Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-10
a Canal Boom.

The movement of grain down the Mis-
sissippi river in barges has again given
prominence TO the canal as an actual aud
possible highway of transportation.
Some years ago 1t was supposed that the
great trunk lines of railway had entirely
superseded the canals, and that the best
of them had no future except to be filled
up as useless bitches. This has already
been done in the case of the Erie and
Pittsburg canal, which at one time united
the waters of Lake Erie and the Ohio
river, and formed most important link
in the line of communication between
New York and the West and the
Southwest. 1t was predicted that
the great New York and Erie canal
would eventually share the fate of this
Pennsylvania tributary. The success of
the barge system of transportation on the
Mississippi river has wrought such a
revolution in public opinion on this sub
iect that some of the Western cities,
which are preeminently railroad cen
tres, are becoming seriously alarmed
about their trade. Chicago, with char
acteristic energy. was the first city to
start project for turning the barges
from their southwark course. The
Illinois Legislature was induced to
pass a bill giving the Illinois canal,
which extends from Chicago to La Sale,
to the United States Government on the
condition that it would be completed to
the Mississippi river. Just now, how
ever, the general government has no
particular use for a canal, and it could
scarcely have been expected that the
gift would be accepted when the bill
was passed. The discussion of the sub
ject, however. paved the way for the
calling of convention of representa-
tives of the commercial interests of the
Northwestern States at Davenport,
Iowa, for the purpose of putting the de-
mand upon the bounty of the United
States Government into more effective
shape. In point of fact Chicago does
not care to have the Illinois river inn
proved from La Sale to its mouth, be.
cause it flows into the Mississippi two
hundred miles below the parallel of
Chicago, and very close to the rival city
of st. Louis. A short cut from Henne-
pin (near La Salle) across to the Missis
sippi river, at Rock Island, is what
Chicago wants. and the Davenport Con
vention accordingly memorialized Con-
gress to assist in making the canal, in
connection with other internal improve
ments, which were thrown in to satisfy
the trans,Mississippf delegates. The
distance from Hennepin to Rock Island,
on the Mississippi river, by an airline, is
about 20 miles. The distance from Hen
nepin to Chicago by the canal route is
about 100 miles. The canal between
Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river
would consequently be 10 miles in
length, SO miles of which are already com,
pleted The barge movement, the agita-
ton of the canal question in the West, and
especially the widening and deepening
of the Welland canal in Canada, have
created more or less apprehension in New
York lest a portion of the traffic which
now moves through the Erie canal
should be turned from its accustomed
channel The Legislature has had va
rious bills under consideration looking
to the Improvement of the canal, and a
bill abolishing all tolls came very near
passing the Senate. A bill is now pend
ing which contemplates the enlargement
of the locks so as to make
them 236 feet in length and 26
feet wide The present dimen-
sl0nS or the locks are lOU IeeG ny 10 Ieel.
The bill also contemplates the deepening
of the canal by digging out one foot of
earth from the bottom and raising the
bank two feet higher, thus securing an
additional depth of three feet. The es
timated cost of the proposed improve
ment is five and half millions of dol
lars 1t is quite evident that New York
city still regards the Erie canal as a most
important factor in her commercial pro-
gress.