6
53
These vessels listed by Lloyd's Navigate sail on
all the oceans of the world. What about those which visit
Hong Kong? Of the latter, 91 percent will be able to come
to Whampoa at a 1 times, and 99 percent can come during
spring tides. To provide for that last one percent would
require five feet more depth, which would cost roughly
six million dollars extra.
Similar studies have been made of the proper
channel widths, and it has been determined that the channels
through the First and Second Bars should be 70 meters or
230 feet wide, while that through the Lintin Bar should be
100 meters or 330 feet in width. These dimensions will
permit the average vessels to pass each other with ample
clearance and even the widest ones can pass with very little
extra care under normal conditions of wind and tide. It is
interesting to compare these widths with those of the Panama
and Suez Canals. The width of the Panama Canal through
the 8 mile long Culebra Cut is 300 feet. The bottom width
of the Suez Canal for nearly a hundred miles of its length
is only from 108 to 118 feet with 23 passing places where
the width is 148 feet.
CAREFUL STUDY BEING MADE
A careful study had been made of the existing
and proposed system of transportation which centre on Canton.
The distance from Whampoa to Kowloon by railroad is 99
miles, while the dis tance by water is 87 miles. This is
one of the exceptional cases in the world where the water
route is shorter than that by railroad. It is 681 miles
to Hankow. It is expected that the Canton-Nanking Railroad
will be placed in operation about the middle of next
November. As you know, Kwangtung Province already has an
extensive system of highways, which is rapidly shaping
itself into a comprehensive system. In December 1934,
it is reported in the China Year Book, the total length of roads then open to traffic was 11,244 kilometers, with 144