The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-08

THE GREAT SHIP CANAL-Trs SYMPHONIES OF
THE WORK-THE WINTER, ETC.

TIE GREAT SHIP CANAL-ITs sIzE-PRo0REss OF
THE woRK-rHY WINTER, ETC.
Correspondence Of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.l
MsssHs. ED17oRs-Perhsps you would IKE 10 know
the st. Mary's At this place few leading facts there
FORE relating to the character and Of the work
The length Of the excavation from water to water il
$3.50 feet to which u added the pier below sos feet
long and the pier and the bank At the head 1000 feet
long making the entire length Of the 1858 feet
S7s more than mile. The fan Of the St Marys Is Is
feet and the canal to be IL feet deep The sides are
to l. and to be walled with stone where there l. not
natural wall, that they win present rock surface
throughout On bottom width is ca feet conse
quenty it is 100 feet wide The walked banks are to rise
five feet above water line making breadth OF at
towpath bank l5 feet There is basin 400 feet long,
40 feet wider than canal placed shout goo feet above
the locks There to be two locks each $50 feet in
leeb between the gates made with walls 10 feet thick
outside ~ feet apart These will contain 900 cubic
yards OF masonry Of which probably 900 yards must
$4,000 tons Of it in schooners from Maiden
Ietrcit The locks are Of sufficient capacity to admit
the largest steamers now floating upon. our lakes.
At the commencement of the work there 205 $50
cubic yards Of rock and earth to be taken out above
water The amount remaining less than sixth
Of this; and if the work of the present month equals
that of the past about six seventies Of the entire exca
walton work will be done above water leaving something
less than 80 yards yet to take out There will also
be yards OF under water excavation to prepare for
the upper pier the greater part Of which is muck and
gravel The piers below finished above water and
vessels Of the company.
The timber required for locks PIERS caisson gate &c.
is nearly OUT the great work Of the coming is
the masonry of the lock walls and everything Is in good
condition for completion Of the canal during the sum
and fall.
The railroad and plank road used In the transportation
OF freight over the portage crossed the canal grounds
and OF course had TO be taken up during the winter as
the excavation advanced They have both been rebuilt
by the canal company bridges being thrown the
canal to accom- odae them, and they will be ready for
100 in thraa fr. do
1t thought during the last that there would
be trouble among the men thus removed from any civil
ties Of climate to which they unaccustomed But
this has not been the case No time worth reckoning
has been lost in consequence of controversy between
the employees and the company This fact Is certainly
very cIeditabe to both parties Men the work have
been boarded by the company at less rates than could
have been done elsewhere. And those having families
have been constantly supplied with provisions
companys stores at rates runous to the prospects of
SPECTATORS in provisions here Flour for inst snce has
been steadily furnished for 50 per bb when merchants
here have sold at s10 but for the of the company
would have sold much higher. While this course has
given satisfaction to the laborer 1t has had contrary
effect on the class above mentioned whose plants at
times have been quite loud
The difficulty of prosecuting the work during the win
ter in climate like this scarcely be appreciated by
the people Of Ohio We have once seen the mercury at
halfpast nine NJ at 81 degrees below zero; and fire.
quently 10 or Is below, with high winds and drifting
snow. At the earliest dawn of short winter days
they having taken breakfast before daylight, the men
the atmosphere thick with the drifting snow the big
ditch. There they the derricks the drill houses and
everything which rises fifteen or twenty feet above
ground But where their wheelbarrows their drills
and hammers, where their picks and shovsls and
their runs viz the rows Of plank which the load
Is wheeled ouDS Nothing in sight but snow, snow,
snow, and objects high house. Everything else,
covered perhaps the depth of three or four feet
has to be fshed out, after the gangn have found
out, by the above named landmarks, gthe place in
which they worked the preceding evening. The
first thing then Is Ito clear off three four feet of
drift snow, to lay the work bare. And this part,
during much Of the winter, required from ave
to eight per cent of the laborers constantly And in
many locations the ice formed during the night by the
water oozng through the rock from the river nearly
equaed the amount Of rock that could be taken out
during the day Then the day has not than eight
hours than q half during the winter.
In truth ours is cold climate On the 18th of April
the present month"; went with party of six, to pay
visit TO the sugar bush and crossed the river
mile wide, upon the ice with two horse without
difficulty, and found nearly three feet of in the
woods.
The is much later than usual and the prospect
is that shall not boat from below before the
second or third week In May.
here the 2lst and 22d instant after tedious journey
on the ice from Point de Tour.
The reports from the mining districts above favor
able and there is general looking towards the portions
OF Wisconsin and Minnesota bordering Lake Superior,
land containing mineral Parties also forming
the exploration Of the north shore the Canada side