Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-18
NO LACK OF WATER
For the Proposed Ship Canal From
Pittsburg to Lake Erie.
A SUPPLY ENTIRELY SUFFICIENT
Can be Easily Secured at All Times, Ac.
cording to Careful
BY THE ENGINEERS.
The Saving in Freight Rates Which viii be Effected BY
the Scheme

Interest in the proposed Ohio river and
Lake Erie canal is increasing in this Sec
tion as the work of the commission prog
resses and the feasibility and desirability OF
the project become better understood.
That the project is feasible there can be
no doubt. Doubt that was expressed about
the water supply at the summit is set at
rest by the investigations of the engineers
on the commission, Colonel Roberts and
Mr.. Goodwin. They find supply of at
least II, 900, 900 cubic feet day available
without touching the water supply of
the Allegheny river, which they are 10th
to do. If it were at any time neces-
sary, however, Conneaut Lake could be
drawn on for an additional supply of 15.-
600, 900 cubic feet daily. In fact, the waters
of the Allegheny river above Tidioute, and
of Oil creek above Titusville, could be made
available. 1t is not remotely probable that
this supply will ever be needed.
AN IMPORTANT STREAM.
The low water supply of French creek is
found, by gauge. to be greater than that of
the Clarion, Red Bank and Kiskiminetas
rivers combined. OF course. it is not meant
by this that more water flows through
French creek the year around than through
the streams named, for during their flood
periods the lower streams discharge enor-
nous quantities of water
French creek rises in the swampy belt
running through from Eastern Ohio to Alle-
ghany county, N. Y, embracing Chautau-
qua Lake, Conneaut and Conneuatee, as
we'll as minor accumulations of water.
This swampy region is tie fiat summit be-
tween the great lake basin and the Ohio
river. 1t conserves the water supply ad-
mirably, holding its rainfall long after the
steep rivers heading toward the mountains
have discharged their supply in floods. For
this reaso this region offers an ample sup
ply of water for the canal at all seasons OF
the year when it would be free from ice.
The proposed route of the canal is through
the great Pymatuning swamp, near the
State line between Ohio and Pennsylvania,
and the summit level is q miles long. while
the first lock on this side will cover dis
tance of IL miles farther The new route is
30 miles shorter than the old canal, though
from Sharpsville to Beaver it follows the
river as the old one did. The chief advan-
tage of the new route over the old is that
while the latter required 1873 locks and a
lockage raise Of 920 feet, the former will only
require 30 locks and lockage of not quite
7S6 feet.
TO THE DAVIS ISLAND DAM.
Calculations by the commission have been
for canal IL feet deep to carry vessels OF
!, 800 or 1000 tons burden. 1t is proposed
to continue the canal from Beaver to the
Davis Island dam, as the movable dams to
be placed in the Ohio between the Davis
Island dam and Beaver will not give a
sufficient depth of water to float such heavy
craft as is provided for in the canal plans.
One OF the marked advantages of the
proposed canal is the clearness of the water
supplied from the fat summit. The
streams fed from the great Pymatuning
swamp carry very little silt. The ad-
vantage of this feature Is best understood BY
those familiar with canals and slackwater
improvements, but may be easily grasped
by anyone who will stop to consider that
there would be comparatively little trouble
in clearing away the deposit from the bed of
labor of removing the sediment would be
constant.
Careful account has been taken ofthe rail-
road crossings where drawbridges will be
necessary and the commission has selected
a route requiring the fewest possible num-
ber of these. There will have to be some, of
course, but they need occasion very little
inconvenience to the railroads. Anyone
familiar with the handling of these bridges
at any of the lake ports may know that is no
serious feature. There will not be a con-
slant procession OF boats, by any MEANS not
nearly as many as navigate the canals of the
lake ports, where SO many small vessels are
going in and out.
SAVINGS OF THE CANAL.
At present the railroads handle about
100000 tons of heavy freight between
Pittsburg aud the lakes, principally coal,
coke and iron ore. This would be increased
with the canal, but is not hard to compute
how many vessels would be required in this
transportation. They would not keep the
drawbridges open any considerable part of
the time, or exhaust the water supply lock-
ing them through.
1t is estimated the canal would save so
cents a ton on this freight at least. which,
divided between producer and consumer,
would add very materially to the prosperity
of the regions affected. Twenty-Five cents
ton on the winters coal means something to
the dweller by the lake, where the raw
winds whistle through bis pocbetbook as
we'll as his whiskers, and it means some
thing to the Lake Superior oredigger when
added to his wages as we'll as&ubtracted
from his fuel bill. CRUM.