The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-03-05
A HUGE PROJECT.
The Proposed Ship Canal Across
New York State
An Undertaking That Would Cost Many
Millions of Dollars. But Would
Greatly Benefit the \
Country.

point to the Hudson river, so that YES
sells from the lakes can pass through
ito'the ocean. The canal, says a Detroit
paper, would be about one hundred and
fifty feet wide ard would have to be
twenty feet deep in order to accommo-
date the large vessels of the lakes The
cost of such canal would be any
where from thirty million to fifty
million dollars, but when the immense
amount of money paid out annually
for transferring cargoes from ship to
rail and from rail back to ship again is
taken into consideration, Representa-
tive Chapman says that the canal would
soon pay for itself.
1.-THE securing of access to the sea-
board for the lake marine" said Repre-
sentative Chapman, sis still in the stage
of inquiry, though certain to be con-
.summated by another if not by this gen
Grafton. The marine tonnage of the
great lakes constitutes the chief part of
American shipping. 1t transports to-
ward the ,seaboard the production of
the great west, and carries back the
productions of the eastern and north
ern states, as well as articles imported
from foreign countries The great
ships which do this work are met at
Niagara Falls by a barrier which stops
them at Buffalo, where bulk has to be
broken and cargoes transferred to rail
or the Erie canal. The expense of this
constitutes burden on all the states
tributary to the lakes as far west as
the Rocky mountains and as far east as
Buffalo.
SIT is enormous and oppressive, and
tends to keep down the prices of lum-
Der, iron, all the cereals, sheep, cattle,
and, in fact, everything the farmers
have to sell. 1t is also great detri-
ment to western manufacturers, both
in the foreign and domestic markets.
Already during the life of navigation in
the northern waters the competition be-
tween marine and rail shipments has
had happy effect in reducing freight
tariffs, 50 far as that competition ex-
tends What is now demanded is that
1T shall be extended to every inch of the
carriage, to the ultimate IN arket at
home and abroad. That this will bene-
fit the entire country is beyond caviL"
'By allowing the products of the
west and northwest to be landed at
Atlantic perts?"
Certainly. just think of a thirty
five hundred or four thousand-ton lake
vessel at the Washington docks, laden
with flour from Minnesota or lumber
from Michigan. If the canals were so
this would be a common
sight here 1t would also be common
an all the Atlantic ports and those of
the gulf, and would open cheap and re-
liable avenues Of exchange for the |
products of the continent. These |
canals, with the proper improvement of
the Mississippi and deep water on the
Texas coast, would supply the demands |
for cheap transportation of the entire
region between the Alleghenies and the
Rockies. Beyond this, the canals would |
restore the American flag to the ocean
much more effectively than could any |
system of bounties- Thousands of |
American ships would supplement the |
thousands already on the lakes, and |
would make voyages to every part of
The world. The great ship-building in
lustries of the lakes would increase
and other Clydes would
yrow up on the waters of Erie, Huron,
Michigan and Superior"
'''Would not these inland canals on
American soil have strategic value in
case of WARP"
."Most assuredly. In case of war
With England, the most probable of all
vars with us if we are ever in earnest
n pressing for commercial advantages
n the trade of the world, we
would have Canada at an meal
,ulable disadvantage; and certainly
With such system of canals entirely
IN our own soil we would create an
,bject lesson which would cause the
canadians to take broader views of
intercourse, if not of an
lexation. The project is one of the
-randest of all time. 1t is worthy of
he greatest people who have ever ex-
sted. We are perfectly capable of ex-
cutting it, and sometime it will be
one"
"What steps will be taken in this
ongress toward beginning the project?"
81 shall at the very first oppor-
unity after the reassembling Of con-
ress introduce a bill for the appoint
1ent of commission to make surveys
nd estimate the cost. l suppose some
eople will oppose even this on the
round that future expenses will be in
urred. Indeed, hear that there will
e opposition to liberal river and har-
or bill in the present congress. If
here is, it will be a mistake. The inn
rovement of water transportation is
My within the power of the general
overnment States or individuals,
yer if they have the money, cannot
ouch it without the authorization of
ongress, and every such improvement
Mould belong to the people, free from
Ills and unfettered by local regula-
ons If there is to be economy, it
Iust be in some other direction-the l
lifting off of useless officials, the re- ]