Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-31
MILLIONS FOR DOVER
British Port Again H0n0red
by Royalty.
new NAVAL BASE OPENED
Prince of Wales Presides at Historic
Event.
COMMISSION ON WATERWAYS
Surprise for Committee Studying
English System-Free Sights
in London.
COMMISSION ON WATERWAYS
oreign Correspondence of The Star.

Foreign Cores pondence of The Star
LONDON. October IS. 1909.
The formal opening of the new naval
harbOr at Dover by the Prince OF Wales
adds one more link to the chain of royal
associations OF which the ancient cinque
port is so proud. The Tudor monarchs
were the first to interest themselves in
the port through which thousands of
Americans travel every season on their
way to France by the shortest channel
passage.
1t is of all places on the coast the
point for jumping Off, Il you want to
reach the continent. Little more than a
score of miles OF slvery water separate
the chalk cliffs of Dover from the chalk
| cliffs OF France. Consequently the in
| vaders OF an early era chose this narrow
! streak as affording a short cut to British
| affections, or something worse.
In later days this tendency was checked
| by holding Calais as a British possession.
/ England kept the French town as long
as she could. and when she had to relax
| her hold OF it Dover gained rather than
| lost in importance. Ever since there have
been schemes of greater or less conse-
| ouence for making Dover a port in the
| fullest sense of the word. Only after
| the lapse of centuries. however does II
fall to the lot of the Prince of Wales to
open a magnificent naval harbor which
| gives Britain a new naval base and fur
| nishes her with the command Of the
! channel in n way In which she could
never previously pretend.
To reckon up the money which mas
been spent on harbor works at Dover
you must calculate in millions. and this
without reckoning all the sums set aside
for the purpose in the reigns OF former
1t
of many wives, found time 10 give a
kindly eye to Dover and spent E6O.OoO IN
harbOr construction there. what is more
he used to visit the works and direct the
artificers. Ultimately he found that
there were more pressing demands upon
his time and upon his revenues.
Under another regime we find Phiiip
and Mary lending a helping hand 10
facing good Queen Bess. One Thomas
Digges OF Wotton in the year los drew
up and addressed 10 Queen Elizabeth
"briefe discourse" on the needs or lover.
Thomas Digges looked FORWARD at ieast
three hundred years. He reminded Queen
Elizabeth of the Importance of Dover as
the nearest port to powerful foreign
nation and as situated In lne very
course of almost all shipping lie spoke
of il as admirably placed as reIuse
for vessels. as having unequal position
both for offense and defense, and As IN
the best situation for the transmission
Of intelligence.
High-Rank Work.
Mr.. Digges was listened to and work
was undertaken which. spread over tWeh-
ty years. cost but $1,000. Probably MT.
Digees never dreamed that three centuries
later there would be an outlay at Dover
of something like three-quarters OF MIL
lion on the admiralty pier alone, and. say.
a5.OO.OOO or f6O0O.OO on a navai ana
commercial harbor.
OF all the tasks in which mankind en-
cages. harbor construction must take
high rank as difficult and dangerous. Inc
traveller who passes through Dover sees
sundry long lines OF stone walls pro-
iecting above the water. At distance
they seem to represent a comparatively
slight effort on the part OF the contrac-
tors. To appreciate the magnitude of the
undertaking one ought to get down onto
the floor of the sea, supposing thaA
were possible.
II YOU could descend to the solid chalk
or bed of flint in which the foundations
of the admiralty pier extension Tor IN
tancc are laid, you would ma yoursei
gazing at structure upward or ninety
feet from base to ton. Blocks weighing
the mere trifie of forty tons. bonded and
keyed or joggled together. rise one upon
another to the height named, ana al
high water Of spring tides AS much as
seventy feet out Of the ninety will be
water washed. 1t is the same. Tor all
practical purposes. with the eastern arm
and the Intermediate breakwater.
The tide alone is source OF FISK. ana
IT has had to be specially guarded against
When the waters of the North sea ana
the English channel first met and gave
Britain her position of splendid Isolation
there came into being tidal streams whose
tricks and whose velocity have been the
subject Of unending investigation. To
hold these mighty breakwaters III their
place and guard against the risk OF ero-
sion at their base. strong aprons OF mason
~ are laid into the sea bed In such
way as to set the antics OF the Tue 1T
complete defiance.
Surprise for Americans.
The members of the American national
waterways commission who are now in
this country for the purpose of studying
the inland waterways system are sur
prised TO find that the whole matter is at
the present time being investigated by
royal commission. They were in entire
Ignorance OF the existence of the inquiry
which for many months has been car
ried on by Lord ShuttlewOrth and his
colleagues. and their interview the other
day with Sir Francis lIopwood. wh~-vas
at one time member OF the royal com
mission has probably made il clear that
there is to hand an immense amount OF
technical and expert information which
they would otherwise have been at some
pains to acquire for themselves.
The English commission has been en-
deavoring to ascertain the present condi-
ton and financial position of the various
canals in the three kingdoms. the causes
which have operated to prevent the carry
ing out of improvements by private en-
terprise and the expediency Of their being
acquired by public bodies or trusts. A
great mass OF evidence has already been
taken I'm various parts OF the country,
and various reports have been issued
which will prove of much service TO the
members OF the American commission
They were last night entertained At din
ner by Lord Shuttleworth. the chairman
OF the royal commission on canals and
waterways, four OF whose colleagues were
present. as well az the American ambas-
sador.
In talk with Senator Burton, the head
of the American commission. he told Inc
they have been six weeks on the CONT
nent, where they sought TO examine every
plan OF navigation in Germany, Austria
Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium and
France.
Senator Burton observed that he had
devoted four months to the study of the
same subject six years ago. They looked
into the matter from various standpoints
The question of the open channel versus
the stream improved by locks and dams
was one; the facilities for river and
canal trafnc was another. Our engi-
neers" said Senator Burton. were not
limited by the mere engineering and