The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-20
MAP OF THE wELLAND CANAL.

meets Lake Superior with the Atlantic
It is the only route which lake vessels
can take on their way to the sea. Tho
falls Of Niagara bar the only other out
let. It took the Canadians, backed by
the British government, nearly half a
century to complete this canal, and it
cost over $21, 0OO,O 600, yet its usefulness
could be destroyed by an invading force
in a few hours. General F1agler, chief
of the ordnance corps Of the United
States army. has suggested that Great
Britain could not only lay waste the big
cities on the Atlantic seaboard, but that
she could send a few warships down
the st. Lawrence, through Lake Ontario
and the Welland canal, when the lake
cities would be entirely at the mercy
of the big guns.
Canada's achievements in canal con-
struction have certainly been grand.
There are now II miles of artificial
waterways within the Canadian Dor
ders, paralleling the parts of the st.
Lawrence and Niagara rivers that are
not navigable. The total cost of this
great work is estimated at $75, 900, 900.
but she has within her own borders a
channel from the Atlantic to Lake Erie
through which could be sent SO of the
RQnDO2IS OF inc LQ211SH navy.
The United States, on the other hand,
could not get even the lightest and
smallest of her warships within several
hundred miles of the great lakes. The
Erie canal of course furnishes COM
mercial connection, but inasmuch as a
feet Of canalboats would be the most
that Uncle Sam could muster in inland
waters it would not be of much use in
case of war. The United States has only
one revenue cutter on the lakes, hardly
a match for one of the so ships which
John Bull could send there.
When it is remembered, however, that
without the Welland canal all this chain
of canals would be useless, another phase
of the situation is presentet1-a phase as
comforting to Americans as it is discom-
forting to Canadians. That little stretch
of land known as the We1land peninsula
is a barrier to navigation between Lake
Ontario and Lake Erie. The canal is a
gateway in this barrier and the Cana
dams hold the keys. The keys, however,
are not held in very strong grasp.
The canal proper is 2654 miles in
length. There are 25 locks, each 270
feet long by 45 wide. The destruction of
one of these locks would make the canal
impossible until it could be repaired,
which might take month or more. The
most vulnerable point of this gateway
to the lakes is at Welland, where the
canal is carried over the Welland river
by means of viaduct. It took ten years
to build this and it could be destroyed
in ten minutes with half a hundred
pounds of dynamite.
OF course, with no prospect of war in
sight the Canadians are not losing any
great amount of sleep over this condi-
ton Of affairs, but some of them realize
that the canals needs to be protected.
The principal system of locks is not
more than dozen miles from the Amer
lean line and single company of raid
ers could land on the Canadian side at
night, march to the locks and close navi-
CATION before daylight.
That all this is possible has already
been demonstrated. Next June the Cana
dams will celebrate at RidgNway, not
far from We11and, the thirtieth ami
versary of their successful resistance OF
the Fenians who went over from Buffalo
to wreck the canal. There was a short
but sharp engagement between the raid
ers and the militia and the latter retired
to Port Co1borne. The Fenians might
have accomplished their purpose, too,
had they pushed on, but the United
States government cut off their supplies
and they returned