The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-07-29
The Cape Cod Canal Connects
BuZZard's Bay with Mass
achusetts Bay
GREATER DIMENSIONS
THAN SUEZ CANAL
Cost Was $4,000, ,00o-In Reality a
River, Making Cape Cod an Island
Will Play Important Part in Com



Will Play Important Part in Com
merce.
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass, July 29-The
Boston, Cape Cod and New York canal
connecting Buzzards Bay with Massachu-
setts Bay and enabling coastwise vessels
to avoid the dangerous 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 shortens
| by 40 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 viii be open to traffic tomor-
row and will be completed in all It's de-
tails about the 1st of October.
| The Cape Cod canal is IS miles long,
including cut through sand and boulders
| from BuzZards Bay to Sandwich, Mass
1t has a bottom 100 feet in width, shelly
ing out to 800 and 400 feet at the passing
points, and has a draught of p feet at
low tide Greater in its dimensions than
the Suez canal, as originally constructed,
1t can accommodate the largest coastwise
vessels atioat, with one or two exceptions
At the eastern end is massive break
water 5000 feet long, which contains
more than $4,000 tons of granite This
lis designed to protect vessels using the
canal from the stornE that sweep across
ICape Tod bay.
The S12,00O,00O which has been expend-
led in the constructing of the canal has
been spent largely IN excavatng 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 rp-rapped OF paved with gran
ite blocks and small boulders The rip
rapplng, a large portion Of which was
done by hand runs from six feet below to
four feet above the high water mark At
l the eastern end much money has been
!, spent in the building of a 'sand-catcher, "
I a device calculated to keep moving sand
from choking up the mouth
The canal i IN reality river, making
: all OF Cape Cod an island for there is con
: siderable difference between the tides in
Massachusetts Bay and Buzzards Bay
causing a sluggish current
The canal is destined to play an impoI-
tant part in the future commerce along
I, the Atlantic coast of North America At
! the present time more than 25,000. 900
tons Of freight are transported over the
Cape Cod route annually, including coal
u 100000 tons: stone, 100000 tons;
: Nova Scotia plaster, $4,000 tons; Rock
! land Rockport lime, 10000 tons; cement.
10000 tons; oil. 30 tons; ice, 100000
7 tons: lumber 100000 tons; and sand.
900 tons. Other commodities carried
in barges and freighters amount to 5000
q 600 tons, while regular steamship lines OF
the higher class carry as cargo 2,000.000
tons of freight around the cape every year
An absence of fog along the course OF
: the canal will make it particularly desir-
:. able To both freight and passenger carry
ing vessels. Because of the heavy fogs
q 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
year are carried around Cape Cod II
the past 90 years. it is said, 1000 vessel,
Of various kinds have been wrecked while
attempting the passage and between 70C
:, and 500 lives have been lost.
n Tolls for vessels passing through the
= lcanal will average in the neighborhood o
i seven cents per cargo ton per passage anC
i sor vessels without cargo over 500 tom
gross register, the rate viii be about fiyt
cents per ton Motorboats, yachts anC
: other vessels not engaged in commercial
IS trade may pass through the canal for a
lie small toll as So The tolls depend upol
y gross tonnage and length overall.