Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-05-08
The Florida Ship Canal

"~ o"AISS1S VI LuI.
rlcanes and of Sir Francis brakes
buccaneers in passing through the
Florida Straits. A hundred years
ago Andrew Jackson urged the dig
ging of a canal across the neck Of
the Florida peninsula as a military
measure to permit the speedier and
safer movement of troops and sup
Plies between the Atlantic and the
Gulf. Ever since 1850 the War
Department has been urging the
construction of such a canal.
The World War developed a new
menace to shipping, the submarine.
The narrow channel between Flori-
"a and Cuba, $50 miles long and
only go miles wide, offers the same
opportunity for enemy submarines
that the British Channel did during
the World War. Southwark from
Florida foreign flags fly over every
island and shore except Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands. Enemy
submarines could easily find bases
from which to menace the Florida
Straits in case of war.
Since the World War, the volume
of shipping to and fro between the
Gulf and the Atlantic has multip-
lied nearly tenfold. More than TO-
900 ships a year have to pass
through the hurricane threatened
waterway, and expose themselves, in
case of war, to the submarine men,
ace.
In the past ten years Congress
has appropriated nearly half a mil
lion dollars for surveys for a ship
canal across Florida. Both civilian
and Army engineers are in agree
ment that a sea-level ship canal is
practical and desirable 1t would
be of commercial as we'll as military
advantage All five of the Gulf
states %cooperated in setting up the
Florida Ship Canal Association At
its head is General Summerall, for
mer Chief of-Staff of the United
States Army Florida has purchased
and presented to the nation the
right-of-way for the canal
The most competent board of
biologists that could be assembled
has exploded the bugaboo, set up
by the railroads and others opposed
to the canal, that it would ~endanger
the states fresh water supply
A completed canal across Florida
would save approximately 1900
miles for all ships plying between
the Atlantic Ocean and Ports on
the Gulf of Mexico, Pensacola, New
Orleans, etc Further, it is estimated
the ship tonnage to use this
canal would be approximately dou-
bic hat now using the Panama
Canal.
While the canal from the mouth
of the St Johns river to Port lnglis
is 200 miles, more than 100 miles
of it is rivers, with practically no
necessary. Hence there is less than
necessary Hence there is less than
100 miles of canal actually to be
constructed II miles having already
been dug in the start on the work
during 1885
President Roosevelt, after weigh
ing all the facts and appointing
boards of engineers and biologists,
allotted part of his PWA fund to
begin work on the Florida Canal.
More than s5,OoO,ooO has been
spent. 1t has been estimated hat
it will take about $4,000 900
more to complete the canal in four
years. By direction of the President
further appropriations were includ-
ed in the Army Supply Bill. That
met with opposition, based partly
on partisan politics but largely
upon transformation as to the facts.
Congress still has an opportunity
to render a service to the nation, by
providing in the annual deficiency
bill for the continuation and COM
pletion of the canal. 1t will pro-
vide a safe and short new highway
for commerce in peace and war.
There are 90 few secure and easy
outes between East and West to-
day. The Florida Canal will provide
the shortest, easiest and most secure
line of communication between the
Mississippi Valley and the Atlantic
seaboard.
Many a Friend Recommends
QIkTK nd