The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-06-17
An Important Enterprise.

EF Our readers are well aware that
there is now before Congress and the
country project for charging the Erie
Canal and the Illinois Canal to a capaci
y sufficient to admit of the passage Of
ships of war fitted for operations on the
Lakes. This project has great import
ance both in military and commercial
point Of view. By a treaty with Great
Britain. following the last war with that
power, 1t was stipulated that neither
government should maintain, upon the
lakes, in time Of peace, ships of war car,
rying more than one gun each. The
object Of this convention was to remove
mutual causes of distrust, and to avoid
the expense Of keeping great armament
in these waters. This was we'll enough
rs matters stood them But in recent
years, the people Of Canada have con
struced Ship Canals past the Rapids of
the St. Lawrence and the Falls of Niaga-
IN, through which Great Britain could
pass fleet Of gunboats into the Lakes,
and destroy our commerce there, and our
lake cities, before it would be possible TO
build feet 10 oppose them. To obvi
ate this difficulty il is now proposed to
enlarge the Erie and Illinois Canals, and
improve the navigation of the Illinois
River, so as to open ship communica-
ton with the Atlantic on the East and
the Mississippi on the West, by which an
overwhelming force of gunboats, on any
emergency, may be thrown into tie
lakes. This project has met the unan-
imous appreciation Of the military COM
mittee Of the House Of representatives.,
and the Legislature Of New York has al.
so resolved upon a generous cooperation
with the government in the matter.
The plan proposes an enlargement of
the Erie Canal to a depth of water of 12
feet, and with locks that will pass ships
of war of proper size for Lake operations.
There are SAID to be no engineering diff
culties whatever in the way. Ii also
proposes the enlargement Of the Illinois
Canal to a depth of sven feet, that being
rs great draft as the Mississippi in
many places above Cairo will generally
almil OF. The cost Of the enlargement
Of the Erie Cana is estimated at from
three to FIVE millions Of dollars only,
and probably the whole work would cost
not more than y millions.
Ii needs no argument 10 prove The i'm
portance of this measure, or as one neces-
sary 10 the public defense. The West
IS the granary Of the country, and lis
produce finds its way eastward mainly
through the channels Of the Lakes and
Canals. Enable Great Britain 10 send
her gunboats, uaopposed, into the Likes,
and our great agricultural products
would be almost entirely at her mercy,
and the East would find her source of
supply for bfe 'dstuffs cut off. Our lake
cities, and our hun lyeds Of millions OF
floating property, would be entirely at
the mercy Of the enemy. 1t is therefore
very apparent that the project comes
within tie class Of " navigable channels
needed for public defense" and may
eoss'tiutionallg and probably be under
taken by the Government.
But important as is the measure in
a Military view, as a commerce ial enter 4
prise it has even greater ignificance. =
Fhe Importance of improved means of
transportation is evident in the fact that
while, on The best Of com mon roads, The |
transportation OF 4 ton ofgoods from New
York TO Buffalo woull be about $50, yet
the Erie canal affords that transportation
for Sc 50 per ton. This economy OF
iransI orlation permits a great extension
of commerce, for while, by common
nth roads, wheat would consume itself
in transportation, within short distance,
we are now euabled, b. va 'er carriage,
10 dlaw i, from the Mississippi basin.