, 1863-03-28
TIE GEORGIAN BtY CANAL.
Il Response 10 the Lc1ttr OF Wa.
EoOdtMx, Erl.

I.E NEONal1A!s DAA t!1;a-AA'
4 F7espon>% 10 the Letter or Wa.
EoodtMS, ESD.
ToMos1o, a.sch -. 1854.
Editors Chicago Tribune;
! have read with much pleasure Il: T*fy
business Ike letter u Vim Gooairs, Esl-t of
Lockpo,t, published In Jour is: &c Of ifsr l'ta
Inst, and as tic lihcuseit,n If Increased fAcfll-
tles for the Western .Eale Is Of paramount
Importance to producers III the West, le"
ceuetsc reuarks In rsrly to Ms. GoodlHg lnay
b. Interesting to your realcrs. have to
thank Mr. Gooding for the straightforward
11,atIl.r In which he attacks tic difficulties os
the Georgian Bay route. which are not 1assugt i
you rnde0alurd BY NE. this course OF arsu-
mtnt Is much easier dealt With than ridltule,
which amounts to no nr;unens Ut all Let
the objections be stated flrly, aud II they a.c
not flirly and sluate'y answered, then the !
project must be abandoned As unreasonable. |
This course has, been pursued by Dir. Good |
ing, and shall proceed to answer him to the
best Of u.y ability. =. 49,.
1t Is quite evident that Mr.. Goodlng is pre-
pared to argue the matter on the side Of the
Erie Canal, as be very quietly slips from the
Ottawa TO the Welland Canal, which means
Buffalo. Ny former communication Was in
fact = comparison between the difficulties Of
the routes by Ottawa and Toronto. am,
however, prepared to make a comparison be-
tween Toronto versus buffalo. II Ar. Good
Ing had an opportunity Of reading the Report
ct the Canadian Commissioner Of PUBLIC
Works, recently published, he would arFise
al the same conclusion, that tho Canadaa
Ca.al had failed to nttract tho Western trade,
with the additional advantage Of free tolls 10
Canadian yetscls, during tue past three years.
A few e1tTasts from thu report will e1elnplEfy
tEe above conclusion at page 10 it t. stated.
I'm yiew Of these statements. 1t cannot be
assumed that the abolition Of the toifs on The
| Provincial! Canals has Diverted any business
frum The Erie Canal. On the contrary, II h.s
! continued to increase On tnat Canal In ! ycry
I remark ablc manner, Notwithstanding the yrly
opposite policy pursued in Its management;
| willie on tlc othe: 1iand the business on rho
Provincial Canals ia thc third year of trial, has
| tot only filled tu reach the saulc proportional
iucrca*e, but has ACTUALLY fallcn oH On the 1t.
Lawrence, whrrc, f,otn the trade being niors
| especially Canadian, j different result should
/ Lave been producctt% If exemption from tolls
could have any influence In disertlng the
.An,eE'cnn trade into The same channel Tho
report al=o suites, "lf, iaen, 1t has been found
il. pte.iblt by this means 10 fJrcc the Western
trade into channel le-sd.ug only to II second
rate si,Askr, OIL this Continent, .4cst it Is met
by cts:l: Crriylt=, which ut unee Eeutrali2e :hn
I eurcriu. advantages Of our ilLu,a transport,
It wuafa appear to he a matter Tor consldera-
t!on, whether, In the present State Of tho pub
lic finances. II it cxpcdicnt An; lougtr 10 tax
the Province for tec benefit rt this trade; or
| whether that which naturally seeks this chan
ucl, al:d must continue to lncrtase with thu
growth aEe population Of t!*country, should
mol be .e3d. red il:ltnediateis productive By
ttr r. imposition ot the totl.."
A.fur shrr perusal If the report, shows that
lie c1ia.centn nt Of the Well.lrd Canal Is not
advocated, as the effect Of the enlargement
would only increase thc facilities to OsScgo
but NOT further east" ard. ,..-.,
: ION the othcr band, the business on the
Provincial cana's in 1sds, amounted 10 ! .l5aa,
, on, tons on the Wclland Cau1l, aud '5cc, 81
tons OF tic St. laWr,ncc showing au
| Increase Of only Eighteen per cent. Of tounxYt
On Tie Wella,id, and FILLING ots Of Seventeen
. I.7 ctnt- or tl:c St. LawEcnc': Canals, frtu
I lie maximum Of the former period. lntLes,
;hrre years the official returns show that tAt
American portion Of tho trade through tAt
/ We.lind, to ard from Q5wr,o and Oydene
aE1r. Lad increased IL 1ftY.t isAt per cent. .
the gross toanage, while the t.auadiau, t4s9uy!
