Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-07-14

The interchange Of some Of the
largest battleships in the Ameri-
can. navy between the Atlantic
and Pacific fleets through the
Panama canal shows that the big
waterway is functioning along
the lineslaid down for it when
the United States undertook the
task. of constructing a seaway
between the two Americas, says
bulletin frcm the Washington
headquarters of the National Ge-
ographic society.
"When the work of building
the canal was undertaken" the
bulletin continues, mo one had
an idea Of the tremendous amount
Of material that would have to
be moved to make it usabl. wa
terway such as it is today.
''At that time it was figured
that the total excavations FOR the
canal proper would be 101 mil
lion cubic yards. But by reason
OF the enlargements and slides
the task continued to grow until
approximately a quarter of a bill
Ion cubic yards of material had
10 be removed. The rail distance
from the union station, Washing
ton, to the Pennsylvania termi-
nal, New York, is approximately
228 miles. Imagine instead of
the roadbed a canal with vertical
banks As feet deep and 124 feet
wide-deep and wide enough to
accommodate the biggest ship
that floats, and connecting the
nations metropolis with the ma
tional capital-and you will have
picture Of the amount of mate
rial that had to be removed to
make the great lsthmian high
way completed project.
Nor does this remarkable
comparison include either the ex-
'capations by the French in the
canal nor those of the Americans
for the auxiliary port works, coal
ing stations, etc. These were vast
enough to widen the imaginary
Washington-New York shipway
TO. l54 feet. On the bottom of
this ditch could be laid IL stand
ard American railway tracks.
lone can get another picture
of the immensity of the task by
reflecting on the fact that the to-
tai spoils which had to be moved
TO unite the seas, divide the con-
tinents and shorten the sea lanes
OF the world at Panama 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 to the Atlantic
TO deep water in the Pacific.
1.-The saving effected by ships
using the canal has more than
justified the hopes of the govern
: ment in undertaking its construc-
.tion. In prewar days the cost of
maintaining freighter in COM
mission was approximately 10
cents per net registered ton per
day. Thus, a 10,000-ton steam
ship cost for maintenance about
81 900 day. Its average speed
was around 25 knots day. On
the trip from New York to San
Francisco there is a saving of 32
days. With such a ship this ex-
ira distance would cost, on the
basis of prewar prices, $33, 900.
On the basis Of present prices it
would cost $4,000. The vessel
by usuing the canal in prewar
days, paying $l.20 per net regis
tered ton, saved its owners or
charterers $2l 600. On the basis
Of present day prices, the saving
amounts to nearly $4,000. If, as
is now planned, the coastwise
shipping using the canal is ex-
emlpted from the payment of
tolls, 10,000-ton steamer will
save $4,000 every time it passes
through the canal, in tolls, and at
least $4,000 in distance elimi-
mated.
While it looks rather high to
think Of 15,753-ton ship like the
,Orga paying $lS, 800 for an eight
hour trip through the canal, yet
to choose that route between the
'east and west coasts of the Unit.
sed States over the Magellan
route would save upward of $52,-
.0QQ on tba tc;,>