Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-14
THE CANAL PROJECT
Given a Big Boost by Congressman
Dalzell in a Report To-Day
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CONGRESS.
The Pension Deficiency This Year Is Nearly
Seven Millions.
COGvHEELs OF THE HOUSE cIOGGED
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE p1sPArcH.l ]

Dalzell's report on the Lake Erie shir
canal project is to be presented to the House
to-day by Chairman Catchings of the Com
mittee on Railways and Canals. In intro
ducing the report Mr.. Dalzell says:
A ship canal to connect the waters of Lake
Erie with the Ohio river in the neighbor
hood of Pittsburg would be a work of ma
tional importance, the effect of which would
be felt in the business of the entire country
It would enlarge and better the means OF
transportation between the great ,ore-pro
oucing regions of the Northwest and the
great iron manufacturing districts of West
ern Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.
1t would increase the means of distribut-
ing the furnace stocks from these districts.
1t would immensely cheaper to the con.
sumers the price of the great staple of CON-
merce-iron.
1t would furnish to the growing North.
west and to Canada both the bituminous and
anthracite Goals of Pennsylvania at cheap
rates, and at the same time with profit to
the producer.
1t would furnish an avenue for the prompt
delivery into the lakes of armed vessels
should need for such means of protecting
our lake cities unhappily arise.
Demanded by the Iron Trade.
1t is demanded by the present needs of the
irOn-producing trade, and will in a short
time be absolutely Indispensable, since the
natural and necessary growth of that trade
must far exceed the possibilities OF railroad
transportation.
The Mahoning Valley, in Ohio and the
shenango Valley and Allegheny county, in
Pennsylvania, and the immediate adjacent
region, produced in 1889 2S per cent of the en-
tire pigiron output of the United States in
that year. or an aggregate of 2,37S, l70 net
tons. This considerably exceeded the ag-
gregate combined product of Alabama, ILL.,
TRnnaSSan
New Jersey.
The ore entering into this production came
in the main from the lake region, and had
TO be transported from the lakes to the fur
naces by rail
In 1889 an amount of ore equal to 7s.6 per
cent of the entire receipts of ore at Lake
points which would be accessible by lake
vessels upon a ship canal from Lake Erie to
the upper Ohio.
Reduced Freights a Great Factor.
1t is estimated that the cost of pig iron
produced in the Pittsburg district in 1889
was property distributable as follows: Ore,
coke, limestone and sand, SCI per cent;
labor, lLS5 per cent: administration, AS per
cent; freights, % 25 per cent.
It is further estimated that rail freights on
ore for a distance of $50 miles were equal to
97.2 per cent of the lake freight on the same
material for average distance of 65o miles.
The immense general advantage to result
from the application of water instead of
railroad freigEts in the manufacture of an
article OF such universal use as iron will be
apparent from these figures.
Il will also be apparent that reduced
freiEhts would in q very short time pay the
original outlay in the construction of a work
of internal Improvement of such command
Ing public Importance.
But its Importance becomes the more ap-
parent when we consider what must neces-
sarily and naturally be the demands of the
near future.
Population and wealth are increasing with
Us at tremendous rate. So must the out
ness OF life and of the commerce of great
people, increase also.
Some Excellent Authorities Quoted.
Mr.. Dalzell next quotes at length from
an article written for THE DISPATCH by
the laUe J. NJ. Goodwin, "a civil engineer
Of large experience and SKILL, - and one of |
the active minds of the Canal Commission. |
He follows with the following extracts from |
a speech made in the House committee of |
the whole May last by Mr.. Haugen, of |
Wisconsin:
The traffic of the lakes is a surprise to |
those not familiar with 1t. Comparing it |
with the Suez Canal we find that in 1890 |
there passed through the Sault Ste. Marie |
Canal, at the outlet of Lake Superior, 10 557 |
vessels, having net registered tonnage of /
s, ,454. 435 tons, while the Suez Canal during
the same year shows only 1883 vessels of a |
net registered tonnage of 6,S900l4 tons |
N'ariy three times as many vessels and /
over 100000 more tons of freight went |
through the Sault canal during the seven
and half months it was open to navigation 1
than passed through the Suez during the l2 |
months. The entries and clearances in New /
Ork IN lSS9 represented n05l, ,236 tons and |
the entries and clearances in all the sea- |
ports in the United States represented 26,- |
9, ,5l5 tons. The entries and clearances |
from London and Liverpool during that |
year were IS, ,430,6l7 tons.
Immense Traffic of the Great Lakes.
The entries and cIearances on the Great |
Lakes in the same year were, according to /
the United States census, q, 900 tons; and |
In lS9O the total freight traffic of the Great |
Lakes was $685. 324 tons, exceeding by |
8 100000 the combined entries and clearances
lf all the seapOrts of the United States, At
antic, Gulf and Pacific. and equaling the
combined entries and clearances, both coas t.
wise and foreign, of London and Liverpool
NE great commercial centers of the world.
These shipments embraced 5000 900 tons of
iron ore 100000 tons of grain and flour,
100000 tons of lumber and forest products,
100000 tons of coal and $500, 900 tons of mis-
,elluneous freight This was carried by a
floating equipment of 27A vessels, having
carrying capacity of l.254 275 tons and a COM
nercial value OF S4S, sos, $50.
OF the total tonnage of shipping built in |
,ue united states during the year ending |
June 80, 1889, per cent was built on the |
" WeSteIn rivers, per cent was built on the
racine coast, Al per cent on the Atlantic |
'oast. and as per cent was built on the Great |
Lakes, the Great Lakes again leading all
JtLers.
Colonel Roberts Views Quoted.
Mr. Dalzen continues: 'Iooking at the
question of the necessity of the proposed
anal from another point of view the argu-
nent in its favor is equally strong. Thomas
? Roberts, an engineer OF great experience,
rho was one of commission appointed in |
$50 bv the Governor of Pennsylvania to |
INQUIRE into the feasibility of such a canal |
S the bill contemplates, has this to say
bout the river interests of Pittsburg."
avs the report, which then embraces a
engthy quotation from an article written !
or The DISPATCH by Colonel Roberts and
ublished some time ago. The report con-
ludes as follows: ..
in the foregoing discussions of the subject
latter Of the bill, your committee have
lerely outlined some of the advantages to
ccrue to the commerce of the country by
he construction of such a canal as the bill {
ontemplates, and have not unde rtaken to |
cal with tie subject in all its bearings or
yhaustively,
A joint resolution of the Legislature of
ennsylvania, passed in lss9 authorized the
ppointment by the Governor of a commits {
ION to determine the feasibility of ship {
anal to connect the wauers of Lake Erie
NJ the Ohio river A commission of COM
etent citizens, after survey made under
direction. reported in favor of the
snelne, Taking into consideration this
act ana the national importance of the pro- r
osed work, your committee after consider
non, report the bill III. Il. 1885 with the
scommendation that it do pass.
LIberaIity Shown by the Senate. n
As the result of much preliminary work, t
hIle the river and harbor bill was pending r
the House, the Senate Committee on O
an HF8F I.
III back to the Senate with all the amend f
entS which il reoards as necessarv II has