, 1863-04-06
THE GEORGIAN BAY ROUTE.


| Letter from, VIM. GoodIng, Esq.
CANAL OFFICE, LocKroHT, March 80, 1873.
Ed'torn Chicago Tribune:
1p your issue Of the asth inst. Is a tires
porse' from Mr.. Tully to my letter Of tht
| 10th, published By you on the 14th inst.
Permit ME to respond briefly to his tres
ponsc."
lie commence; by saying that he has read
with "much pleasuEc' my letter, and thanks
nc for the straightforward manner in
which Lave attacked the difficulties of the
Georgian Bay route.'' All right, Mr. Tu1ly,
80 far. He then remarks, as follows:
ait is quite evident that Mr.. Gooding is
prepared to argu6 the matter on the side OF
the Eric Canal, as he quietly slips from the
Ottawa to the Wel1and Canal, which means
Buffalo,
Now hare just read and re-read MT article
to see if had not inadvertently used expires
sions which might give some ground for the
above charge Of Hypocrisy, but can find
nothing Of the kind. The subject Of discus
sion was IA Ship Canal through Canada ,,
and confined myself strictly to the subject.
In doing so I am aware that the obstacles
which present themselves on the Georgian
| Bay route, were spoken Of as rather formida-
bic, and more go than those upon the Vel
land. But I cannot conceive how "argue
the matter Oh the side Of the Erie Canalr' by
advocating the enlargement Of the Welland,
any more than should hare done by recon-
mendipg the construction Of canal from
Georgian Bay to Toronto. In either case the
effect would be to divert trade from Buffalo
and the Eric Canal, and if wished to do that
I should try to discourage not only the en-
largemtht of the Welland but the constrne.
tor OF any canal through Canada Of 81 tiicIent
capacity to produce this result.
Mr. Tuuy probably supposcs that hail
from Lockport, NeW York, where have q
been employed as an Engineer on tie Eris
Canal. Believing this be thought he could
see IA cat u.ler the mea1,'' and a1thnurh
apparently straightforward" 1 must 1nean
sonnet hipg which did llo. say
think That 1t has been sufficiently demon-
stIattd that the New Yorkers are abundantly
able to take care of Themselves Thev sccm
disposed to tax the commerce of the Nnrth.
"est to The utmost limit that it will bear. an,
We hope to be- relieved, in some de~ree. nf
our bnrthens BY the improved channcls Of
commeTcT conn nP proposed oy our Canadian friends
CONSTRUCTION Of Ship Canal from GEORGIAN
BAY to Toronto, which, according to his 6wn
estimate, would cost over $2e, ,O00. 900. don't
think It would pay at all to enlarge tic Wcl.
Alter quoting from the Commissioners ~
the Board Of Public Works, (the relevancy NJ
which quotations am too obtuso to fn11v
understand he remarks: ~ 1I~1''
with the experience Of the past, It is mt
nkeiy that the Government Of Canada will ex-
pend any further sum ON the Welland Canal.
which is now adtnittcd to be moro than nm.
pie for the trade, and more suitable to The -.
quiFenents Of that trade than the st. law.
renee Canals. The effect of the enlargement
would be to benefit Oswcgo, not the St. Law.
renee, or Montreal, until the st. Lawrence
Canal locks arc enlarged, as proposed by tho
,';..t, b9aEd o. o. publie Works, which must be nd-
| Certainly It is a step in the right direction
:''1d was not aware that any body who ha5
ever advocated the construction of q shin
canal % Of lnrge capacity, either by the Georgian
BAY or Heland Canal route contemplated
[ anything short of this,
By the construction Of the Gcoro;,n Rav
Canal, one danger Of which Mr. TulIy seems
70 haFc Lively apprehension, would be en-
| tirely avoided. 4 large amount Of commerce
from The upper lakes, would pass directly
IRON Lake Huron to Lake Ontario at Toron.
! TO, without being exposed to the corsairs Of
Buffalo as it might bc if it approached Sol so near a.
| as Inrt Colbofne, the southern terminus Of
| the Weilnnd Canal! But would all danr..r he
| avoided il Lake Ortario were safely reached
even At Tol onto: fear not. If the enlar.e.
