, 1863-03-09
GEORGIAN BAY SHIP CANAL,

Editors Chicago Tribune:
In the joint report Of the Board Of Trade
and Mercantile Association Of your city re-
specting the estimate for the construction Of
the Ottawa Ship Canal, It is stated to be $12,-
057, $50; as there is evidently some mlsunder-
standing respecting It amongst the members,
I would wish to hare it corrected.
By referring to the report Of Walter shanly,
Esq, C. E., published. in 1858, pages, 30 aud
81, the cost Of canal, with ten feet depth Of
water on the nitro sll1s, is stated to be
,"twenty-four millions Of dollars, or aboutdye
millions Of pounds sterling," and the differ
epcc Of cost between. a ten and twelve feet
navigation through the OTTAWA is further esti-
mnted ut five millions Of dollars, being in all
twenty nine millions of dollars. The alze Of
the proposed locks being $50 feet long by 50
feet in width and 10 feet on the mitre sill. In
1850 further report on the Ottawa Ship Ca
nal by Thos. @. Clarkc, c. E., was published
in which the cost Of the construction is esti-
mated at $12, ,057 $50; 1t must, therefore, have
been from this report that the information
was derived. On looking over the report it
will be found that some necessary portions Of
the work have not been estimated, for in
stance, a. page :, the cost OF deepening Inc
Lachine Canal, Lake st. Louis, Lake Of Two
Mountains, Ottawa River, Des Chimes Lake,
Chats Lake and Deep River.
This is very important omission, as will be
seen by referring to Mr. Shanly's report,
page 25, in which it is stated, "From the in
formation have been able to gather concern
ing the depths of the Lower Ottawa, incline
to The belief that in it will be found to exist
tbc most scr;ons diff1cu,t,cs IN ha cnconn,a~-
I'd ~ car,v;n1 on+ 10 a~a;sat ~ 1911, .4 ~ ~
subject Of this report, aud those difficulties,I
I apprehcnd. .increasc as ve descena u A1so IN
continuation II ;a s+,+nd .s,,,t - "a +aha
:, ~ 40 o.'9'.u, o"' ~ - " oo As''eo
that there docs not exist through the Lake Of
Two Mountains Tone Of the omissions in Mr..
c,,r,-o,s ce,;,no+a, =. obo,,o7 ,,fao:a.t1,, =,
t ~1 1, s.40e49a'.5 W.
rect anu ocep 10 promise the attainment there
of 4 navigation Of equal capacity to that which
| nature has nrov,ded for in tbe nnner ,ttaxro
49, 1s.tto:!p .s.:, 49, 49, ~ o'S1""' NJ,
shadows Of the Lake Of Two MountainaIare
| undoubtedly over rock bottom.n In the
so.,o ,,,oo - :. e+.+.a +h,+ ~ ,.,,., -. 81.
iaEe IF Two Nonnto;na Is tWontu ;,,;ies 81 an5 "a
he 1;nited dant9, ~ rotor ~ ~ Ai atu M
G1orEa,e -o0ar+ +h;= 5sGi,r1tx AEe' T. - I.'
ni.;noa ssFrn,, tho ooa - Jot.9, ~ ZIP LII
cnr,;ur to +he snrvars xu NV ~ :sI .aIvn iC' g.
1,1aca1 IN IN r c hanas ~ - X ua."ay,Gt E, /,
fthe ,te ~ Twn Won3+a;ns, HH bse dnItt, ~ ~
srn, +.ro ~ +h;rr t,at E. m's t, apt - ~
arcao5 h;1toan ,to ~ = maset otp.n does noL
ma ~ so1 Ghatbao ~ 4atta, auu a1 W. ~
..ule ~ ~ "HGeuet ~ vottont Is !och or
sue SUI % .ha anat set co,u s1a fequlFfa ae erea
o1;,,an pa,;ae az - nHs ~ ~ io"s VI tuI
* th;rtV e1 and the nayiI;on lG 'Is ~ str,aSt cs
l.
anr MEL an!np y et ,>.... =.
