The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-09-16
SPEEDY CANAL CONSTRUCTORS.
Work Performed at sault ste. Marie
and Cascades.

Work Performed at sault ste. Marie
and Cascades.
At the risk of being accused of harp
ing on one string, we reproduce the
following summary in the history of
canal work at Sault Ste. Marie, as fur
nished by the San Francisco Chronicle
of the 11th inst:
The desira bility of securing passage
for large vessels around the rapids at
Sault Ste. Marie was understood at an
early day, for in 1887 the governor of
the new state of Michigan called the
attention of the state legislature to the
subject of constructing a canal for this
purpose. Three years later congress, in
the face of strong opposition and after
much discussion, ordered a survey
made, which was carried out under the
direction of Captain Augustus Garfield.
of the typographical engineers, United
States army. In. 1852 tract of $50, 900
acres of public land was granted to the
state of Michigan, from the proceeds of
which the canal was to be built. For
the amount thus derived private COM
pany contracted with the state to build
the canal. Ground was broken for the
undertaking on June 4th, 1858. The
work was completed on May 21st, 1855,
at an entire cost of 5000, ,S02. .46, and on
June 18th of the same year the first boat
was locked through the canal.
The original canal, now greatly en-
larged, was {, 400 feet long, 100 feet wide
and twelve feet deep, with revetted
stone banks of q slope of one vertical to
two horizontal.
Between the years 1870 and 1881 the
waterway was widened and deepened
and new lock, the largest ship-canal
lock in the world, was built, bringing up
the total cost of the canal to 50, 100 900,
The canal is 1000 feet long, with a
depth of water of sixteen feet and
variable width, its least span being 108
feet at the movable dam. A revetment
of timber pier work about four feet
vessels against injury from the rocky
sides OF the canal. The chamber of its
lock is 515 feet long, or, including the
guard gates placed at each end, III feet.
1t is eighty feet wide, narrowed to sixty
feet at the gates, with a depth of 3915
feet and q capacity of 100 900 cubic
feet.
The words .'speedy Canal Construc-
tom at the head of this article have no
application to the work of canal con-
struction at the cascades of the Column
bia, which is the contrary of speedy, and
when the facts are made apparent the
comparison becomes odious.
The cascade canal is but few feet
over quarter of mile in length. The
canal at Sault Ste. Marie is 200 feet more
than mile in length. M
The Sault Ste. Marie canal was begun
on the 4th of June, 1858, and the first
vessel was locked through on the 18th
of Jr,,a 1oRS &~o- poorS o06 fa,,rtaar
days after the ground was broken; at a
cost of 1899. .802.46.
The Cascade canal was begun g years
ago; there has been in round numbers
about 81 10000 already expended, and
the outlook for completion of the work
is still as gloomy as it was 10 years ago.
Believing that there should be no ces-
and that the voice for it should be not
only earnest but united, is the only
apology we have for recurring to the
subject at every opportune moment.
It was considered wise by the people
to take this matter of the Cascade canal
construction out of the hands of the
board of engineers, and the very best evil
dence of the prudence of this move may
be learned in the facts as above stated
respecting the Sault Ste. Marie work,
and the work of private parties who con-
structed the canal on the Willamette at
Oregon city.
But now that congress has 80 provided
that the cascade canal. be finished by
private contract, how much longer must
the people of the Inland Empire waltz