, 1866-03-22
THE ST. CLAIR FLATS
cosMERcE ON: THE LAKES.
Il Complete and Highly Interest
ing Report.
STATISTICS Or 1HE COMMERCE
PASSING The ST. CLAIR FLATS.
- =:
Estimate Of the Losses Incurred by
Detentions at that Point
DAMAGES DY GETTING AGROUND.


Number and Value OF Vessels Engaged.
[Frnm the Detroit Adsertiser.l
VIC are enabled to present this mo.nIn, the bess
md most complete report probably e.c. gotten up
}S1ss. 1hls +; sepo.t ~ ~. l., ms4s to the no.sa Of
pose e spee I'd ihs es md r9f
lion gathered have been Arranged With the greatast
care end real. Asa matter ot reference il will be
s raiss q
The 1eport received high communication rom The
Board and cepies were ordered to be printed. ard
etpectsly, u nell 10 other parts ct the county
Ii will be received and read With interest ~ true
md faithful record Of ths matters upon nhIch It
tseats. The fo1ewiug IS the repcst:
To the President Of the Board Of Trade Of Detroit:
Tour comt1ltics. to whom ~as referred the sub
ieet ot Getting rR .!a1s!isa !, s; 91 ths amount Ct
The Obstruction TO paricaiion ut the head Of
r whaeh /: 6loarh' aorn
the ST. Clair River by the current and depositedat
ite month, o. where the channel Of fsld rlscz
wjdens Into the lake Of the k8nae n4ule.
From The earltes. history Of our l1le navigation,
thit bal OF 0at has been source Of great tneon.,
.cnienee and annoyance 10 shipping c-oflen oeca-
s,oninE Hsat loss 70 The owners Of property By
1he attention Of lona:seas has rom time to time
naaoc TO give channel or psssaRes,s1y sufficient
for our thlpp'ns. a1t WITH onl. psftial eueeers.
=; In ,he Jssr Iss coaFs.s made = sppTcpr.sou
chanuej through the bar Up to that tine there
Mxk an Average Of tom 10 9s feat of water on he
Fiat nnd al VESSELS drawing more Wzter than that
Te1e obliged TO tighten c1fgo IT very ruinous *
pense. The contract for e1cava.tng Ibis ,channa
VA: awarded 10 the ls,e Thomas b. BARTON, Of Baf-
10. In ane winter of 1851 and IS.
BE performed hlf work well 20 far as the mesus
allowed him. md during The seasons Of ISIS and
1tsa, made a channel nearly 1m leet wide md Il
since that time there has been nothing doas to
enlate The channe! to keep paec wih our vastly 4n-
= caessed shipping and !rodnete, Or 10 keep ii from
river or 1ashins-in Of The banks Of Tie chsnnel,
10th Of which have occurred 10 such extent that
new xi tu ,he Wind el"H o., tfe5h on IL ne1lh.
wc had channe! 1oa feet vide, we now have
ee1rcrlt half that. +.
Ar the time the above appropriation was made,
lafee was from ten to twelve thousand bushels Of
grim, hnt the rapid and enoEuous increase In the
build mneh Arcer Vessels, and now It would % lfe
to sag the average Espacity OF cach double That
amount Then the greatest auonnt of water That
tefse's could draw was from 8 10 10 feet, but now
from L. 10 Ian feet
1t il no uncommon thing to sec several Of cur
ls e. 4 L ess ess s
themselves. The water being shallow. tie action OF
ineiE wheels dire un a It vcEs, Tho sand under
channel On which lhe next passing vessel II likely
TIC s navigation Of The rt.err connecting Lake.
puch nsk, and o!ien with serious loss, owing to
-hoa1:. sunke1 rocks and s*1ft currcan, tsen be-
te1s the se.sels were anythtng like The 1te shey
low Them through ,he7e rssers. rhese boass "a
saS "a M IL sns en % Es Ss f.. E &c t1 xs..
Of The vessels in TOW. very apt IN stick fast
on some OF ihe.e ridges, formed BY The propeller
they str1kc on one bank OF the othcr and not hay-
in: room TO work 1hese yesseie the consequence il
| lloee astern Aute 10 come In collision with
Il dsse N al 81 he xon E.
avoided b: hAs1uE ecflssent hfeadth and depth Of
ctannl through wh,cn ,o DO he business. The
! pert piloa to take any o1tina1y EI,ed cratt pYes
The extent ot the bar Or aat Is very insignificant
ent reSe e wnen sompsred uifS H. .meo9.
tance oi the work sought 10 be accomplished.
1hs ent.le length tnay would be required to cut
SoM committee are Informed. b. Competent en-
sun q $50, ,oo6 would civc channel 800 eet vide,
Whtle your COMMITTEES fully agree With, and
heartily 1noorse ali the schemes propose BY con-
ytn1iuns md Eeards Of 11sdc 10 cnatye onr canals,
eeitine the sast produce q the est to side wstst
They canppt bnt think lhal this work Of en1arg1ne
the channel oTer the ST. Csir Flats il Of quite as
great importance ss any that has been o. can be
| piopose1
Ar Il NOW IL. one vefeel can entirely clo.e the
channel hJ striking Oh one bank and twtnEnE
| around AerDes the channel thus edectEalIy teAlnc
1t mp tar The ptttsge OF other yf-eels e con.
| ccrned j; and yonr committee have kDoHn, within
the last two yeArs, ,sree propeller closing cn1zey
The chanuet ior four days, uakaug 1t Ipossttle
any loaded czaft 70 piss or sepat, aad de.ainin
one time more tlan 40 1o1ded vessels for thai
length Of dne.
r.opstauon OF $2Q0, goo he asked from Congress te
acsomp!rh , thl* much needed work.
four Eomn1ttee Won!d a3o recommend that Z.
| appropriation % aekeo from congress VI tum
Cacnt amount Of money to butld three fanze lehts