Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-29
CAPE COD CANAL
OPENED ASNEW
COMMERCE ROAD
Marine Procession Marks Wa
ferway's cornpIetion-Bos-
ton 70 Miles Nearer.

BUzzARDS BAY. Mass. July 20
The Boston, Cape Cod and New
York canal, connecting Bnzzards bay
with Massachusetts bay and enabling
coastwise vessels to avoid the danger
Gus passage around wreck-strewn
Cape Cod was formally opened today
by August Belmont, of New York,
president of the constructing and
operating company. The canal short
ems by seventy miles the shipping dis
lance between the ports to the north
and south of it.
Although the canal has actually
been open from one end to the other
since early this month. no vessels
other than those belonging to the
owners of the canal have been allowed
10 pass through 1t. The canal Will De
open TO traffic tomorrow and Will pc
completed in all its details about the
first of October
The Cape Cod canal is thirteen
miles long, including a cut through
sand and boulders from Buzzard's
bav to Sandwich, Mass. 1t has bot
rom 100 feet in width. shelving out
20 300 and 400 feet at the passing
points. and has a draught of % feet
at low tide. Greater in its dimensions
than the Suez canal, as originally con-
structed, it can accommodate the
largest coastwise vessels afioat. with
one or two exceptions.
Protects Vessels from storms.
At the eastern end is a massive
breakwater, 5000 feet long, when
contains more than $4,000 tons OF
granite. This is designed to protect
vessels using the canal from the
storms that sweep across cape Goa
bay.
The $4,000. 900 which has been ex-
pended in the constructing OF the
canal has been spent largely IN eXc
cavating some 100000 cubic feet Oh
sand and boulders. In order to keep
the wash from passing vessels from
wearing away the banks, they nave
been rip-rapped, or paved with gran
tie blocks and small boulders This
rip-rapping. a large portion of when
was done by hand, runs from SIX rect
below to four feet above the hlgh
water mark. At the eastern end much
money has been spent in the building
of "sand-catcher,' a device caicu-
lated to keep moving sand from
choking up the mouth.
The canal is in reality a river, max
Ing all of Capt Cod an island, for
there is considerable difference be-
tween the tides in Massachusetts Bay
and Buzzards Bay, causing a slug
sish current.
To Play Big Part in Commerce.
The canal is destined to play an I'M
portant part in the future commerce
along the Atlantic coast OF North
- more
than 25. OO0, 900 tons of freight are tran
sported over the Cape Cod route an
nually, including coal, 12,00O,0O0 tons;
stone. 800, 600 tons; Nova Scotia plas-
ter. 100000 tons; Rockland- Rockport
limo. 10000 tons; cement, $4,000 tons;
oil. 30 tons; ice, 100000 tons; lumber,
.OO0, 900 tons, and sand, $4,000 tons
Other commodities carried in barges
and freighters amount to 3,O00,O0o
tons, while regular steamship INES
of the higher class carry as cargo
100000 tons of freight around the
cape every year.
An absence of fog along the course
Of the canal will make ii particularly
desirable to both freight and passen-
ger carving vessels. Because of the
heavy fogs that prevail off the cape
at all times of the year many freight
ers and barges are forced to lay TO
antiI the weather is more favorable
for passage.
II is estimated that 100000 persons
a year are carried around Cape Cod.
In the past sixty years, II is SAID,
two thousand vessels Of various kinds
have been wrecked while attempting
the passage and between seven and
eight hundred lives have been lost.
Tolls for vessels paNing through
the canal will average in the neigh
borhood of seven cents per cargo ton
per passage and for vessels without
cargo, over 500 tons gross register
the rate will be about five cents per
ton. Motorboats, yachts ana other
VESSELS not engaged in commercial
trade may pass through the canal for
as small "a toll as So. The tolls de-
pend upon gross tonnage and length
over all.
Sandwich 275 Years Old.
Considerably with the opening of
the canal, the town of Sandwich,
the Oldest on the Cape, celebrated its
275th anniversary today. A score of
floats depicting historical events in
the towns history since the earliest
Pilgrim days headed a parade this
morning, while a brilliant waterway
Illumination will be provided this
tNGni1lS Will tt6CtiAI iASIAN SiA hiA6
along both sides of the canal.
The Cape Cod canal is nearly as old
in conception as the Panama Canal,
having been dreamed Of for 300 years.
II follows the old course of the Indian
trail and was first officially men
toned in a resolution in the General
Assembly in 1890 favoring its con-
struction Several schemes came to
an unsuccessful end; then August
Belmont organized a s6,000000 New
York corporation, which turned the
first spadeful of earth, August 10, 1907.
Belmont. with large party, left
New Bedford this morning on the
specially chartered Rose Standish,
Bostons largest excursion steamer,
the first big boat through the canal.
After going through the canal from
end to end, and stopping at Sand
wich to join in the festivities. the
party returned TO Buzzards Bay.