Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-05-11
The Niagara Canal.

A report has been made in the House, in
! favor of the construction of a ship canal
around the falls of Niagara. 1t is proposed
that the President have power to contract
with any company that may be chartered
for the construction of such canal-thc com
pany to be at all the expense of making sur
veys and for every 100000 eXpended mp
on the work by the company, the President
to issue to it u. $. bonds to the amount of
100000, until S6,00000O in bonds shall have
been delivcrcd-thus providing funds to the
amount of Sl5,000,000 for the construction of
the canal. After the canal shall have been
completed, and gone into operation, ten per
cent, of all the tolls received, after paying
expenses and keeping up repairs, shall be
paid into the treasury of the United States !;
and the government to have entire control of
the canal whenever its own eXigcncies re-
quire it. The President is also to have the
appointment of the engineers to make all
necessary surveys and also to decide after
the surveys, what route shall be selected.
As long ago as 179S company was incor-
porated to constructa ship canal around Nj
agara Falls. But settlements in the West
had but Just commenced at that time, and
there was no pressing necessity, as there now
is. for such internal communication. An
other company was Incorporated in 1923 an
|
York for the present year recently passed n
bill through its popular branch for the in
corporation of another company. 1t failed
in the senate, evidently through some
apprehension that if such a canal were con-
structcd, it might tend in some way to i'll
jure the present canals of the State.
1t was stated in the debate that followed
the introduction Of the report into the House
that in 1862, more than S30000000 of com
merce passed down from the upper lakes
through the Welland Canal, Con the Canada
side,) into Lake Ontario and more than
three-fourths of it turned away from the St
Lawrence river TO lake ports on the Ameri-
can side. 1t was stated also, by Mr. Spald-
ing, of Cleveland, that at this time there is a
commercial fleet equal to 1000 sail ON the
lakes above Niagara Falls that the trade
of the city of Cleveland last year alone was
SLY, ,5S2,0S4 of imports and S95,572,237 OF
exports and that (said he,) does not pre-
tend to compare with the mighty city o
Chicago, away beyond us on Lake Michi-
gan" My own little city, (said he0 which
: within my own recollection had but tifteer
hundred inhabitants. has ut this moment q
population of $4,000; and it has between
300 and 400 vessels employed in this Lake
commerce"
The estimated products of the West al
this time are SJ00000,000 year of which
not more than one-tenth finds market iol
want of means Of communication with the
, seaboard even during the last winter innu
merable bushels of corn have been burned as
fuel because of the impossibility of sending
, ii to market. If all these immense products
of the West could be sold, they would 90 t,
pay for domestic goods and manufacture
, that could be supplied by the East ant
bts asf fnl oh n la mo bn tun
tions that would be far more beneficial t,
both than any that now exists.
, In case of war between the United Statc
and England, this Niagara Ship Canal woulC
, be of the first necessity, to pass vessels bach
, and forth between Ontario and the uppe
! lakes which Great Britain could do, bu
3 the United States could not through IN,
Welland Canal 1t is believed also that
+ ship canal will at some time be CONSTRUCTED
from Ontario to the Hudson river, so tha
: vessels could pass at once from the ocean /,
the lakes.
. The Eastern States have an immense in
: terest in the trade of the great West. Mucl
of the industry and energy of the East ha
= already gone to and located itself in tn
} West The productive capabilities of tha
Q section are very great, and constantly on tn,
& increase. The West will have an outlet fo
+ its produce. 1t will not grow corn to max
= boniires of and If the East will not tax
e hold with them, and help furnish that outlet
$ the West uW be looking in some other direc
D tom A regenerated South, with its grea
. capabilities for crops of cotton, rice, and to
G bacco, will find the alliance it may need i
s the giant West, and not only consume large
: ly of its crops, but afford the facilities for
] profitable trade abroad
i New England will have TO strain its ever
c nerve, not only TO retain the population
G now has, but TO maintain such amicable rC
o lations with the West that the connectio
shall be mutually advantageous TO both SEE