The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-07-29
CAPE COD
AND NEW YORK
CANAL OPENED
Formal Opening Today of I'm
portant Waterway Which
Cuts Seventy Miles from
Distance Between Important
Ports.


Buzznrds BAY. Mass, July 2e.-The
Boston. Cape Cod and New York
canal connecting Buzznris bay with
Massachusetts bay and enabling
cuastwisc vessels 10 avoid the dam
gcrous passage aroun wfcck-strewn
Cape cod. was formally opened to-
day by August belmont of New
York. president of the constructing
and operating company. h ans
shortens by seventy miles the ship
ping distance between the ports 20
the north aud the south OF H.
Although the canal has actually
been open from one end 60 the other
since early this month, no vessels
other than those belonging 90 the
owners Of he canal rave been al
lowed 20 pass through g. The canal
will be open to traffic tomorrow and
will be completed In all its details
about the nrst OF October.
The Cape Cod canal Is thirteen
miles long. including a Dut through
sand and bouldcrs from Buzznrds hay
10 Sandwich. Mass. II has a bottom
100 feet In width, shelving out 70
500 and 400 feet wide at the pass
ing points, and has a drRught of 20
feet al low tide. Greafer in It's d.
mansions than the Suez canal az
originally constructed. Il can accom-
MEDIATE the largest coastwise vessels
anoat. with one or two exceptions.
Al the eastern end Is a massive
broakwater 5000 feet long which
contains more than 350,0O0 tons OF
granite. This IL designed to protect
.maN. .s.l.rr ~. a.Na4I from tho
storms that sweep acros Cape Cod
bay.
The $4,000. 900 which has been
expended In the constructing OF the
canal has been spent largely In eN-
cnVating some 1000, Goa cubic feet
Of sand and houlders. In order TO
keep the wash from passing vessels
from wearing away the tanks they
have been %riprappcd or paved with
granite blocks and small boulders.
This riprapping, a large portion oi
which was done BY hand. runs from
ak feet below To- four above the
high water mark. At the eastern
end much money has been spent IN
the building Of a sand catcher a
: device calculated 10 keep moving
sand from choking up the mouth.
The canal Is In reality "A river,
making all of Cape Cod an island
for there II considerable difference
? between the tides Ia Massachusetts
bay and Buzzards bay, causing O
sluggish current.
The canal * destined TO play AZ
important part In the future com
merce along tho Atlantic coast ol
North America. At the present tlm'
more than $4,000. 900 tons os freigh.
are transported over the Cape Coo
route annually. including coal. ~
GOO 00 tons stone. 200,0 600 tons
Nova Scotia plastor. $4,000 ions
Rockland- Rockport lime, 10000
tons. cement. $4,000 tone; oil. 81
tons; ice, 100000 tons, lumber. 2,
900. 600 tons. and sand. sG,aea tons
other commodities carried In bargel
and frcighters amount TO 100000
tons, while regular steamship line
OF the higher class carry as carg'
2,000. 600 tOns of freight around IN
cape every year.
An absence ~ fog along the cours'
OF the cnnai will make Il particularly
desirable to both freight and pas
senger carrying vessels. Because o
the heavy fogs that prevail OFF IN
cape al an times 90 the year man.
frelghters and harges are forced &
lay Ia until the weather Is more IN
, Vorahle for a passage.
, Il IA estimated that 100000 person
n year are carried nround Cape Cod
In the past sixty years, It Is said, w.
thousand vessels OF various kind
have been wrecked while attemptin
the passage and between seven an
eight hundred lives have been los
Tolls for vessels passing throug
the canal will average In the neigh
horhnod OF seven cents per cargo "a
per passage, and FOR vessels withou
cargo, over O tons gross r~egiste'
the rate Will be above five cents pc
ton. Motorhoats. yachts and oth'
vessels not engaged IN co-amcrci'
trade may pass through the cam
} for aH small a toll as 81. The toll
depend upon gross tonnage an
length over all.
Aw~A- ~-~ wwNwwxRV1