The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-06-06

cd to improving the water highways.
Not so now. because the railroads can
not, without congestion and delays,
handle the traffic of the country. Our
products and traffic are increasing at
Tremendous bounds. Railways are
not keeping pace with this growth. II
they carried passengers, and lighter
fIeight, and the heavy tonnage could
move by water, Gar better condition
would exist.
In Germany. the government owns
the railroads, and Germany is spend
ing and proposing TO spend millions of
dollars upon canals, and her canaliDed
rivers, to facilitate cheap transports
a;iCn, and get her products to sea
without having them seek out short
er routes through Belgium and
France. 8
New York is submitting to her peoz
pie a proposition to build the CayUga-
Seneca canal. She is rebuilding the
main stem Of the Erie canal, which
mas already yielded many millions
LlCre than II cost. It's traffic IS almost
beyond comprehension, and the freight
from the Great Lakes finds it an econ
CD4Ic outlet, which must be enlarged
10 meet the demand of increased
freight which otherwise would seek
the sea through Canada
Chicago is spending many millions
on waterway improvement.
Canada, with a population less than
one-t+nth, and wealth but a fraction
OF ours, has constructed a deep wa
tvTway, more than ZOO miles long, con-
meeting Montreal by a 2S-foot chan
ne with every harbOr and seaport of
| the world.
For war and its rewards, our fed
eTal government does not hesitate TO
| 81 CpI annually some $500, 900, 900. 1
see no reason why we should not
q are S50,000,000 annually for ten
( years Cor peace and commerce.
| President Roosevelt SAID in his mes
sage to congress, the time for play
/ ing with our waterways IS past. The
| country demands results. Action
should be begun forthwith for the i'm
| pTovem6nt OF our waterways
My idea would be, as soon as the
! government can be induced to take
/ hold o. this plan, to bring the equip
ment from Panama, as it is released
tIere, all set up, and put it TO work
on this ship canal. II would not be
! necessary to make large approEria-
/ lions for dTedges and machinery and
tsnP years Of time in getting them
ready for work. The same machinery
/ and equipment we now have. or such
Z
from Panama just as it is out Of com
mission there, right up the St Johns
| river, and started on tbs canal It's
| completion would be accomplished
very quickly, because the material TO
/ be removed is mostly sand( and there
arc no engineering. difficulties in the
way There are no Chagres rivers,
/ rising so feet in a few hours; no NOV
| ing mountains as al Culebra Cut; no
sinking foundation as at Gatun.
| The result would mean q saving in
over 500 miles of navigation 10 and
: from al Gulf ports. The time and ex-
| PeHse thus saved on shipping would
| lie vast indeed in q years operations
! The dangers Of The Florida Straits
that cemetery O. wrecked vessels,
! and maritime graveyar6-would be
avoided. Those who go down to the
/ sea in ships and do business in the
! great waters realize what this means.
I The worlds StoTehouse Of grain AMI
/ provisions would be brought down the
/ Mississippi, along the Gulf, across
Florida TO that marvellous highway OF
/ colnmeTCe-the Atlantic. The coal and
I Iron from Alabama and Tennessee, the
timber of Georgia and Florida are
/ right on hand for the building of our
ships and the products Of these AMI
+ other Gulf states would be brought
! Ia easy access to the markets OF the
void.
This canal would be worth more
tHan one battleshiB IL the way OF
[ serving the national defense.
/ Every dollar expended on it would
! return to the government and peopIe
more than teufold.