Show PROJECT UNDER WAY YEARS YEARS' Marseilles Canal at Last Is Near Completion In France Aug Au UPI A op A. A project fir ojea that has lias been botn on foot I U years will I. I resized October 1 1 when the last rocKs rO that keep keen the th water ol of the Mediterranean out of tho Iho Rhone lo to Rhon canal will Mill h n. n blasted td Then wilt will Ill have been a L continuous waterway a Hl by the largest canal barges hn from the th North Sea S to tin the Mediterranean In by way of or th Rhine Douba DouL and rivers river rud t nd the to Marseilles canal Tie Tic T lo work will have o cost francs Cranes and al the record for time consumed In Us its realization tion llen It will have ha ha e surpassed all nil allt t i In Europe In rock and earth t removed From the tunnel part Jarl of oC the canal caral which Is only five miles I cubic cuble yards ardi ardt of earth uth and 0 1 rock were taken talen heat brat beating heating ing the record of 0 the Saint Gothard Goth Goth- Gothard Gol h- h hard ard and Simplon tunnels In Swit- Swit Switz z gland rland which h art are longer but Lut smaller l AWAITING G. A When hen camo came upon the 1110 I In iiI ac ne of oC European I politics as nl ter ler of oC Louis Louts XIII ho found Cou the proposals for this canal In the archives es of oC the state slate awaiting ac ac- action ac- ac tion Uon Religious controversies oc- oc occupied cUlled the attention of Trance Iranee too tOI much at that time to permit at- at lf tr f Uon dion to such a broad scheme i iJ I J 1 and Louis XIII passed parsed ll from the scene of action and nail aid ail h h rest of or the French Kings klog cam came and went before Lefore the proposition a 8 u tIn n came ame to light II It was wa sur n-sur- ro re f ted In 1820 for a brief rief lon Jon and again as-aln forgotten until 1840 1810 18 O. O w en ien a functionary of oC the public works r dp department l ent drafted a plan for tho the realization atlon of ot the project n nIt It took tool 39 31 years jears Ears more to get It before bore parliament and 24 21 years car more to get It voted Finally tin tb I r atlon of a canal from the Medi- Medi Mediterranean In the vicinity of Mar Mar- Mari Illes i to the th river Rhone at Arles Aries a 81 h miles mitEs was wa authorized by b law law- lawIn In 1903 It took tool I right J years jears more to complete the preparations for the tho I work worl which w vv s 8 begun LEgun in 1911 and has lias con con- continued uninterruptedly since in pie plc of oC the world war warThe The nEW waterway completed 1 by b bt byI byte t I te ie E to Rhone canal is the first to effectively cut what 1 i I called The European Isthmus composed of Holland nd Belgium ranee rance Spain and Portugal and am a short cut from Crom the North orth ortha Sa Ji a a to the ca- ca cat cast t by water to traffic of or Importance |