The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-02
A DEEpWATER LOOP
SCOPE OF THE PLAN CoNTEM-
PLATED BY ADVOCATES OF
THE PROJECT.
COUNTRY CUT BY CANALS.
WATER COAIsIUNICATION BETWEEN
THE PRINCIPAL CITIES TO BE
ESTABLISHED
NOT MUCH WORK AS YET DONE
Quarter of n Million Dollars to He
Asked of Congress for a Pre-
fmfnary Surveye
COUNTRY CUT BY CANALS.
NOT MUCH WORK AS YET DONE.

In the last year or two there has
been much more or less vague talk con-
corning deep water ways" Few
people in this section Of the coun-
try seem to thoroughly understand
what is meant by the term, and mas
much as the matter is to be presented
to congress early this month by Con-
gresham Loren Fletcher. it is not
amlss to explain what in a few words
the deep water ways movement really
is.
president A. L. Crocker, of the Min
neapois board of trade is the hest
posted man in the Northwest On this
subject, having spent a great deal of
time in study and attendance at deep
waterways conventions and holding
also an important position as chairman
Of the executive committee of the Ma
tional Deep Waterways association.
Said Mr.. Croker:
In a word. the deep waterways
movement is a scheme to form a con-
tinuous loop Of navigable rivers, lakes
and canals, embracing the principal
cities in the eastern half of the United
States, for the purpose of reducing the
cost of transportation of commodities.
Every one knows that boat freight
with car freight, hence, the effort to
establish a comprehensive system Of
water routes. This must be done in
two ways; first, by damming and lock-
ing streams to increase the depth of
water, and, second, by cutting canals
through t,-Titory between bodies Of
streams of navigable water
The ideal and best system practt-
cable would be the deepening of the
upper Mississippi river and it's con-
nectiOn by canal with Lake Superior:
the deepening of the upper Ohio river
and canal connection with Lake Erie:
the union Of these two routes in the
already navigable Mississippi. from
Cairo to the gulf. Then, Of course. the
great lakes themselves present a free
run to the Atlantic ocean, via the st.
Lawrence river, but the plan is to cut
through from Oswego, on Lake On
tario, to the Mohawk valley, and thence
to the Hudson river at Albany. and so
on down the Hudson river to New
ork. Then the plan provides for the
building of canal from New York to
Philadelphia, cutting off New Jersey.
and final extension on to Baltimore
cutting off Delaware. A cut from Long
Island sound across Cape Cod to Bos-
ton is also proposed.
rom this you see that a complete
loop OF navigation will be extended
around and through the business por-
ton OF the United States directly con-
E. meeting the great mass Of products OF
the Northwest with the Eastern mar
ket. Chicago will be right in the CEN
ter of the whole business It's drain
age canal will connect Lake Michigan
with the Mississippi river, and it will
get the benefit Of a very heavy passing
traffic.
But the cities Of all others that will
De benefited by the esta blishment of
the deep water ways system will he
ST Paul and Minneapolis. This city
Will then have a water route in a di-
rect line to the Gulf of Mexico. and
10 Lake superior, to say nothing of
the advantages Of short water route
connections with Chicago, and all the
ether large commercial cente~s east of
the Missouri valley
The idea is to have the minimum
depth OF the lake and seaboard canals
tWenty-one feet, but of course such
depth could not be obtained in the
rivers, and it would not even be de-
sirable. In the rivers, minimum
depth of eight feet is considered suf-
ficient.
THE only actual work that has vet
peen done is the cutting of the great
drainage canal. from Chicago to the
LIMOS river, TO How into the MiSSiS-
slppi river This work was done by the
city of Chicago independent of the
government. The plan Of the deep
waterways commission now, Is to get
the government to appropriate $3.50 900
Tor the purpose Of making a complete
ana thorough survey Of the best routes
possible for such a system as [ have
already described. An approximation
OF $4,000 has already been made. hut
1t was a mere drop In the bucket for.
such all enormous enterprise as this
although it was gratifying to see that
congress realized the Importance of the
project Congressman Fletcher has
promised to push the measure to his
utmost ability. It has the hearty and
enthusiastic Endorsement of some of
the most influential senators and con-
gressnlen, and definite action in the
near future can reasonably be expect
ed
The joint international deep wafer
ways commission is composed of the
following well known men:
PRESIDENT, j. B. Angel, Of the Uni
VeEslty Of Michigan; John e. Russell.
congressman from Massachusetts I,v
man E. Cooley, the Chicago engineer:
A. o. Rowland, Toronto; Thomas Mum
10 and Thomas Keifer Ottawa.