Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-09

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Sis,rihntian ffntii this ~ ians ,hs Gam,
missisn cannot adeausteiy satisfy the M,
meFeus applicants Tor Information relative
10 the canal project,
But, as above intimated, the Marine re-
pisio has copy of the report of the Com;
mission, such copy having been forwarded
to that journal imnediatsly upon rendition
of the report to the Legislature as aforesaid.
For more than two months, then, the ne,
UfsW has had at hand the very explicit and
comprehensive exhibits made by the CON-
mission Of the facts upon which 1t bases Its
several hndings, among which nndings are
these: First, that construction OF q canal
with 10 feet OF water (anording navigation
for vessels drawing IA ieet), TO extend from
Lake Erie to Pool No. OF the Ohio river
system OF navigation-thatl is to say, TO Fits
burg harbor-is entirely feasibleN second,
that with such canal in existence the through
rate on iron ores, from the shipping ports OF
the Northwest to Pittsburg, may be reduced
to about one-half OF what 1t now is, and
that lake vessels carrying these ores to Pitts
burg and taking return loads of coal or other
trelghts may, at the same time, make more
money than they can now make IN ore and
coal carrying on the lakes; third, that ex-
cept canal, such as that projected, De
promptly established, serious decline OF
the iron-making industries OF Western Penn
sylvania and Eastern Ohio is inevitable.
The Canal Means Increased Prosperity.
The reader will understand that the shin
canal constructed as nronosed- will serve
the Sbenanoo valley. apd-by means of
"lateraI" vork-the Maboninp Valley. as
fuIIv and as effectively as il will serve the
Pittshnrg district THE above recited find
ings of tine Commission are. purely and
simnlv formnlations of logical deductions
from thorougbIy authenticated and indis-
putable facts
If the iron masters of Eastern Ohio and
Western Pennsvlvania teen their nIace AT
the head of the column IN the march Of
nrooress in nig iron ,,rodnct;on ,bronebont
the nresent decade thew will in the wear
1900 consume abont . s54 o9s gross tons of
iron ore. On the basis of onerations in
1880 about a e60 1oo TONS will he nsed in
ALLEGHENY county and vicinity. and 4. 1884,
09S tons in the Mahoning and Shenango
valleys. But delivery by rail at the points
in the districts named at which pig iron is
now made, in the period ofone year ot9 ,Oo0,-
600 tons ofiron ore, together with the coke and
limestone necessary to work up that amount
of ore, is q physical impossibility. In order
that such increase in production may be
effected, establishment, and moreover
prompt establishment. OF the ship canal is
necessary. If the canal be not promptly
built production of iron in these districts
will decrease instead of increasing; and,
finally, in order to maintain even the de-
creased production the railways will have
to reduce rates FULLY as much as they will
in the event of the construction of the canal
With the canal constructed in due season
the railways in the year 1900 will
have their hands full in taking care OF the
passengers, the food and household supplies
and the manufactured products OF popula-
ton of 1000 600 people occupying the
Mahoning, Shenango. Beaver, Ohio, Allie
gheny and Monongahela valleys. They
will be glad to let the canal carry all the
ore and through coal. They will always
get much the greater part OF the pig iron.
If the canal be not built the railways In the
year 1900 Will not carry as much ore as they
did IN the year losO
The Commission Invites Criticism.
Anv nsrson carefpllv cons;der;no the facts
presented by the report of the Commission.
and intellicently forecastipg the situation
as it will be when the region above outlined
shall have become the seat of furnace plants
producing annually as much as $3.50, 900
gross tons of pig iron. will quite certainly
reach conclusions practically identical with
those lust stated, and will approve the find
ings of the Commissions generally.
We had hoped that the Marine ReUieu
would give its readers an opportunity for
considering some at least of the arguments
fayoriug the ship canal project presented by
the Canal Commission in Its report, and
naturally supposed that it would select for
particular examination and comment those
portions of the report devoted to considera-
tions upon the economic results of applying
lake ore and coal carriers, of the types now
prevailing, to the mixed lake and canal
service, establishment of which is contem-
plated.
But the ReUieU distinctly declines dis
cussion of the report. 1t has quoted moth
ing from said document; and in its issue of
April % opposes itself to publication of ex-
tracts from the report in the following
strong language: The newspapers in lake
cities that have given up their columns to
matter supporting the Pennsylvania ship
canal scheme are following a very unwise
course"
The ReUtew then proceeds to characterize
the canal scheme as an 'unwise project"
"a visionary matter" project the most
unfeasible that might be imagined" 1t
charges the Pennsylvania Legislature with
having "blundered in giving attention to
such visionary NATTER" and declares
there can not be found one person with q
practical knowledge of the increase of the
size of the vessels on the lakes of late years,
and the relations which the railways of
Ohio and Pennsylvania bear to the lake and
furnace Interests, who will indorse this
T& l. ffGl--