ra;Haera - - o't t1;g a utacreRstes 5etmeen tne
s.i Sis.,a ~ Ln.7 one to!u., anu nun PET
na ;nad 1pser ~ sraa +h heSG. H. Sers a am N ~
th'rt " gxs1, norron3 ~ 1s ~ 9Su, ~,
an nuit;oEs + b. oncan,to.ad n ~ sIe
~ nst rei;ai1a 4hh ~ n0.uesu ~ ~
a1nonnt nav hn 5n1h+e ed fIGr, h;s lie yass;n uase
a4loun. u 14ay y pS M uouoteo . HON MS expression
pa9ge 81 oatnr Q, ms fePo, dat ~
on tnc former consists hrst IN tue hard, IN,
WELDING nature o1 the material TO be worked
npon-tne efanlte tocks-cnleny taccordlng
10 tne classlncanon o1 eF nunam Logan
sycnite, gneissoid- -syenlte and gneiss thrust
ing themselves forward, harsh, naked and re:
pellant, over the whole Of the more distant
portions OF the line. On the nearer sections,
from the Chats Rapids to st: Ann, the forma
tion to be dealt with, though Of less imprac
ticable character than that mined above, is
/
The second great difficulty that presents it
self in considering the Improvement Of thest
distant waters, where the major portion Of thu
first named and principal difficulty exists, lics
in the inaccessibiltty Of the region which
they penet1ate, the whole of which, in so fa1
as relatcs to the sustaining OF human life, .na1
be called non-producting, Alittlc or none Of i
bcing rs yet settled. This is q feature tha
nlust be kept in view, as one that must adj
it now does the cost Of ss making lumber', o,
the upper Ottawa and its tributaries.
The size Of the locks proposed by Mr.
Clarke are ESQ feet long and BY IS feet i,
width, and 12 feet in dcpt6 on it's mitrc sills
brings the comparison Of estimates to th
: fullest extent, though not advised by Nj
| Shanly, viz: twenty y-nfnc millions Of dollar
whilst Mr. Ciarke's is only something oyc
| twelve millions.
I was going to say that 1t would take
l between two eminent engineers, bnt as ar
| aware TINT IN eminent engineer resides 10 tha
ely, ne should !: . be called n to decide which
n',us ~ t1iS sona''laniGaolon !ida uusL 4 t9.
-oeo,,t th aef,,1ota - ~ she1ar'1 h.
8 bcen cirhcrcd down with n renrranee II
n,,aht IL o11oroJ ~ c,nher ao1r,, M cef,mat
o. 1ne e1si o. tnS nay e Gan 81
:. of dollars. without one sinrle cuhic yard Z
:, rocl evcorot;nn hr wav of cn1trest viii -
q nttH,ra ~ H ronL ccr"ryvhcro y n thn tres
y mc,,t of this I havc & notf,;,r ~ e~tcnnot
d mr. ouo1,t set down in maf,ca,1 Eba1i 1aor
4 tnerefaro Eotsr"o,, ia nno;noo-e ~ doo;; nj
II result may be, have always contended, m
still contend, that the Georgian Bav Canal
the cheapest, most expeditions: and the be
and ~ % 4he ,narn non; u Luz q
:. subject the greater the advantages viii
;, found TO be IN favor Of the latter route.
LIZ sl3e M ocg q! tne poposea soeks on ms roy
N in width and twelve feet in denth on the nit It
~ Eill--being fifteen feet longer and twenty fe
- WIDER than the snip canal LOCKS as propos
Ut 'nS o.ama, sns Eon aens aaa, "a.u ~ aalomn
=, timc. w fN'9' ~ v
!" Torcducc the scale Of navigation to n
shahly's s5a9dard, ten 1cet OF water, as III
~ On fact hr faTtv.tvc feot }ha n nost ~
ID Georgian Bay Canal would not exceed Sl
L. ! oeo,0Q, But being acquainted with the ent
i'll nous nnhtal increase Of. the Western trae
ID ana us requirements coal9 not reeomme