:. The st Lawrence, remained at ninety enc {'e
: cent. Of the E7n-e l"npaEc On the CanAl-th,
eI,re US the average of The ,Fey;ru: ie. ycars-
The remedy proposed, is Is follows:
III tAs general rtror: If tie CoMniks!ouc
Of Ibis department, for 1861, much plins vi
: taken to furnish q correct and detailed DC
| se1irtton Of tfse screral prov!ucEst canals
showing their condition, dimensions, .carac
J I ity, ard p,rscnt requirements; and, with rc
sItct to the uiain channel Of communication
. between the great !akrs and the Atl.utlc, st
1ea:ion WAS t.awn pv!ntedlY to The f4et that
4 while the locks Of the Ncllana Canal wen
+ smaller than the*e Of the ST, Lawrence, au
t. ..'2]d not. therefore, pass vessels Of Aalf III
: tonu.Ec capacity CT The latter. -t!u, III
! dfaughE RI water through the W.l1asd va
: | Ole foot g7t4ttr than through Tic Et- Law
!. renee, AID consequently yesscis nhicA coul
1uts through TIC former, drawing ten feet G
|, | water, and laden with fuur hundred tons c
c freight. actually could not, without: bein
j. ligh1encd one 'foot-cluivalent TO one hut
!. dfed tcns Of carso--iss.erd the St. Law
l reEcc. TlliS a1o,Lniy 1as first pointed o,
by ne TO the l.t- Hon, ". II. Merritt iu l6S;
and asteti u:i By hi1a.
The Chief sag!NeEr, in 1859, .stInated Ii
ccet Of deepening the st. Lawrence Canals {
i 1nl-e feet depsh u r.tes, on the nItre sill
/, Ut the }ocks, ut 31,ts>, ,c10 This does no
;, however, contemplate = iengshsn1ng Of IL
~ locks. which it would be t;eairthie to unde
d take at the saInc time.
l. Mt. shaniy's estimate for constructing L
70 Internal cut to Niagara, and rendering Il
=. Chippewa Greek nayigaole, y e1,325, 90
r S:.:Il.GtU: and tc enlarge :ne Ncliand Can
flcn Part Daihoil+lc to Port Colbcrze
s2,0oo,tsN. to,0c0,00c. Ste r.?ort of pabl
xosks cf Canada for 1857, page u. T.!
~ amount il rather over Mr. Got,ting's c.!cul
;. Ion, a moderate cost In any ca.o, - N
=, Stnn!J estimates an1y one shilling and ~
ID pcEee, about twenty-five cents, Per .cut
he | ya.d, fer Garth excavation, a.iI one dollar
Il. rock.
- With t!c experience Ct the past, il Is II
e5 likely t.sat the Government Of t.zna,;. II
IN eA1snn azy further sum on the Nell,nl Esc
H. whirh II now admitted to be more tts,a amp
for tie trade, ard moro suitable to tbs
Fas qurcmen:E Of tAa: trade tl.an the st. L.
es Ttrcc Canals Tho effect Ct tic ealar;en,e
III won1d bc to hentnt 0swego. not the 81. L.
r.uce, or Montreal. until the st. Lawrsr
Canal 1ocAs are ai.o enlarged, Al proposed
IA the Boerd Of Public Works, which mast
NJ adn.itt Il 20 bc = step in she right dsrecttt
- Under shes% circumstances, must adhcr.
ed my ors,Ion published in 1857, namely t,
'y the ha::s Of III: Western trade. having pas'
he the St. ss<}ir River, and reached tie east
~ end Of l44sc Eric, will t'1d it's wAJ to y;
liz York BIZ She Erie Canal
rss In rcpl- to Mr. Guoding's objections to |
ed Georgian Bay Canal, I shall only deal with
.55 cost, as the saving Of distance wis EA- III
~ than counser1A1auc- The additional luck.
). Joint reports Of Col B. B. Mason aud mys
ard It Il useless to repeat them at present
.p,- AZ The deep cnts are th. apparent stick
nd.} points, would in explanation state t
~ tArre are greater f4ciiitsra for e1carating
lte' deep cat in tic - Ridges :" t.lan that near
md tie, The iEatetia, CAN DC fcmnEcd from both
liz. means Of bargcs, as we'll as tramways
-, either eide Of The canal, and with the nd
~. t:ona1 advantage to the former Of y Il
ale, .1arsh on The north side, aboSt II, GU acl
his ! and deyp rayines on the south side, IL VIII
i'm the material eau hr tilt.d; whrre1s In the
s.', .cr cut, spoil tauks unst be made Mt cit
'ast end, and wherever practicable 1t the eIt
e. As TO the price, Will repeat . portion Of
preliminary report, published III 1851, to st
dig | that tweuty-fr cent? Per cubic yard *o
,d- te ample for Garth excavation. "Tise deer
- escayatien with which I aul acquainted,
anE which. probably, has ever been executed
to near Hamilton, where tho Great Western I
to ~ay csoese- The Dertsdins Canal; it
-,,,, lHU feet from the suspension bridge
'4su to The bottom OF the canal, with n SLOPE
tIthcr side Of ahout one and half to one.
e,- :uay be urged that .his excavation is "nty
4o' slor distance, hut will not be denied ,
'an- If it is possible for abort distance, I
FIJI equally practicable for al,uost any LEM
Ina. provided The 1na,c1ia! remains the ea
r. This material is termed "Irifs," whlc'
IuE- 1 7