Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 300, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1911 — TO MAKE RHINE NAVIGABLE [ARTICLE]

TO MAKE RHINE NAVIGABLE

German and Swiss Engineers Wrestle With Project to Fscllltste Bhlp Movements on River. Berlin. —One of the most important engineering undertakings now engaging attention in Germany is a plan to make the Rhine navigable from Basle. Switzerland, to Lake Constance. Three South German states and Switzerland are Interesting themselves in the matter. While It has not yet been definitely decided to carry out the scheme, three companies now building dams for power purposes on the stream have been ordered to put In locks of st least 296 feet length to accommodate the large barges that are expected to ply on the stream. The most difficult technical problem in the way of carrying out the scheme is to overcome the rise of about 80 feet st the falls of the Rhine at Schaffhausen. Here It Is proposed either to build two locks of about 40 feet each, or to put In a ship elevator similar to the one already In use st Hlnrichenburg, on the Dortmund-Ems canal, where barges are run into huge tanks, and these then lifted by hydraulic pressure to the level of the higher stretch of the canaL Another difficult point la at Laufenburg, some 15 or 20 miles east of Basie, -vhere the river rashes through a gorge and has s fall of about 45 rest; and the water here is three times the volume at Schaffbauaen. A dam Is already built here and will be completed In a fear years, developing about 60,000 horse power. A number of other power plants of / « ... ■■ ■ v ; o *' f i' :

smaller proportions will be built at various points along the stream to overcome rapids; finally, a very large one will be built some ten miles below Basle by the Alsatian manufacturing city of Muhlhausen. Manufacturing towns will spring up, it is believed, on both the German and Swiss sides of the river. The total cost of the undertaking is estimated at about $10,000,000, apparently not including dams now building. Of this sum the three German states of Baden. Wirttemburg and Bavaria are to pay $4,600,000; Swltxerland, $4,000,000. and Austria. sl.400,000.