The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-25
TIE PlTH TO TIE SEA.
prOceediugs of the Canadian Ma
ti0.al Beard OF Trade.
Erie Canals Vcr-us the St. Lawrencs-I Improve
ments in tie anadian Oana,s-Bidding for
Western 3lade-prot on-Recipsocity-
Figures, stati tics and Calculations
OTTAWA, Canada, Jan. 81, 1871.

The hrst ANN Il meeting OF the newly organized
Dominion Board Of Trade consisting of delegates
from the varo Local Chambers OF Commerce, took
place here tins eek Iappcnd condensed report OF
the proceeding upon such subjects may interest
American read -.
Delegates Wee present from the Boards OF Trade
or windsor, Hamilton, Brantford, London, STRAIT
ford, Toronto, B,evlile, Kingston and Ottawa, Of
Ontario; from me Montreal Corn Exchange and
Montreal ana quebec Boards Of Trade. OF quebec,
hnd that Of ST. Joan, N. u. The Hon. John Young
WAS elected Pres lent and Hr. W. }. Patterson Secre-
larry. The address OF these gentlemen Is Montreal
: After electn- olcers and other routine business
the Hon. JOHN Young read an elaborate address on
= CANADIAN CANALS
Rnd the Improvements intended aud necessary.
Canada, he SAID, did not sufficiently appreciate the
present ana future grow iii OF the Great West whose
trade, instead following the Erie Canal, shoald
peek an outlet oy The st. Lawrence. West of Lake
Superior IS great plain now peopled by 100000
pi souls but desaed AID able to support 200 100000
So immense has Sha volume OF this trade already be-
come that Canada should consider no national eX-
pcndirure too great tnat should secure it's passage
through Canaaian borders There are two natural
outlets and ave grand lines OF railway. The former
are the
ST. LAWRENCE AND MISSISSIPPI,
the latter terminate at Portland Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Baltimore. But little oil the West
ern produce seeAs tie seaboard by the Ohio or Mis-
sssirpl or the Ieansyvaaia canals, so that practi-
caily there are bal two routes leit-the Erie Canal
via New YORK, t1e 81. Lawrence river via Montreal.
The locks Oh TIE neland Canal and st. Lawrence
canais can barely accommodate vessels OF $50 tons.
In such craft the commerce of the lakes was trans
acted at the date OF tn construction OF these canals
But now the ouiA Vi me business IS done by sleam
prorelefS OF aUo or go tons. These can reach Bnf
lato, but not the lower lakes or tue st. Lawrence
Ience the who OF the West and OF ontario
Is divided among the American ports above all the
81. Lawrence c~uals. Oswego and Buffalo mOnopo-
lie II, both for imports anu exports, nor can any
point In Canad, low Kingston successfully COM
PETE iof It. From the head o. Lake Michigan or
Lake superior TO The foot OF Lake Erie the naviga-
ton Is unobstruc.ed. AT the latter point
RIVALRY CoNNE.CES.
The State OF New York Is spar1ng no efforts to I'm
prove It's canas. 1t is equally the interest OF the
Dominion 10 develop the 1t. Lawrence. Several
plans 10 this e4ect have neen proposed OF these
tue first Is the Georgian Bay Canal, which would
connect Lake Huron with LAKE Ontario, near To-
ront0, ny way OF Lake slmcoe 10 ieed such canal,
Riid Ontario would require cut Of eight miles,
with depth on an average OF lis feet The distance
with the Weiund Canal rs TO lockage thus:-va
Weland Canal, 80 eet; via Georgian Bay Canal, $50
feet The cost OF the Georgian Bay Canal. with locks
capable Of accommodating vessels Of 5otons would
be between S260J),00U ami $50, 900 900. The other
projected new line is the
OTTAWA CANAL,
which would connect Lake Huron by way OF the
French river ana Lake Sipisslng with Montreal
Through the rivers MartaTan and ottawa The esti-
mated cost OF the canal, with depth OF ten feet, IS
COO AieXtfa lockage OF l54 ieet is necessl.
lated by the higher level OF Lake Nipissing but the
route shortens tue distance between Duluth or
Chicago and the sea by 430 miles.
