Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-28
ONE THING NEEDED,
And That is the Ship Canal, to Make
the Lake Commerce the Won
der of the World.
ENGLAND'S B0ASTED SHIPPING
Will Be Easily Surpassed by the Achieve
ments Upon the Great Fresh
Water Seas of America.
HlNTC Ann ETEHpES
ENGLAND'S BOASTED SHIPPING
A BUNDLE OF FACTS AND FIGURES.
Even the Railroads wOud Not be InjurOusy Affected in
the End
,coRREsroxDExcE OF THE DISPATCH.

CLEVELAND, November N.-Each year
the coming of winter interrupts one OF the
most interesting and important branches of
interstate commerce, for with winter the
season of navigation closes. Nowhere else
in the world is there such a freshwater CON-
merce as hourishes on the Great Lakes.
The two great English seaports of Liver
pool and London with all their immense
foreign and coastwise commerce have by
100000 tons less freight enter and
clear each year than passes through
the Detroit river every summer,
and the whole foreign commerce
Of the United States is less by 10000, 900
tons than the freight tonnage that passes
through the same beautiful strait annually.
Situated as they are like a spreading
palm, almost In the heart of the continent,
they offer :he cheapest and best route for the
transportation of the products of the
EIGHT GREAT STATES,
and one prosperous Canadian province. that
touch upon them, to their natural markets.
A territory unsurpassed in the wealth of its
natural resources as well as in fertility, and
IN area four times as great as the British
Isles, and greater than all of France and
Germany taken together, is naturally tribu-
tary to the lakes. More than one-tourth
of the whole population of the nation is in
terested in the condition of lake commerce,
and lake freight rates in a broad sense affect
nearly the whole country, for the prices of
iron and steel are directly Influenced by
them and by the conditions which make lake
commerce active or dull.
This great commercial marvel, for such in
deed is lake commerce, has grown wonder
fully in the past ten years. Within the
decade the carving capacity Of lake ship
ping has more than trebled, and the char
acter of the vessels built on the lakes vastly
improved.
TREMENDOUS TONNAGE INCREASE.
Ten years ago there were few steamers on
the lakes that could carry 1000 net tons;
now there are score that can carry !, 200
tons or over. Then hardly boat on the
line of lakes could make u miles an hour;
now there are dozens that can do much bet
ter than that, and some freight steamers
have a record OF Is miles an hour. Ten
years ago less than 1000, 600 tons of ore
came down the lakes during the season; this
season the total will 60 above 5000, 900 tons.
Then but little more than 100000 tons of
coal was carried up the lakes; this season
there will be shipped nearly 4, 000, 900 tons
from the Lake Erie ports. The increase in
the grain, -four and package freight bus
iness has been hardly less notable, and the
whole unites in a record of development
such as has rarely. ii ever, been equaled in
the history of commerce.
WHERE THE TRADE COMES FROM.
Study the census returns and you will
see in part why this is so. The great wheat
fields OF the Dakotas have been opened
within the decade. Minnesota has increased
her reputation BY more than one-half and
doubled her producing capacity. Wiscon-
sin has done nearly or quite as we'll.
Chicago has added more than 500 900 people
to her population. Michigan, Indiana,
Ohio and Western Pennsylvania and West
ern New York have all made fine gains,
and their industrial development has much
more than kept pace with the growth
and in population. The iron and
steel interests which were great there
are still more extensive now, and the
filling up of the Northwest has greatly
widened the market !or the bituminous Goals
of Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. So
il happens that the furnaces of Pittsburg
and the Mahoning Valley must have the
Bessemer ores OF the Lake Superior region,
and far and cold Minnesota must have the
coal OF the lower lake region, and over the
great staples can reach their markets.
PITTsBURG'S GREAT INTEREST.
The developement of the lake shipping is
accordingly a matter that directly affects
the people of Pittsburg and Western Penn
svlvania, as we'll as the lake cities. Every
wear the lower freight rates on the lakes save
millions OF dollars to the iron manufacturers
of Western Pennsylvania, over what they
would have TO pay if they had to depend
solely on the railroads to furnish them with
ore. How much this means can be seen
when it is known that the lake rates are
never more than one-fourth, and some years
but little more than one-fifth, as much as
railroad rates for like service. The saving
on every ton of ore laid down at Cleveland,
Fairport OF Ashtabula is certainly 81, and
oftener nearer IS, and as the iron works oi
Western Pennsylvania use several million
tons of ore annually. the veriest schoolboy
can reckon the grand total of saving. II
is fair to so estimate that it is never less
than $4,000, 900, and is quite frequently
above IS. 100000. This is truly wonderful
showing.
A GREAT MERCHANT NAVY.
I have already referred to the growth Of
lake shipping, but just word about lake
shipbuilding. In the last three wears there
rying capacity, in round numbers, of BIG, ,0O(
tons. During the same period the ship.
built on the whole Atlantic and Gull
coasts only had tonnage of 332, 900 tons. A
much larger percentage of the lake than OF
ocean vessels was steam, however, and the
greater rapidity with which ships are han
died here than on the ocean doubtless fully
made up for the difference. These newer lake
vessels, more than one-third of which are
iron and steel, make up feet that in solid.
ity, speed, general beauty and excellence
has few superiors among the merchant
navies of the world.
The prospects now are that the lake ship.
yards will have fully as prosperous veal
in 1891 as they have enjoyed in 1888, 1885
and 1890. This summer, Ior the first time I
steel steamer, built at Congressman Wheel
\, ef's yard at Bay City, Mich, was sent dowr
the st. Lawrence for service on the Atlantic
and, if she proves successful, others will
follow.
GREAT GOOD OF A CANAL.
All these facts concerning the lakes ar
particularly interesting when taken in con
nection with the project of building shiI
canal from Pittsburg to Lake Erie TIL,
immense traffic that passes between Pitts
burg and the Lake Erie ports makes sucl
q canal entirely feasible as a Commercial
enterprise. 1t is not a greater undertaken!
than some Of the other great canal project
that are under way, while there already ex
lists a great and growing commerce ready Il
support it and be fostered by 1t. Last yea
nearly 1,30o, 900 tons Of coal were brough
out of PIttsburg for lake export and hun
dreds of thousands of tons more are addeC
from points that would be within easy reacl
o. the ship canal.