Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-08-04
Lake Navigation Discussed BY the
Water Congress.
A CANAL ROUTE TO THE SEA
Rlessings OF fntes~IAke coznmsrce.
and lie Great Savings in
Freighss Discussed.

son. secretary OF the board - trade of
Duluth. made the principal address and
in addition to hauling the railroads over
the Goals. he eloq.lentiy pictured the
advantages ~ ship canal connecting
the great lakes ~ith the Atlantic ocean.
Mr.. Thompson said the railroads super
seeded the canals before the latter had
an opportunity 10 show what they were
capable of doing. Ordinary canals went
out of use and the beds of some OF them
are now occupied as rights Of way by
railroads. From the very beginning of
railroad building. Mr.. Thompson
said. the railroads have enjoyed
great prosperity. They have passed
through period Of vast improvement
and canals and water way have been ne
I elected. The extiortions which have
been praeiced by railroads should have
revived the interest In water ways and
will result in ship canals, which viii be
/ of immense value 10 commerce. lie
told OF a conversation between two rail-
road presidcnts some years ago. in
which those officials congratulated each
other on the decadence OF the canal.
One of the presidents said that the lake
steamer was failure as n competitor u
a railroad. that the canals were gone
never 10 return. and that i'm the future
the railroads would have control Of all
the commerce Of the country.
Lake Rates Are Very low.
MIR. Thompson said the railroad men
were mistaken. Since lSS2 there has
been reduction in railroad rates
amounting TO about - per cent. and
this is urged by some as proof that the
railroads furnish the best means of
transportation. Recent statistics show
/ that the average rate per ton per mile on
tine railroads is about 2 mills. The
average rate OF the lake traffic through
the 500" canal is one-eighth OF that
The average cost OF transporting freight
| by rail. Mr.. Thompson said. is AS mills
mills per ton per mile. while one lake
steamer, the Monoia. carries it at cost
Of SC mills. The Etie canal.
the speaker said. Is nok n good
example OF a canal. Il is run
without any system and does not
accomplish as much for commerce as
even its shallow water course Is capable
OF. The brains Of this country" said
he. ~hayobeen devoted otbedevelopment
uf railroads, but the dsk OF the ship
A
even the Erie canal a. u now Is could
do. The immensity OF lie laKe traflic
shows the economic value OF a great
canal To the eeaboard. The average
earnings OF the great stea lers Of the
lakes are thFee-fourths- Of a mill per ton
per mile. Captain McDongall. tho IN
ventor of the whaleback tells me that
one onnce of coal consumed under the
boilers of the great lake freight carriers
will transport a ton one mile while the
whalebacks will carry mile at an ex
penditure OF one.ihird Of an ounce.
Lake System or Towing.
II is now proposed to organize upon
the lakes system of towing analogous
10 railroad trains The boats and their
tows will be directed by the telegraph.
as railroad trains are. Tugs will take
the place Of switch engines. In five
years | expect 20 see tows going down
the lakes carrying 5000 tons 81 freight.
With steamers drawing twenty feet ~
water the lake rates will be cut in half.
The railroad president TO whom | have
alluded was wrong when be said the
railroads would have IL all their own
way. Contracts have been let for lake
steamers which will sail around the
Campania or Etruria in SIX hours in the
open eea IL is wrong 10 suppose that
| lake traffic is slow. The boats run faster
now than freight trains There are
steamers which average sixteen miles
per hour between Buffalo and Chicago.
| while the average net progress ~ q
/ freight train il only eight miles per
| hour The lake tonnage. the speaker
| said. ia 100000 tons per year. AZ the
rates charged by railroads. the cost %
transporting this freight would be enor-
mouely greater than Il Is now. Railroad
rates are always subject 10 competition
of the lake routes. and on account of
this c0mpetitbDn the people save al least
| si0OOO000o every year II the lakes
aud Erie Canal Were closed the people
| would probably lose ssSo0oo.Oup per
year. The speaker cited one occasion
when the railroad rates were cents.
but d sudden freeze up IN the Erie
canal caused them 10 % 10 CENTS
Water Ways Regulate Commerce.
The powers exercised by railroads
he said. would eauee the uprising all
over this country II tho prcsidcni q The
/ Unitesl States should attempt q rtef
/ ciso them. ! am not an opponent 4
railroads IA the sense thar our ToTuiisf
friends are opposed q them. hui am a
believer in water WAYS because they
will % more than any human legis.s
ton 81 regulate commerce. \ ship
+ canal o. the seahoara would rot srlure
the railroads No railroad was cttr ~.
jurcd rs beng pataiielei ~ cana.
When the railroai officials gets - that
place Whera from the nature Il
circumstances thela csn - 10 water
Ways. their greatest punishment Wlll bc
the thought that cansls would have ~
creased the eafrineHaf their roads fise
railroads are even nos Ia scheme -
obiain centred - the lake iraite ana
tsane anafae to transport al fhf 60 n
a. the east themselves they arr today
urulng the tFie canal "a gFeaisf seiif
itY Nf Thompson raid TIE fss' rsaie
y u the ..s.a ~onla >. - way q eafiei
sr9und Niagara } ATS ihfn ealu
frnn tiswfEa fhfoEkh Nre fafh ssesn
csnnsetine Nth IA iIusisoe fsssr cpUia
utiiiss FAKE onetjH Is roeis N..iit
i.e Hfofe adrar tagfotis thAn tff sfF
canal fsefa ia lse these aaeia ke
,snss ates. Ike I 4ter la 1T isfa et
vhteb hlkh sszea ie's.d =. i'ie-' '..t'.'l
ths teta. ft,st af i1le cara Nhia ~
si-suf nFU -
The sileessiea4 shieh ftfe 4f
faetopSh's kIeeeh shatft ftt ~ ff
Nas "a Gossi deal 4 id stiiss - 80 ais'a
~ D. ihe Ff.lsr fouie q ~
satsl d T. Meth - Nes efk a's sH
th.t the salass als4li = az ht'e sipasl