Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-18
A Ship Canal from the Lakes 10 New
York CITY.

e York City.
I One of the greatest needs of our nation
al commerce is an increase of the means of
/ transfer between the Great West and the
city of New York. Ithas been remarked
thatif+he present freight tsFias-eontinue
the harvests of the West cannot be in
creased in amount with any profit TO the
producers The fact that within the last
ten years, while Europe was stretching
out its hands for food, Illinois farmers were
5 selling their corn for ten cents bushel-
when they could find purchasers a suf-
fcient commentaryon the statement. One
of the great commercial problems which
we must solve in the nextfew years is show
to open an outlet for the Western har-
vests so that their value shall not be eaten
up by the expense of carrying them to
the consumer.
The grandest project suggested for the
solution of the dificultyi is that of a ship
canal connecting our great Lakes with
New YOrkcity-acaha through which the
navy Of the Lakes could moyein procession,
hted with the golden harvests of
ries. The, proposal is mag
fre1g-. - and proportions
Western pral- one of the
nifeent in conceptlv4 no
and, if practicable, will prove,
greatest blessings to the section Of Ia
United States and Canada which forms /
the basin of the Lakes. Mr. S. De Witt
Bloodgood thinks that it is practicable, t
and has recently issued a pamphlet to de- &
monstrate his views, suggesting a route of i
ever thought, and which can be made
effective at a much less expense than has >
been generally expected. That route is :
ria the Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, the !
st. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, and /;
the Hudson, and its total cost is estimated :
at less than ten millions of dollars.
The greater portion of the work neees- I
safy for the completion of this magnif- Y
cent enterprise has already been perform e
ed, and, indeed, vessels of a hundred and /
twenty tons burden can now sail from I
Chicago to New York by the route indi-
Gated. The Welland Canal, already IN v
dergoing enlargement, unites Lake Erie t
to Lake Ontario. The canals of the St. a
Lawrence open the way for the largest l,
vessels from Ontario to the ocean. Lake h
Champlain affords clear navigation to d
ships of the heaviest tonnage. for a hun a
bred and twenty-five miles. The Hudson p
will carry on its broad bosom the fleets of V
America. The only breaks in this great e
chain which ought to bind Cleveland and n
New York together is that from the ST. a
Lawrence and Lake Champlain and from Il
Lake Champlain to the Hudson. And all il
that is necessary to make the communica- Il
ton complete is Encouragement of works ST
now in existence. The Cham blee canal, il
seventy-fve miles long, connecting the p
northern end Of Lake Champlsin with p
the st. Lawrence is already in successful I
operation and would require but little en- y
Iargemeut. The navigation of the Lake is c.
complete, aud from its south c.
cru end a canal sixty-six p
six miles in length, and passing over an
elevation of ffty-four feet above the Lake
and one hundred and twenty-five above
the Hudson, connects it with that river. Il
In 1861, when the war first broke out, p
w. B. Taylor, Esq State Engineer ofNew I
York, was directed by the Legislature of !
hat state to report the cost of charging II
his canal so as to permit the transit of
yunboats from the Hudson to the Lakes. t,
lie found that the expense of charging a
he canal so as to allow the passage of D
gunboats Of $50 feet length, 20 feet beam, =
and s feet draught would be So, 100000. e
Mr.. John B. Jarvis estimates the cost of
his improvement and of enlarging the f
Hudson for twenty miles below the city of Il
Troy, at IS, 100000. Since that time the a
navigation of the upper Hudson has been h
improved, and the cost of COM
the work has been propOrtionately e.
]
The vital importance to the West of the Il
completion of such a work as this, is most a.
manifest. The route suggested seems W
more practicable than any other which Il
been proposed. We earnestly hope OF
hat means may be taken for bringing the
ubject before the people and before Con- =