New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-26
NETWORKS COMMERCE..
THE WORK TO BE DONE TO RETAIN WEST
ERN TRADE.

DIRECT PASSAGE FOR LARGE SHIPS FROM lhh
LAKES TO THE HUDSON--THE OPPOSITION III
THIS AT BUFFALo-TAcTIcs AND MOTIVES or
THE OPPONENTS OF NEwYoRK CITY PRoGi'hss
To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sin: The City of-New York, by virtue OF her for-
tunase geographical position aud the enterprise Oh
her citizens stands foremost on this continent III
commercial rauk but, in very important sense'
she holds her position "a the New-fo7k Yacht Ciuo
holds the Queens cup-subject to the challenge OF
oil competitors.
rfi.i, true on the one hand that no harbor on the
Atlantic coast combines the advantages OF ours, and
that serious obstacles must DO overcome to create
su,ccssfnl rivalry 10 or prosperity far either
ocu or inland transportation is concerned, il is also
cerfain tIat supremacy depends on prudence aud
energy. and a wis watchfuness over the sources of
strength Supnencss viii degrade her rank and
build mp her active rivals. There is an apparent
local Indifference of NewYork to the vital questions
of Internal commerce with the North and West
There is no organized and decided line OF common
thought and action towards such gradual develop
ment Of this commerce, its Importance justities
The merchants of Naw-York seem too much occu-
pied with their daily work busy themselves with
care for enlarged channels of supply and delivery
we have the great Erie Canal, they say, and It's
Iaterals; we have the railroads and their feeders
and they keep up With the age. And so they rest
confident and careless. At Washington and Albany
the representatives Of NcwYork City too often treat
questions of local benefit with indifference aud vote
directly against her interests. The history OF the
Niagara ship canal plan, a single instance if it
Were properly written would furnish the evidence
to condemn all New-York representatives as class
for they have shown themselves practically the
mics of their own constituents in every instance
where the presentation of the project has been made
a test of their fathfulnesS.
In order to Indicate the special duty of the Repre-
senatives of New-YOrk City in this matter, | pro-
pose TO present some conditions OF the problem OF
adequate inland transportation from Canada and the
West to this city. The great chain of the North
American lakes, of which the st. Lawrence River is
the outlet drain basin which is the food-producing
area of the northern part of the continent and is
destined also TO supply, in no small measure the de-
mands of Europe Not only does this vast basin look
toward the Atlantic for its outlet but large portion
of the great basin of the Mississippi above the Ohio
RIVER finds its most natural outlet eastward rather
than southwark for important part OF its produc-
TONS These great basins, which have been rapidly
filling with population and coming into develop
ment, furnish immense theater of supply and de-
mand which seaport enterprise is to provide for and
keep in life.
The comparative cost of moving produce. as dis
tingushed from fuctuating charges for its move
ment by the different methods. may be thus stared
that the ocean voyage costs about one-hah that of
long lakes rivers, and ship canals; onethrd that of
canals of the present Erie class and from One-eighth
to onc-twefth that of railways. Applying this
principle 10 the upper basin of the Mississippi and
the drainage basin OF the four great upper lakes Su
peror Michigan. Huron. and Erie, it is clear that
while on the lakes themselves commerce has ac-
cepted this law and put it i'll practice tire water
communications from various parts with them have
been seriously neglected. The remedy is matter
md Tho pf
New-Yorb is Immediately and deeply interested in
the problem. When farmer send his grain
from 400 to 500 miles on the lakes and from 800 TO
400 miles a canal, for the cost of 100 miles
railway, the quicker he shortens the railway charge
the better. The problem of Inland transportation
for the West is to be solved by adequate improve
ment of the several State canal and water lines to
convenient outlets the great lakes and the of
the lakes themselves for delivery al the footof Lake
Erie.
From the lower end of Lake Erie there are three
means of artificial access to New-York City by
water viz by the Erie Canal to the Hudson by
the Weand Canal and Lake Ontario TO OswegO,
with the Oswego and Erie canals to the Hudson;
and by the Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, the st.
Lawrence River and canals to the Richelieu River,
this river and the Chambly Canal to Lake Cham
plain. the lake itself, and the Champlain Canal
thence to West Troy.
The transit TO West Troy by the first route is 3i5
miles Of canal by the second, S miles of ship canal,
$40 of lake aud 30 of canal $50 miles in all by
the third is sli miles ship canal, 2S7 liver, 2 lake,
and CG canal or 705l miles in all. By the improve
,nent of the Hudson to Fort Edward, and the con-
stfuction of the Caughnawaga Canal, the route
will then have about 19 miles ship canal, 21 river
and 27l lake or 627 miles in all. Bearing in mind
that lake river and ship canal movement costs in
the ratio of two to three of that by the Erie Canal
ON this basis alone, independently of other con-
siderations the relative lengths of the first aud
third routes 3i5 canal OF 627 of the last schedule
are reduced to 3i5 and AIS miles of Erie SCALE or
only 10 miles in excess.
Inow propose to show that the interests of the
great West and the City of New-York demand the
Improvement of the Hudson aud ChamplaD Valley
first, because it permits the movement of masted
vessels and large bulls from the lakes to New-York,
and second because such transportation on the
same scale is out of the question by way Of Buffalo
or Oswego 1t is not needful to addoce arguments
to prove the prime importance TO commerce OF the
delivery in bulk and under sail of produce shipped
from Western ports to New York harbor.
When the enlargement of the Weand Canal is
complete it's locks will pass vessels OF $40 by 45 feet
with ~ feet draft; the st. Lawrence Canal locks are
200 by IS by Q feet the present Chambly or Richie
lieu Canal locks are 11S by % by feet: those pro-
posed by Jno. b. Jervis jr, being $50 by 80 by II
feet for direct line from the ST. Lawrence to the
Rchelieu. The survey for the improvement of the
Hudson to Fort Edward and ship canal thence
to Whitehall was made in 1866 by Samuel McEroy,
IT, under law designating 225 by % by feet as the
scale of lockage but that engineer SO far exceeded
y for