New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31
FOR CHANNEL TO THE SEA
HEARING BEFORE THE HOUSE AND SENATE
COMMITTEES.
.nc,,ur>rrs FOR A TwENTY-oNE FOOT CHANNEL
FROM LAKE SUPERIOR THROUGH THE
ERIE CANAL TO THE SEA

eo,o Committee Oh Commerce. IN Joint session these
committees having in charge tie preparation of the
repular River and Iiarbor Appropriation bill. The
rnose Of the delegation to urge the construction
and maintenance Of twenty one foot channel from the
head of Lake superior through the various connecting
links between tie great lakes and through the Erie
Canal 10 the sea
George H. Ely, Of Cleveland, Ohio. opened proceed
lncs with the reading Of the published memorial of the
convention the subject.
General Poe, the Army engineer, in answer to
inquiry said the original estimate for the improvement
Of ST. Mary's River was S2600O00 subsequently il
had been increased to *3,1cOOOO but he able TO
state that by adopting the contract SYSTEM the work
would be completed within the amount Of the original
estimate.
Mr.. Ely said ilc principal object to secure
authorization OF contracts for twenty Iect OF water
from Duluth TO Buffalo The estimated cost was only
1854 600 1t would take from four to SIX yeas to
do the work, and the cost would nun through that
period. There were six places at which Improvements
we're necessary-ROund Island the head Of ST. MaIy'S
River; sailors Encampment st. Clair Flats the month
OF the Detroit River, and at the foot of Lake Huron
The work all mud dredging. The work on the
500 canal would be completed in the spring of SOC,
and the question was should that Improvement be con
tiDued through all the connecting links. 10 give
twenyone feet throughout. The effect OF water rates
the lakes to reduce railway rates greatly
throughout the country. The average cost Of trans
portat!on from Duluth 10 Buffalo by wafer. distance
Of 500 miles. $40 mill per ION per mile. ag;dnst
Of mills all the railways. and the lowest
rate on the Pennsyya2la road OF 4 !: mills por ton
Per mile. An additional depth OF waite: would sui
further greatly reduce the water rate.
S. a. Thompson secretary Of the Duluth Chamber
Of Commerce, then had the atteaoA Of the committee
for hour. In ten twelve years, he said, railways
had reduced the rate Of spOrtaon OF bushei o.
wheat from Chicago to Newlork from III cents TO
ID cents the water had been reduced from - -
551OO cents. The rate tn Els Canal was
about o-10 Of cent per ton per mile. The lowest
average railway rate L WILLS. and thc actual
the Lake shore was Elll- and on the Grand
Trunk > mills. On The Iron Colder Canal the Lest
operated Of all the canals ny system OF steam t0waec
the canal had been reduced 10 ld1 cent pr mile
including lctu:n Of empty cars. From Duluth to
Buffalo, ~ On the lakes would do in tie matter vi
transportation what it took t26 to do on the bestnan-
aged railway.
Tho whaleback7 invented and buut al the head Of
Lake superior afforded the best example ot economy
In coal consumption. one ounce le: ton per mile was
the lowest steamship rate, while the record OF TWO
whaetacks this las season showed only onc-ihN Of
ounce per ton per mile. The total expenditures
on improvement the cIet lakes had been less Than
Sc0.U0OOO The saving Ia the last year dEc to a"e
transportation Sl3O,C00OOJ more than tn cost o.
the improvement. All that bad Been accDipl sled II!
the past by giving sixteen feet q water would not
only be duplicated. but enhanced tcnfod. by Tie eA
penditure of something over %3,C00,OOO 20 secure
depth of twenty feet.
France had expended over $3.50, 600 900 on canals
IN addition to 500, 900 on railways and great
amount on Wagon raads In these things France stood
inlrltely ahea1 OF all Other countries canada hau
spent $50 Oo0o GOO upon her waterway Inside OF hve
wears there would be clear waterway OF fourteen feet
through Canadian SOL from thc head Of Lake superior
to the Atlantic, ard the deeper the channel the
III he 9I,pO
When Canada had a iOurtoea foot waterway and tie
United states Only six feet thrcuka Tic Erie Canal we
could no compete with her thta wheribarrOw
with a freight tram. There not enough sentiment
in trade good American he was, 10 scad wheat to
Europe b. American vessels aj % cents wlcE Canadia
vessels would cary il for 10.
Senator Irtc said thai we wCuld he worse oil Than
now when there were hundred and odd foreign
vessels IL Pacific ports T. eight American NeSseis
Mr. Thompson responded that that was true, but if
there vas goas " b. revival of American shipping
tie great lake, the place 70 begin Inc tonnage
OF Detroit River now l,1OO,On tons more tIah
the sprz C.u.;il and 100000 more than the cleoi-
1uce. Of London and Liverpool.
returning 10 the effect Of waterways freight
rates, NJ Thompson said that the !ahes and the Enc
Canal controlled NewlOrk Central rates, Thc! road
rates the Penns yvaaa, 40 miles south, had to meet
This road in turn controlled the EdliTcTc and ono
rates and thus to greater less extent lake rates
governed rates TO the Gulf When the Eric Canal
WAS open the railroads pat wheat from Chicago
u New York down below cost Of tIanspOrtaiiOh TO
3I-2 cents bushcl, ard compelled many coal boats
10 tie up. The day mat winter conditions set in the
railroad rate jumped up to IL cents.
With all the immense growth o. the lake commerce
and Of Cleveland Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago and Other
lake cities We were as dcfenceiess ever There
were III vessels IN the english navy drawing less
than twelve feet Of water How many drawing four
teen feet he could not say. suppose that Great
Britain gave the six months necessary abrOgate the
present treaty. She could send her vessels drawing
only twelve fed through the cara she IS constructing
10 the great likes and put one half dozen OF
Them in front OF every of ourlakc cities.
1t was not 10 be supposed that Great Britain
would wait uiiii declared with the risk
OF our selling her canal and stopping navigation be-
fore she put hd vessels through. We should be in
splendid condtbl if we had deep waterway through
our own terTitTy from the ocean the lakes. such
\ waterway a commercial advantage and a mil
iiary necessity or, Army officer put it, II
ncrciaI necessity and military advantage. We
should at least consider the question as to whether
or not tLoro.gh survey ought not TO be authorized
for such waterway. Personally, he believed it
should by way Of Niagai; and Oswego 20 tho
Hudson River. Others believed ii should 90 down Lake
Chanplain andthcn 10 the Hudson and others by way
OF the Erie Canal TO the Hudson. All three routes
centred ca the Hudson in the ncighbo.hooa 0. Troy
E1,Statc senator George T. sloan, of New ork, ad.
dressed hmseftO the resolution Of the waterways con
venton urgnaan appropriation Of 800 900 for a com
ple,e survey fon the lakes TO the scaboard New
York he said, Il a cost Of e, 100000 year 10 It's
cities furnished free transpo taon through the Eric
Canal TO the Western states. The people not along
the line OF the canal complaining Of this taxation
especially as he had 10 meet the Western competition
themselves. Hewas not in sympathy with that feel
ing but yet a fact that within the last two wears
the Necessary safe appropriations had been barely
squeezed thou9. We in position where i'm
provements TO tc canal would be needed he said and
told the committee that Ncw-YoIk could not be relied
upon TO mae tim.
General D. " Poe, In charge If the engineer worl,
vi the gici la5,. said that hc had estimated s,JO4
900 as the cost"f twenty foot channel through