Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-15
BIG CANAL PLANNED
Waterway to Run Entirely
Across Scotland.
APPROVED By ADMIRALTY
Money Interests Eager to Take Up
the Scheme.
OF GREAT VALUE TO SHIPPING
Cost of Construction for Thirty-Six
Foot Depth Is Estimated at
$1oo,oo0,ooo.
APPROVED BY ADMIRALTY
OF GREAT VALUE TO SHIPPING

Scotland is to have a big ship.s canal
running across it from the North STA to
the Clyde. which will be not onty of i'm
mense commercial value as a distance
saver but of enormous naval strategic
Importance. The British admiralty has
approved the project and money interests
are eager to take up the scheme and put
it through. Scotland has taken great
interest in the Panama canal and has
long wanted to make the cut across
country. so as to save the long sailing dis
tances between the east and west coasts.
The greatest military authorities and the
greatest firms in Great Britain are heart
lily in favor of the canal. which now will
become an accomplished fact
The scheme which the promoters advo-
cate is the cutting of a ship canal from
tine River Forth at the point opposite
Kincardine-on-Forth westward for a dis
tance of four miles. then northwest by
west. passing the south of Stirling, and
proceeding westward along the south side
of the valley of the Forth for distance
of twenty miles, then turning southwark
and finally due west into the waters of
Loeb LQmOnd. near it's southeastern COR
ner Vessels will then proceed south
ward through the lOch to Balloch, from
which place due south 10 Dumharton-a
distance of five mileS-the channel of the
River Leven would be widened and deep
ened SO that the vessels might enter the
Clyde.
Saving of Time.
One important advantage which the
adoption of the Stirling-Loch Lomond
route would confer is that it would neces-
state locks only at either end of the
canal. the intervening distance being one
long level reach. AS the summit level
feet above mean sea level. the locks re-
CURED would be very few in number,
probably not more than three at each end.
The consequent saving of time in the
passage Of a vessel through the canal
would be enormous.
1t is scarcely necessary to labor the
point that in naval as in military war
fare the facility of assembling forces at
given point in the shortest possible
time is the essence of strategy, and when
it is considered that the canal. which is
designed to pass the largest war vessels
afloat, would enable a fleet to pass from
the west to the east coast of Britain in
eight and half hours it will readily be
conceded that it would nave the effect of
doubling the striking power Of the Brit
ish North sea and Atlantic fleets, and
afford unriva!ed facilities for speedy con-
centratiOn.
This fact is emphasized when it is borne
in mind that while the distance by sea
from Glasgow to Edinburgh by the north
of Scotland route is SOC miles and by the
English channel route 800 miles, the dis
lance by canal would be only sdxty-five
miles. At time when competition is
rife between rival fleets as to numbers
and strength the value of this power of
rapid concentration is undeniable.
OF Service to Fleets.
The construction of this canal also
would have a great and beneficial effect
in increasing the power of utilizing the
facilities at present at the service of the
fleets. Through it's instrumentality the
Rosyth naval base and the new ammuni
ton works at Crombie. on the Forth. as
well as the shipbuilding. repairing and
marine engineering facilities of the Wear,
the Tyne, the Forth and Lie Tay. would
be easily accessible for vessels operating
in western waters, while the facilities OF
the Mersey, Barrow, Belfast and Clyde.
the latter with the LamAsh naval station
and the new torpedo works at Fort Ma
tilda, Greenock. with its testing range
in Loeb Long, would be available for the
North sea fleets.
In the event of war In the North sea
1t would be possible to send a crippled
vessel through the canal to the repairing
yards OF the west, thus avoiding a long
journey round the north of Scotland or
the south Of England. which might be
dangerous to a crippled vessel by reason
of stress of weather. apart altogether
from the possibility of a second meeting
with the enemy.
On reviewing the commercial aspects of
the scheme one is Immediately impressed
by the possibilities of Industrial devel-
opment which it affords. The cheapness of
transit by canal is matter not in dis
pute. and as the route which the proposed
waterway would traverse lies immedi-
ately to the north of district Of Scotland
enormously rich in coal, iron and Oil, it
is not unreasonable to suppose that the
coming of the canal would be followed
by an expansion of the trades which have
made the valleys of the Forth and Clyde
so prosperous. In this connection 1t might
be well to point out the benefits which
the canal would confer upon steamships
by allowing them to coal at the source
of supply direct