New-York tribune., 1896-11-16
PRICE THREE CENTS
CANAL IMPROVEMENT WORK
EVERYTHING READY FOR A BEGINNING
WHEN NAVIGATION CLOSES.
THE CANAL BOARD HAS LET CONTRACTS yoh
100000 TO BE SPENT AT oNCE-rHE
LOCKS AT LocKPoRT AND CoHoEs-

Albany Nov 1o--The great work or improv-
ing the canals OF the State. which was authorized
by TIE direct vote OF the people few years ago.
is now after months Of careful preparation ny
Campbell W. Adams the State Engineer ABOUT
to be begun.
Since the large sum Of S9OOO.OOO was to be ex'
pended Immediately. and possibly $2OOoVVV IN
ALL in various improvements to the canals, MI.
Adams naturally feit the need OF making most
careful preparation for it, that the money OF the
taxpayers might be wisely expended. While only
50 O0O.OOO can now be expended. 1t is well under-
stood In engineering circles that the entire cost
of putting the canas In excellent condition Ior
navigation by canal-boats will be toward w.
900 900 The work therefore, has a magnitude
OF which taxpayers generally are not yet aware.
Mr.. Adams decided that those portions OF tho
States canals which were in the worst conoi-
ton should be improved first. This work. ne
thought would so much better the navigabllity
OF the canals that the canal commerce would %
increased, and thus taxpayers would he IN a pet-
ter mood to .o'e millions more in addition 10
the S9OOOUOO viii, ,h they had already author
ized
THE INSPECTION AND SURVEY
At the State Engineers suggestion. the Canal
Board authorized Sj0.OO0 to be spent in making
thorough inspection ard survey OF the three
canals of the State selected for improvement
the Erie the Lake Champlain and the Oswego.
In January last 800 men. comprising thirty par
ties Of surveyors. rodmen and other assistants
started out from Albany to make careful ex-
animation rs fast as those surveying parties
completed their work the results were tabulated
at Albany.
by means Of these surveying parties" said
n. Sta.a Yesterday n
knowledge Of the canals which we never pos
sessed before The old canal maps were found
to be full Of errors Upon the new maps the
lines of State and private property were care
fully traced We know now what Is the depth
Of the canals at every point. We know where
the canal banks have to be raised and where
there must he excavation 0f earth and rock IN
the beds We can thus so 10 work intelli-
gently"
THE CANAL BOARDS ACTION.
The Canal Board. upon receiving this infor-
nation from the State Engineer resolved to ex-
pend 81 100000 at once. The Board Is composed
of Lieutenant-Governor Saxton. Secretary OF
State Palmer Controller Roberts. State Treas
urer Colvin. Attorney-General Hancock. State
Engineer Adams and George ". Aldridge. the
Superintendent of Public Works The bonds for
the work were issued about q year ago, anu "eic
eagerly bought by the public.
Then the engineers made their survey OF the
canals. Finally. bids for contracts were drawn
up by the State Engineer and were advertised
by Mr.. AIdridge. whose duty it will be to see
that the canal work Is faithfully executed. All
but two of the contracts for which bids were
advertised have been awarded. The amount or
the bids awarded is in the neighborhood of 3d.
JOOOOo
The contractors will go to work as soon as
the canals are closed to navigation. about De-
cember l. Most of them say that they will have
their work completed blythe opening of naviga-
tion in the spring. Thus there will be no inter-
rIption of the great canal commerce OF the
State.
BLASTING AND DREDGING IN WINTER.
The plan Of the State Engineer and or the
Superintendent Of Public Works is To have the
necessary rock blasting and dredging done in
the course Of the winter. Then retaining walls
can he built and banks strengthened after navi-
cation opens in the spring. state Engineer
Adams and Superintendent Aldrdge both say
that instead of impeding navigation. the work
OF improvement viii actually aid it greatly as
soon as the canals are open next season. Every
contractor +, under heavy bonds TO fulfil his
work faithf ". AS security. they have been
compelled by the Superintendent of Public
Works to furnish certified checks instead OF
bonds as formerly.
I'VE have scattered our work Of Improvement
all along the canals said State Engineer Adams
Yesterday. both for the purpose of improving
all the bad spots the canals and OF
giving all the employment could TO unem-
Moved people the coming hard winter. l pre-
sumo there will oe at least 1000 men put to
work"
"Will YOU Immediately give out the con-
tracts for the remaining S5.O0O0oO worth OF
work to be done?'
THE REMAINING s5.c0ocno.
.,rhat will depend" said the State Engineer
"upon the rapdty with which the contracts Tor
the S4OOOOOO are completed. We wish to see
how rapdy this canal work can be done We
shall determine next fall whether to expend the
S. 900 0D in a lump or divide it in half and ex-
rend S25O0O00 one year and S-.ooo,ooo the
next"
"How many locks do you lengthen?'
1.-Two on the Erie and one on the Oswego.
.WiIl YOU build large elevator lock at Lock-
Dort?'
"I now have under consideration three plans
for the removal o. the seven locks at Lockport
and the substitution of some sort OF an elevator
lock- one design has been presented by Stoll &
Cunningham and is constructed on the counter
weight system. The second is designed by
Chauncey Dutton. and consists of a pneumatic
arrangement Of novel design The third is by
the Buffalo Engineering Company. 1t will lift
canal-boats sxty-two feet to the higher level
Of the canal ct Lockport.
Ell this big steel single lock is put in at Lock-
port. which, I presume. will cost at least $780,
OOO we shall also put In a still larger single lock
at Cohoes, where the canal makes descent Of
IA feet to the level OF the Hudson"
What Is the present depth OF the Erie
Canal?"
",rhe average depth is seven feet. We are
trying in this improvement work to secure an
average depth OF nine feet
"Will deepening the Erie Canal have any COM