The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-09-03

MAI SLOWING THE CANAL.
in ms connection IN important work,
projected and begun Il half century ago.
bUt now nearly forgotten. is of interest.
Inis was uu less than the construction
Of Il ship canal connecting with the Erie
canal at CLYDE. and extending north
ward TO Great SOdus bay. the finest nat
ural harbur Oh The south shore OF Lake
Ontario. Tii, canal WAS chartered in
ISL, and work was begun and nrose-
cuted with more or less interruption for
several years. Finally, owing princi-
pally to the death of the protector and
most earnest advocate. General William
IL. Adams, 1t was abandoned. Although
not completed. the work accomplished
remain as = memorial to the iarseoing
public spirit of the MAJ who gave so
much OF time. money and energy toward
its prosecution.
The roIlc chosen was IN admirable
one, the distance being In. little more
than ten miles, through an almost level
country. This j. the same route said to
have been followed by the Cavuga In.
dams i'll going to and fro between their
country and Great Sodus bay. which
was their port on the lake. Around this
bay was the gathering place of the
different tribes of Indians in the early
history of the country. In their Jour
neyings to the interior natural water
ways afforded them passage for their
canoes excepting for II carrying place
of two on three miles.
The projected canal left the Erie a
little west of the village of CLYDE. mid
way between the cities of Rochester and
Syracuse. For some three miles it fol-
lowed the Strengthened course of a small
stream. From there on a new channel
was constructed. until about five miles
almost due north OF the place of begin.
ming. i'll the township of Rose. another
natural waterway, known as Thomas
creek. was encountered. This was fol-
lowed for about two miles in 4 general
northwesterly direction. This creek
enters the head of Great Sodus bay. but
to avoid ii considerable fall lower down
the stream. ard also to enter the bay at
deeper water, the route left the creek
and turned still more to the westward,
terminating in the bay at some distance
from its head. The greater part Of the
labor expended upon the undertaking
was on the middle portion of the canal
where an entirely new channel was nee
essary, and Adams ditch still fur
nishes Il means of drainage for IA large
section of country which would other
wise he difficult to improve.
a sluggish stream of water still forces
its way through the choking PUSHES and
wild grasses growing i'll the channel.
The southern portion flows SOpth into
the Clyde river and the northern into
Great Sodu> bay. The exact point at
which the waters divide il difficult To
determine. y few years since some Of
the fumes Duilt i'll the prosecution of
the work were still to be seen. but little
of them eXCvpr the ruins now remains.
Whether this route will even be util-
lied lii the manner intended 10y General
Adams is III Cpen question. Il, FEAST
beer considerably ENLARGED since the ia
ception of the snip canal scheme and
further engagements have Geen advo-
Gated ana are by no means improbable.
With such enlargement vessels of s,Iffi-
cient tonnage for all needed protection
could quicKiy and easily be transferred
from the seGboard to the lake frontier.
Such a WORK should of course be under
taken by the federal government. The
expense, compared with tie practical
advantages. both in time of peace and in
the event OF war, would not be great.
Communication is now had in a linn
tied way with the lake at Osweso,
through the Syracuse and Oswego canal,
but the harbor at the latter place is net
to be compared with the Il at Great
Sodus bay, upon which the federal gov
eminent has already spent and is an
nually spending large sums. Immense
piers and breakwaters have been con-
AMI substantial lighthouses cor
tain the most improved apparatus known
to modern science. Within the bay it.
self d vast fleet could safely anchor, the
landluGked waters atfording a Sc
cure hartor from the most violent
The peculiar coniguration of
the surrounding land offers unsurpassed
opportunity for Ratification and de-
Sodus point, al the confluence