The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-17

rlrers. the Hoangho and the Yangtse,
witch are so mighty tina: ..:hey would
{. make the ChagrAs look like 3o-ceut
creek, and II cuts its way through
territory having q population more
than twice as great as that of the
[ United States,
F, The cana! IS dotted with cities and
towns. There are walled cities at
evsry few miles. and some NJ them
contain l,cco,ooo people OF more There
are towns OF 100000 each whose names
are unknown in America, and n fringe
Of villages runs along 1t all the way
/ from Ficn- Tsin TO Hangchow
+ Mighty stone Embnnk ments.
/ From the Yangtse north lha canal
I flows for $50 miles without a lock.
I This; is over the great plain OF North
China. Still further north there arc
/ numerous sluices and locks. and in,
! places the water is carried above tho
| country on stone ernbankmants twenty
/ feet or more higher than tho surround
| tng plains. and that Notwithstanding
the stream is 200 feet wide II has
stone flood gates. managed by soldiers.
| II is fed BY rivers and creeks. AT ona
f! place = river is conducted into 1t and
the Chinese say that 100000 men
worked seven months to turn the wa
ters OF that single stream
This canal is now going to ruin. I,
used TO take all tn. tribute rice to
: Picking. and was then sailed by 5000
government boats every spring Since
the advent of the Chinese Merchant
! Steamship Company this rice has been
! carried by sea, and the steamers have
! materially damaged its other traffic. It
! still has numerous junks and bat
| winged barSes, and in places 1t Is ira
/ vcrscd by steamers and steam launches.
| As a practical ship canal, however, ii
1 is {, thing of the past. and it would re-
quirc hundreds of millions of dollars
/ TO III IL for the transportation OF tn.
| present. Its value has so diminished
/ that the department for its upkcep has
; been practically abolished, the office OF
| d!"ector-gcneral OF the grain transport,
i which had charge OF It, having zen
! discontinued about five years ago.
| The sucH Canal in 1912.
! The next canal we shall see is the
| most important OF all and the one
which will compete with our big ditch
at Panama. II is the SueL Canal, which
now has more shipping and brings in
| more money than any other canal upon
| earth. The tonnage OF the vessels
| which passed through II last year
amounted to more than c0.0Oo,000, and
/ the reeeipts We're far more than thai
| many dollars. This canal is lust forty
| miles longer than our canal at Panama.
| ana. like the latter. 1t joins two mighty
| oceans. II we consider the Mediterra-
! mean an arm OF the Atlantic and the
! ited Sea an arm Of the Indian Ocean
the Suez Canal joins the two have
gone many tunes through il. and il
! mas cost the steamer each time high
| INTO the thousands of dollars. There is
a charge of So for every man. woman
ana child on board, and, in addition.
| every ship has to pay tonnage due.
| which now. amounts 10 somewher. be-
s"een $3.50 and Sc ton.
For many years 1t was So n ton. So
| that 10000 ship would pay 100000
| for going through. The last time !
travcrsed It the steamer took eighteen
hours and the charge for the ship
| Fas Just about $500 an hour
! IT Brings In Millions.
The Suez Canal has paid almost from
! the start. and the canal stock Is as
high as anything sold In Wall Street.
I Tho bnlk OF 1t is owned by Great
Britain. and although the French nom
inally control tho canal. its real dircc-
ton comes from John Bull. AS 1T is
nov. no large block OF tho common
stock appears to be owned by any in
| diVidual Incorporation or other gov
ernIpcnt. John Bull Is said TO have