468 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLOBIDA CANAL "F. That the canal as planned and under construction is of proper alinement and dimensions to permit the safe navigation of ships night and day. "0. That upward of 10,000 ships per year will transit the canaL "H. That a relation of cost of the project to its benefits is more favorable than Is the case with the average river and harbor project. "2 Statistics: A. Length of the canal: Approximately 180 miles from sea buoy on the Atlantic to sea buoy on the Gulf. "B. Bottom width: Sea approaches, 1,000 feet. River sections, 400 feet. Cen- tral cut section (29 miles), 250 feet. 'C. Depth: In earth, 30 feet plus 2 feet over depth. In rock, 30 feet plus 8 feet over depth. "D. Speed of vessels in canal: In all but central cut section, 10% knots per hour. (This is average ocean speed.) In cut section (29 miles), 6% knots per hour. "E. Time to transit: Sea buoy to sea buoy, 23 hours. "F. Time saved per round trip: New York to New Orleans, 224 days. "3 Contribution by the State of Florida: Formation of a special navigation district, Including six counties which have bonded themselves for $1,800,000, the proceeds of which are being used to purchase and deed the right-of-way to the Federal Government. "4. Work done to date: A. Clearing of right-of-way: Substantially complete. "B. Bridges: Piers of first large bridge substantially complete. "C. Workmen's camps, etc.: Complete. "D. Excavation: Approximately 17,000,000 cubic yards to date. The excava- tion has made a ditch approximately 16 miles long, 400 feet wide, and 30 feet deep across the central portion of the State. "E. Men at present employed: Approximately 5,000. "5. History: A. Survey as a barge canal ordered by War Department under Rivers and Harbors Act of 1927. Further survey ordered as ship canal under Rivers and Harbors Act of 1980. Surveys in charge of Corps of Engineers. "B. Before completion of surveys by War Department the National Gulf-Atlan- tic Ship Canal Association (a corporation not for profit), on behalf of a public corporation of the State of Florida to be constituted by the State, made a pro- forma application to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (July 1982) for a loan to construct the canal as a self-liquidating project. Revenues to be obtained from tolls on shipping. "C. Early in 1983, by Executive order, this and all other applications to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation were.turned over to the Public Works Ad- ministration. No action whatever was taken by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. "D. Early in 1983 the Legislature of the State of Florida constituted the Ship Canal Authority of the State of Florida, which took over the matter and became the applicant before the Public Works Administration. "'. In June 1983, by instructions of the President, the board of survey of the Corps of Engineers, although it had not entirely completed its work, made a preliminary report which included practically all the basic data necessary for estimating the cost of the canal and practically all economic data necessary for estimating the benefits. This report was made in order that the State authority might present the data to the Public Works Administration. The report was not made public. It finally and definitely determined the route and indicated a pref- erence for a lock canal of ship-canal dimensions. "F. During the summer or fall of 1933 the engineering division of the Public Works Administration, and the legal and financial divisions of that establishment, thoroughly investigated the project, using the basic physical data furnished by the Corps of Engineers but making their own economic and financial survey. "G. In October 1933 the engineering, legal, and financial divisions of the Public Works Administration made a report to the Administrator to the effect that the project should be a ship canal along the route laid down by the Army engineers (present route); that it should be a lock canal; that its cost would be $115,000,000; and that revenues could be expected from tolls on shipping suffi- cient to pay all maintenance and operating expense, together with interest charges (4 percent), and repay the loan in accordance with the regulations of the Public Works Administration for such projects. Page 26, paragraph 8, of that report gives the following conclusions and recommendations: "'It is concluded that the project covered herein constitutes a public necessity and Is of real social value. The project will afford much employment to many