Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-21
THE CANAL SCHEMES
To Connect Interior Rivers
With the Lakes Com
pared With
THE PENNSYLVANIA PLAN.
Superiority of the Beaver-COnneaut
Route Demonstrated.
WHAT A SHIP CANAL SHOULD BE,
A Nap That Can Be PrOftabIy Studied by
Patrons of Commerce.
CAMp 0T n CnNv Jnp.C CnrupnUrpnrn
WHAT A SHIP CANAL SHOULD BE.
SOME OLD-FVGY IDEAS COHTROVERTED
lwRITTKN FOR THE DIsPATCH.I

usually Transporter on canals in volum
sufficient to warrant their construction. w
are therefore, in danger of witnessing
popular craze" on the subject of shil
canals, and in this connection it is prope
enough to distinguish between ordinary ca
mails and ship canals. An ordinary canal
such as those undertaken in this State an
In Ohio in the first half of this century, ha
an available depth of only four feet Of wa
ter, the locks being about 90 feet long by 1.
to Is feet wide, passing boats of 65 tons
The Union canal of Pennsylvania was il
1925 constructed with locks only 81 fee
wide by 20 feet long, passing boats OF abOu
40 tons capacity, and a number OF the earl,
English canals were built of the same lin
tied capacity.
We had 4 6j-ton boat canal in this STATE
connecting the Ohio with Lake Erie (and
poorly built and Insignificant as it was, il
paid well up to the very day it was sold out
10 the railroads., ana from Pittsburg via the
Allegheny and Kiskiminetas rivers to
Johnstown the Western Pennsylvania
Canal of the same size extended. Al
JOhnstown it was connected by the Portage
railroad with the Eastern division, extend
ilg down the Juniati from Hollidaysburg
There were similar canals in the valley of
the Susquehanna, the Lehigh, the Schuyl-
Kill and elsewhere, but most of them were
long 20 sold bv the State to the rival rail-
ruad corporations. In New York, however,
where a different policy maintained, the
Erie canal from Buffalo to Albany has
since its original construction in 1925 been
twice enlarged. and it now passes boats of
-a1 tons capacity, its present available
depth being seven ieet The Erie canal re-
turned 10 the State revenues amounting to
much more than Its cost, and it has been
finally MADE free, and it will doubtless be
lur-her enlarged in the near future, its
value augmentiug with the lapse of time
and Its proved success in cheapening trans
Uortaion. 1t is the nearest approach to
modern canal which we have in the coun-
Try, though far from being a ship canal.
What Ship Canal Must Be,
4 canal cannot be properly designated
ship canal which will not accommodate at
least the smaller vessels that can ply profit
ably upon the waters of our great lakes
which vessels must have not less than nine
90 ten feet draught.
WIKI propositions looking to an increase
OF depth beyond ten feet there usually
arises on any of the old canal routes a diff
entity IN regard 10 the water supply, par
Jicularly for the supply of their summit
levels As the commerce of the lakes has
grown 10 vast proportions, far exceeding In
volume our coastwise trade, both in number
aud in size OF vessels, the business being
done chiefly with steamers drawing from II
10 l5 feet, with capacity ranging from l, 200
20 ., 500 tons. the difficulties have vastly in
creased in regard TO water supply for canals
If the requisite capacity for the passage of
such vessels, and hence It is that the regions
where modern ship canals are physically
practicable are restricted to a very few
localities.
4 careful study of the rim, or dividing re-
-ion, separating the waters of the Mississippi
aud the great lakes. will disclose the fact
,Hat there are but two points where the nat
ural conditions are favorable for the con-
strucuOn Of large canals connecting them.
One OF these points Is at Chicago, where it is
comparatively easy work TO make a canal
draining the waters of Lake Michigan into
the Illinois river. Unfortunately, it is
more difficult TO show that the commerce
through il, even il constructed, would be
very great, though no doubt 1t would be
large. From the town of Hennepin, on the
Illinois, BY a series of locks of about $50
leet aggregate lit it is possible to cross from
Island. This is the Hennepin canal proper
or annex Of the Illinois and Lake Michi-
gan canal project. Its advocates propose a
steamboat rather than a ship canal, for it
would be not to exceed nine feet in depth,
although quite wide and of almost unlimited
business capacity. Its western connections
weuid be the Mississippi and the Missouri
rivers, and IT is thought that steamboats,
would annually gather up in the northwest
= h = 4 q m
cultural produce. A great extent of country
far 10 the north and tar to the south of the
western extremity of the canal would have
TO be CLEANED to produce such a traffic.
Congress has already made the first appro-
prlatiOn for this project,
The New and the Old Routes.
The other point where it is possible to OBJ
tain practically an unlimited water supply
for canals connecting the lakes and our in
terror rivers Is the one now in the hands of
thg Pennsylvania Ship Canal Commission,
whose report has been recently made
and ordered to be printed by the Legis-
lature, with the accompanying maps. The
length OF the proposed canal is only 1904
miles, from Pittsburg to Conneaut harbor on
Lake Erie.
1t has been proposed, heretofore, to con-
meet the Ohio and Lake Erie bv an enlarge
meut Of the Miami Canal extending from
Cincinnati TO Toledo and also via the
" abash river to Toledo, and surveys of
both routes were authorized by act OF Con-
TresS IN 1850. The act authorized surveys |
Tor canals OF the size of the Erie Canal of |
New York, viz: ieet depth with double |
locks 110x1S feet. Major John M. Wilson, |
United States Engineer in charge of the |
surveys, estimated the cost of the Wabash |
Canal enlargement from Toledo to Lafayette |
City, Ind, 216 miles, at S24, 1885, |
l5j II. There were "a double locks |
with a total lOckage of 448 feet, the summit |
being 100 feet above Lake Erie, reached by |
p locks, leaving a descent OF 25S feet in
yolving 81 double locks to Lafayette as
tilressid. But as Lafayette is Just about |
200 feet above the Ohio at the mouth |
5f tie Wabash, and fully 25O miles |
distant at least % locks and dams would |
have been required to extend permanent
seven teel navigation to the Ohio, which |
yould have brought the total cost to at least
s35 900, 900. The length of the Wabash
-oute is fully 400 miles longer than the
Beaver Conne2ut route between the lake
md the Ohio river. 1t is not conceivable
hat ship canal on such an indirect route
gould prove Of any hut local advantage.
The principal articles OF Ohio river COM
Derce in great demand on the lakes are
.oke and coal, and this route leaves the
liver too low down to be OF much benefit to
uch commodities, and but little iron ore
rsde could be expected in return.
still Another Lake Outlet
The other route from Toledo was via the !