! mehl of the "euand Canal would "bcnetit
osWcg",' I am afraid that the construcrion
Of The Georgian Bay Canal would have tho
same effect, and to nyoid this danger l would
| suggest to Mr. Tully that We consider mnre
seriously the Ottawa route. 1~
When wrote the article to which N[r. Tullv
Las Icsponded bud not seen Mr.. Thomas G.
Clark's elaborate and valuable rennrt m fh;s
route, made In 1SC0. and had only read n = f;.w
extracts from Mr.. Walter ShanleY's equally
interesting report, made in 1858. Since that
time: have read both carefully, and must say
that have much more favorable opinion Of
tie route than ever before.
Nobody can read these reports impartiallv.
without being impressed with the belief that
The engineers who made them, fully under
stood the business in which they were en-
gagged, and hare performed the duties assigned
them, faithfully and well. They have Ithink.
demonstrated den n Tue praeticabiIity of the work
much in their estimates Of the cost, it is casy
to sec how great discrepancy may have oc-
Cured even if both be equally capable.
r., on considerable portion Of the route, Mr.
shaniey simply made careful reconnaissance,
! aud did not pretend to have the data to On.
able him to make detailed estimate. In r.
1ation 10 this matter he remarks, as follows.
| When go comparatively s1nnll portion of
TINS long chain Of navigation has been sub
| would Of course, not be possible to prevent
an acturatc and detailed cstimatc of the
| quantity of work to be executed at each
| point Of inteIruptia19 - ----
1t is obvious that in a work Of this cllarac-
| ter, without more full Instrumental survey
! tfian AIT. Shanlcy lad had the time to make,
| lc could do little more than guess at the cost
Mr. Clark, 1t would appear from the report.
made q very careful Instrumental survey at Mi
the poin Of interruption, or where eood
navigation docs not low exist, and he Stems
| to have determined qualities, with a good deal
| prices are sufficient, because to Judge Of this
one must thoroughly understand many oues.
| tions Of which l am wholly ignorant. fher
| generally eeeIn to be fair, but may not b.
high enough for 4 character Of work subject to
| habitcd. ''~ 49,
have no doubt, however, that before many
| years either such navigation as has hern
! proposed, {adapted to tie largest class Of
dft ihkf proRe!nleaf or one adapted to lighter
as necessity. The lumber trade alone Of
that region would almost warrant it's con
6truction, II there be such m inexhaustah1e
supply of lumber there as has been repre-
scnied-
But these remarks On the Ottawa route do
wv PofeAi5 pIiuAE ~ uly response to Mr..
Iuliy's "responee." I have but little mnro
to say, but before dismissing Mr. Tully's case.
cannot forbear expressing my admiration Of
his undertaking confidence in his cstimate of
the cost Of those deep cut,. Ue donbts
whether Mr.. Shanly's estimate Of the Garth
excavation necessary to enlarge the Welland
Canal (which is fraction over twenty-five
cents per yard) is sufficient, though the depth
viii not exceed ten or twelve feet, except for
about two miles, and the material is known
to be clay. But in deep cut a.eragiuq ninetv
.ttt, for tn 'niles, on the Georgian Bay route.
he Is entirely satisfied that t,eenfy.,< cents per
yard is very liberal price, and quotes from
former report Of his own to prove it!
The cut through the spur for the Dcs;ar-
dins Canal near Hamilton, which he SAYS cost
twenty-five cents per yard, he thinks proof
Positive that his estimate is liberal, thourh
one is but few hundred feet in length. and
the other many miles.
The exhibition of faith manifested in th1s
matter by Mr: TullJ lin this age Of ekepti-
clsnl) is really wonderful, and # it has not
been entirely sufficient to enable him ITO re-.
move mountains" It has at least given him
the power "to cypher them down. SO that
they present no very serious obstacle TO the
execution Of his favoritc measure.
Truly yours, WM. GooDrSG.