Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-11-17
Lake Champaign ship canal.


The importance Of more ample connection
between the East and the West, whereby
tie annually increasing freight can be more
speedily and oheaIly transported, was never
more severely felt than now, when such vast
quantities OF gram and -four lie stored at
the west, yainly waiting shipment, when
trains and canal-bcats are loaded TO their
utmost capacity, and shippers axe willing to
pay almost any freight charges to get their
goods forwarded
vt the last session Of Congress bill was
passed 10y the House, providing tor the con-
stracsisn d a ship cana! around Niagara
Falls, and a, parenliy it only iail,d IN the
S,ra,c l5r vrut Of time. II will he brought
forward gain - $40 coming s,ssI,u and 10
doubr passed. No other single measure
would SO much relieve the distractions that
he in the way Of trade between the East
and the West
\ few gentlemen Of this city assembled by
Invitation Monday even Z at Judge Smalley's
rooms in the Custom House t. hear an able
par.r prepared hy Edwin johnson. Eco,
well-known and able civil engineer, upon
the subject Of water communication between
the East and the West. In this paper 1t was
shown from actual surveys that great saving
In time and cost might be effected by a iu-
diclous construction Of ship canals, and one
of the most important links in the series
would be canal from Lake Champlain to
the ST Lawrence river.
The idea Of this canal and Of it, impor-
tarcc is nv no means new one, and its i'm
portance was most iorcibly impressed upon
rs by Mr.. JohnsOn's statements. The DIFF
ference IN time and cost of transportation OF
freight, between Lake Superior, Tor ms
lance. and Burlington. and between Lake
Superior and Albany by the Enc Canal. was
shown TO be Is per cent IN favor OF the Lake
Champlaiu route, and if our Canadian neigh
bors can be induced TO build canal between
French River. which ompties into Lake HUI
ron. ana the OltoNh' NhC uihtiChNS "vNiN
he more than 80 per cent. SUCH a saving
in cost as that would send the whole supply
of the New England States from the West
through Lake Champlain,-an enormous in
crease of trade A very large proportion of
this trade would naturally flow through
Burlington, which would become to New
ENGLAND what Buffalo Is 10 New York.
Mr.. johnson. from actual surveys made
by himself, pronounced the construction off
canal from St. Johns on the Sorel River, to
a noint on the St. Lawrence opposite the
mouth of the Ottawa river, perfectly feasible
and not expensive, while its importance to
the West and the East can hardly be over
rated He showed that the objection raised
bv some, that cargOes having got as far as
Montreal, would 20 thence direct to Europe,
is croundless. Not a dozen cargoes have
ever vet been so shipped; for the navigation
of the lower St Lawrence is dangerous from
foes. and is very early closed by ice. And
while the cities of Boston and New York
control the foreign trade-which they will
do for years to come, perhaps always-there
is little danger OF diverting the current which
sets so strongly through them. Nay, by |
improvement Of the Champlain canal to the
Hudson river, the course of trade 10 New |
York would actually be strengthened if
ship canal connected Lake Champlain with
the St. Lawrence.
The present Reciprocity Treaty ends on
the 18th of March next, but the United
States will not agree to any treaty with
Great Britain which shall not give us a free
navigation of the outlet of the Great Lakes.
CT sat Britain will not dare refuse such per-
mission, knowing well that the refusal would
cost her the Canadas.
We hope the earnest attention of the
people of this State, and of our Legislators,
may be given to this subject, and that action
may be soon taken upon a subject of such
national importance. SIR. Johnson's paper
upon this subject is of great value, and We
hone to see it in print. 1t is OF course i'm
possible to attempt an abstract of it, or to
give the vast amount Of data upon which his
conclusions are founded.