Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-27

that could strike Pittsburg. It would be
the connecting link between the lakes and
the gulf, New York and the Ohio, Pitts
burg and the Northwest and Canada. The
advantages to be derived from It are in-
Vulnerable. It would NOT only benefit the
iron and coal men, but trade in general.
All the products Of the great Northwest
and upper Canada could be shipped South
or East via the canal and Pittsburg.
GRAIN SHIPPERS BENEFITED.
"It would be an especial benefit to the
grain dealers. The time Of transportation
would not be nearly SO long as some people
seem to think. lam heartily glad that The
DISPATCH has so vigorously taken this
matter up, and don't believe there isaheavy
shipper in Pittsburg but is strongly in favor
of It. The cost of transportation by water is
less than by rail, and not only that, but
such a canal would compel sharper compe-
tition among railroads, and in that alone
every shipper, whether large or small,
would be receiving some benefit from it.
Understand, it is not a private affair, but q
Government undertaking. 1t is one of the
greatest affairs of the Kind ever conceived
in the United States, and if we can only get
the people to see what great good it would
do have no doubt but that it will be event.
ually constructed"
OPPOSED ON GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
J.H. Horner, of Rorner & Roberts, coal
dealers, was the only man who did not take
kindly to the scheme When asked to state
his objections he replied: ST am opposed
to canals generally, because they
have been superseded by railroads just
as coal has succeeded gas, and gas as q
means of illumination has given way to
electricity. Why not take this $35. .000, 900
or $40, ,O00, 900, which would be expended in
the construction of ship canal, and either
buy or build railroads. 1 have been in
Pittsburg for the last 60 years, and have
been interested in the coal business, one
way or another, for nearly that length of
i time. 1 can remember when the river
| was filed with boats from 75 to $50
feet long and when the only means of travel
i or transportation was by means of the
rivers and stage coaches but you can see
how quickly the canals and steamboats, were
snuffed out when the railroads commenced
| operations.
ON THE SCORE OF TIME.
Suppose they do put in locks and dams
all the way down the Ohio, which they
would have to do to float the lake vessels.
it would take longer to make one trip
then than it does now to make two.
We have all the water we want
now to supply the lower markets for
during the spring and fall freshets all the
coal we have a sale for can be sent down the
| river. l can remember when coal operators
who were down the river would go to Cleve-
land from Wheeling to get to Pittsburg by
rail, rather than come up on the boats. We
would also go from Louisville to Indian
apolis to reach Pittsburg by rail-. It would
be impossible to compete with the rail
roads, for it is human nature to
seek the cheapest route, and if
| the railroads could carry freight anywhere
near what it would cost to send it over the
canal, you would see all these manufactur-
ers ship by rail, and quit the waterway.
THINKS COMPETITION IMPOSSIBLE.
"The rivers are all right, but believe it
will be found impossible TO compete with
| the railroads. Take, for instance, the old
Pennsylvania canal, which cost some forty
odd of millions dollars, which, as soon as the
railroads began to compete with it, was sold
| for a mere trif1e as compared with the cost
| of its construction. The difficulty of OBJ
| tanning water to feed such canal as they
propose constructing would be serious OBJ
stacle. The plan may, however, be success
fully carried out, but doubt it very much. :"
THE wALToNs FAVOR THE CANAL.
Captain 1. N. Buntop, of the firm Of
Joseph Walton & Co., when asked what he
thought of the scheme, said: "You can just
| say for Joseph Walton & Go. that we are
very much in favor of it, and believe the
canal will be a reality before many years.
The benefit to be- derived by Pittsburg
would be almost unlimited, especially to her
iron and coal industries.
W. R. Thompson, the banker, is heartily
| in favor of the proposed canal, and does not
believe thai it would seriously interfere with
railroad business.
j. G. kirkpatrick, of the CHARTERS Steel
Company, said that he had not given it
much thought, but intended to look into the
feasibility of the scheme before long.
NOT AT ALL OPTIMISTIC.
N. J. Bigley, OF the Youghiogheny Coal
Company, did not speak very hopefully of
it, although he admitted that if constructed
it would greatly benefit Pittsburg and the
Northwest. He stated that the route for
canal from Cumberland to the seaboard had
been surveyed several years ago. but after
the survey had been made the scheme
dropped out of sight, and he intimated that
the Lake Erie ana Ohio River Canal might
meet with the same fate.
A PECULIAR VIEW.
Mr.. William McCreery has a peculiar
view of the ship canal-interestlng on ac-
count of his prominence and the novelty of
the reasons ascribed for progress Of the
scheme up to the present time. He said:
''It is sheer nonsense to talk about the
scheme at all. It won't be possible to get
water enough to let one ship through each
day. had some experience with the old
canal, and it was with the utmost difficulty
we got a canal boat through in dry weather,
| and they only carried 90 tons. A ship canal,
to be of a permanent practical use, must
have at least IL feet of water. and that would
carry but small vessel, as the ordinary
lake ships draw from ID to IS feet
"Supposing it were possible to get the
ships to Beaver, whole system of Davis
Island dams would not bring them to Pitts
burg, as the present dam has only made a
channel of six feet. If there had been
possibility of the canal being success the
railroad interests would certainly have
shown enough opposition to defeat the bill
at Harrisburg. The fact that they let it go
through is evidence to my mind that they
knew its impracticability."
IN DIRECT OPPOSITION.
Mr.. John Bindley, Vice President of the
Exposition Society, was hearty in his ex-
preston OF opinion, and only regretted the
fact that the time to talk to The DISPATCH
representative was so brief. He said: SIT
looks as if it would be very valuable ad-
iunct to Pittsburg. In fact any scheme that
will reduce the cost of anything, is benefit
to mankind. The recent freight blockade
would not have continued so long if we had
had ship canal. have never believed
that the old canal should have been aban-
doned. believe the water highways, pro-
vided by nature herself should always be
preserved. If the Ohio river should be
taken away we would have no outlet for our
.,,aak oo,I v,,odunfe The canal ouf,ht 70 ba