The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-07
FIRST EDITIO IN
FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN.
A Northern Route of Commercial Transit Be-
tween Puget Sound and the Atlnntic-The
Propoeed Niagara ship Canal

A Northern Route of Commercial Transit BE-
tween Puget Sound and the Atlnntic-The
Proposed Niagara ship Canal.
The article given below, which s taken from the
Detroit Free Prese Of recent date, VIII De reau
with deep interest by all our commercial citizens
me project referred to is in fitting keeping with the
spirit Of the age, and is shown to be not only emil
nently desirable but entirely feasibe:--
Al meeting OF the Detroit Board OF Trade yester-
day General r. j. Cram, Of the United STATES Corps
OF Engineers, read, by invitation, memoir upon
the northern nteroceanic route OF commercial tran
SIT between tidewater Of Puget Sound OF the Pechc
ana tidewater On The Gulf OF st. Lawrence OF the
Atlantic Ocean. The paper had bsen prepared with
q vakt amount OF labor ana scientific research, and
win be q valuable reference.
The General favored the construction OF o North
ern Pacific road from point at the head OF Lake
Superior, through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotah,
Montana, 1daha, and washington, with branch
The Northwest which this route will serve con-
tans $50 600 600 upon which the construction OF this
railway will bring prosperity, IL embraces the
winter wheat regon IL is supplied with ValueOle de-
posus OF the priceless metals timber, and stone, an
abundance OF water and with q temperature 80
mild as to render 1t extremely healthful and prolific
It can supply vast quantities Of well as sub
sist countless herd of cattle; and for the develop
ment OF this region railways are absolutely essential
Congress has donated a strip OF land about ten
miles wide through Minnesota, and during the re-
naming 15l3 miles twenty miles on either side. Its
length will be 1916 miles from Lake Superior to
Pugets Sound, and the lands donated will embrace
&C. $50 square miles, or AZ, 400 acres, which, at
valuation OF $3.50 per acre, would create fund
amounting TO per mile for the construction
OF the line The rivers which traverse the section
will greatly assist In bringing trade to the road and
along their banks great cities may be built, and an
agricultural population find every means OF support
The necessary iron can be secured from the Lake
Superior g0n An extent OF country equal to that
before mentioned will be found in British America
which will also furnish business for the proposed
line and which WILL III Surn d. ana 6 IN r aeVeoPng % @ oo
end OF Lake Superior, the remainder OF the distance
to the East ought to be by water, in which connec-
lake and river Outlejs, and the improvements now
required upon them. II Superior City be made the
terminus, the harbor and docks can be built at cost
OF s75OO6O; if Ashland or Bayfield,, the cost OF these
improvements would be greatly lessened, but this
miles more OF railroad. II Duluth should be the
terminus the harbor and docks would cost 81 900 000
The next important improvement on the route is
st. Mary's Canal, the docks in which ought to be
deepened so as to give sixteen feet upon the mtre
ss, against only ten and two-thirds feet at the pre-
sent time and the canal should be mado seventeen
feet deep with vertical. The entrance should be
made safe, and another lock should be built along
side the present lock, with chamber $50 by so feet
overcoming the fall with one lift The estimated
cost of these improvemf ns is $3.50 000 all OF which
can be accomplished without detrlment to the pre-
sent canal Some improvements, such as removing
rocks, Strengthening OF some channels ETC., would
Which Il IS thought viii not exceed These Sc
Improvements once made, vessels could pass in the
as in light, which they cannot do at present.
The ship canal on the st. Clair Flats ought, in the
opinion Of General Cram o to be deepened @ SO as to
additional cost OF $50 0oo or Il may be made twenty
feet deep at expenditure OF $4,000. 1t is already
seven-eghths finished, and will be completed about
the first OF August, 1870
The important Iquestion OF constructing ship
canal around Niagara Falls on the American side,
was next discussed. or the numerous plans pro-
posed for carrying this stupendous project into exc
that Of Mr. John Burr, OF Detroit, who proposes
to make short cut OF eight miles from Slosser
by one lock of more than 800 feet rise. [The
details OF the plan have been already published in
the Free Press.l The Well and Canal is not ade-
quate to the demands of commerce, and it would
be bad idea to expend our money for its enlarge
ment, especially as 1t Is upon foreign soil. The
other plans proposed by Colonels Blount and For
shey may properly be reckoned OF questionable
utility, the first involving numerous locks and the
other being a complex and dangerous system. II
the Welland Canal were sought to be enlarged it
would be necessary, no doubt, to dispose OF large
amount OF rock at the entrance in Lake Erie, which
would involve much too great expense and delay.
The speaker stated that there were some questions
yet remaining to be determined, principally con-
cerning the practicabllity OF Mr. Burt's plan, as
arrangements for preventing the damaging effects
of cascades from the rocks, which might perhaps be
accomplished by plating OF iron, the resisting
power OF n.y. great gates, aud the ingenious arrange
looks promising, ana he would not be surprised to
find that it will eventually be adopted.
General Cram considered the plan proposed by
Colonel Forshey a description OF which could be
little understood, by no means practicable and
wthsl frsught with danger, and likely to result in
reactions and damaging delays repairing and ad-
justing machinery. The canal OF the short route
could in his opinion, be easily defended in case OF
war, and, taking all things into consideration, he
In favor OF that route the others. The pro
bable cost would be some Si3,000,00o
After passing Lewiston there are no distractions
to navigation until reaching Guop Rapids, in the
river st. Lawrence. Here Is encountered reach OF
106 miles, extending rs far down as Montreal, in
which there are seven rapids, around which Cana
dians have constructed small canals Passenger
steamers jump these rapids. Other craft go through
the canals which allow the passage OF vessels only
1856 feet long, and 43 feet beam, the maximum bur
den OF which s 300 tons, eqna TO carrying capacity
of 10000 bushels OF wheat. The cost OF enlarging
these canals to chambers 46 by $50 feet giving q
depth OF 16 feet OF water would be about &5
From Montreal to Three Rivers. up to which latter
place tidewater comes, is 30 miles, In which ships
drawing 30 feet OF water safely navigate, and from
Three Rivers to the Gulf OF St. Lawrence Is 500 miles
The extent OF the various branches OF the pro-
posed nter-oceanic line is shown IN the following
tablet
Niles
Northern Pacific Railroad.
Lake Superior, Huron " ....,................1O 1851
River navigation. 35s
Canal navigation 81
Total. .........-..........,..,...,.. 326t
The following shows the estimated expenses
Northern Pacific, SAC 2S3 per mle.. $50, 152, ,s2s
Harbors ana docks ..:.......,..,....... 1000 00t
Improving Saut Canals s.....,....,......, 25O,OO(
Deepening st. Clair Flats, canal, etc.. 1900
Niagara ship Canal ....:...;........ 19,457 25(
Total. SiO2 25s go,
The cost OF all the work, except the construction
OF the railroads, would be $50, 10i;2S0.
4 he estimated time that would be required for
moving heavy freight from Puget Sound to tide
water Is; by rail, six days and two hours would be
COM umed on the lakes, allowing one day for trans
shipment SIX days and fifteen hours Hon the canals
one DAY ana three hOurf andn the locks day and
three hours making total OF sixteen days and
eighteen hours.
The cost per ton OF freight from Puget sound 70
Lake Superior would be e229 upon the water after
wards 50 33, making total from tdewater TO tide.
water OF s2552 AT the present time costs 1926 to
move ton OF freight from Lake Superior via Erie
Canal TO the geaDOard,