The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-01-03
CAPE COD CANAL
WOULD PLACE ALL ROADS EN-
TERING BOSTON ON EQUALT1T.

Canal Would be Extremely Useful for
transportation of Freight and Pas
sengers Between New York and BOs-
ten.
The New England public will await
with great interest the development of
plans for the new Cape Cod Canal, the
building of which has been announced
with more than ordinary evidences that
its present promoters mean business.
Thsir announcement has been made on
the basis of canal without a tidelock,
a characteristic which would greatly
simplify the operation of the ditch as
we'll as save the time Of vessels pass
ing through It. This was the old idea,
contained in the earliest literature of
the subject; but about twenty years
ago an investigation was made by
three of the greatest engineers that
could be summoned, and they decided
that the maximum difference in the
tide at the two ends of the canal would
reach fourteen feet, and that a heavy
storm, pushing the water against the
canal from Massachusetts bay and cor
respondingly pushing it out of Buzz
yards bay on the other side would send
torrent roaring through the canal
which would be highly destructive
both of it's construction works and to
any vessel that might happen to be
caught in the way 1t accordingly
seemed necessary eithereto construct
the canal of especially heavy masonry
or TO establish controlling works. fac
tor which, while not prohibitiye of the
enterprise, materially increases its cost.
Whether the present promoters find a
better way Of getting over this difficult
ty is something that they will doubtless
make clear as the investigation pro-
ceedS The preparation of Buzzards
bay for through shipping will doubtless
involve considerable expense, although
one that ought of right, and doubtless
would be, borne by the Federal govern
msnt since this waterway would in
crease materially the efficiency of the
naval defense. Most sections of the
country, other than New York and
New England would expect the gov
eminent to construct such a piece of
work as this canal wholly at Uncle
Sans cost.
Opinions differ widely as to the COM
mercial utility of the proposed canal,
just as they do on a larger scale Of that
at Panama. In operation, many of the
purposes which either Of these canals
has besn supposed to serve would
probably prove much less important
than was expected, while from other
quarters its utility might develop sur
prislngly large proportions. The insur-
ance on the freight, which was so large
factor in favor Of the Panama as
against the Nicaragua route, and To
such a considerable extent dictates the
water routes of the world, apparently
has little bearing on this Cape Cod pro-
ject With modern steam navigation
these charges are extremely low-al-
most negligible quantity on such a
route as this.
On one class Of business the canal
would apparently be extremely useful,
as students Of the transportation pro-
blems now view it, and that is in the
freight and passenger traffic between
New York and Boston. with the
longer coastwise noutes the canals
slight net saving in time, after the de-
lay in getting through it is taken into
account, might not prove a great In
ducement, or one for which large tolls
would be paid But between here and
New York the canal ought to develop
the water-borne traffic handsomely. It
would put all railroad systems entering
Boston upon an equality with the New
Haven road, which has rail connection
and dockage facilities at Providence
and Fall River Othsr railroads, like
the Boston and Maine or the Albany,
would not be compelled to use another
company's tracks to get their freight
cNitNA Pe1SoVti SCI . iLllo IOllAlEtNlOi. Win
the most available water course to New
York. 1t is assumed thatthe passen-
ger business would In these oircum-
stances be large; that many more peo-
pie would take boat on Boston dock
than now bother to make combined
rail and steamer journey, and that the
tolls on this passenger traffic would
form a large element in support of the
canal.
How much the canal could earn is q
question that has been widely debated
If It were possible to make a monopoly
of the privilege of using this short cut,
its financial opportunity might be
larger but it is doubtful If public senti-
ment or law would, or ought, to permit
this route to be anything but a water
way free on equal terms to all carriers,
and on that basis the promoters must
the outcome.-Boston Evening
Transcript