The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-01-19
THE lakes AND OCEAN
May be Connected by a System
of Deep Waterways,
SPECIAL COMMISSIONS REPORT.

I'll Entirely Feasible 20 Construct Canals
and Develop Channels That WIN Enable
Vessels 60 Sail from the Lakes to the
seaboard.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.-The president
yesterday sent to tho house the report Of
the deep water ways commission, consist
ing Of President Angel, Of the University
of Michigan John E. Russell %andibyman
%. Cooley, which was appointed in 1895
under q resolution introduced by Senator
Villas, of Wisconsin, for q preliminary in
quiry as to the practicability Of water
ways between the ocean and the great
lakes. The conclusions of the commits
sion follow:
1t is entirely feasible to construct such
canals and develop such channels as will
be adequate of any scale of navigation
that may be desired between the great
lakes and the seaboard, and to conduct
through the same domestic and foreign
commerce, and that it will be wise to pro-
vide for securing u canal of a navigable
depth of not less than twenty-eight feet.
Starting from the heads of Lakes Mich
igan and Superior, the most eligible route
is through the several great lakes and
their intermediate channels and the pro-
posed Niagara ship canal (Tonawanda to
Olcott) to Lake Ontario. The Canadian
seaboard may be reached from Lake On
tario by way Of the St. Lawrence river
and the American seaboard may be
reached from Lake Ontario by way of the
St. Lawrence and Lake %Champlain and
the Hudson river, or by way of the Oswe-
go-Oneida-M Mohawk valley and the Hud-
son river.
The alternative routes from Lake On
tario to the Hudson river require complete
surveys and a full development Of econ
omio considerations to determine their
relative availability,
A moderate control Of the level Of
Lake Erie and Of the Niagara river above
Tonawanda may be i|ustiaedin connection
with the Niagara ship canal, the determi-
nation in this matter to rest on a full ex-
animation Of the physical conditions,
The policy should contemplate the ulti-
mate attainment Of the largest successful
capacity, and all works should be planned
on this basis, and the actual execution
should conform thereto, in so far as the
works may without prejudice be progress
sivaly developed with the actual demands
Of m
1t Is practicable to develop the work in
separate sections and the several sections
in part by degrees, each step having its
economic justification, SO that the benefits
should follow closely OF expenditures
without awaiting the completion of the
system as a whole. The completion Of the
entire system as quickly as proper pro-
jects can be matured and economically ex-
ecuted is fully justified.
The Niagara ship canal should be first
undertaken, and incidentally the broad
ening and further deepening of the inter
mediate channels Of the lakes, the same
being in the logical order Of development
and also requiring the least time for con-
~sideration.
The commission estimates that the COM
plete surveys and Investigations, with
measurements of the outflow of the sew
eral lakes and full investigation of col
lateral questions, will cost not less than
5000, 900 and require some years of time.