, 1862-06-19
CIR Ttibune.
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1852.
Enlargement Of the Canals,
Memorial Of Hon. $. b. Huge1en to
Stute OF New York,
the Tinted Staten - . ->A'N ~

EetA&0 u NGH H0fAs
To hie E1cellency. Abraham Lincoln, President Of
The legislature Of the State Of New York,
adapt the canals Of the stanifo The defense Of
tue northern and northwestern Lakes Their
joint resolution of the came date requested the
Of the State ITO take such measures
as he tlla1 deem necessary and proper for in
Wing The attention Of the general government
great Importance to the national interests
pursuant to that resolution, the governor,
naFlng transmitted to the President Of the
United States copy Of the act duly authsnti-
cased, specially delegated the undersigned, as
huvtng been officially connected for several
yea1s t With the cauals Of the State, to present
The subject Proposed in tbs lasF to the consid-
GRAFTON OF the general government. In the
execution OF that duty, the principal facts
necessary to be understood have been verbally
communicated to the President, hut under his
permission, they are now respect ully laid be-
fore him in Writing, and so1newhat more in
detail.
They fell under the two general heads Of
the national detense and the nationA COM
merce.
I, Tic practicabflity Of EN- mploying canals as
engines OF national defepse mainiy arises from
LIZ 4IAE0t AuEApECLEA N4L very 1upDffa1k
discovery, that inapregnable mail clad vessels,
comparatively sulall in size. are capable OF
eHectuully ltsislfug vessels OF. vastly greater
dimenslons; and further, that one such Im-
pregnahle vcssel would be able, 10 a few
hours, to destroy who1e squadron Of vessels
Of var OF the description heretofore in use.
This striking truth, 60 signally demonstrated
by the receht achievement OF the Monitor up
on the waters Of The Chesapeake, almost with
in the lca,lDg Of the national capital, must
Inevitably wo1k 4 radical revolution in naval
warfare Among othcr sing gnlar and innmedi-
ate results is the greatly increased importance
which it imparts to canals OF moderate vol
un1e, heretofore supposed to be Useful only
for carr ) Ing vessels Of commerce. As carriers
of imp1t gnab!e vessels Of war, they assume at
once q new dignity. They rise to the rank Of
naval channels, aud become necessary parts OF
the 1hacbiutTy Of H1r-
Iht Interesting question then arises, what
dimenEions are required for canal to enable
II to pIss lmpTtgnable vessels adequate to the
deftnse Of Our Dationa waters, and especially
the great cllan Of lakrs9
On this poirt testimony is at hand Of the
highest authority. derived from source nc
less reliable than Eficsson himself, the invent
CT Of the Mouitor. 4 letter herewith trans.
niltted lrom that distinguished engineer and
mechanician states: 1'That an impregnah1e
var vessel Of twenty-five feet wide, and zoe
feet lorg, with shot roof turret, carrying
gun Of 15-jnch calbre, With ball of 45l
pounds, and capable OF destroying any hostile
vessel that can be put upon the lakes, viii
draw, without ammunition coal, or stores
but six feet and eix inches Of water; and
consequently, will need only . Canal wide
and deep enough TO float Z vessel Of those
dimensions, With locks Of sufficient size te
pass it.
TIE Eric and Oswego canals of the State d
New l ork, respectively connecting the Rud
son River with Lake Erie at ButFaIo, and Lake
Ontario at Os @ego, are seventy feet wide, ant
seven feet deep; but their present locks art
too small for the purpose in question Tht
| cubic contents Of . lock required to pass thu
i1npregDahle iron vessel above described an
about Is. 500 feet. Tie present Erie and Os
weeo locks, which are but eighteen feet wide
| ]ln fee!. long, sid seven feet deep, contai1
but Il. 500 cubic feet. II enlarged to twenty
| SIX feet vide, and 220 feet long ito admit TIL
| swing Of the gates) they would contain 80, ,90
| cxbic feet.
In point Of capacity, the canals 1T Can.d
The locks of tue series Of canals around tn
rapids Of the st. Lawrence, within the Brltisl
! domlnions, which afford direct and easy &C
[ cess from the Atlantic into Lake Ontario, an
! forty five feet wide, 200 feet long, and eigh
| fee, det p, and have cubic capacity Of 2,01s
| feet. TIE present locks Of the Nellaud canal
| which OPP Us 9 similar passage from Lake On
tario irto Lake Erie, are tRenty-six feet wid
AID leo feet long, with cutie capacity Of 9
| least 81, l,:O0 feet, which may be readily Ia
creased to the full amount required by length
cali1:g the locks
with Kingston, on Lake Ontar1o, through 4
| Interior route By way of the Ottawa River,
i've and one-ha]f feet deep; but its locks ar
| thirty -lllree feet wide, aud 124 feet Ions
Their present cubic capacity is only q, ,43
feet, but if lengs hencd to go feet, Wou1t b
| rxrtt1 ~ ~ -
! meesurab1y Compensate fsr the shallo'
dIaught, aud nerniit the passage OF war vessel
| OF dangerous dimensions.
