Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-09-07
Another Big ship Canal Propos.d.

! >'S "dNS oScn completed, and a
report is being prepared for presen-
tation to the Federal Government fer
another Of the worlds large shin ca.
nais' to be located in California. and
10 connect Sacramento. the capital Of
that State, with the Pacific Ocean, by
way of San Francisco Bay. The canal
VIII be IS miles long. $50 feet wide
AZ thc bottom, $50 to 800 feet wide a,
the surface OF the water, and 30 feet
deep capable of floating all but the
very largest of deep-sea vessels, and
is designed 10 convert Sacramento
which is 90 miles from the Pacific, into
an ocean port. Out of Sacramento,
on steamboats,, barges, and schooners,
are shipped every year 100000 tons
OF products OF the grain ranches, fruit
orchards, vegetable farms, and mines
OF ~ counties. This production is
valued at S9S.e5 per ton, the most val
uaoie and the largest-river traffic
IN the New World in proportion to the
length of navigability of the stream,
about 200 miles.
All this large volume of shipmens
has TO be rehandled at San Francisco.
Oakland, or other deep-sea ports on
San Francisco Bay, and the cost of
this tranSShipment is SO great that the
saving in this one item alone by the
bringing of deep-sea tonnage direct to
the Sacramento wharves will nav the
cost of the ship canal in ten years. In
addition to this, the deep channel, with
the Silt-bearing waters of many
streams cut off, will eliminate the
present expensive dredging of the
channel of the Sacramento River,
which has TO be kept up continuously
the year around. There are 100000
acres of arabic land, suitable for irri-
CATION in the Sacramento Valley, trib-
utary to the river and the city of Sac
ramento. OF this great area, only
about $4,000 to 10000 acres are in pro-
duction. 1t is believed that the intro
duction OF deep-sea shipping to the
heart of this valley will bring about
the early cultivation of these other
acres.
The route of the new canal, which
is longer than the Welland Canal, as
long as the famous Manchester Ship
Canal, and wider and deeper than
either, will not follow the course of the
Sacramento River. which is maintained
at minimum depth Of seven feet for
barge and shallow-stream traffic, but
runs for two-thirds OF Its length south
from the city of Sacramento, and
then turns west of south, through
Georgiana Slough and into the wider
and deeper San Joaquin River short
distance above Antioch, which, Incl
dentally, also will become an important
deep-water port for the San Joaquin
Valley when the canal is completed
| This route was selected as the best
after an exhaustive survey of several
pIOpOSSu IOulCS. III VIII start az the
southern part of Sacramento city, fol-
low substantially the line of the city
drainage canal to Snodgrass Slough,
thence down the latter channel to. a
point near its junction with the Moke-
| lumne River. Thence it will cut
| through to Georgiana Slough At
this point, the natural channel will be
abandoned, and a straight cut made
into the deeper waters of the San
Joaquin River. The low water depth
OF the San Joaquin at the proposed
point of entry is 81 feet, and all the
way down to Antioch this depth is
maintained at minimum, though
much of the water is 60 to so feet
deep. The depth off Antioch is 81
feet, but a short distance below this
place the river divides into several
channels which shoal, in places, to a
depth of only Is feet