Evening star., 1921-07-10
VALUE Of CANAL
Shown BY EVENTS
Interchange of Large Battle.
ships Between Atlantic
and Pacific Cited.

and Pacific Cited.
The interchange of some of the
largest battleships in the American
Navy between the Atlantic end Pa
enc fleets through the Panama canal
shows that the big wat terway is func-
tioning along the lines laid down for
y when the United states undertook
Ihe task OF constructing seaway
between the two Americas" SAYS a
bulletin just issued from the Wash-N
ington headquarters of the National
Geographic Society.
When the work of building the
canal was undertaken" the bulletin
continues. mo one dreamed what a
tremendous amount of material
would have to be moved to make it
a usable waterway such as it is to-
day.
Excavations Largely Increased.
"At that time it WAS figured that
the total excavations for the canal
proper would be 1o1.ooo.ooo cubic
yards. But by reason of enlarge
ments and slides. the task continued
to grow. until Approximately a quar-
ter OF billion cubic yards of ma
terial had to be removed. The rail
distance from Union station here to
the Pennsylvania terminal. New York.
Is approximately 22s miles Imagine
instead of the roadbed a canal with
vertical banks, IS feet deep and 124
feet wide-deep and wide enough to
floats. and connecting ths nations
metropolis with the country's cap
ital. and you will have picture Of
the amount of material that had to
mian highway completed project.
Nor does this remarkable COM
parison include either the excava-
tons by. the French in the canal or
those of the Americans for the auy-
iliary port works. coaling stations,
etc. These were vast enough to widen
the imaginary Washington-New York
shipway to 154 feet. On the bottom
Of this ditch could be laid eleven
standard American railway tracks
One can get another picture of
the immensity of the task by reflect
Ing on the fact that the total spoils
which had to be removed to unite the
seas, divide the continents and shorten
the sea lanes of the world at PAN
anna were equal in volume to more
than 100 pyramids of the dimensions
of Cheops, two such pyramids for
every mile of the big waterway from
deep water in the Atlantic to deep
water in the Pacific.
i Saving Justines Construction.
The saving effected by ships using
the canal has more than justified the
hopes of the government in under
taking it's construction. In pre-war
days the cost of maintaining
freighter in commission was approxi-
ton per day. Thus a 10,000-ton steam
ship cost for maintenance about
$1,000 day. Its average speed was
around ESQ knots a day. On the trip
there is a saving of thirty-two days.
With such a ship this extra distance
would cost. on the basis of prewar
prices, $4,000. On the basis of pres
ent prices it would cost about s5o.000.
The vessel. by using the canal in pre-
tered ton. or $4,000. saved its owners
or charterers S21.OO0. On the basis
OF presePt-day prices the saving
amounts to nearly n $4,000: IL Lass as Is
using the canal Is exempted from the
payment of tolls. a 10,00O-ton steam
er will save $4,000 every time it
passes through the canal in tolls and
$4,000 Less ON Single Trip.
while it looks rather high to
think Of a 15.753-ton ship like the
Orga paying $1S.900 for an eight-hour
trip through the canal, yet to choose
that route between the east and west
coasts of the United States over the
Magellan route. would save upward
Of $4,000 on the trip.
Another interesting thing about
the toll rates at Panama is the COM
paratively low rates at which cargo
moves through the canal. A net reg
istered ton in shipping practice is
100 cubic feet of cargo space. Now.
it happens that most cargo doesn't
require SO much room, and that for
some commodities three tons can be
put in each net registered ton space.
Fer instance, cotton takes much
the latter has moved through the
canal for 81 cents ton, while
cargo of lumber might cost dollar
ton. The average rate for bulk
cargoes ranges around 81 cents a
long ton.
"The rate of $40 per net regis
tered ton, or $4,000 for a 10.000-ton
ship. is no higher when viewed from
the standpoint Of cost of operating
the canal than when looked at from
the angle Of knot-money saved.
Cost $4,000, 600 in Interest.
THE present income from the canal
is barely sufficient to pay the mere
costs of operation, with no allowance
whatever for depreciation or inter-
est on the investment. AS the canal
cost 367.000.000. and as the govern
ment has to pay at least per cent
for money borrowed today. it will be
seen that interest charges alone
would amount to S1S.000,000 a year.
In other words. if Uncle Sam
operated his canal on the basis that
lHe railway SoIhpdiiSS oPS i"eS ehSh
roads, he would have to make a rate
of about SO net registered ton in
stead of $1.20.
with the tremendous decline in
ocean freight rates in the past two
years and the large increase in trans
continental railroad rates the COM
petition of the canal-using steamship
j lines for transcontinental freight has
hit the railroads a very hard blow.
Much tonnage that in pre-war days
moved from seaboard to seaboard by
rail is now going by sea. with the
result that hundreds of freight trains
are moving no more"