, 1866-12-06
THE E1IEoN A.n ONTARIO sK43p
CANAL,

Our older citizens will remember the dis
cussi'''.s ard conventions il relation to this
enterprise ten years ago. The project was
taen called the Georgian Bay & Toronto
ship ca1'al- The company originally char
tered u do tue work hns been rcorgAnizcd
under the name given in the heading 10 this
article. F.. e. Caprcol, Esq, of Toronto. Is
the President Of The Company. A brief re-
feTcrcc to its history end Its present pros
1'esis Will he Interesting to our co1nzncrcia.
readers, aEl, in fact all our Eirnlin. CON-
nunities will be largely benefited br the
success Of this great enterprise What the
West most needs nTe increased facilities aud
cheaper means Of transit Tor her vast pro-
duc's to the ocean.
The :rilstiou Of the subject commenced In
the winter nj 1851, and resulted in Octo-
Der. 1s555, in the holding Of convention in
Tc1ont". ct which Tie Board of Trade Of
this city were represented by the late George
stcele, Esq, and Lieutenant Governor Dross.
4 surv:y was nande under th. direction of
. committee of this Convention BIZ Kivas
Tally, Es;.,, and Colonel r. B, M1son, of this
city, 6 consulting engineer. That survey
demonstrated the cutirc feasibility OF the
work st i cost Of 81, Oh, o))-1 large SUN, it
Is TIRE, t'i the estimates were male for a
s.'n cssal ofa thousand tons hur.hca. This,
|llA the enlargement OF the st. Lawrence
ca'1s's +" similar size, would afford the
needed 1lcilltics for the commerce Of tue
"cst, aud 1t Will nescr have the meaus of
transit commensurate with lis necessities till
this gseat international work Is accom-
rlislicd.
With any good map OF the United States.
or OF Canada West, let the reader notice tho
Nottawcsa-a River, that enters the Georgian
Bag nrAr Lol'ingwood. The route from the
CANAL is Ut This river till within nine miles of
Lake Si;ncoe. THIS lake is reached
by 4 cut. when there is
twenty-five miles Of lake navigation
and ten miles more through the Holland
marshes wl:rrc common dummies or excava.
tors will DIG the canal without the least
tro'i:'lc. Here the main diGlea1ty Of the
Wo'k is 'i.c. IN ridge through which dccp
rut m'si ho made for ten tniies, and Of that
about a n'ic will be ono huniFed and ninety
kcycu icet. 0acc through the ridge. the
canal wcSld follow down the valley OF the
Humber Rive. to Lake Ontario. The elcva-
tim to be made from Lake Huron In reach
i2a Lake Siiaccc Is abont QUO ',uadrcl and
Syeuiecn feet and the descent thence to
AXE Oatc.iu about four hundred and eighty
evru fct. There would BY this route be
ess thaH forty miles Of close canal naviga-
1an. til, ba'nacc Of thc total distance OF il
iandrcd E'iles between the Georgian Bay
and Lake Ontario wonld be made through
The va!lc2s Of thc Sottawasasl and tee
Humber rivers aud Lake Simcoc. By this
short ro;tc the eu:irc passage through
the st. Clair River and the
lakc will is Hats, the Detroit River, Lake
Eric and the Welland Canal would be saved
End vessel would find herself in Lake Onta-
rio st Tnronto Q befrc she could reach Dstralt.
Iaa first company filled, as evcrythiu.
ctsc did. in ls57-3, and new one with Mr.
Carreol o. President was chartered by tue
Can:dian Parliament. We learn thai during
the last summer the company hare been hard
at work examining tho entire liuc. and Ia ve
found tue route mos; favorable one, Tho
two deep cuts show no inturmountab ablc oh.
staclts. In order to make both the Difficult
ties aud the advantages Of the work palma.
bic 10 the senses, cast has been made Of 1t
showing the proportions Of tho cuttings,
the location and course OF Lake Simcoe and
the heyallcys Of tho Nottawasagu and the Hum
Der rivers, and with the numerous boring.
made In the ridges to test the qus1ity Of ths
material to be removed, probably every faci
that can have any important bearing upon tht
construction ofthe work, is now fally under
stood.
From the Toronto Leader, Of November
Goth. we learn that the counsellors of the
County of Sirneoe have voted an appropria
ton to the work Ct hyc hundred ttoasans
dollars. 1t is stated that the County G
Kings will probably do the same; and If th
city Of Toronto properly understands he
own interest, ahe will duplicate bot
amounts. With such basis the company
.oula 20 forTard with tue assu
,ncc that confidence would be inspired Il
ls SUCCESS, md that is all that IL wantcd t.
airy through. In Our Judgment 1t can b
town beyond question that 1t would s.
hcapcn the cost Of the transportation Q
readstu1s aud provisions between Grea