Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-13
NO ROOM FOR DOUBT.
Effects of the Trip of the Mentmore
on the Erie Canal Project.
WHAT 1T MEANS FOR PITTSBURG.
Colonel 7. P.-RobertS Gives Some Interest
ing Statistics.
THE,WHALEBACKS CAN BE BUILT HERE

Each day the prospects of Pittsburg as a
great commercial center grow more rosy.
The successful trip of the whaleback barge
is but another reason for pushing the Erie
Ship Canal, and there is no place where
those boats can be constructed as cheaply
as in Pittsburg. Regarding the practica-
biIity of building whalehack barges for lake
and ocean navigation in this city Mr.. 7. P.
Roberts, of the Lake Erie and Ohio River
Ship Canal Commission, remarked yester-
day as follows:
without doubt the position THE DIS
PATCH has taken in its advocacy of the
ship canal project and vessel building In
this city is entirely warranted by the facts.
The report of the Canal Commission, which
in some way was pigeon-holed in Harris
burg, after resolution authorizing the
printing of 5000 copies had passed both
branches of the Legislature, referred to
the fact that for two miles above Davis
Island dam there was, when that structure
was raised, depth of IA or 16 feet or more,
and the locality below McKee's Rocks on
the left bank was designated as stfordlnS
ample area for great ship yards, etc. The
barge which recently made the financially
successful trip from Duluth 10 Liverpool
had to be lightened to six feet nine inches
draft to pass the locks of the Lachine Canal
and the rapids of the st. Lawrence. With
the Lake Erie and the Ohio River Canal
opened, as designed by the commission,
barge OF treble the capacity of the 'Ment-
more could leave this city loaded, carry
H. , on he
LARGER ST. LAWRENCE CANALS.
II will not be long either until the Cana
dian Government will have the St. Lawrence
canals enlarged to the capacity of the Wei
land, connecting Lake Erie with Lake On
tario. / am surprised that the Welland
canal, the grandest regular ship canal in
America, is not moro frequently visited by
Pittsburgers, and yet its course is within
Niagara Falls. Visitors will there be able
to see large steamers locked down a total
descent of $50 feet by a series of 25 locks from
lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Pennsyl-
vania ship canal would have precisely
the same number of locks lifting up from
Lake Erie to the summit of Craw-
ford county, and % more locks down
10 PittSburg. One days time is lost in lock-
ing through the welland, and it can easily
be shown that not more than two days time
viii be required on the ship canal for lock-
lakes. These are the facts and regarding
the practicability of construction nothing
could be more simple. No modern canal
project with which / am acquainted meets
with 50 few natural difficulties in con-
6truction as the Lake Erie and Ohio river
would, and yet many of our people seem to
tSlle more interest In the Panama or 18TH
mus Of Corinth canals where the difficulties
seem almost insurmountable, than they do
OF this project so near their homes.
A GREATER NEED AT HOME
"There is not now a total traffic of 100000
tons per annum, nor is there more than that
TO be expected between the Pacific and At
lautic Oceans, while Pittsburg and the fur
naces along the canal viii receive 100000
tons OF ore, and ship back as many tons of
coal, making certainly, including building
stone, lumber, cement, bricks, glass and |
1ronware, etc, total business of 5000, 600 to |
10000 OF tons ready for the canal, with an |
growth In prospect |
The report Of the Canal Commission dis |
CES>Gd very thoroughly the questions in |
TOlVed in the delay TO lake steamers by their |
use of the canal in coming to PittsbuIg-and 1
IL was demonstrated that ore, lumber and 1
grain steamers would find more profit at the
end of the year IN coming here than they
now do. Those who think differently have
not investigated the matter very thorough |
J.. The commission was extremely desirouS !
the canal by large steamers, and rea ched the |
conclusion mentioned above. Regarding |
b2rpeS on the canal, no calculatlOnS are Te- !
CURED to prove their entire adaptability in |
the Pittsburg trade with the lakes.
AN ENTIRE REVOLUTION PREDICTED.
individually 1 think the advent of the |
barge threatens an entire rero-
luton in the carrying trade of the great /
staple products. The very largest class of
those larges could be built in Pittsburg and
sent to New Orleans as often as we have coal
barge rises and these rises are not so infre-
Quent as 10 make their construction here a
pTecariOus enterprise.
During 1880 there were l95 days of seven
feet or greater. depth on the Ohio from |
piutsbUrg-im 1859, l2S days, though the aver
age Is somewhat less than even the last
named year. Probably 100 days per year |
could be relied on, and only in exceptional |
years two months may elapse without
barge rise. Any one rise would, of course |
permit entire fleets of them to be taken out |
ought to be able to supply the At
UutiC ocean with such barges. l think that
even barges designed to be tOwed, either on
.Ac lakes or the ocean, should be provided |
with auxiliary engines OF power sufficient to
carry them into port in case Of necessity, |
and for moving themselves through canals
)r about harbors, wharves, etc. A style of
engine easily managed and OF small coal con-
capable of moving the barges four
tU six miles an hour, would deduct but little |
from their carrying capacity and add but
little to their cost.