New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-15
Great Inland Ship Highway.


SIR: The time has come when the navigablt
waters Of the upper lakes must be connected with those
OF the Atlantic by great interior highway Tor shps
from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. The interest o
New York City In the location and control OF the grea
warehouses for grain and consequently in the business
Of arding is great and manifest that need
only be mentioned to be perfectly comprehended and
the magnitude Of this interest is such as would indicate
that New.York enterprise and NewYork capital ought
TO be largely represented in work designed to shorten
the time and expense Of transportation from the grain
growing West TO the Atlantic market. While New,
York furnishes most Of the funds required to move and
hold the crops Of the West il Is reasonable that she
shoud enjoy the profits incident 10 its transshpmen,
from her own warehouses.
propose to call attention TO plan for connect.
ing the navigation Of Lakes Erie and Ontario which
have presented to many Boards OF Trade Of Western
cities and which has received the highest approval and
most generous Endorsement Of eminent merchants and
en- gineers. and Of others most deeply interested
canal Of Il feet depth Of wstef and Of 100 feet width Is
considered Of sufficient capacity to answer the de-
snds Of the Of the Lakes In order to meet
all interests and adapt itself 70 all existing circum'
stances the canal must be constructed az TO admit
OF the passage Of steamers OF 200 tuns burden propelled
BY their own motive power.
In passing from Lake Erie 70 Ontario no difficulty
viii be found in obtaining sufficient supply Of water
for the Target canal with locks but from Oswego or
sny other point on Lake Ontario TO the Hudson River
the scarcity Of the would as is well known make
the use Of canal with locks Of the capacity NAMED.
utterly impossible. Hence grain 10 TO be shipped TO
Western lake port and il 10 be delivered on the Hud.
son without breaking Of bulk the transportation must
he effected through other than those anofd'
| ed by IN ordinary canal.
The plan which have presented. and which com:
bnes the ordinary canal with inclined planes instead
Of locks, will obviate the great difficulty which BIAS
been named for its proper working no more water WIZ
be required than would be necessary FOR work &c.
signed TO accommodate vessels Of two hundred
tuDs burden; water need be drawn from upper
levels no locks necessary. Over the route pro-
posed from Lake Ontario to tie Hudson, work con
sruc.ed upon my plan for the transit Of large vessels
would cost vastly less than canal with locks could
such a canal be made available. At Niagara Falls
millions Of dollars would be saved, the cost Of con.
structiou by adopting the inclined plane instead
the lock- vessels could be transferred from one water
level 10 the other IN onetven'ieb part OF the time TO
qured for !ockage, and this without ever EeuoSins
them from the water which gives them the pest al
most natural support The daily working OF canal
such as propose would be less By some hundreds Of
dollars than that Of an ordinary canal with locks oil
the same capacity. were slch work possible IS IL
very far from being.
BY my pan work Of the si5e named IN every -
hours.
The general business Of transit and transportation
EN- p.oys more labor ard larger capital in the nited
: ates than the business Of manufacturing: IN the en-
plovaut 81 labor il j. second only To agriculture ~
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