Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-17

down into the earth, which is some 5000
miles thick, and not by building dams on
the surface. So this objection by Mr.. Nc
Connell is easily disposed of.
1t would hardly be necessary to mention
what Mr.. Mcconnell said, were it not that
his utterances have considerable weight in
the community in which be lives. But he
seems to have spoken unthinkingly. He
saws, further along, that "the committee
should have begun its investigations, first,
by aScertsining whether there is water
enough. There is no question as to the mat
ter of tonnage. If the committee find Ga
thing I think impossible) thar there is
water enough. then the whole matter is
settled, for it is certain that business would
be secured"
That, of course, is precisely what the
commission understands, If all my talk with
the different members amount to anything.
Most of the members seem to understand
that canal with no water would not be
much Of canal.
But here is Mr.. McConnell's knockdown
blow: Another insurmountabled difficulty,
one that appears to have escaped the COM
mlttee, is the fact that every trunk line of
railroad between the Atlantic and the Pa
clhc crosses this proposed line of canal, be-
tween the mouth of the Beaver and Lake
Erie, at about the grade Of the old towing
path"
A CHANCE TO SMILE.
imagine that Colonel Roberts. if he read
the above paragraph, must have smiled as
he did so. In the opening letter of the first
series not only mentioned but called par
tlcular attention to this fact, and Colonel
Roberts was the person who mentioned it to
me. Mr.. Brewer says that the railroads
come Immediately in connection with the
water supply in the consideration by the
commission of the question of feasibility.
But it was the summit levels of which
/ wished to speak particularly in this letter.
1t is tiresome for mortal to climb a hill,
and it is q good deal harder for water to do
it. The question then arises, Where will
enough water be obtained to cross the divide?
1t is we'll known that the water with
which the old canal crossed the summit
came principally from Conneaut lake over
Conneaut creek, with French creek pumped
into the lake to increase the supply. Cap
tain A. T. Crane, of this city, was one of
the superintendents of the old canal for
years, and drove over every foot of the old
towDath hundreds of times He was in
charge of the canal when it was finally
owing to the breaking down OF
the Elk creek aqueduct. The business had
run down SO much that it would not pay to
rebuild the aqueduct.
PREDICTING ADvISEDLY.
Captain Crane ought to be pretty well
posted on the water supply, and he saws
there will be no difficulty in getting plenty,
even for a ship canal. He thinks it will
not require any more water than the old
canal did. The great loss OF water comes
through locking boats through. 1t took
a very large quantity of water to lock
through 136 boats per day, and that, Cap
tain Crane says, was the average number |
locked when the canal was in its prime.
The canal was 1877 miles in length and there |
were 1856 locks. Whether or not so many |
locks would be necessary for a ship canal, |
with vessels drawing about Is feet, is an |
other question. Captain Crane thinks fewer |
locks would suffice. At any rate, he thinks |
there would not be half so many vessels |
locked through in the course of day, be-
cause, instead of carrying only 20 tons, they
would carry from 400 to 1900 tons; there |
fore, it would be an easier matter to keep |
water in the pools. c. T. DAWSON.