Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/700

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690 CANAL CANANDAIGUA western storm jetty, extending into the sea, the eastern jetty being 3,609 and the western 2,515 yards long, having a distance of 437 yards between them. The jetties are con- structed of blocks of Iteton agglomere, made of hydraulic lime from Teil in Ardeche, France, and beach sand. The channel is dredged to a depth of 26 ft. for a good part of the enclosed space. At the Suez extremity the harbor is also dredged to a depth of 26 ft. ; a break- water protects the entrance from southerly winds, and a basin, constructed by the com- pany, affords a good harbor. The canal was officially opened Nov. 17, 1869, at which time 50 ships had passed from one sea to the other. In 1871 there passed through 765 vessels, of which 643 were steamers and 63 men-of-war. The total receipts from tonnage, coasters, pas- sengers (10 fr. per head), and piloting, were $1,830,455. In 1870 the government of the United States sent out two exploring expedi- tions for the purpose of ascertaining the practi- cability of uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by a canal across the American isth- mus. One of these expeditions was sent to the isthmus of Darien, and the other to that of Tehuantepec. The latter, under the command of Oapt. Shufeldt of the navy, originated from a grant by the Mexican government to a com- pany formed by Emilio La Sere, which has been transferred to the Tehuantepec railway company. The report of the officers who made the exploration and surveys, as well as that of those who had made previous surveys, is to the effect that no extraordinary engineer- ing difficulties are presented. It is estimated that sufficient water can be procured from riv- ers in the Sierra Madre to amply feed the canal. The route commences about 30 m. above the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos in the gulf of Mex- ico, and traversing it for a considerable dis- tance, ascends to a level of about 680 ft., then descends to the lagoon on the Pacific, a total distance of about 120 m. It is the most north- ern route that can he selected, and makes the distance from New Orleans to Hong Kong 9,900 m. less than by way of Cape Horn, and 1,218 m. less than by way of the isthmus of Darien. From New York to Hong Kong the distance by way of Tehuantepeo is 8,245 m. less than by way of Cape Horn, and 1,588 m. less than by way of the isthmus of Darien ; and the route from Liver- pool to eastern Asiatic ports is also consider- ably shortened. The Darien expedition, under Commander T. O. Selfridge, surveyed three routes across the narrower part of the isthmus which have been reported as impracticable, on account of the extent of tunnelling which would be required ; a locked canal being out of the question for want of water. Five months were spent in surveying the route of the Atrato and Tuyra rivers, but the broken nature of the country and the swamps encountered were considered unfavorable. The route by the ' Napipi river, a branch of the Atrato, was then surveyed, upon which Commander Selfridge made a favorable report. He proposes to lock up to a summit of 130 ft. from the Pacific, by 13 locks, and from the entrance of the canal on the Atrato, which is 40 ft. above the level at the mouth of the river, to rise by 9 locks, 90 ft., to the same level. Eight miles of this level will include three miles of cutting 125 ft. deep, and a tunnel of five miles, sufficiently high to admit the largest ships ; and he esti- mates the cost at $125,000,000. He is now (April, 1873) surveying the valley of the Bo- jaya, a still more southern tributary of the Atrato, which is regarded as a more favorable route. An expedition to Nicaragua is also en- gaged in examining the route surveyed by Col. Childs in 1850-'51. The line selected by him proceeds from Lake Nicaragua to Brito on the Pacific. It traverses the lake to its outlet at Port San Carlos, follows the San Jnan river for about 90 m., and then uses a canal to the har- bor of San Juan del Norte, the total distance being 194 m. This plan includes 14 locks on each slope. CANALE, MfOlo, a Venetian admiral who lived in the second half of the 15th century. In 1469 he was commander of the Venetian fleet at Negropont (the ancient Chalcis), and suc- ceeded in seizing the town of Enos, belonging to Turkey, but wholly occupied by Greeks. The cruelties perpetrated upon the inoffensive inhabitants created great indignation at Con- stantinople, and Mohammed II., with a view of avenging the outrages, besieged Negropont with a force of 120,000 men, and after a violent contest expelled the Venetians in July, 1470. Canale, to whom this defeat was attributed, was sentenced to death by the council of ten ; but at the instance of Pope Paul II. and of other influential persons, his punishment was com- muted to exile for life at Porto Gruero, where he died. CANALETTO, or anale, Antonio. I. An Italian painter, born in Venice, Oct. 18, 1697, died there, Aug. 20, 1768. His father was a scene painter, and educated him to the same profes- sion. He resided for a time in Rome, about the year 1719, and there studied the remains of an- tiquity, and gained the reputation of an accom- plished artist. On his return to Venice he painted numerous views of that city, reprodu- cing with great accuracy its palaces, churches, and canals. The best of these was the view of the Grand canal, which is now in the gallery of the Louvre. He spent two years in Eng- land, and painted an interior view of King's chapel, Cambridge. His works are found in all the galleries of Europe. II. Nephew of the preceding, also known as Canaletto, but whose real name was Bernardo Belotto, born in Venice in 1724, died in Warsaw in 1780. He was a pupil of his uncle, whose style he suc- cessfully imitated, excelled in perspective, and for some years painted in Dresden, London, and other cities. CANAIVDAIGUA, the capital of Ontario co., New York, situated at the N. end of the lake of the