Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-02

BELOW.
 two in America, men and machines are working like mad at another, also in America-the Chicago sanitary" ca nal-and there is serious talk of reviv- ing both the Nicaragua and the Panama enterprises, while of other canal projects there are at least round dozen here and there in which timid capital seems preparing to make investment.
 Of the three canals lately opened only Germany's Baltic canal is of considera- ble length, but both of the American canals are great as regards probable ton mage. One of them connects the Hud- son river with Long Island sound at New York, better known as the Harlem ship canal, and the other joins Lakes Superior and Huron at the ''soo," or Sault Ste. Marie. This is Canadian enterprise and will compete with the American 'soo' canal, which it paral- lels.
 Of these two the canal at New York will pass a vastly greater volume of commerce than the Canadian ditch, but in some respects it is not of nearly as great importance. Like the Harlem ditch, the Canadian canal is short be- ing only $500 feet across the land, and including the dredged approaches under water, but IS, 100 feet, or less than 315 miles. But the Canadian canal is 21 feet deep, much deeper than the Harlem, and besides it is the one link that has hitherto been lacking in the chain of possible continuous navigation under the British flag of the great lakes from the head of Lake Superior to the At lantic ocean. This water route from the heart of North America is 2,3S4 miles long, and is the longest fresh water route for vessels of considerable draft on earth The United States has nothing to com- pare with it, the lakes being quite in accessible to any bottom of greater draft than that of a canalbOat that has touch ed salt water.
 The cost of the Canadian $500" canal has been about $4, 900, 900, and this sum is out of all proportion to its commercial importance, since the total of the com merce carried through the American "soo" in Canadian bottoms in 1894 was but about 3 E per cent of the total traffic, leaving 96I per cent to be credited to American boats. BTt there were weightier than commercial reasons for the digging of the new ditch. The first of these became a fact during tho Riel rebellion, when the United States au- thorities refused to allow Sir Garnet WolSeley to take British troops through the American canal arOuRd tho rapids. The trouble was got over, however, by unloading on tho Canadian side below the rapids, transporting men and muni tions around the "SOO' and then rplatl- ing on the boats, which meanwhile had been allowed to pass empty through the channel The second reason became q | fact three years ago during the Wclland canal excitement, when discrimination was made against American boats pass | ing through that artificial waterway. Uncle Sam then retaliated by differenti- ating against Canadian boats at the $500" and thus brought about ccSsa- | ton of hostilitieS for the time being. Work on the Canadian canal was be- gun in 1889, and was practically finish cd last November. The lock is the lar ! gest in the world with one exception, that being the lock now building for the l American canal around the $500" The dimensions of the Canadian lock are Length, 300 feet; width, 60 feet; depth over sills, 20 feet inches. The masonry walls are 1,1O6 feet long, and they are s9 feet thick at the bottom and II at the top. In construction as well as size this lock is inferior to the American lock.
 There are four sets of lock gates, and these gates are operated by electricity generated by turbine wheels for the op- eration, of which there is plenty at hand, of course. So far as known, this is the only case in which canal locks are work cd by electricity.
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