Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-27
SEABOARD CANAL.
Deep Waterways Commission
Reports on the Route.
Proposed Connection Of Americas
Great Lakes and the Atlantic.
4 Series Of Dams and Locks 10 Cost Many
millions Of Dollars.

/
| Albany, N. Y, Sept. 26.-The deep
waterways commission, appointed by
President Mckinley to report on a
canal route connecting the upper lakes
with the seaboard, have practically Sc
iected route, according to a statement
made by Chief Engineer Harrison of
the commission. starting from North
Tonawanda and extending to Lake On
tarfo. the outlet to be near Wilson. be-
ginning again at Oswego, thence to
Lake Oneida and from there to the
Mowhawk river, which is a direct con-
nection via the Hudson with the At
lantic ocean.
In selecting this route the commits
sion reflects great credit on present
State Engineer and Surveyor Campbell
Adams and his predecessors in that Of
flee Hon. Elnathan Sweet and John
BOgart, each Of whom realizing that
a ship canal between the Great Lakes
and the sea was not only necessary but
inevitable. have followed each others
work in formulating a route until one
was decided upon as being favorable
and is known in their parlance as the
| "Oswego Route" which is almost identi-
cal if not absolutely the same as the
one selected by the waterways commits
sion.
In 1895, Resident Engineer Albert j.
Hines. of the Eastern Division of the
New York State Canals, at the invest
cation of State Engineer and Surveyor
Adams. made an examination of this
route SO as to secure a profile and de-
scription Of the route and to prepare an
estimate upon the cost of constructing
the same. The route as selected for
this examination leaves the Hudson
river at the West Troy side cut of the
Erie canal and follows the Mowhawk
river to Rome, where it enters Wood
creek and passes into and across
Oneida lake and down the Oswego river
to Lake Ontario.
| The report Of Mr.. Hines on the re-
suit of his investigation states in part
as follows: To a certain extent the pro-
posed waterways follows the lines sug-
gested by Hon. Elnthan Sweet in his
celebrated paper published by the
American Society of Civil Engineers in
1884,
| 1t is proposed to convert the Now
hawk river into series of level pools
| by means of dams and to make the
bottom width of the canal 100 feet, the
depth 20 feet and the size of the locks
450 feet by 60 feet. The depth of Is
feet has been adopted by the United
| States engineers as a standard in the
improvement of lake channels which is
a very good reason for considering it as
the desired depth in the enlarged wa
terway. Although there are advocates
for all depths between 10 feet and rs
feet. 1t is. however, apparent that, for
exhibiting the features of the route, a
depth of 20 feet is as good as any other
At West Troy it is proposed to build
lock having lift of "a feet. By con-
structing few hundred feet of low
embankment the Mohawk basin,
former outlet of the Mohawk river, can
be made to contain the first of the
canal. Passing up the old channel to-
ward CohOes. a low dam will be found
necessary between Green and Van
Schaick's islands, and another between
Simmons and Van Schaick's islands.
BY means of heavy rock this level
can be extended to the foot of Cohoes
Falls.
- 10 PAOPOoCu ~ OuAlu u uoLl w 1Ccl
high on the crest of the falls, making
one vertical lift of 130 feet to be opera
ted by huge counter balanced tank
in manner similar to that used in
building elevators. The level thus
created would extend to the foot of the
West Troy Waterworks Company's
dam, above Dunsbach's ferry. Here a
dam 10 feet high is proposed and lock
with 10 foot lift. The dam would |
break water at Vischer's ferry, where
another dam and lock with the same |
lift 19 feeD would raise the water to
an elevation of PIG feet. A level of this |
elevation would pass the city Of Sche- |
nectady. At Scotia, near Schenectady, |
it is proposed to leave the river chan
mel, and by taking thorough cut 1.66 |
miles long to avoid large bend.
At each end of this canal, a lock hav-
ing lift of % feet is planned, and at
the upper lock where the route re-
enters the river, large dam would be
needed. To follow the river around this
bend would make very crooked chan
mel and requiring much dredging in
gravel, and it is probable that the chan
mel would fill up at every stage of high
water. The next dam and lock have
been located at about three-fourths of
a mile east of the mouth Of the
SchOharie creek. The lift of the lock
would be 10 feet. This dam would break
water to point about three and three
quarter miles east of st. townsville.
There another dam and lock having
a lift of q feet are planned. and the
level above would extend just above
the mouth of the East Canada Creek.
There another dam and lock with a left
10 feet would rise the water surface rs
high as the foot of the decent of Little
Falls. The valley of Little Falls is
very much contracted and is composed
entirely of granite rock To make a
radical enlargement in the, present .
around the falls would be enormously
expensive. 1t is therefore proposed to
build two locks and dams on the falls. /,
BY enlarging the present Little Falls /,
feeder to the size Of the Erie canal and
the canal locks. a spillway
would be formed around the falls.
which would readily discharge all the !
surplus water in the river and leave !
he main channel quiet and undisturbed I
or navigation. The crest of the unner | =