Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-08-07
DEEP WATER ROUTE TO THE SEA
President Appoints ~ New Commits.
Sion With Orders to Report
in December.

washington, Aug. 2.--Ine SECRETARY
Of war announced today the appoint
ment by the president of Major Chas.
w. Raymond, corps OF engineers, Unit
ed States army; Alfred Noble of Chi
cugo and George Y. Wisner of Detroit
as "a board Of engineers to make sur
yeys and examinations for a deep wa
ter way from the great lakes to the
Atlantic tidewaters.
This board was authorized in the
last sundry civil act, approved June
4, 1897, and is expected to complete the
work undertaken by the deep water
ways commission appointed by Pres.
ident Cleveland. That commission, OF
which DIR. James Il. Angel of Ann
Arbor. Mich, now minister TO Turkey,
was the chairman, made an
examination into the p|ractlcablllty Oh
connecting the great lakes n the
Hudson river by a deep water channel,
but failed to recommend "A etn
route.
The commission recommended in a
general way several different routes
md submitted q quantity of data re-
garding the IN that woulu
probably pass through canals built by
the several routes. IT made no INA
surveys or estimates Of the cost or
such a canal, but recommended that
"a board of engineers be appointed for
that purpose.
Report Expected In December.
The new board will probably be i'm
mediately organized, and will under
take the work with Il view 20 reporting
TO congress at the next session.
Though the Angel commission
strongly recommended the feasibility
of a ship canal between the great
lakes and the Hudson river, the war
engineer, who, at the di-
rcction of congress, made "A similar ana
separate investigation, suggested that
such n canal was not worthy OF being
undertaken by the government.
While the Angel commission was
instructed to cooperate with a stmllar
commission from Canada, and conSld-
er routes without regard to the geo.
graphical limits of the United States,
il has since been determined that sue
"A canal, if it is built. should be con
fined 10 the United States territory.
Three feasible routes wholly within
the United States are under cohsld-
Grafton.
The first extends from Lake krle VIA
the upper Niagara 10 the vicinity OF
Tonawanda Of Lake Sale, thence by
canal with locks to the lower niagara
at or mean Lewiston on some point on
Lake Ontario, theme" through LAKE
Ontario 10 Oswego, thence up the VS.
wego and Oneida rivers to Oneida lake
through Oneida lake thence across tho
divide TO the Mohawk and Town the
Mohawk to the Hudson at Troy.
Oswego Route the Most Practicablt
This is the Oswego route and the
most practicable one. a canal by this
route, il Is roughly estimated, would
cost $500, 10000.
The second route follows h Line 81
the Erie canal from Lake Erie and the
Niagara river TO the Hudson.
The third route comedies with IN,
first from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario
running thence through Ontario ant
the st. Lawrence river, and down Tho
st. Lawrence To some point near Og'
%lensburg. thence crossing the state oil
New York TO Lake Champlain and NJ
the lake TO its head, and thence follow
ing i'm general the route OF the Cham
plain canal to the Hudson at Troy.
hlO'lltI lOu''' ph'''l >"N"' -
been considered. II follows the st
Lawrence river to Lake C~hamplain.
1t is estimated "A ship canal between
tide water and the lakes would cos'
not less than 100000 n year. The
war engineers, who have investigated
this subject, are Of the opinion thai
would be better to enlarge the Erie
canal and canalize the Mohawk river
| thus making Il water way for bargcs
than to attempt 10 build a canal thai
would pass ocean-going vessels. a
barge canal would cost only about
$50. 600, 200 and would furnish n benefit
TO commensurate with its
cost.
Major Raymond, the chairman of the
commission, is one of the most emf
ncnt and capable engineers in the
army. He is now stationed at Phila-
dclphia. He was born in Connecticut
and graduated from the West Point
military academy in 1865. He became
captain of engineers in 1867 and
reached his present rank in 1888.