These are the Two projected lines, which, nom
their expense, would hardly seem 10 commend
themselves al present TO the Canadians. The last,
moss popular and ,heapest idea is the improving OF
the present system 10y deepening the canals now
existing and bui ding the Caugnnawaga Canal. 10
open up a route aiordns passage 10 vessels draw
4 "A IA int NV dat
Ing vessel Of 500 tons 10000 bushels carrying
capacity would require about ten and three-quarter
millions. 8s follows
Deepening Welland Canal. So 600, 900
Enarging ST. Lawrence locks. ........... 1850, 900
Improving channe! In rapids to give
depth OF thi teen feet Observation-Disclosures. l1a0, 900
Building Caughnawaga Canal ........... 100000
Total. $40, 1867 600
b., these improvements propeller OF 900 tons
could proceed from
without breaking bulk. Now, compare this with the
Erie route. The ST. Lawrence has twenty-eight
mues canal so feet OF lockage and no transsnlp
snent. TO reach New York bulk must be broken at
Buffalo. aud there are 1862 miles OF canal with e15
1ces 81 iockage. The total distance from Lake Erie
to tic sea would thus be-
I0'al 1Hes Feet
Raa,e. Distance. cana zooSuge.
st. acknowledgements. Al % $50
Erie Canal. ............ 507 362 615
"A great prepondeIance in favor OF the natural
route
Bur the Eastern States consume more Western
produce than Europe consequently their trade Is to
nawaga Canal, connecting the 81. Lawrence anu
Lake Champaign, the propeller oil 9o0 tons could pro-
cGed with her Ca. go unbroken from
CHICAGO TO WHITEHALL,
or Burlington, and could thus deliver her cargo at
any point in New England at one-hali the present
rae OF freight ana III six days less time. Figures
here compare thus
Route CdRci Lochdge
81 Lawrence. o. 800
Erie Canal. AS S54
after discussing some, projected canals Of
question onavigaion Between the great lakes and
the ocean. Quebec By way OF the Straits
Qi Bellesle, is 4,O miles nearer Liverpool than New
York. Toronto Is as near England US Gotham Troy
Is 100 miles nearer Liverpool by way OF Lake Cham
plain ana Montreal than 1t Is by the Hudson and
New YORK. During the twenty years ending in 1859
the Wedand Canal was
NArIGAaLE
on an average 2l6 days annually the Erie only 2a5,
being twenW-one days in favor of the northern
route. During the same period ships arrived from
tine opening OF tile canal at buffalo, aud Western
products reached Montreal by water days earlier
on ,ae average than Inc earliest arrival by canal at
Were improveiaEd connected with the railway al.
dllionai communication with the ocean would be
maintained Tor twenty-One days, Which, With the
twenty-one days Already gained on the Wc!land
Canal. would give the west six weeks extra nayiga-
tlon annually.
After some remarks as to the benefits accrulng TO
Canada the paper concludes with the following
al must not BE- concealed that the fullest sncc ess
OF the route OF the st. Lawrence ana the canals OF
Canada can never be obtained without throwing
open t. foreign vessels the free OF canals and
rivers, and admitting Tree Of duty and without hin.
ORANGE OF any Kind, all agricultural products IL Is
oil tue highest importance for the best interests Of
the Dominion to cherish the most kindly intercourse
withour neiYhb0rs In the United States, and 10 lay
aside every feeling but That OF rendering Canada he
great highway from tile shores OF the Mississippi and
from the Rocky Mountains not only to the Atlantic,
Sut TO the New England states and 10 New Works.
City which has become great by her connection witn
tlie Western States through her canals"
On the conclusion OF the reading OF this paper de-
bate arose on the canal question. some nichlbers
wanted the canals deepened at once to fourteen feet
80 as TO allow OF The passage OF vessels OF
FIFTEEN HUSDRED TONS.
Others held 1t 10 be best 10 transhp al Montreal I'M
ocean steamers OF $500 tons. Mr.. Mcl.ennan, Of
Montreal, stated that the export Of wheat from
MAntrcal Qnef third OF hat from or