New Brunswick Canal
- Thread starter SuperFrog
- Start date
Possible probably, but worth the cost hum?
Its only 15-20km so should be possible it just it will not be cheap so just a matter of making a sufficiently go reason for it to be needed.
Maybe if early on before steam ships (but that makes making it harder) after you have reliable steam ships why not just sail round much cheaper unless you have huge traffic volumes?
That and Halifax might not like you for cutting out the passing trade?
Its only 15-20km so should be possible it just it will not be cheap so just a matter of making a sufficiently go reason for it to be needed.
Maybe if early on before steam ships (but that makes making it harder) after you have reliable steam ships why not just sail round much cheaper unless you have huge traffic volumes?
That and Halifax might not like you for cutting out the passing trade?
Provided you threw enough manpower and money at it then it should certainly be possible. Just because something might be technically possible doesn't however mean that you should actually do it. The two questions that spring to mind are how deep are the Bay of Fundy and the Northumberland Strait as they get close to where you want to build your canal as that's going to potentially limit the draft of ships able to use it, and the main question of does it really offer the reduction in distance necessary to offset what is likely to be the very large cost?
The Tantramar Marshes are pretty easy to dig through. They do not rise significantly above sea level. The biggest hassle would be shoring up the canal banks to prevent them from sagging back to sea level. Fortunately, there were plenty of large (old growth) trees on Nova Scotia until after the American Civil War.
The next question is: why dig a canal?
What advantage do you gain by reducing shipping time between the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy?
What type of cargo will you ship?
The next question is: why dig a canal?
What advantage do you gain by reducing shipping time between the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy?
What type of cargo will you ship?
Heres the planned idea:
In a war Britain is neutral in, a u-boat analog is causing havoc in the north Atlantic. Ultimately an entrepreneur decided to build a canal allowing trade to go from New England to Quebec without going through the dangerous waters. If the canal is finished is another issue all together, which i haven't decided on yet, but I need to know if it would even be possible.
Of course, an alternative is to build a canal connecting the Hudson to the St. Lawrence.
In a war Britain is neutral in, a u-boat analog is causing havoc in the north Atlantic. Ultimately an entrepreneur decided to build a canal allowing trade to go from New England to Quebec without going through the dangerous waters. If the canal is finished is another issue all together, which i haven't decided on yet, but I need to know if it would even be possible.
Of course, an alternative is to build a canal connecting the Hudson to the St. Lawrence.
There was a Marine-Railway started to be built across the Chignecto Isthmus. Proposed 1875, stopped 1890 about 65% done due to a financial panic and never finished.
As for the Fundy-Northumberland, I would say Salmon River connecting to Middle River of Pictou, best topography. It would also end at the terminus of the Shubinacadie canal connecting Halifax.
Living in Saint John I was always curious why they never built a canal along Marsh Creek to Drury Cove by passing the reversing falls and alleviating traffic at the high tides.
As for the Fundy-Northumberland, I would say Salmon River connecting to Middle River of Pictou, best topography. It would also end at the terminus of the Shubinacadie canal connecting Halifax.
Living in Saint John I was always curious why they never built a canal along Marsh Creek to Drury Cove by passing the reversing falls and alleviating traffic at the high tides.
Err why would GB stay neutral if you are threatening to cut her lifeline? Remember how much of the world shipping was GB flagged and how much of GBs food supply came from Canada and the Americas.
I can't help but wonder if a railroad and transshipping between Boston and Quebec wouldn't end up being cheaper and easier under most circumstances.
Or, as pointed out, up the Hudson, across the Erie Canal, then up Welland Canal and the St Lawrence
My question would be more what is the purpose of this? The distance between those two points, even going around the Maritimes isn't a huge effort for post 1900 ships. No offence but it seems like the canal would end up being a waste of time and money.
Unless there is some pretty massive border changes in an alt timeline it is also very unlikely that you would be facing a hostile power in that area where the canal would be valuable for military purposes or where it is in a defensible enough location to be worth building it.
Unless there is some pretty massive border changes in an alt timeline it is also very unlikely that you would be facing a hostile power in that area where the canal would be valuable for military purposes or where it is in a defensible enough location to be worth building it.
I also live in this part of the world and don't see anything like a point to this.
