, 1869-03-24
FaoN CHICAGO 10 TIE SEA.

IL OGuuule69 ocean lay On Tue n0fsn-
crn frontier Of the United States, instead
Vt chain Of lakes, narrowing here ard |
here into strait or river, tho world |
wonld lcok on In astonfshment II the |
pr along this frontier should have no
direct commerce with foreign nations
Dal since q canal around Nisgars
ot ore hurdred feet width and
tsen.Y-five teet depth, 10 be built
for few millions Of dollars, would
sifo1d as tree an outlet TO ocean commerce
IS the ocean itself, there Is in reality no
mo1e reason why the entire commerce Of
the Northwest with foreign parts should
be tranthtpped, oncc at Buffalo and
again at New York. than If
charnel OF tie width OF Like Michigan
rolled uninterrupted from Chicago to
'Ee seq. Each Of these transhipmeu,s
tQuals In expense the entire freight from
Chicago. As we'll might St. Petersburg
be required to send her foreign freighls
hy rail 10 Havfe for shipment as that
Chicago should send hers to Nc~ York.
0ur chain Ct inland lakes is ss iii 10 be-
ccme the field Of direct foreign COM
nerce as the Bsltic or the Black Sea 1t
or1y needs that canal around the Nj
sgsra Falls, In conjunction with the St.
lawrence Canal and River, should be
nsde available for ocesn-golng vessels Of
from one thousand to fifteen hundred
tons burden. The existing Welland Ca.
raj, In passing lake vessels Of 600 tons,
answers the wants only Of small por-
lion Of our lske commerce. Both
1t srd the inte1minable Erie ditch are q
hlndrarce rather than an aid to the de-
msrd Of The West and Northwest for
direct access to the ocean, for they pre-
vent anything ADEQUATE being under
taken.
The longer this aIl-importsntt work
ehsll be dclayed, which would make
Chicago, M,l~ankee, Detroit Cleveland
| and Buffalo as Ro1d seaports- Is
Portland. Boston. Philadelphia, Norfolk
std Savannah, the more firmly will the
shsek;es Of lard transportation be rveted
upsn us. and the mora plausible the
prtts1i for the continued vassalaRe and
dependence OF all our lake cities and
tf all Western producers on
New Ye1k. Vast amounts o1
capital sre being invested in inprov-
jrg and cheapenitg rsilroad transpossa-
sior, tlthe Of which, employed IN Dig
giIg an ocean csnal around Nisgara,
would give Us at once, by a means which
would never wear out, cheaper fretghti
,hsn ue can p-ssibly attain BY ratlroads
however Improved ard cheapened. Tht
actual coat Of ocean transportation aver.
ages two mills per ton per mile. That O.
The lakes and Hudson River averages
(aId that Of the lakes aud S.
Lawrence would average, It canal
Tor ocean vessels were bully 211f mill
per ton per mile. The Erie Csna'
tw:rg TO its great length and the mum
ber Of locks. averages five mills pc
Ion pcr mile, Ordinary railway
transportation has heretofore aver,
. tRtd from 1915 to Is mllla per ton pc
mile. But by the Introduction o! th,
. Bessemer s'eel TAIL, which is expected L
! wear from twensy 10 forty years, the cos
Of railway treighta is reduced 10 y
mills per Ion per mile. The new Ols
hsuser process Of making iron by which
the cost Of manufacture will be dimlu-
ished tblrd or halt and its quality i'm
proved, will still further reduce the CO..
OF railway transportation. While tht
expenditure OF this vast amount Of capt
,al in obksinirg cheap ireIghts BY rail-.
reads tends g1aduslly and slowly 10 re-
tuce freigh,s, the increased demands fol
access to the oceHn owing
10 the rapid growth
The West and Northwest
and the vast bulk aud variety OF It's pro
duce, can only be met by bringing th'
| c.l-. y. z. d :.