Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-10
LAKE ERIE SHIP CANAL.
Prosperity Always Attends Upon the
Course of Such a Waterway.
A BOON IN THE EVENT OF WAR.
Now That the Project is Practically Ger
tain of Success the
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD ASSIST

room to doubt that the report of the COM
mission will be favorable to the project
Business men in this city and elsewhere
will hail this indication with delight.
Transportation is, at all times, one of the
chief requisites; for the successful con-
duct Of large business operations and the at
tainment OF cheap transportation one of the
most important problems of to-day.
This is at the bottom of distribution. In
the bygone days of small enterprises and
individual effort this was a matter of less
consequence than now when each section OF
this vast country is given the task of pro-
ducing for the consumption of the whole
country those things most easily and eco
nomically produced by it.
WHERE THERE ARE NO CAR FAnrINEs.
Canals were the first considerable step
toward solving the problem of cheap distri-
button in this country OF magnificent dis
tances and greatly diversified natural
wealth, and there are not wanting evidences
that the field of the canal has never been
wholly filed by the railroads. 1t is an OBJ
served fact that in the SchuylkilI
Valley in this State the furnaces
and factories adjacent to the canal are
running prosperously without the fear of
car famines or the remembrance of rebates
and Determinations, while the territory only
little way removed from the canal, With all
of the natural resources of the Schuylkill
Valley contains only the moldering ruins
of just such enterprises as are flourishing in
the region cared for by the canal
Through the State of New York is a very
prosperous belt, following the course of the
Erie canal and Hudson river from New
York City to Buffalo. The railroads of the
Empire State are doing well enough, though
carrying passengers cent mile cheaper
than the railroads of Pennsylvania, but
they have not interfered with the mission of
the old canal. 1t has been of incalculable
service to the farmers and manufacturers of
the region through which it passes.
EVEN OF GREATER BENEFIT.
The DISPATCH believes the proposed
ship canal between Lake Erie and the Ohio
river will be OF vastly greater benefit to
Western Pennsylvania than the Erie tow
path canal has been to New York. and that
its benefits will be felt by the whole country
as well. 1t is no local affair. Chicago,
Cleveland and Buffalo will be about as
much benefited as Pittsburg.
A single firm in the Pittsburg region,
Carnegie, Phipps & Co., will ship from the
lake region to this section about ], 500, 900 |
tons of iron ore. The other iron and steel |
manufacturers draw their ore supplies |
largely from the same region, making an |
enormous tonnage in the aggregate.
From the Pittsburg region there is shipped |
annually over 5000, 600 tons of coal to the |
lake ports. Much of this goes to Chicago !
by rail. Much of it is shipped to Lake |
Erie ports and transferred to vessels. The |
ore coming this way is all transferred
At this season when the winter coal sup |
ply for the West and Northwest is being |
moved the ore shippers are prepared to load |
the returning cars at the lakes. This makes |
profitable business for the railroads and |
naturally enough they are not anxious to |
furnish cars for shippers to points from |
which the cars must return empty This |
heavy traffic causes car famine, principally |
among the shippers to points from which |
there is no return load and they are COM
PEELED TO patronlze some of the fast freight |
lines with fancy emblems on their cars and |
Office stationery. The extra charges bv |
these lines go into the pockets OF the rail- |
way managers.
TRANSPORTATION COST LESSENED.
All this heavy freight could be handled |
between the lake ports and the Pittsburg |
region by vessels on the rivers, canal and |
lakes. without transfer, at much less cost |
than by rail. Its shipment by water would |
relieve the railroads of the periodical freight |
blockades and leave them free to handle |
fast freight in a satisfactory manner. The
increase of business in the regions Affected
would more than compensate for the loss of |
heavy freight by the railroads. though the !
interference of water transportation might
lessen the profits of the special freight
lines
Said Captain John A. Wood, of the Canal
Commission, yesterday:
Zone OF the best evidences of the cheap
ness and advantage of shipments by water
is that the railroads OF the South are among
the principal consumers Of the coal We ship
down the river. This is not a case of COM
petlng freights. 1t is an article for their
own use. Yet the railroads find they can
save money by letting us ship their coal
down the river instead OF hauling it them
selves. There is coal in the South, too, but
the railroads there prefer to use ours on ac-
count of the quality.
AN AMERICAN CANAL NEEDED.
'Yes, we looked up the welland ship
Cdudl anu were IledSeu 10 see now the Can-
adams were taking care of their shipping
Interests. If they want to pass vessel from
Lake Erie to Ontario, or the other way, they
just run it through their canal. If we want
to transfer vessel we can pay the price.
think American sentiment is being awak-
ened on this subject, and we heard much
talk Of another canal on this side. In case
of war the Canadians would have a very de-
cided advantage as matters stand now.
'Our Investigations lead to better conclu-
sions than we had expected. Our route will
cross the summit between the Ohio river
and Lake Erie basins at point 81 feet
lower than the summit of the old canal, by
going around hill instead OF over it. And
al important thing about this route is that
it would give summit level from 20 to %
miles long. think the report of the COM
mission will be favorable
Had the old canal been built through to
Pittsburg instead of stopping at Rochester,
] think 1t would be in profitable use yet
When 1t was operated 1 saw, several times,
a dozen or more canal boats tied up at Roch-
ester waiting for a rise in the river to get
to Pittsburg. Had the canal been extended
TO Pittsburg these boats could have come
through, discharged cargo, received out
bound cargo, and been on their way back
while waiting for rise in the river"
NATURAL ADVANTAGES.
The expense of constructing the canal
should not be lie t wholly 10 this State. Its
would be national In character,
and the General Government should pay for
the work of construction. The State could
be trusted to pay for its maintenance.