Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-02-15
WATERS Of TWO
SEAS ARE United
EMPEROR WILLIAM, OF GER
MANY WILL STENI. MARCH ON
PRESIDENT WILSON.
ADMIT LARGE BATTLESHIPS
Locks Built are Much Larger Than
Those AT Panama Canal, Liner,
I'n-s With 200 Feet Clear.

BERLIN, Feb. H. Emperor viii
liam expects to steal a little march
on President Wilson in canal celebra-
tons by opening the enlarged wator-
way connecting the Baltic and North
Seas probably as early as April The
work Of improvements which has cost
more than the building Of the orig
inal canal in 1881 will enable the
passage of the biggest battleships.
Tho emperor will probably accom-
plsh this for tho first time by per-
! sonally commanding the main Ger
man battle fleet through the inland
/ waterway.
Such world wide attention has been
/ directed to the American enterprise
| in connecting tho two oceans that II
is scarcely realized that the German
engineers have been building locks
even bigger than those at Panama
The emperor. who is fond Of maxi
ing COMPARISONS between his canal
and the American enterprise, IS never
( weary of pointing out that American
! battleships now under construction
can barely squeeze through the Gatun
! locks and that the $4,000 super
dreadnaught which Is already in sight
will have to follow the path or the
| Oregon around Cape Horn to get from
| the Atlantic to the Pacific coast the
/ German canal will have locks 81 feet
longer, 81 - feet broader and four
| feet greater draught than those or
Panama and will accommodate 60
OOO-ton battleship, should naval de-
signers go as high as that in the
future. There is room and 200 feet
TO SPARE i'm them for the newest and
biggest ocean liners Of the lmpera-
tor and Aquitania class, so that am
ple provision has been made for pos
slble DEVELOPMENTS Of commercial
navigation as well
The existing canal was opened in
1895. the cruiser Brooklyn, com
manded by Captain Bob" Evans
representing the United states in the
international naval pageant on that
occasion II runs from Kiel on the
Baltic to Brunsbuttel on the Elbe
estuary, a short distance from the sea,
and cuts off the long and rather
hazardous passage through the Cat
togat and around the northern end OF
Denmark. 1t jumped into Importance
Immediately AS a maritime highway
and was used by about 10000 vessels
during its first year. The traffic
steadily grew. the canal being ira
versed i'm 1912 by 57.3G6 ships OF
Q24237 total net tons, traffic
larger than that Of the Sucz canal
To the German navy II was Of ines
timable advantage. enabling com
mandrr 10 throw tho entire fleet from
one sea to the other I'm few hours
and to menace. for example. an op-
poslng British flee from points sew
oral hundred miles apart with the
advent Of dreadnaughts. however, this
advantage was lost. as the locks 500
feet long SO feet wide and 30 feet
deem. were too small 10 accommodate
the naval monsters and Il was deter
mined to provide larger locks and
double the width Of the canal.
The new locks. which lack the i'm
noalnp boirht Of those at Panama,
hut are bigger In every other respect.
are Os2 feat long panama. 600
feet, 147 - feet wide panama 10
,ept, and have mean depth OF 45