Omaha daily bee., 1912-03-17
V1e Nzuc1eSHer SIP Cazzz

John Of England granted the Magma
charta, while the central portion dates
back to the days when the Tarquins were
emperors OF Rome
The Grand canal is 1000 miles long. IT
begins at flemish and runs southwark
for distance greater than from New
York to Chicago. II crosses two rivers.
the Hoangho and the Yangtse, which
ale so mighty that they would make the
Chagres look like a 30-cent creek, and II
cuts its way through a territory having
a population more than twice as great
as that Of the United States.
The canal is dotted with cities and
towns. There are walled cities at every
few miles, and some OF them contain a
million Of people or more. There are
towns OF 10000 each whose names are
unknown In America, and a fringe OF
villages runs along it all the way from
nentsin to Hangchow.
Mighty stone Entertainments.
From the fangtse north the canal flows
for $50 miles without lock. This is over
the great plain of north China Still fur
AANA NV IA hAtAO oAN sAulNts
and locks. and In places the water is car
ried above the country on stone embank-
ments twenty feet or more higher than
the surrounding plains, and that not
wlthstanding the stream is 30 feet wide.
II has stone flood gates managed by SOL
diers. II Is fed by rivers and creeks. At
one place a river is conducted into It,
and the Chinese say that 10000 men
worked seven months 10 turn the waters
OF that single stream.
This canal is now going to ruin. Il
used TO take all the tribute rice to Peking,
and was then sailed by 5000 government
boats every spring. Since the advent Of
the Chinese Merchant Steamship COM
pany. this rice has been carried by sea,
and the steamers have materially dam
aged Its other traffic. II stiIl has MINER
Gus junks and bat-winged barges. and in
places IT is traversed BY steamers and
steam launches.
As practical ship canal, however, II
is thing OF the past, and II would re-
quire hundreds of millions Of dollars TO
tit II for the transportation of the present.
ltsSvaiue has so diminished that the de-
partment for its upkeep has been prac-
tieally abolished, the office Of director
general OF the transport. which had
charge of IT. having been discontinued
about five years ago.
The Suck Canal In 1919,
The next canal we shall see is the most
important Of all. and the ono which WIN
compete with our big ditch at Panama,
y is the suez canal. which now has more
skipping and brings in more money than
any other canal upon earth. The tonnage
OK the vessels which passed through II
last year amounted to more than 2o,OooOO
and the receipts were far more than thai
many dollars. This canal IS lust forty
miles longer than our canal at Panama.
and like the latter. It joins two mighty
oceans. If We consider the Mediterranean
an arm Of the Atlantic and the Red sea
an arm Of the Indian ocean the suez
canal Joins the two. I have gone many
times through IT, and IT has cost the
steamer each time high In q the thou
sands Of dollars. There Is sStharge Of s.
for every man, woman and child On
board. and. in addition. every ship has to
pay a tonnage due, which now amounts
to somewhere between $50 and 81 ton.
For many years 1t was - ton. 50 that
a lo.ooo-ton ship would pay S2s.oop cor CO.
ing through. The last time traversed II
the steamer took eighteen hours and the
charge for the ship was just about 500
an hour.
II Brings in Millions.
The Suez canal has paid almost froo |
the start. and the canal stock is as high
as anything sold in Wall street The
bulk Of II is owned by Great Britain, anal
although the French nominslIy control
thu canal its real direction comes from