The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-08-02
w nth the opening on May 7,
\N/ last year, Of the great canal
" " connecting Marseillcs with

last yeur, OF the great canal
" connecting Marseilles with
the River Rhone came the
announcement that Marseilles was to
become n free port In direct competi-
ilOn with Hamburg. The object in
view when designing the canal was to
connect Marselllcs, the premier French
port and n serving numerous indus
trial establishments. with the center
Of France, by II waterway sufficient 10
deal with n larger amOun of goods of
greater bulk than could be carried by
the existing railway lines. There be-
Ing Il number of French canals con
nectcd with the Rhone and It's tribu-
tary, the Saone. the new waterway will
put Marscllles in direct communication
with n large part of northern Europe
and permit n more effective dlstr.bu-
ton of those products which come to
the French port from countries border
Ing on the Mediterranean.
The M~arSoilles canal, which threat
ems serious consequences to Hnmhurg's
trade, Is one of the important public
works that were carried on despite the
war. The waterway connects Mar
settles with Aries, on the Rhone. and
for part of the distance runs in n tun-
mel under the Ncrthe M OF hills to
the northwest of the great port. II
also connects London with the Medi-
terrancan by an almost straight line.
making Marscilles the greatest gate
way to the East ayd the central clear
Ing house for all North African trade.
Fifty miles long. Il has taken ~ years
10 build, and cost about S20,OO0,O0O
The scheme has beer carried ont with
financial aid from the state, the de-
partmcnt of the Observation-Disclosures,
and, more especially, from the cham
Der of m of Marseilles, which
expects great results from the work.
Rhone an Interesting River.
Engineers point out that the Rhone
Is certainly the most interesting
French river. II has been utilized in
the past in Il large measure, and since
1878, under the influence of the great
enthusiasm shown In France In favor
Of Internal navigation schemes, its
flow has been improved from time to
time. The river in Its main portion
run In II north to south direction, and
Is continued northward ut Lyons, and
In an almost straight line, by the
Saone. thus forming a water course
which should be capable, according to
n writer In the English journal, Engi-
neerlng, of placing the Mediterranean
In direct communication with northern
Europe. He adds:
at Is even, II might be said, the sole
watercourse available in this respect,
for there are practically no other i'm
pnrtant watercourses which flow south
ward into the Mediterranean"
The new canal, In the sections on n
straight line, Is So feet In width, with
II normal depth OF eight feet. two
inches. The depth Is nine feet. ten
inches between MarSeilles and the
Etang de Bcrre, ms IT Is hoped that In
TINT portion of the canal larger craft.
sca-guiug bargcs, perhaps, will be used
owing 10 the prospective development
Of industrial establishments on the
Stang la Bcrre. This %presupposes the
transShipment of some of the goods
loudcd on these larger bargeS and
destined for towns and districts up the
River lihone.
The canal section In the straight
will always be five times the immersed
section of the present Rhone barges
when loaded to their maximum carry
ing capacity, or 600 tons ON u five-foot
n%ine-inch draught.
Something About the City.
Marseillcs already is the chief sea-
port of France and the second city OF
the republic In point of population. 1t
Is On an inlet of the Gulf of Lyons, 20
miles east of the principal mouth of
the Rhone. The location Is very pic.
%turesque, the ground rising on all
sides In an amphltheater of wood
crowned hills 100 to $500 feet high,
which terminate In n steen nrom ltory
u few miles south of the city.
A century ago the city was n cluster
Of narrow, crooked streets grouped
around the cove that formed the old
harbor. Now several wide avenues
traverse this old portion, and nearly
the whole city Is laid ou with broad
and straight streets, and generally pre-
sents a modern aspect. The city is
dominated by the hill OF Notre Dame
de la Garde, which rises to IA height
OF 4S0 feet between the town and the
shore. This hill Is encircled on the
water side by the picturesque CorElche