New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-08
Canal Opened in 1895.

The existing canal was opened in 1870,
the cruiser Brooklyn, commanded 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. short distance from the
sea. and cuts off the long and rather
hazardous Passage through the Cattegat
and around the northern end of Denmark
IT Jumped into Importance Immediately
as q maritime highway and was USED by
about 2o0D vessels during its first year
The traffic steadily grew, the canal heinS
traversed in 1912 by 81 1856 ships, OF sSi'25'
total net tons. a traffic larger tnan that
Of the Suez Canal. To the German navy
il was Of inestimable advantage, enabling
= commander 10 throw the entire feet
from one sea TO the other in few hours
and TO menace, for example. an opposing
British feet from points several nunoreu
miles apart. With the advent OF Dread
noughts. however, this advantage was
lost As the old locks so feet long. g feet
wide and 30 feet deep. were too small 10
accommodate the naval monsters. ana II
was determined TO provide larger locks
and double the width OF the canal.
The new locks, which lack the impos-
ing height Of those at Panama, but are
bigger in every other respect are I'''-
feet long panama. 1000 feeU, l4'te ieeI
wide panama. 10 feeO and have a mean
depth Of 40 feet OF water panama Al feep
over the stills. The new canal is i' Iee'
wide at the surface, $50 feet wide at the
bottom of the excavation and mas peeh
nroyided with eleven "sidings' at Whlch
vessels may pass. New harbors have been
built al each end, several sharp curves
have been eliminated. two new railway
bridges $50 feet above the canal nave been
provided and other details have brought
the cost OF the improvement up TO BOO
CO.. o0n. whereas the original canal cost
was only sS9 21s,O0l. The enlargement IN
volved the excavation Of 100000 CUBIC
wards Of earth the original canal H.
900 900 cubic Yards The work, which has
occupied i've years, has been carried on
without interrupting traffic in the canal
the new locks, one at each end or the
canal, having been built beside the ola
ones.
Locks Placed Miles Inland.
To protect the locks Of the Panama
Canal from bombardment and destruction
by a hostile fleet they were placed seY-
eral miles inland from the ends Of the
canals. In the Kaiser Wilhelm candl the
same result has been obtained by having
the canal terminate at one END IN hiei
Fiord a long, narrow arm of the baltic'
and at the other In the Elbe River. some
fifteen miles from It's mouth. Both river
and ford are heavily fortified.
About 5000 workmen Of various ma
tional,ties have been employed on Inc
work. They have been housed IN gov
eminent barracks and have been fed ana
lodged al cost 10 them Of from :" 10 y
cents a day. Remarkable for sucn po-
lice ruled state as Germany IS the ldC'
that The maintenance OF order mas oee'i
left entirely In the hands OF the Work
men who have their own barrack ana
room 'chieftains" and keep disorderiy
comrades under sharp control. OVerzsai-
GUS gendarmes. who felt that Iaporihs
community without a policeman IN irnIns-
date control was an impossibility ara
started rounds Of inspection in the bar
racks. were warned of by the president
Of the canal commission.
The new canal is about Sixty mheS
long. Passenger steamers are allowed u
proceed at twelve and one-half miles an
hour through the canal. freights are heia
10 a slower pace. so that the passage OF
the canal takes from i've 10 thirteen
hours. II shortens the trip from Baltic
Sea harbors to Hamburg by $50 miles ana
to London by 26s miles.