Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-06
NIAGARA SHIP CANAL.
Report of the BOARD OF Trade Commit
~tee-HOraee II. Days Project of n
Marine Railway and Inclined Plane
considered Visionary, &c, dc.

~Oce-HAOraco m DhyS EEOJcct OA ~
Marine Railway and Inclined Plane
considered Visionary, &c, dc.
Our readers will remember that Mr.. Hor-
ace h. Day, of New Yerk, submitted his
project of constructing a ship canal around
the Falls of Niagara to the Board of Trade
of this city several weeks since, when he
explained his project of a marine railway
and an inclined plane. That b~odysappoint-
ed a committee, consisting of Messrs. Philo
Chamberlin, ]. Clark and s. F. Lester to
examine the scheme and report to the Board
at their earliest convenience. They re-
ported at the session yesterday afternoon.
We append the result of their investiga-
tions, and the convictions held by the com
mittee
To THE BOARD OF TRADE OF CLEVELAND:
The Undersigned Committee, to whom was
referred the subject of the Niagara Ship
Canal, together with the correspondence OF
other Boards of Trade, and of Horace II.
Day, ESQ.,, upon his project of a Marine
Railway and inclined Plane, for Overcom-
ing the ascent and descent thereof respect
fully report
That we have given q thorough and care
ful attention to the matters referred to US,
as the limit of time and circumstances
would permit.
That, in our opinion, it is PROFESSIONALLY
expedient and desirable for this Board to
cooperate with other Boards of Trade and
Chambers of Commerce, in every Practiea-
bic way to promote the project OF a Ship
Canal around Niagara Falls but that the
subject was long since gwen in charge Of our
able and patriotic Representative in Con-
gress, Hon. R. P. Spalding, vnd unless no
requests it, it is ineXpedient and unneces-
sary at present to send delegates to Wash
ington.
That, upon a further and more careful
investigation of the project of Mr.. Day
for an Inclined Plane, instead OF Locks
for the passage of vessels, we find that such
planes lave only been used upon small
canals, where there was an insufficient sup
ply of water for Iockage and barely sufi-
| cient for supplying the dead levels of the
canal; and that wherever and whenever a
suficiency of water lockage could be OBJ
tanned, the inclined planes have been dis
pensed with.
That the comparative expense of the CON
truction Of the works, according to the
opinion Of experienced and eminent United
States engineers and experts, would show
largely in favor of locks, as vastly cheaper
IMAM the railway, Will us lHiuouE5 ma
| chinery and fixtures.
That it is the opinion Of practical canal
navigators and canal and railroad engi-
neers, that it may be possible to pass YES
sells in immense water tanks upon wheels
| and tracks up and down a grade of 800 feet
fall, three or four miles long but that it
would be extremely hazardous and far
more expensive than lockage; so might a
| certain class of vessels be transported from
lake to lake, by al enormous balloon, If
the question Of economy and general
practicdbitity were in no way. taken
into consideration. But all agree IN the
opinion that it will be impossible, under the
most favorable circumstances, and regard
less of the difference in expense, to place a
vessel in the PROPOSED tank-raise its i'm
mense weight and bulk, and place it upon
the truck, and then move the enormous
load of 5000 to 1000 tons upon the track at
the rate of more than half a mile an hour,
with any degree of safety and thus it would
be impossible thus to transfer more than four
vessels each way-at this great expense-in
twenty-four hours.
That we find by actual experience that,
as locks are now constructed, a steam vessel
can enter, lock through and leave a lock of
sixteen feet lift, in twelve to sixteen min
utes; where no expense for lifting power is
required, except the free and abundant flow
OF water; and TO other aid rendered the
crew Of the vessel except one or two lock-
tenders to open and close the lock gates.
That if a canal at or near Niagara Falls
was constructed with double locks, twenty
in number, of sixteen feet lift each, and
twenty vessels above, and twenty below,
were early to enter the locks, the whole
would be passed through in less than four
hours. one following another in quick sue
-. &c., LII - l~nfr a. thai ~ lnar DC
there was a sufficiency of vessels to occupy
all the locks continually-there would be
one vessel passing out and in each way
every fifteen or twenty minutes at the most
making a passage for nearly two hun
dred vessels per day of full and active
navigation.
That an expense of twenty cents per ton
of cargo to each vessel passing through such
a canal would be a rich revenue upon the
cost, attendance, and repair of it, to say
nothing of the time saved to the vessel
whilst the expense of maintaining the enor-
nous machinery for the inclined plane, or
railway process, must of necessity, to make
it a paying investment, require a more than
ten-fold higher rate Of tolls and expense of
transit.
That with these impressions, your Commit
tee, after careful and unprejudiced considera-
ton of the subject, have come to the deliberate
conclusion that the project of Horace H.Dayis
mpracticable and visionary, as q means of
safe, rapid and economical navigation
around the Falls of Niagara, aud oughtnot
to be coupled with the IDEA Of a Ship Canal.
That the urging of Mr.. Days plan and
projects, upon the attention of Congress, is
calculated to produce confusion, and to mar
and delay the accomplishment of a grand
object for which we are all SO ardently So
fictitious.
And that therefore, it is not expedient or
advisable for this Board or others, DESTROYS
of promoting the project of a Ship Canal
around the Falls of Niagara, to favor any
method other than the ordinary, well known
and well tried Canal, with the most approx
ed and best kind of Locks known, and used
to navigation.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
PHILo CHAMBERLIN,
j. CLARK, Committee.
s.. F. LESTER,
CLEVELAND, O., Feb. 6, 1866.
To test the sense of the Board on the oues-
ton of a Ship Canal around the Falls of
NJ IL. f.TIo-.-. .az.I1s- - .