The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-12


beginning Of dredged channel.
T Unless all plans mscarry the
long dreamed Of ship canal
across Cape Cod will be ready
and open for business within the
next four or five months. At present
more than 30 per cent. Of the work
has been finished and everything Is in
readiness to complete the undertaking
without delay. When 1t is finally COM
pleted. when passenger ships, freight
ers. yachts and. lows Of barges take their
course through this new waterway, the
country will awaken to the fact that an
extraordinary feat Of marine engineer
Ing has been accomplished.
Three hundred and twelve years have
passed since Cape Cod was discovered
by Bartholomew Gosnold Three hun
dred years. lacking six. have sped since
the Pilgrims landed; and PSI years have
gone to join the company OF finished
ages since Capt. Miles Standish en-
gagged in trading with Dutch voyagers
from New Amsterdam at Manomet, the
boats OF the doughty captain and those
Of the Dutch lying only three miles
apart. Whether or not the idea of a
ship canal across the cape occurred
to the active mind Of Miles Standish
at this time Is not recorded. II so.
however, other matters Of more i'm
mediate Importance probably distracted
his attention; for 1t was not until 1876
that Samuel Sewall examined the land in
order to find the best place wherein to
dig a canal which would provide "a
passage from the South Sea to the
North"
This brief historical reference will
serve to indicate the fact that the neces-
sity for Cape Cod canal has long been
recognized. In truth it was so impressed
upon the New England fathers that as
early as 1897 the General Court Of
Massachusetts, appointed a committee
to view. or survey, the place for a pass
age from Barnstable Bay to Manomet
Bay. From that time to the present the
idea has been constantly recurring to
Government officials and to farseeing
shipowners and merchants engaged In
trade other than that which is purely
local
One effort after another has been
made by succeeding generations to &C.
complish the feat, and as a matter OF
fact actual work Of digging had been
commenced and abandoned before the
enterprise was undertaken by a syndi-
cate, at the head OF which is August
Belmont. 1t Is this group OF business
men who have at last succeeded. With
Mr.. Belmont are associated some forty
or fifty well known men, including
J.. ID. Underwood, L. F.. Loree, William
Barclay Parsons, W. Averell Hartman
Il. w. Lancaster and Francis ID. Apple.
ton. They have put up the l2OOO, OO(
necessary to push the work to compile.
ton. and II IL now so nearly done tina,
steps are being taken for a great cele.
bration next summer, when the cana
will be formally opened to shipping.
The Cape Cod Canal Is greater in III
dimensions than the original Sue;
Canal. 1t Is eight miles long, with
minimum width at the bottom OF 10,
feet, a depth at high water Of 80 fee
and at low water Of 25 feet. 1t viii
bring the port Of Boston seventy mile
nearer than II Is to-day to the ports O
New York. Philadelphia, Baltimore ant
Norfolk. Vessels going through tn
canal viii avoid dangers Of fog an
storms which have caused such wreck
age on the outside route. Freighters
harges and other cargo vessels will b
enabled to increase their earning ca
pacity because they will make large
number OF trips per annum and be re