Show CANAL OR SHIP RAILWAY 1 the visit of count de do lesseps at W washington I 1 ton lie appel appeared ired before the 1 house louse cammi committee atee on in ter catia canal and explained many things in rela reia ton to his scheme for cutting 10 the isthmus of panama a at the close of his address captain james B eades the famous levee builder and engineer 0 x replied showing 0 the difficulties 0 the lesseps plan and its ono eno enormous amous expense amounting to many millions of dollars more than its projector assumed assum iid eid as athe the maximum cost captain eades then read a paper in advocacy of his plan of a ship railway he demonstrated that a substantial and durable ship railway can be half the coltof cost of a canal with locks and for one fourth that of a canalaz cana lat tide tlde level that such a ship shim railway can cau be built in one thiodor third or one fourth of theotime the time needed for the construction of a canal that when built ships of the maximum tonnage can bo be moved with safety at four or five times greater speed than in a canal th that at a greater number of vessels per day can be transported by the railway than can possibly be transported by tile the canal that the cae cap capacity acety of a ship railway can be easily increased to meet the demands of commerce that the cost of maintenance of the roadway and rolling stock would be m much uch less than that of the candland ca that a railway can be constructed and operated in localities where it is not practicable to construct a canal he explained his plan by means of dra drawings whigs showed a pit of feet long iong in which the railway should be made into the harbor to the depth of SO 30 feet then showing tile the cradle cradie into which the ship is to bo be fitted fitte dand and explaining how the tiie sili siri ship is to be L kept ept in ill place in the cradle aby by means of blocks six or ten ton feet apart then showing the railway consisting of 12 10 rails ralls of the ordinary width he claimed that derailment rail rall ment was impossible ble on account of the tile number of rails and the we weight ight of the ships that there would be no oscillation or strain up oil on the ships even in heavy gales galet T elis his plan lias has received the sanction of FJ 11 reed chief constructor of the british navy john roach henry steers and other eminent american engineers one very significant fact in relation t on to the canal scheme is that americans do not subscribe stock to it so faras farns far as that is concerned the labors of de do lesseps in this country have havo tave lave been fruitless it iq is confidently eonni dent y believed by the friends of eades that congress will take action in support of his railway plan |