From this brief summary 1t will be seen s
once that the British government, whetht
dtsigntdIy or not, hiss secured to itself mesu
Of naval rccess to the lakes far exceeding thos
tht. United States now possess, and that ia
orly appropriate aud certain remedy for th
evil is the uuvguate enlargement, without d
| lay, cf the iorks of American can.,s leadio
into that Important cnuin of waters. On th
point the ppirinns Of our intelligent and 10y
citizens are very decided. Numerous petition
huve already reached Congress from the i
habitant6 IF the cities adjacent to the lake
| {incluGiDg, among other eminent Individual
d former President OF the United Statcs,}
Which they fortiuly and truly state that I'll
United States bilye no impetinent to offer
du1lpE tie season Of navigation, 4 fleet ofd3ri
ish sunboats from the Atlantic shall propo
10 ta6c pot session Of the entire chain Of lax
ard connect jGg rivers" and earnestly solie
the government to adopt measures for tht
DIFF tnse, without delay, by tue enlargement
Tie locks Of the Eric and Oswe.o canals, e
pref ein. their opinion that 'tle immense Z
! 1loral Interests involved in thu military pt
session Of tltEc waters can be secured in
oth, mo2c at SO small ! cost Of time a
money!
The country has learned with much graf
cation that the Committee on Military Atfa
Of the House OF Representatives, in Congre
! Layt: ul1cad, had this subject Under attenti
. examination, MS forming part Of general 9.
! TEN uf drfense- In the comprehensive 4
truly rational report recently made to t
, House by that committee, they express tn
! e*r1 cst conviction that ''a small fleet Of lig
d'aught, Lav1ly.a1med, irun- clad gunbo
could, in one short month, in despite Of q
opposition that could be made by exts1n]
|. rlzed batteries, PASS up the St. Lawrence, q
shell every city and village from Ogdelsbt
to Chicago. At one blow it could sweep {
= commerce from that entire chain OF waite
Surh fleet wonld have it in its power to
= Il ct loss to be reckoued cnly by hundreds
millions, 60 vast is the wealth thus exposed
the depreua:ious Of q maritime enemy" I
vivid language OF their report utters but
Z truth in declaring that the wide spread cit
and commerce Of tl-se great inland seas '';
nov US open to tacursioR as was Mexico III
4. invaded By Cortvz-'
1t Is no sufficient answer to assert that tn
,e cata1s Of Canada, affording facilities Of acc
SO dangerous, we're constructed only for &C
ncrclal purposes. Nor indeed would it
tine Taught by the experience Of the I
3, OF 1872, the attention OF the most cmin
British statesmen and commanders has Ii
bts n occupied With the importance Of III
% canals, not merely as Commercial but as nj
terry channels. Their struggles in that War
Ia procure the naval command Of Lake Ontal
~ together with The conflicts On Lake Erie
. laIe CAan,rlain, are well Remembered.
n 1874 The Duke Of Wellington declared to
Br.tis Il ministry " that naval superiority
the lakes is sine Q,t1 ron OF success In
: on the frontier OF Canaaa" Tue treaty
lc place in 1916 was followed, in ISL, by
at ttdipiomatic arrangement by which G.
Britain ard the United states mutually ag1
TO dismanile their ycsse1s OF. var On the Ia
y and reduce their naval f,'rce on each side
sasis' one vessel Of 100 tons burden
sts each armed with one eighteen pound cam
y" and on The upper lakes to, two such Tc:s
urn,ed with like force"
|. In 1919, but twn ycars after that pacific
- rangrment, the Duke Of Richmond, then G
E cFnor-General Of Caaada, transmitted to
secretary Of state for the colonies rel
from Lieutenaft-Csencra1 Cockeurn in Fl
Of line OF water communication. unq
tionab1y intended as 4 military work, lcat
= from Montreal, hy way OF the OTTAWA Il
aLd the interior chain Of minor lakes,
which the Ridean is one, to Kingston, On
r 0ut:siro. In 1925 it was determined that
90 cost OF tho work should be wholly defrs
by the mother country. In 1925. COM
zion, Of which Major-Gcneral Sir J. ca
chael Smith was president, reported the
NJ mated expense to the Duke OF yelling
X then member Of the British Goyernm
90 wlereupon the canal. with connecting VI
90 on the OTTAWA, was constructed, openly
liz q M hx- ~ 20