New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-26

sorry way what is the condition OF the Er1e
ment as to Its present scale of USE ana what ao '"0
conditions of its increase in capacity.
The original cost of the Erie Canal ope"o' Al
1926 with locks 90 by Is by feet 1863 miles long, was
S71437s9 In 1862 the enlargement was clalmeu W
be complete with locks of 10 by IL by ioet "W'
miles long for total expense OF $52,49I,so 'h ah
the prism being 70 feet surface width 90 Iee' oo',o
and feet deep. Now if we take up the otate EN-
gineers report for 1872, find that insteau Vi nav
ing II double locks on the enlargement, IS OF them
are single. Instead of having prism OF 90 ana ~
feet there are on the eastern and most important
division no less than 1910 miles on the tow-path
side and 5000 ON the bernie side, of benches which
seriously obstruct the navigation; on the middle
division there arc G.85 miles tOw-Dath and l30l
berme in the same condition, and on the western
division Of miles so that 50.62 miles, or about one
seventh of this Wanted enlargement and about one
fifth of the locks are not in adequate condition, not
withstanding enormous appropriation. mace III
good faith to officials moro or less incompetent or
dishonest. 49,. ,, :.
Next we find the following condition of things IN
this very patriotic City of Bufialo:
"hat portion OF the from the head OF Black Rock
about feet Is only to 80 feet in widh yet through
this channel water has 10 be forced not only or
tanco OF 1850 miles hut also for supplying the immense
mills on pier and at lower Black Rock hareor The
impossible to secu,e to the canal water in sniicfcnt
e TO 10 ss ony s sppns water from the
haruor but practically they have Appropriated al thoy
required without regarding the interests or the STATE or
the con sequent damage navigation. and this state OF
things has been In operation for many years Another
lake TX n 81 inches below usual level in 1s72j"
In addition to this treatment Of New-fork City at
Buffalo, the very important matter or water supply
for the canal near Utica IL thus noticed:
ION the long level extern ding from uuca 10 Lodi dis
lance of IS miles, navigation from the present nsu-
NV
ordinary dry Season Various efforts have been made
procure increased supplies. aud although some relief
If then it has cost nearly S5OO00,0OO to lengthen
the locks 20 feet widen them feet deepen them
feet. double So, aud make an incomplete prism to
match, what scale of expenditure IL the State to
make TO build these locks 2l by 30i by to II feet
with proportionate prism and when they are
built from what source except steam-pumpiDg. are
they TO be supplied with waterf The Buffalo patri-
OTIS are perfectly safe i'll pressing for gunboat locks
whenever the City of Ncw-York asks for cheaper
transportation, because every competent canal en-
cneer understands perfectly well the very formi-
dable objections which surround any such scheme
But York should demand at once. precisely
what these patriots are shTewd enough so lar TO pre-
vent, the honest enlargement OF the canal to the
scale Ot 1867 49,
ter of TRANSFORMATION little, they will see the abso-
lutte necessity of providing the Great West with
competing route which will make Buffalo or Us
wego transhipnent merely optional. Atpresent tho
troublesome and expensive process OF transhlpment
is unavoidable. and the forwarders take such advan.
tagc of it, in connection with the defective state of
the enlargement. that they hold the deliveries to
New-York under their own control and compel the
West, the canal men themselves ana the East, To
paw their Dlackmail and reduce their shipments
I'm 1862 the number of lOcaages on the enlarge
ment at Alexander's Lock- near Schenectady, was
1877 in 1868 it 20, 107, and in 1872. SO3j This
of those facts which tells its own story, Tor
shows automatically that the Erie Canal Is not
increasing its movement with the growth of the
West. but is under grasp which throttles com
merce.
average charge for freight per 100 pounds from
Albany to Buffalo is q. cents. tho average down
freight Is 1886 cents or about 90 per cent dscrim
ination against the West and the table page %
shows that where the down freight from Buffalo to
New-YOrk is S0.09S7 for wheat IN May, 1872 III
November it is S016, about three cents above the
average for the season from OSwegO to New-York
in May it is S00707, and in November S0l2, showing
that, instead of encouraging the Fall delivery by
carving a greater quantity at lower rate, to
secure the business. direct restriction is put
increase of delivery in a where the canal itself
is not crowded TO its capacity.
An article in Haper's Magazine quotes the ex-
perience of canal-boat captain, on the matter of
independent transportation, as follows
Buffalo There is miles of who makes 1t bsness
obtain loads for the boats and charges heavy com,
the boatmen is glad enough TO make terms with them.
aud there's not load comes to the atlantis but On
system and trade under their thumbs Tne
Erie Canal can accommodate more boats than IL now
onto it, but there's not enough grain at Buffalo to keep
the boats now built a-eoing"
The only sensible way to remedy these serious
and damaging evils to New-YOrk Is to provide an
ADEQUATE competing channel which will enable the
West if Buffalo and Oswego do not come to terms
to ship grain in bulk down the great valley of its
natural movement direct to our harbor.
In connection with this subject the Importance OF
an adequate ship canal route to the st. Lawrence
cannot be Oyerestlmated in securing the Canada
trade which Buffalo and Oswego will not naturally
take in any case. The grain aud lumber of the Do
mnon and the return freight furnish in themse YES
sufficient iDducement for TINS construction, taken
with the large production of the Hudson and Cham
plain Valleys To go into any illustration of this
would involve display of statistics but there is no
doubt of the great wisdom of making the Upper
Hudson the practical seabOard outlet OF the St.
Lawrence at the earliest day possible.
Nttc- York, Jan. 81, 1874 NASSAU.