Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-08-04
The Caughnawaga ship Canal.

The vast and important enterprise Of
constructing the Caughnawaga ship canal
may be said to be inaugurated. Its
building will have an influence upon Rnt-
land and its railroads that our people no"
little annrehepd. 1t will not only in
orease the business and stimulal the lines
of transportation now centering at Rut-
land but will ensure the opening of new
lines which have been inaugurated. The
people should watch not only its progress,
but take deep interest in the ~ -, for
the ultimate results will flow +, The
Importance of the Caughnawrya canal
was very forcibly expressed in an editori-
al article in the Rutland Courier A little
time since, which we copy entire, as pla
cling the matter briefly and more plainly
before the people of Rutland than any
thing that has yet appeared.
We were unable to find leisure to pro-
perly respond to the kind invitation from
the Burlington Board of Trade, to attend
the important meeting held in that city
on Thursday of last week, to take prelim-
mary measures to secure the building of
ship canal from above the rapids in the
st. Lawrence river into Lake Champlain.
This project, when completed, land it is
only question of time) will far exceed
the expectations of the most sanguine.
Chicago, Ill, and Burlington, Vt, will
be two rival cities. The rapidly accumu-
lating agricultural products of the bound
less West, with the new lines of railroad
proposed and in progress to water navi-
cation, will bring those products, without
breaking bulk, almost to our doors, and
make Lake Champlain the great granary
to supply not only the starving millions
of Europe, but our own New England and
Eastern and Southern New York, with
bread and beef and pork; and returning
westward the same vessels will be loaded
down with marble, slate. coal, iron and |
other heavy articles of freight. The con-
tinuous water transit, by connecting Lake
Champlain with Lake Superior, will
efectually change the commerce of North !
margins of both these lakes.
Whether the cost of this great under
taking be four millions, or twice four
millions of dollars, it would be good in
vestment, and one that would extend the
city of Burlington south of Shelburn bay, |
with the whole waterfront locked and
filled with one continuous forest of masts,
equaling even the city of Liverpool.
Our own Rutland would soon feel the
pulsation Of such a commercial wave, and
feel in duty bound to tap the lake at
West Haven by ship canal, and opposite
Ticonderoga by rail
Build the Caughnawaga Canal, and it
not only secures the Rutland and Wood
stock and the Rutland and Claremont
Railroads, but it would instill new life
and energy throughout New England,
and give all existing and proposed rail
roads all the freight they could haul, as
we'll as make Portland the great depot for
the commerce of the old world. 1t would
be sure, too, to force the State of New
York to deepen and widen the Champlain
Canal to connect water navigation at
Albany; and we predict that all these
routes will be teeming with commerce in
less than twenty years, and the origina-
tors and friends of the now proposed
canal to connect Lake Champlain with
the st. Lawrence, will be astonished that
the project was not agitated long ago. |
But there is first time to everything,
and the opening up of the Western
country, and the development Of iron.
marble, slate and coal in the East settles
the question of the construction of this
important canal, and that, too, at an early
day.
We say to the pioneers in this move
ment, "strike while the iron is hot and
let the sparks fly, ere outside influence
throws water on the fire that now burns
brightly.