, 1862-05-26
Tbe .Gtt1uttG,
MONDAY, MAY 28, 1868.

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: MONDAY. MAY 2e, 1863. L
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Among those in Congress who oppose
The passage Of the bill for ship-canal be-
tween Lake Michigan and the Mlssissip-
nj River, some, It is said, are Influenced by
the belief derived from parties here, that
the construction Of the work viii tend to
in1ure some kinds Of business in the city
n hlle this fear is ground1css, it IS naturaL
Those who can remember the time when
there was not 1ailrosd leading from the
r5tv will recol1ect that their construction
was generally opposed by merchants Of
that day in the belief they would ruin the r
retail trade, and other cases might he men
toned where great improvements were OPP /:
posed on grounds quite as absurd.
While in regard to this work the Board
Of Trade, he Mercantile Association and
Tie CITY Authorities have shown the most
liberal and enlightened spirit, there are,
rs We hare said, some who regard it as cal
c,iiated to iplure, rather than benefit our
business, and it is proper that the subject
should receive an examination in all its
bearings |
The objection which Is most commonly |
urged is, that it viii allow vessels to pass
through from St. Louis to Buffalo, and even
to New York, when the Erie Canal shall
be enlarged, without breaking bulk-:there-
by iDju1ing the grain trade, and impai1ing
the value Of warehouse property. Enthu-
siastic friends of this and other canals, in
New York, and unreasonable opponents in
Philadelphia, have insisted upon this view,
We arc with some regret forced 10 believe
that this is an error, and that while it is
practicable to pass gunhoats through the
proposed channel without coal, stores Or
armament on. board, it is utterly impraci-
cable to use it proftably for general pur-
poses Of commerce with lake vessels. The
reason is that:
1-The Mississippi River, below the mouth
of the Illinois, does not generally admit
vessels of over six feet draft, and conse-
ouent]y there is no object in adapting the
canal to those Of greater draft Of water.
2. None Of the steam lake marine can be
used in so shallow channel, the draft Of
propcllers being from 8 feet inches to II
feet inches, when laden
3. If twelve feet depth could be provided
it would not serve the general use Of lake
vessels, because the cost Of transportation
by river boats and barges is SO much lower
as to make them cheaper, even after ad-
ding the cost Of transhipment. A river
boat which would break in two
and be swamped if forty rods
from the pier would be perfectly
useful On the canal Ocean steamers
can CONC to St. Louis and Cairo at many
seasons, but they do not come because
their use in that way is not profitable.
This subject has been fully Investigated, in
reference to the New York canals, and the
question is settled that the great strength,
weight and cost Of lake or ocean craft
renders their employment on canals OF
rivers, for long trips, improbable. :
4 But it is said that vessels can be con
structed adapted to both. In answer We
may say, that On the Mississippi and othe1
rivers where it would be quite as desirable
nothing Of the kind has been done. Indeed
it is obvious that for the transportation 0
grain, lumber, cotton and bulky article
Tie cheapest transportation on our cana
and river improved, would be by barge
propelled by tugs a merchant has onl!
to own barge capable Of carrying tel
thousand bushels Of grain, and he is pre-
pared to trade to St. Paul, Memphis, Q
elsewhere, as the tuging will be sepa
rate business. Let it not be supposed ths
the inability to use lake craft protitably O
the canal will deIact from its value as
national work It will only be becaus
river, slack water and wide canal navigs
tion is cheaper and better adapted to d
the business required.
These are the only interests eoncernir
which under 1imidity or imperfect undo
standing of the subject might excite a
prchcnsions Every other, it is plain, mu
be benefited. The scope Of our commert
would be extended hundreds Of miles b
yond its present range, Steamboats, frol
distant points On the Mississippi and
tributaries would bear back as retu1
freight the products Of our workshops
The value Of all property would be G
HANGED and new yigor be infused into eve
branch Of business. 1tisindecd difficult
place limit to the growth Of Chicag
when this and some other public wor
shall have been completed With IA
road stretching to the Pacific Ocean, stcal
boats arriving from New Orleans, al
ing for Liverpool (which would only !
uuire the construction Of twcnty-one mi
Of canal in Canada), she might fairly III
the greatest cities Of America, as the ent
pot Of European and Asiauc CONNER
and center Of manufacturing indust
AL this without detracting from the grow
Of any city OF section, but by creating II
and mutually beneficial relations with
Instead, therefore, Of injuring the tn
shipping and warehouse business, this cal
will, in all probability, double it.
s. Another interest which has sho,
some signs Of alarm is that Of certain r!
roads leading west A communication
the TRIBUNE, some time since, signed {
Il B" }" is understood to be from this sour
The more enlightened Of the railroad m
however, do not share this feeling as Il
comprehend that the value Of their pr
erty like that Of the city depends upon
prosperity Of the adjacent country.
But the passage Of the canal bill wo
ensure certain other more immediate
Fantages, which must not be lost sight
N.proyides means for continuing the ct
mel to the lake, thereby keeping open
harbor at all times for the largest yes
The value and necessity of this need no
told to owners Of vessels. It will ef
when completed, the drainage of the
saving thereby great expense, and ad
10 its salubrity and healthfulness.
The expenditure Of thirteen millior
dollars in from three to five years in
construction Of the work, Will be in
no small ADVANTAGE IN TIM e;t,, ora