The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-23

that what canal boat wants is depth and
width of water to make speed IN, after
passing the necessary obstruction OF the
lock, and that the locks should be as small
as possible and be able to admit the boat,
in order not to waste water and draw down
the levels. If the canal should at some
future time be widened to 100 feet / ven
ture the prophesy that the present locks
will not be enlarged, nor the size of the
boats be increased. The few remaining
single locks should, Of course, be doubled
without delay, for bear in mind that the
locks now in use have all been enlarged,
but there are a few, say half dozen
places, where only one has been completed,
while its fellow is in course of construc-
ton, the work being strangely delayed year
after year, even in face Of the fact that so
long as one remains unfinished it is no
more a double lock canal, than a railroad
is double track road, with single length
Of single track. The contractors should
be required to complete the work without
delay, or it should be taken out Of their
hands and given TO other parties.
| As an engineering fact, railroads can
never compete with canals in the carrying
of heavy freight. There is the highest
authority for stating this. Engineer
Greene, in his report to the Legislature in
1872, page 143, after going into details to
the most exhaustive extent, says that the
cost of freight from Buffalo to New York
by canal and river, with animal power on
the canal, including tolls on the canal, is
66 64-l00 per cent. Of the cost by rail,
and with steam on the canal it is A S2-10O
per cent, but exclusive of tolls these pro-
portions are reduced to 81 76-lOO per cent
with animal power, and to % 04-l00 per
cent, with steam, of the cost of transporta.
ton by rail. And this statement was
based upon the imperfect experiments of
1872, in which the lowest consumption OF
coal per mile was z6a pounds, as against
| IA 82-l00 pounds per mile in 1873, the
boats in each case carrying 200 tons.
We, who are not professional engineers,
might find it interesting to look at the mat
ter in the following light We all know
very well that a pair of mules, by no means
in high condition, can walk along at 9
speed of mile and half an hour, draw.
ing 1000 or 5000 bushels of grain in q
canal boat, and we know that they could &c
no faster than walk with $40 bushels on
railroad track, and overcome the grades
1t is interesting reading to study the alb
struse tables Of railroad engineers and
statisticians when they are requested BY
the officers to prove certain things, and
then to find that they could IF they had q
mind" carry bushel of grain a thousand
miles for six cents, which would be three
cents from Buffalo to New York i; and as 8
bushel Of wheat weighs 90 pounds, and av
erage humanity not more than l2O pounds
it follows that if they saw fit to just dc
their best, they could carry q passenger
from New York to Buffalo for the small
sum of six cents, and load and UNLOAD
him. In those halcyon days free passe.
will be at a discount But fear, in view
of the fact that the fare which they nov
charge and collect is 50 35, and not pal
ace car at that, and tina so few of the
roads pay excessive dividends, there mus
be some error in their figures Possibly
the actuaries have cautiously pointed then
OF two or three figures too far to the left
Of course there is difference between
freight and passenger business, but mo-
enough to account for this wide margin.
l simply prophesy that the grain trade
of this country will be done by water, anC
claim that the solution of the problem o.
steam on canals has solved the problem Of
cheap transportation. You do not need
that / shall tell you that during the sever
months Of canal navigation, the Erie canal
even with mules, has heretofore done the
business, substantially. True, during the
last year, an entirely exceptional one, tn,
railroads have carried more than thei
usual proportion; still it is wheelbarrov
business at best. A most bountiful crop
unprecedented foreign demand, and tn,
momentary difficulties created by the lat
atrocious panic, all conspired to render tn,
the moment Opportune for an effort tina
should favorably impress the public minc
with the vast superiority of railroads owe
canals. Besides, was not the introduction
Of steam on canals pending? FROM what
learn you have got enough of it
If there is any other way to d.
the business, 'Barkis.I suspect, is willing.
There is way. Stand by your old anc
long tried friend, the Erie Canal. Oppos
Continued on third page.)