New-York tribune., 1879-06-10
DELPEN THE CANAL.

THOMAS GOLDEN RUGGLts INSISTS THAT GREATER
DEPTH Is ESSENTIAL TO HE FUTURE PROSPER
NY OF IHE STATE.
To fhs EdttOr OF The Tribune.
SIR: The object of this letter is to urge the
advantages of having not only free canal but deep
one Greater depth is necessity for the future pros
peri,y OF the Empire state and depth Of certainly
three feet additional to present depth tseyen fee
Mr. John b. Jervis. c T., has suggested that an add-
tiona foot might be made at small expense by raisng
ockgaes and the banks correspond This, added to
the three feet above mentioned would make four
feet This depth of water under the propeller wheel to
give II room 20 act, win economze Its power and the
result Will lie speed OF five to six miles per hour Now
there are about four inches under the wheel eonse-
ouepty about 40 per cent OF power Is lost in cburnng
up mud from the bottom OF the canal" and in making
time of only one aud half to two and half miles per
hour Three feet OF depth will reduce the time by
canalboats which rule the canal here are about
OOo aud 20 steamer) from thirteen days TO fonr ana
oneou rter by the steamer from Buffalo to New-fork
The cost of deepening foot the State Engineer the
Hon H. SEYMOUR ir says, viii be less than 81, 100000;
at this rate feet Will be $2.2OoOOO; this Will
give employment to labor and Increase the value OF
every acre Of land in the State From 1868 to 1876 the
canal reduced the tolls from six cents bushe 10 two
cents but made no improvements IN reducing the cost OF
TRANSFORMATION. The New-York Central in the same
time was constantly improving its OF transporta
ton In 1875 and 1876 this road expended s3S4927O
for depots engines superstrucures etc. Tor the Pur
pose OF expediting and cheapening its transportation
The following is the comparative result OF the canal aud
railroad policy:
In 1876 canal moved tons one mi!e.. 51O9o9ot4
4b4 tStZO4
In Sos tho railroads moyed.......---...3 366le97e6
In 1876 the railroads moved.
Gain 3Os 247, 26s
The canal lost in eight years nearly half ITS tonnage
while the railroad in eight years nearly quadrupled It's
tonnage. The increase Of tonnage on the railroad II
multiplied by 3ilo mills tthe amount 1t makes on each
toni will be S4,4lS,0i0
The PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Is now expending large
amount depOts and elevators at Jersey CITY The
w,lland and ST. Lawrence Canals are nearly completed
When done they Will cost more than S30.00O0O0, which
added to previous cost makes S54,000,OOO The Misss-
sipp IL expeudiDg millions Cannot the Empire state
expend S3,3OO0O0 for deepening the Erie Canal, the
locks, walls culyerts and yiaducs to remain as they
are When done, the expense OF transportation down
from Buffalo to NewYOrk would be only one mill ton
a mile and back mills One mill is as cheap as the
ocean carries from NewYork Liverpool. The
the canal steamer aud cOasOrt carry four times their
weight tuey weigh 100 tons and will carry 800. The
reduction Of tolls last year. 1t is estimated by Controller
Ocott increased the of the state S12
with deeper canal this would be stu further increased
The papers OF the day inform us that over 5000 miles
Of railroad branching from Duluth. Lake Su error, viii
be COMMENCED N Northern MI soa anu CapaH 'S
summer The Northern Pacinc, on Us way 70 f2rlanG
III
where twenty Igbt-draught steamers ply on the MIS-
souri, and Yellowstone for 1,2OO miles" When tenth
Of of country through which the Northern Pa
is cultivated, the revenue from Itclgnt
Will be enormous. The shortest distance to market Tor
this freight VIII be TO M4Utrea ana 10 New-I0 0rk CITY
The reasons why steam has not succeeded better on
the canal first the steamer was not long enough IL
required either more length Itself or another boat 10
push and next, the bottom OF the canal was not I'M
ishrd proper width OF ftysiX feet, and to depth
OF seven for this width al the bottom so that two
loaded could easily each other Inc only way
TO the canals, the locks would not admit longer
boats than those IN use, was To fast one boat
before other taking them apart at the locks This
fact has doubled the capacity of the steamer aud
enabled the to brug down twice the load Tor
the same price, aud has made steam q success. The
state Engineer the Hon. HoratO Seymour lr, recon-
mruds deepening the canal FOOT but eight feet
deep though great aid VIII make but little difference
the cost OF transportation about OnequaItef O cent
n bushe) and difference In time If steamer and con-
each be loaded forty tons, they VIII be
deep in the water that there VIII be Dut lew inches
between the propeller wheel ana the bottom OF the
canal; consequently the steamer and cOnsort VIII not
two and half miles hour or be eglt DAYS
from Buffalo TO NewYOrk Three feet deeper, with the
canal banks raised foot Will reduce the time 10 New
York four and OneguaTeT days instead OF eight and
the of moving buSDei To ana three-quarter
cents. Does the State OF NewYor intend TO ignore tue
water rOute-the Lakes and the Erie Canal-IrOm To-
ledO, Chicago ana Duluth to NewIOrk Cliyt In trans
pOrtaton the canal acts governor In machinery-it
keeps balance charges or freight trOm the
West Every citizen and town the opportunity, by
water, of sending freight TO market Eacb boat Is lnde
pendent OF The other. They all pass eacn other at
all times railroads they cannot. There are no strikes
the canal. Through and way freight have an equal
chance. THOMAS GOLDEN hUGGLEs.
Hs,c-Tork, May 25. 1879
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