Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-05-08

GNN- ne mississippi river
7 Sec0nd-A continuous water-llne from
the Mississippi river to the city OF New
York, via the northern lakes.
Third-A route through the central tier
of States, from the Mississippi river. via the
Ohio and kanahwa rivers, to APPOINT In W est
Virginia. and thence by canal and slack
water, or by freight railway, to tide water.
F0uYth-A route from the Mississippi
river, via the Ohio and tennessee rivers, to
a point in Alabama or Tennessee, and thence
by canal and slack water, or by freight
railway, to the ocean.
These routes are designated respectively
the Mississippi route, y" Northern route,
Central route, )" and Southern route"
The main Improvements proposed on the
first route, are the deepening of the mouth
of the Mississippi at cost of Sl0,000,0 600
and construction ofreservolrs at the sources
of the river, at a cost of $4,000 OOO-total
cost of this route, Sl6,OOO,O 600.
The improvements suggested on the Sec
oad or northern route, in which ,as involving
the subject Of the Caughnawaga canal. our
readers ale specially interested, are As FOL
lows.
HE NORTHERN ROUTE.
First, the Fox and Wisconsin rivers i'm
lrovement by which five feet of naviga-
ZION Will be secured, during the entire
season, from the Mississippi River to Green
Bay, thereby affOrding the shortest and
cheapest connection between the centres Of
wheat production and the Eastern markets.
and a continuous water channel from all
points on the Mississippi River and its trib
utarleS to the Atlantic Ocean. Estimated
cost. 50 600 900. Second, the construction
of the Hennepin Canal (sixty-tve miles
long, from point on the Mississippi River,
near Rock Island, to the Illinois River at
Hennepin. thereby atfOrding the shortest
and cheapest route from the largest areas
OF corn production. to the East. and con-
nectlun by water between the river system
OF the " est, the Northern lakes and the At
lantc Ocean. Estimated cost, 81 zoo, 900.
Third, the enlargement and the improve
ment, with the concurrence OF the State of
! New York, of one OF more of the three
water routes from the lakes to New York
city, namely the Erie Canal from Buffalo TO
Albany. or the Erie Canal from O>wego to
| Albany. or the Champlain Canal from Lake
Champlain To deep water on the Hudson
! River, including such connection "a may be
| elected with the cooperation of the British
provinces. between Lake Champlain and
the 81. Lawrence River. Estimated cost,
| sig 600 coo. Total cost Of the northern
route from the Mississippi River to New
! York city. SO 900 900. The enlargement
| OF the Nelland Canal now in progress, with
the construction of the Caughnawaga
| Canal, and the proposed enlargement of
the Champlain Canal, will enable vessels of
! zoo tons 10 pass fromW estcrn lake ports to
port, in Vermont and to New York city. The
Erie Canal, enlarged "a proposed, Will pass
/ vessels OF about 700 tons. The necessary
! improvement of the connection between
Lakes Superior and Huron, and between
Lakes Huron and Erie, should also be
pressed to a speedy completion.
The cost of the enlargement of the Erie
Canal cannot. of course, be included in the
above estimate of Sl9,O 600 as the cost Of !
the Northern route-since the Erie enlarge
ment alone would exceed that total.
The third route calls for $25 900, 600 for
the Improvement Of the Ohio and Kanawha |
Rivers, aad many other millions for an arti- |
fetal route from Charleston, Oh the Kama |
VIVA, to tide-water in Virginia The fourth |
route requires S35 900 600 for tie improve
ment Of the Tennessee to Knoxville, and an /
artificial channel by rail or canal from some
point on the Tennessee to port on our
South Atlantic coast.
Returning to a consideration Of the North
ern route, the committee say:
The establishment of reciprocal trade re-
lations with the Dominion Of Canada which
shall induce the construction of the Caugh-
nawaga Canal (if such an arrangement can
no lal "A fal, ~
dian ship-masters to compete for the carry
ing trade on the lakes, will also materially
cheaper the cost of transport to New Eng
land. The evidence taken by the committee
fully justiies the opinion that by the en-
largement of the New York canals, the con-
structiOn of the Caughnawaga Canal and
the use of the enlarged Canadian canals the
cost of transport from Chicago to Burling-
ton, Vermont. and to New York city will
not exceed from twelve to fifteen cents per
bushel. making the entire cost from the
Mississippi river to Burlington, Vermont.
or to New York. not more thar - cents
per bGshel, against the present cost of 1916
cents by water and 5Ot cents by rail We
may, therefore, reasonably estimate that by
the proposed improvements upon this route
a saving can be effected OF 20 cents per
bushel, ur So 20 per ton, on all the vast
tonnage moved between that river and the
East
The advantage OF the other routes in
freedom from obstruction by ice, is duly
noted Ofthe saving in freights the com :
mittee say:
The completion of the system Of improve
ments suggested will effect a permanent re-
ducton of fifty per cent in the cost of trans
porting fourth-class freights from the val
leys OF the Mississippi to the sea board, and l
the cost OF carrying a bushel of wheat h
Or corn to the markets of the East, and of I,
the world. will be reduced at least twenty
to twenty-five cents per bushel below the I
present railway charges, and similar f
will be effected on return freights. +
The actual movement of grain to the East ;,
srn and Southern markets in 1872 AS shown u
BY the carefully-prepareds statistics submit
ed with this report, amounted to about e.
ll3, 900 600 bushels. An average saving a
If twenty cents per bushel on the surplus -
moved that year would have amounted to II
% over Si2 900, 900, while the additional
-alue conferred on the improved 81
ands of the eight Northwestern States :,
# Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, "
Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, and Ne II
f SIl, OOO, OOO, 900. 1t is by this II
/
hat Russia has outstripped the VI
United States as the great bread producer II
the world. In the four years, from 1860 fl
0 1864 inclusive, Russia exported AZ &c. n,
90 bushels of wheat, and the United States
81 ,0i7, LEG. In the corresponding period, Ct
rom 1868 to 1872. Russia's production Rad in
sen to III 1867 ,022, and that of America hi
ad fallen to ll6, 462 $50. When once our =
luscovite competitors adopt the system of :,
andling grain by elevators, the increase u
ill be 50 enormous rs to altogether dis a,
Ince this country in the struggle to reach
lie markets of the world. ~
CONCLUSION.
The repor. next gives a review of the vi
ealth of the country, the extent of the it
ational debt, the amount hitherto expend- se
on the class of improvements advocated, m
I'd concludes as follows France has ex- >"
ended on her water communications $780, tel
10 900. England, with debt much TIL
rger than ours, with a smaller popula- mi
on, with far less ratio of increase in :,
,pulation, wealth, and annual products, '"'
it'll a standing army nearly ten times the no
&c Of ours, and with current expendi- tn,
re of fifty per cent. larger than ours. in l.;
der to build up her manufacturing inter- '".
Is at home guaranteed interest on an ex- MI
nditure of SAC. O0O, 900 for the construc- rel
IN Oh RAILROADS. IN lnula. Snall we nesl- on
tie to expend one-third of that sum in a.
der to revive the dropping interest of ag- !"
culture. to give cheaper food to our manu- I'M
turing and laboring classes, to rescue del
g people from the power of monopolies, hi;
regain our position in the markets Of '.'
. world, and to restore our credit at home SOL
d abroad?
We may mention, in this connection, the
i that Hon. George W. Hendee, member I