Evening star., 1911-08-18
BOON TO COMMERCE
Cape Cod Canal Shortens
New York-Boston Route.
WILL COST $4,000 900
Army of Italians and Steam Dredges
Engaged in Digging.
COMPLETION IN 1912 DOUBTFUL
Only Enterprise Of It's Kind in the
World Ever Undertaken by
Private Capital.
WILL COST s12,000,000
COMPLETION IN 1912 DOUBTFUL
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Specisl Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SANDWICH, Mass, August 8, 1911.
There is fleet of titanic steam shovels
and suction dredges and an army of
Italian terriers down here amputating
what Thoreau called the arm of Massa-
chusetts. He pictured the village of
Chatham as the elbow and Provincetown
as the fingers half closed. 1t Is not an in
accurate description, although Cape Cod
is very attentuated member.
Ever since the days OF the Pilgrims
there has been talk Of a canal across
this arm from Barnstabfe bay to Buzzards
hay to expedite traffic and enable skip
pers to sail between Boston and New
York without encountering SO much bad
weather. II you look at the map you
will see
"A way for ships 10 shape:
Instead of winding around the cape,
short cut through the collar
The first project was proposed in 1880.
when the Pilgrims came across from
Plymouth 10 trade with Dutchmen from
New Amsterdam. Half way between Buzz
yards bay and the village of Bourne may
still be seen the ruins of trading post
which was established in 1927. Gov.
Bradford in his history Of Plymouth
colony speaks of the traffic as follows:
For our greater convenience of trade,
to protect our inhabitants and to MAN.
tain ourselves. we have built small pin
mace at Manomet. a place on the sea-
twenty miles TO the south, to which by
another creek on this side tScusse) We
transport our goods by water until with
IN four or five miles, and then carry them
overland TO the vessel. thereby avoiding
the comprising of Cape Cod with those
dangerous shores. and make our voyage
to the southwark with far less tire and
hazard.
Passage Used in Early Days.
An early chart of the New England
coast which may be seen in the public
records office in London, shows that there
was another passage across the cape
through the towns of Eastman, Orleans
and Chatham, which was used in those
days by small vessels and pinnaces MAX
ing voyages between Boston and Virginia.
Cape Cod peninsula is sixty miles long.
twenty miles wide at its widest part, and
eight miles wide at the narrowest point
near the town of Bourne across to Buzz
yards bay. Col. Charles II. TAYLOR editor
Of the Boston Globe, has his summer resi-
dence near this ancient village. which
was founded by and named after Richard
Bourne, who came as missionary to the
Indians i'm 1920. They were called Her.
l.
they got their living out of the innumer-
able little bodies of water that are scat
te:ed among the sandhills of the cape.
What is now the village of Bournesdale.
a short distance from Bourne. was their
home, and Samuel Sewell, Boston mer-
chant. built a meeting house for them
there ia 1jaiS.
The Pilgrims had Miles Standish make
survey fer canal across Cape Cod
in 1880 and the route he selected. only
eight miles long. is very nearly that
which has been adopted by the present
engineers. There were several other
movements in the same direction during
the two centuries and a half between
Gen. Knox who was Secretary Of War
in Washington's administration. once
started a project, and discussed it with
great ability. The present movement Is
made by "A private corporation organized
by August Belmont & Co. Capt
j.. w. Miller. formerly OF the United
States Navy and commander Of the New
York Naval Reserves. is the president OF
the corporation, and William Barclay
Parsons is the chief engineer.
Will Revolutionize Shipping.
The canal will be big enough for the
largest coastns steamers, and will not
only make an island of Cape Cod. but
will revolutionize shipping on the north
Atlantic coast The northern entrance
VIII ne at SaHUWlCn. ne CdHdI VIII cX-
tend eight miles to Buzzard's bay, with
a depth of twenty-five feet at low water
and thirty-two feet at high water. 1t
will he IL feet wide at the bottom and
30n feet AT the surface. except at four
reaches. where the minimum width will
be 100 feet at the bottom and 400 feet
at the surface. The canal will shorten
the route between Boston and New York
1ao miles
The work is being done by three differ
ent firms OF contractors, with mammoth
suction dredgeS and steam shovels. The
latter go over the ground first and grade
the line of the canal down until II Is a
ditch twelve or fifteen feet deep, throw
Ing the earth upon the bank where the
topogra2h will permit. or hauling 1t
away by railroad cars where conditions
are otherwise. These machines are very
similar to the graders used in railway
construction. Behind them come the
steam dredges which begin at the sea-
shore and dig their own channel ahead
of them as they pass along. Hydraulic
dredges are used wherever ID is possible
They throw streams of water as large as
a mans body against the bank of EARTH
which dissolves and floats away I'm mud.
Construction Is going on at both ends
On the south the dredges have excavated
a channel four and one-haif miles
through Vie shallow waters at the head
Of Buzzards bay. which is practically an
underwater prolongation OF the canal.
iust as was done in Panama bay on the
Pacific side of the isthmus. On the
north coast deep water is only about half a
mile from the shore. so that the work of
eXcayating was very much less, but ii
was necessary TO protect the entrance to
tho canal with a breakwater more than
5000 feet long, so that 1t will not be-
come choked up with the sand that the
current brings down the coast and to
make 1t safe for vessels to enter during
the gales that blow so frequently in
Massachusetts bay. Were il not for this
breakwater "A strong northeaster would
fll up the canal with sand in a few
hours.
Work Began in 1909