Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-04-20
The Champlnin and st. Lawrence ship
Canal.

1t would be a very pleasant thing, FIR all
who are interested in the welfare Of our town,
to see Burlington port of transhipment for
n large proportion Of the trade between the
West, Canada, and the Atlantic seaboard.
That 1t may yet be 50, is by no means beyond
the bounds ofpossibility or probability. We
hope aud believe that we shall yet scc our
lay filed with vessels, our wharves loaded
with flour and grain and produce and luin-
Der, tall Touring mills rising on the shore, and
that where now is silence we shall hear. when
the rumble of loaded freight cars will lctus,
the low roar Of the elevator and the racket Of
gang sawmills, With the proposed ship canal
connecting the St. Lawrence and Lake Cham
plain, in actual operation, such state Of
things would soon be a reality. We need
not enlarge on the influence which this work
when constructed must have on the future
prosperity of Burlington, Our readers are
aware of the advantages it offers, aud can
readily see that those advantages will be
much increased by the operation Of the Rcci-
procity treaty. We merely wish now to call
attention to the fact that the ship canal pro-
icct is not dead, and that the importance of
its immediate construction is strongly urged
In the proper quarters by influential friends.
lhc annual meeting Of the Montreal Boa ri
OF trade took place last week Monday in
Montreal Alter the customary discussions
the report of the Council of the board was
read by Hon. JONI YOUNG, Vice President
then, and now President Of the board. In
this report the ship canal has very rromi-
nent place. After remarks upon tho COM
mcrce Of the Province at large, and urrino
the necessity for modification of the Proyin
ciaI tariff, the report goes on US follows.
The next important means which. we
think should be urged upon the attention Of
Government, for the purpose of promoting
/ the interests Of Eastern as well ms Western
/ Canada, Is the immediate construction of
/ the projected Canal, to connect the St. Law
| renee with Lake Champaign With such n
Canal, 1t appears to us that tho immense
/ trade which is now diverted away from this
| cry by oswego and O.dcnsburg would be
I brought to our very doors and deposited with
/ us as central point for redistribution either
/ 10 tne mted States, TO the Lower Ports, or
! T. Great Britain circumstances might
| require. On the other hand. the certainty
OF larEealnOunt Of Inland Tonnage bein,,
always at command, would attract the large
Ned-SolnS vessels OF the United States to our
harbour IN preference to going to New York
or h0stpn with their cargocs made mn C,r
Western Markets, and with Emigrants and
the deepening ofthe Ship Channel from Mon
tfeaI to Quebec, to twenty feet mt low water.
which Will be completed in 1858, will also
prove great auXiliary to the same end.
AZ tI,tp
frequently adytrted to 10y the Board of Trade
That 1t seems almost superiluous to saw
another word about them but yet as Gov
ernment docs not seem up to the present mo.
n.ent tu be fully alive to them. IT NAV nor
be alniss again to refer briefly to them. This
Canal would be II rival to the Erie Canal .nnd
would have many advantages over it. IL
would enable vessels (supposing the small
locks On the Welland Canal enlarged) cana
bic OF carrying 1000 bbls. of Flour to leave
any part in Canada or the United States
situated ON Lakes Ontario Erie, Huron,
Michigan and Superior to deposit their car
goes m Burlington in the State of Vermont
or htehall in the State of New York, NTH
oW oHce bredE'ng bulk A., while, on the other
mana, such quantity Of Flour would have
TO he divided among fire boats upon The Eric
Canal, even with that work enlarged. and
subjected to several transhipments before
u reached Albany The mere mentioning of
these Facts must be sufficient to show the
superiority OF the proposed Canadian route
over tue Erie Canal, even when enlarged n
superiority which would be still greater if
thG canal between the Hudson River and
Lake Champlain were also made shin canal
thus connecting the Hudson with tbc
Western Lakes by ship navigation, and avoid.
ing any transhipment, In the next nlnco
the movement OF property on the Eric Canal
amounts to about four mHion toms pcr an,
nm, and the revenue collected from It about
tooo'ooO per annum, compared with which
tme present movement of property on our
Nelland and st. Lawrence Canals is insipni.
meant, the gross revenue scarcely reac6ni-
1loo'ooo per annum' Asa question of reg
venue, therefore, it would seem worthy of the
immediate attention Of Government, while ON
the other hand to the country at large as
wen as Montreal in particular its more i'm
porlaht consequences would DO found in lts