the
development Of the south, and because
or his confidence in the astonishing
growth which would take place there
upon the opening Of the Panama canal.
The views of this level-headed and far
seeing man are the views Of many
otner OF your most progressive citizens
and the development to which he
looks forward as regards Tennessee
coal and iron is only an index of what
Will take place in ali the industries
located within Your borders Bu-,
gentlemen, between the time of sell
ing your supplies, which will enter
into the construction of this canal. and
the period when the opening of the ca
nal will result in the development of
your country, gulf is fixed. How
great and wide that gulf is, will de-
pend upon the type of canal selected
The present commission believes .ha,
the type of canal the people of this
country want is the one which will
provide adequate and safe passage for
the largest vessels on the seas, and
which can be constructed in the quick
est time and at the least cost The
commissions recommendation, in other
words, has been based on the idea that
what the people want Is the nearby
practical, rather than the remote ideal
1t has therefore recommended the
construction Of an eighty-fve foot le-
vel lock canal, for the reasons that,
first, in it's judgment, it can be COM
pleted for about half the cost, and in
half the time, of the so-called sea-level
canal. second because it will be ade-
Quate for all the commerce which can
reasonably be expected to seek that
route during the next two hundred
years; third, because if the tonnage
should increase beyond such expecLa-
ton, it can be enlarged more cheap
ly and more quickly than the so-cailed
sea-level; fifth, because when the in
the operating point Of view, large
and more quickly than through the
sea-levelff fifth, because when the in
terest on the difference in cost of con-
struction is added to the cost of oper-
ating, the saving to the government
every year will be s2,34O,OOO
COMPARISON OF THE CANAL
TYPES
The sO-called sea-1evel canal is a
deep, narrow, tortuous gorge, through
which large ships cannot pass, even
according to the estimate OF the men
who recommend that type Of canal at
greater speed than four miles an
hour, and which will contain at times,
according to the same authority, cur
rent in one direction of two and six
tenths miles an hour I venture to say
that no large ship, occupying, as large
ships will, forty percent of the prism
through which it will pass, can navi-
gate at that speed with that current,
safely, under it's own steam.
The lock canal, on the other hanI,
as recommended by the minority Of
the consulting board, and indorsed by
our commission, will have thirty-five
miles of free lake navigation so that the
u1Iti CnCc Ill llIIc vi putting
through the locks will be more tnan
offset by their speed through the lake
portion of their trip, which is more
than twO-thirds Of the entire length
Of the canal
CAPACITY OF THE CANAL
In regard to the capacity, no man
can estimate with any degree of ac
curacy the volume of tonnage which
ill go through the Panama canal.
-.e only guide we can have is the
t. &C of the Suez canal. Taking the
de- oment of the traffic in the SueZ
cana during the thirtyfive years of
it's existence as a basis, and continuing
the same ratio of increase until the
year 1000, the volume of traffic pass
ing through that canal will be in that
year, in round numbers, lb2,5O0,OOO
tons; Or, estimating that the Panama
canal if constructed on the plans
which this commission have recon-
mended will be open for traffic in
1916, and estimating that the volume
of traffic passing through it the first
year will amount to 100000 TONS
(Which is the best guess that experts
have been able to make), and apply
ing the same ratio of increase to that
traffic which experience has shown to
have reached 800, 600 tons. The es-
timated capacity of the lock canal, as
recommended by our commission IS
$4,000 900 tons per annum. Unless tho
development of the population of tho
world changes the basis Of our estl-
mates the type of canal we recommend
will be adequate for all business thar
may be throwI upon it during the next
one hundred years.
BY simply raising the sides of our
spiHways and increasing the depth Of
our locks, we can increase the depth
of water in the canal so as to- take
care of still larger vessels than the
forty-foot ships, provided for in oCr
present estimate; whereas, in a sea-
level canal you would have TO exca-
vate the whole distance for every foot
Of distance made in depth.
THE IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR
SOLUTION.
The uracfica1 oueSrion for all sec