Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-02-28
The Ship Canals.


n no route of inland navigation i Etu1
wa more deeply interested tiiah .ua. M
extends from the city via the Oita"e, D.
1A .'.roa and Richelieu rivers as far a
Wb;,sban inasmuch as the greater proper
t;on ~ manufactured lumber must take tnat
1rav 10 the United States market noer
those circumstances, our lum0ermen nave
a1vxovs anxiously looked forward 70 the time
,rher Greater facilities will be anoraeo ior
he transport of their lumber by the IN
~ -a-,1s,t ~ this route. or by the opening
Pr Cargbnawara canal. The canals Of
~ Lover Ottawa are now being enlarged.
- i does not appear the government yet
.o,template making any Improy ements ora
snecial character on the Klchehsu route.
The Champlain canal Is OF inferior eap1cIS
- the least Of the Canadian canals allow
ir- boats Of only seventeen tons % pas IIou
Lake Champlain into the hudson " I,sr
- ~ $40 tons can navigate the Cham-
syI----s,,oi and steamers of considerable size,
ne ! Ours and Ottawa canals Inc 1n'-
.,olc,,s condition of these canals on ths llne
- ,-,+er communication between the lln-
- ,-ar5s At Ottawa, and the great lumber
,Tsrkets At Troy and Albany, necessarily
1;-1irs the dimensions Of the boats ensagel
IN tbis trade 10 the capacity Of the smallest
c.roI. in fact. TO the class Of vessels tnat
car' navigate the Champlain, many OF Wnlch
81 tbeiT wav to this city but no Jana
Jis1 boat or barge can proceed 10 Troy and
even if il we're possible Tor the ARG
Canadian craft &c navigate an ehI4rse1
American canal. IL would Sill De e4c4l4e-
Nv the operation Of the American naFlsa-
ton laws. and if the lumber Is carried pa
Canadian bottoms, rranshIpmen1 mus laA1
~iace nj Whitehall Nevertheless, the
- C,r,rrissiouerS have concluded that
1T i the wisest policy, in view Of seeing
onr international relations placed upon
more equitable footing, 70 enlarge a.. tne
canals on the line Of navigation IRON
Orravra city 10 Lake Champlaln Co one UNI
f,rm srale commensurate with that recon
r,ended for the Ottawa canals win WHicA
the Iock al St Ours already correspond
Tine total expense Of making these improve
mems il estimated bv the same authority az
n little over three millions Of dollars
Our attention has now been called % TINS
subiect bv the fact that the canal committee
of the New York Legislature have reported
favorablv on a bill for the lmproy eaeni 1i
the navigation Of the Hudson from Troy %
Fort Edwards and the building OF snip
canal thence to Whitehall. The promo
te-s If tbis canal appear % consider IL i'm
nortau- chiefly in connection with the Wei
and and Caughnawaga. which, when CON
nIeted would assuredly attract q consider
able bulk Of Western traffic 10 New York.
The Welland certainly viii be completed
ere long.
The charter Of the Caughnawagu com
nanv Given bv the Parliament IN $50.
Stimulated that the canal must be completed
within eve wears. or else IL would De i1r-
feired nler these circumstance the
COMPANY must soon make an effort 70 con
struct the canal, or apply for new charter
NJ dauhr. the commercial community OF
Montreal has reason 70 look with suspicion
on q work. the effect of which would noto-
riouslv be 10 divert western trade from that
CITY. and give additional stimulus u the
DEVELOPMENT Of the commerce OF New OK
But as far a. Ottawa is concerned II has
deep interest in the construction OF canal
which would give such admirable facilities
10 its increasing trade with the United
states. II Is quite obvious, however. that
il would not be advisable % improve the
Richelfeu route As contemplated IN the
report from which we have quoted, whist
there Is prospect Of the speedy constrqc-
tiou Of the CauEhnawaEa canal, by which
that route would certainly be super
seded 70 a very great extent No"
that the Americans are proposing 20
enlarge the Champlain canal, we Will soon
learn what are the plans Of the promoters
of the Cauchnawaca. and know exactly
what should be done by the government
Il is certainly very desirable 10 have better
facilities than We now possess % send our
lumber 20 Whitehall. II the Caughnawaga
canal fails. IL will be necessary 70 carry out
the recommendations Of the commissioner
with respect u the Eicheleu route. We
believe that the Americans will. ere long,
allow our boats free access 20 their inland
waters and canals and IN thar case. UNI
form route from here % Troy would be ab-
solutely necessary in the interest Of our
trade.
There has been talk Of making the Erie
canal ship canal. The proposed Cham
plain i Hudson line j. more practicable 1T
an economical aspect. God Almighty ha~
built the great part Of IL and furnished u
ready for use. The cost of construction
upon it is far less than on the other, the eI-
penditures for repairs would be- proper
ti1nately less. The great part Of that wa
ter l. free. and Is. therefore, better for navI-
CATION by large vessels than the other ever
can be. New York had best build al the
I proposed canals than 90 into the enlarge
ment of the Erie, If the state studies ec0nO-
my. We would not drop the Erie canal
Let Us have that. let u have the other one
too Ii viii put both on their good be
havi0r. Commerce can % then where It
pleases- The people viii get cheap treights.
That i one Of the things which they most
need