Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-02-01
BY TELEGRAPH.
A DEEP CHANNEL


WASHINGTON. jan 3l-A large delega-
ton Of representatives Of the deep water
Ways convention held .; Dssroi, in Decsu-
Der last, wxs given 8 hsaii 9 yesterday b
fore the House con mtses On riEera and
ha,bors and the Senate committee on coz
rnssce In joint ie,sion; these ccmmittsss
havicg in charge the preparation OF the
rssulsr river srd harbos appropriation bill.
TIE tu-ress Of the delsg zficn uss to urg7
the construction Hnd msiatensnee Of 3 81
foot channel from the head Of Lake S1peI =
icr through the various connecting inks
between the great lakes and Inroagh the
Erie canal 70 the SEES
In the course OF mis- address S A. Th3mp-
son, secretary Of he Dal2th Chamber Of
Commerce. ssid that Canada had spect
almost $50 COO. 0o0 uron her wsserxsys.
Inside of five years thsre would . clss7
Waterway CT IA feet through Canadian soil
from the head Of Lake Superior to the
Atisrtic ocean. and the deeper the cbsn.ei
the lsrger the carrie, and the Iess the trans
portatijn cost.
When C.psas had q IL food waterway
q the U liied States only six feet through
the Erie canal We could co mere compete
III her than = wheeiesrrov With s freight
usiu The farmers Of the West would
have TO compete with men Of their own rsce
on SOL as fertile SD with 3 climate no mo q
Vigorous. and they usei IS good tran.pArts-
tilu f,eiljIies. Tbe-e was not ep1uah seu,i-
meat in trade 10 ssrd wheat 10 Eu'cps b.
American vessels At rs cents WHEN Canadian
vessels would carry il for 10
Tne CJ de would be nowhere 10 compsr
tsnn tutsb ka iRk In shi = hrilNt N 9
with access 10 the ocean. 1he tonnage OF
the Detroit river was now 500 900 tons
more than the Su,z canal, and 000, 600
more IN m the clsarspcss Of London and
Lverpo5i. Wi all the iDms growth
4 The lake commerce, aad Of Cleveland.
Buffalo, DsIrJiE, Chicago sd other lsse
cnies, We ware 50 defenceless as ever
Thsrs were Ill vessels IN the E gi!sh navy
drawing less tnaH IL feet Of ws.er- How
macy drawing IA feet b. did not know.
Suppose that Great Britain gave the six
months necessary to asrogaJe the present
treaty che could send her vessels drsSins
Only IL feet through the canal she is coz :
sirucung TO the gress lskss, aud put one or
hslf ctz.n OF them in front Of every one
ot cur lake cilies. When il seemed lstslv
hat we ete about to have a little Diff ul'y
ia Southern region, We did not wait u al
va. Was actually declared, but sent our We
sis southwark IS fss. as they could go
Fl J'fsx has been msde impregnsble; so ha'
beYmuta, Kingston in Jamaica. and s.
Lucia, opposite the Panama and Nicarsgus
canals have been strongly fortified, Crest
Britain in one hour C uld start vessels from
Halifax against Boston aud Nav Yotk,
from the Bermudss agsinst Baltimore,
Philadelphia sdd Savannah. and from ngs
ton Ahd ST Lucia agsiast New Oflesns and
Galveston
Then she would haze vessels on the
great lakes, and. aided Mr.. Thomp,on sig.
o,icantly. We would have g,es, time IN
hing gunoosts overland on = fiat car 10
meet them. A. patriotic American be
believed we would be abs 10 meet tue e1i
geucies which war would occasion. Blu
We would be in a splendid position If we
had a deep waterway through our own te,
ritory from the ocesn to the lakes.
Such waterway was commercial q,
vantage and military ne cssstty; or, as 81
army fficer put il, Commercial Necessity
sud minssry sdvsatsgs. The cost Of thai
Sater~sy would not be IS great as to hu ID
snd msintsin a separate navy on the great
lakes.
Gen. o. M. Poe. in charge OF the eusinesl
Tnrks on the Great Lakes, said that he had
ca imsted So 1874 600 as the cost u 2l-fool
channel throughout The lakes The Hay
Leks chabnsl and 81. Clair fats in i'm
pravements which are nov in progress, he
REGARDED as simply so much in the direc
uon Of the entire project.
To Senator Wasnburne ha said thai
thc-e improvements were good even ii
themselves, because they reduced the di
tlnce Il miles, but Jess the whole of the
pr ject WAS completed, vessels of nc
greater draft could be utilized than no.
The Hay Lake channel, he told Chairma'
B snch,rd, would be completed in 1893
at the present rate of pr gress and the 500
lock he expected 10 be completed in the
spring Of 1896
Chsirmsn Blanchard said those two i'm
proveme nts involved cost Of sc 900, 900
and asked what vas The saving in them IN
ner the contract 81 stem OF the last river ant
harbor bill over the old "dribe" system.
Gen. Poe replied about 81 900 900, partly
due to better processes and improved ma
chinery, but mora to the fact that the COZ
tracts sere for the Whole work.
= ue pniy pppUsiiOn ne u8u nestu W tut
improvements, he said, came from person,
who complained that i. lowered the lake
level. In 1873 the level of Huron aud
Michigan uss four-fifths Of foot love-
thsa II hsd ever been before.
Ia 1876 it was higher than 30 years sgr
FIR IN ,hst tiUe do-n TO tae pfesen. il bad
declined until now it VAS on enth Of
Foot lower thsn any previous record show,
While i. MSS very snuos ing he did nt
t. there WAS any particular reason &
fear that it would continue. His theory
was has il va. due entirely TO lnsutiicer
pr elgitstJn. When ask il the in
provement you'd rot affect the lev,
Of the lakes ne gave his opinic
as being in the negative. and sliutIn.
t. tn. Hannepin canal pr ject, /,
| caused q general laugh by saying mat thos
improven snts cerfsIniy were nothing il
comparison With taking 10000 feet cut o
the river At Chicago and running it dow
~ the Mississippi.
To Mr.. Blanchard Gen. Poe ststs tbs
500. 900, or perhaps 100000, would b.
needed the FIRST year il the committee au
thorized contracts to be made for the vorl
Of improv ng the great lakes.
B. 4 NJ. MANAGEMENT.