Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-21

Miami river to Cincinnati for the same
sized canal with double locks. The eleva-
| ton of its summit above Lake Erie is $40
feet; descent from the summit to the Ohio,
512 feet; total aggregate lockage, S82 feet.
The estimated cost was S2S, ,557 ,173; Its
length is 238 miles. This is probably as
large a canal as will ever be built to the
lakes from Cincinnati, and experience
demonstrates in France and in New York that
railroad competition cannot destroy the
utility of such sized canals.
Small canals have also been projected
from the Ohio at Portsmouth to Lorain
Harbor-west of Cleveland-a distance of
274 miles, and from Portsmouth one such
canal, extending to Cleveland, 312 miles
long, is still in existence. On the Lorain
route, or cutoff, the lockage would have
been about !, 069 feet, while on the Cleve-
land route it is about ], 130 feet, as compared
with 1898 feet on the Beaver route, which
route is considerably less than half that of
any of those named, and it besides possesses
advantages in regard to water supply pos
sessed by no other save that from Chicago,
while SO far as prospective business is con-
cerned, no rival project in the country can
be compared with it.
OF the intermediate routes connecting the
Ohio river with Lake Erie reference may
be made to the Muskingum river, which has
been improved for navigation and recently
"overhauled" by the United States Govern
ment from Marietta at its mouth via Zanes-
vile to Dresden, 81 miles. A small class
of river steamers ply upon this river to
Zanesville, and at Dresden a connection is
made with the Ohio canal before mentioned,
extending from Portsmouth to Cleveland.
There are u locks and dams upon the
Muskingum. This route is more than 60
miles shorter than the route of the old cana.
from Portsmouth, and avoids the passage OF
the summit separating the waters of the
Sciota and Muskingum southwest of Dres-
den crossed by the Portsmouth canal,
though it still remains 150 miles longer than
the Beaver-Conneaut route, between the
Ohio and Lake Erie, and with much more
lockage.
One of the Abandoned Projects.
In 1867 small canal was built from
Wel!sville via the Little Beaver river due
west to the Sandy and down that stream to a
connection with the Portsmouth and Cleve-
land canal. 1t was abandoned soon after
construction. The Sandy and Beaver inter-
mediate summit being deficient in a water
supply will probably rule out this route to
the lakes for all time.
There remains a possible rival to the
Beaver -Connesut route which should receive
your readers thoughtful attention. We
refer now to the route from the Beaver river
below New Castle via the Mahoning river
and Warren Summit to Fairport harbor on
Lake Erie. The report of the Pennsylvania
Ship Canal Commission discusses its merits,
and although the summit near Warren is
about so feet lower than that on the adopted
route the canal would be from IL to Is miles
longer than the latter. The chief
1a Al
difficulty of supplying its summit level
in volume sufficient for ship canal by
means of feeders or conduits extending from
within the limits of this State, a distance
of 35 TO 40 miles from Conneaut lake, one of
the chief reservoirs proposed for the Beaver
COnneaut route, and from which it is dis
tant about IL miles. To do this on the
Warren route would efectually drain the
head-waters of the Shenango, which would
forbid, therefore, any branch canal from the
mouth of the Mahoning up the Shenango to
New Castle, Sharon, Shsrpsville, etc., in
which places there are now 81 blast furnaces,
numerous rolling mills, etc. Whereas the
Observation-Disclosures route leaves the
waters intact for the supply of branch
canal to Youngstown, and which branch
would undoubtedly be built.
The Best Harbor Selected.
Commercial reasons only of the gravest
Importance should weigh against the loca-
tion of the proposed ship canal on the best
route. But when these are so manifest as
they are in this instance, and particularly
when the lower summit involves a compli-
Gated system of water supply-one almost
certain to meet with legal difficulties, there
being many precedents for action for such
diversion of waters-and, moreover, as its in
creased length fairly balances the time
saved by reduction of lockage, the Canal
Commission felt compelled to pronounce
against the Warren route. The natural
capabilities of Connesut harbor are also
to be superior to those offered at
Fairport.
Thus in cursory manner we have
glanced over all the territory where con-
Meeting canals have been proposed-or are |
1t all practicable-and have shown that of |
hem all two only, viz: the Chicago and the |
Beaver Conneaut route, combine CONNER |
,ial merits and feasibility in such a degree |
Is to warrant construction upon ship canal |
proportions.
As designed the canal from Pittsburg to |
Lake Erie will have a bottom width OF 100 |
eet and at the surface 152 feet and Is feet |
iepth OF water. 1t will be provided with |
ocbs having an available length OF 300 feet |
1y 45 feet in width, being of the same length |
'ut rather larger than the grand locks of the
ruly magnificent Welland Canal in On |
arlo, connecting Lakes Erie and Ontario |
~ series of 25 locks. A study of the ap-
pended table of distances and canal eleva-
ions, derived from the report of the COM
nissioners, will disclose
Some Interesting Features
egarding the proposed canal. Thus a
team barge, carrying say ], 600 tons of coke. |