Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-05-26
Special Nee ting of the Boston board
of Trade.
THE CAUGHNAwAGA CANAL.

THE CAUGHNAWAGA CANAL.
A special meeting of the Boston Board
of Trade was held at the rooms on Chaun-
cy street last Friday afternoon, at half
past three o'clock, for the purpose of hear
ing the views of Hon. Levi Underwood of
Burlington, and Hon. John Young of
Montreal, upon the proposed construction
by company, recently incorporated by|
the Canadian Parliament, of the Caugh-
nawaga Canal, to connect the waters of
Lake Champlain with the river St. Law
renee. There are few, if any, who do not
desire to see the modes Of transportation
between the East and the West multi
piled and cheapened, and, as might have
been expected, the attendance of the
Board was somewhat larger than usual.
Besides Gov. Fairchild of Wisconsin, Gov.
Underwood of Vermont, and Hon. Mr..
Young, there were present His Excellen-
cy, Gov. Clafin, His Honor, Mayor Shurt-
leff, Gov. Page of Vermont and Hon. Wal
ter Stanley of Canada.
The President, Hon. Alexander I'll. Rice,
occupied the chair. The reading of the
records Of the last meeting was dispensed
with.
REMARKS OF HON. LEVI UNDERWOOD.
Hon. Levi Underwood of Vermont, was
introduced. He didn't come for the pur-
pose of asking any definite action on the
part of the Board of Trade upon the sub
feet of the proposed Caughnawaga Canal.
A company was chartered at the late SEES
sion of the Canadian Parliament to con-
struct a ship canal between the Indian
village of Caughnawaga on the st. Law
renee, and the outlet Of Lake Ottawa plain
at st. Johns, which should enable propel-
lers of $50 tons, and eventually steamships
of 800 tons, to run without breaking bulk,
in seven days, from Duluth on Lake Su-
perior, and from Chicago, to the head OF
Lake Champlain, at cost of four dollars
and half per ton, and there connect with
the Rutland and Hoosac lines to Boston
by railway routes of two hundred miles,
thus linking Boston with the lumber dis
tricts of the North, and the wheat and
pasture region that lies to the west OF
Lakes Michigan and Superior. During
the last quarter of century the Cana
dams have greatly improved the navlga-
ten of the st. Lawrence, Ottawa and Nj
agara rivers. In ancient times no vessels
of more than 800 tons could ascend the
St, Lawrence to Montreal, but by deepen
ing the channel at various points, magni-
fcent ships of the Allan line, of $500
tons, now land and load their cargoes at
Montreal, which last year nearly doubled
its shipment of breadstuffs, exporting in
fact about ten millions of bushels. Above
Montreal on the st. Lawrence and Ottawa,
are a succession of basins and rapids, which
| have been overcome by successive locks and
ship canals, connecting basin with basin
and allowing the passage of steamships OF
| 600 tons, fully laden. Around the Falls
of Niagara the Canadians built long since
the Welland Canal, of nearly twice the
capacity of the enlarged Erie Canal and
of size sufficient to permit the passage OF
vessels of 450 tons. Above the Welland,
which will be enlarged for vessels of SUI
| tons or four times the size of the Erie
| Canal boats, there is clear course to the
SAINT Ste. Marie, the GU let of Lake Su-
perior, and here noble ship canal and
| locks allow the passage of vessels OF a
thousand tons to the new port of Duluth.
From Duluth direct lines of railway are
| to be opened this summer, connecting
| Lake Superior with St. Paul and the Red
River of the North, which connects with
| 1.5OO miles of inland navigation. St
Paul is the depot of vast region in Min
neseta, Dakota aad Iowa, Astounding in
lumber and having close connections with
the North Pacific Railway, and line is
in progress that will form the shortest
route between the Union Pacific Railway
and the navigable waters of the Lakes.
We may reasonably expect that most OF
the heavy freight between the two Pacific
Railways and Massachusetts Bay will
take this route, and that it will be one OF
the chief outlets for the grain and cattle
trade of the West. The Caughnawaga
Canal, on its way from Lake Champlain
to the st. Lawrence, will have two outlets
the one in Lake St. Louis, opposite the
Ottawa; the other in the Beauhorni9
canal, which connects two of tie st.
| Lawrence lakes, st. Louis and st. Francis.
1t will carry the waters of Lake st. Francis
into the outlet of Lake Champlain, through
which they will again fall into the st.
Lawrence, between Montreal and Quebec,
and will command the lumber trade OF
Canada, which now exports lumber to
the ammount of $1S,0O0,000 annually
nearly two million tons of wood in the
forms of boards, plsnks and timber While
our pine lumber is almost exhausted, that
of Canada seems inexhaustable. 1t is es-
timated that there are three hundred
thousand square miles of pine forest in
Canada, most of it still untouched, with
width of 200 feet, connecting with wide
rivers and lakes, accessible to vessels OF
four times the size of the boats used on
the Erie, the proposed canal requires no
transhipment, and allows speed for most
of the distance. It can never be crowded,
as its lakes and rivers permit the free pas
sage of vessels, and could carry, if it were
requisite, twenty or thirty millions OF
tons, or twice the aggregate amount now
transported by the Erie Canal and Cen
trail and Erie Railways. AS regards cost,
the cheapest transportation is on long
voyages on the open sea, and the cost OF
transit increases as the length of run and
the size of the passageway diminish. The
length of lake and river navigation and
shape of Lake Champlain, once nayi-
gated by birch canoes, and itself wide
and placid ship canal, give this route
1 RISdb advantages Sahhoioh 'itN w Wv
ern trade.
Mr.. Underwood read letter dated
Peeksklill, May IA, 1870, addressed to him
self, and signed by Mr.. J. B. Mills, which
was reply to suggestions that the esti.
mate of the cost of the Caughnawaga Ca,
nal be so modified as to contemplate the
same to be $50 feet wide at top, and 11O
at bottom; also to increase the length Of
the locks 100 feet, making the same 3OO
feet in length. Mr.. Mills had made an
approximate estimate of such modifiea'
tions, and presented them in bulk with
out detail The enlargement of the prism
of the canal and the frightening of the
locks would cost, added TO the former
estimates for canal 80 feet wide at the
bottom and the locks 300 feet long, would
be $2,574,729. Such canal and locks az
suggested would well accommodate
vessel of 1000 tons cargo.
Mr.. John Young, President of the
Board of Trade of Montreal, also spoke