Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-30
cape COD CANAL
OPEN TO TRAFFIC
Dangerous Passage Is Avoided
by Project Completed at
Cost of S12, 1000, 900.

BuzSardS Bay, Mass, July 3O.- Inc
Boston, Cape Cod and New York canal
connecting Buzzard's Bay with Massa-
vessels to avoid the dangerous pas
sage around wreck-strewn Cape Cod,
was formally opened today by August
Belmont, of New York, president of
the constructing and operating com
pany The canal shortens by 20 miles
the shipping distance between the
ports to the north and the 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 to pass
through it. The canal will be open to
traffic tomorrow and will be completed
in all it's details about the first of Oc-
tober.
The Cape Cod canal Is Is miles
long, including a cut through sand and
boulders from Buzzard's Bay to Sand
witch, Mass. 1t has bottom 100 feet
in width, shelving out to 800 and 400
feet at the passing points, and has a
in it's dimensions than the SueZ canal,
as originally constructed, it can &C
commodate the largest coastwise yes
sells afloat, with one or two excep-
lions.
At the eastern end is a massive
breakwater 5000 feet long which con-
tains more than 100000 tons of granite.
This is designed to protect vessels us
ing the canal from the storms that
sweep across Cape Cod Bay.
The $12,000,0O0 which has been ex-
pended in the constructing of the canal
has been spent largely in eXcavating
some 100000 cubic feet of sand and
boulders In order to keep the wash
from passing vessels from wearing
away the banks they have been rip
raped, or paved with granite blocks
and small boulders. This rip-rapping,
a large portion of which was done by
hand, runs from six feet below to four
feet above the high water mark. AT
the eastern end much money has been
spent in the building of "sand-catch-
err" a device calculated to keep NOV
ing sand from choking up the mouth.
The canal is in reality a river, max
there is considerable difference be
tween the tides in Massachusetts, Bay
and Bu7zard's Bay, causing a sluggish
current
The canal is destined to play an i'm
portant part in the future commerce
along the Atlantic coast of North
America OF the present time more
than 25,00O.000 tons of freight are
transported over the Cape Cod route
annually, including coal, 100000
tons; stone, 100000 tons; Nova Scotia
plaster, $4,000 tons; Rockland-Rock-
port lime 10000 tons; cement, $4,000
tons; oil, 210 tons; ice 100000 tons,
lumber. 100000 tons and sand, Co.,
900 tons. Other commodities carried
in barges and freighters amount to
100000 tons, while regular steamship
lines of the higher class carry as car
go 100000 tons of freight around the
cape every year.
An absence of fog along the course
of the canal will make it particularly
desirable to both freight and passed.
ger carrying vessels. Because of the
heavy fogs that prevail off the cape at
all times of the year many freighters
and barges are forced to lay to until
the weather is more favorable for a
passage.
1t is estimated that 100000 persons
a year are carried around Cape Cod.
In the past so years, it is said, 1000
vessels of various kinds have been
wrecked while attempting the passage
and between 700 and 500 lives have
been lost.
Tolls for vessels passing through
the canal will average in the neighbor-
hood of z cents per cargo ton per pas
sage and for vessels without cargo
over 500 tons gross register, the rate
will be about cents per ton. Motor
boats, yachts and other vessels not en-
gagged in commercial trade may pass
through the canal for as small toll as
SO. The tolls depend upon gross tom
mage and length over all.