The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-10
ERASTUS WIMAN'S BIG Project
FOR A WATER ROUTE TO NEW
YORK
TAKING DEFINITE SHAPE
ARTICLES OF A CONSOLIDATED
CANAL AND LAKE COMPANY
FILED AT ALBANY.
e. A. YOUNG AN ATot.
w hat the st. Paul Man Says About
the PrOject-COntracts Let for
Thirty Boats.

When Erastus Wiman came out to
Minnesota last September and breach
ed his scheme for an all-water route
to New York, the millers and mer-
chants of the Twin Cities and the en-
tire Northwest hoped and prayed the
scheme would be winner, but similar
plans to secure lower rates have met
with so many disasters that no one
dared hope for success.
However, it appears that the redoubt-
able Wiman has launched the scheme,
and that he has interested two very
public-spirited man Of the Twin Cities,
Messrs. c. A. Pillsbury and +. A.
Young. This is seen in the following
telegram sent out from Albany, n.
Y, yesterday:
There was filed with the secretary of state
today a certificate of Incorporation of the
Consolidated Canal and Lake company, to
build for its own use and to charter, navi-
gate steam, sail or other boats, the great
lakes, Erie canal, bay of New York and Long
Island sound The capital is $4,000 the
limit allowed by law for canal companies.
The directors are Charles A. Pillsbury, Of
Minneapolis; Bradford c. Church, of Duluth ;
Ebert A. Young, of st. Paul; George. H.
Raymond and Frank Beadle, Of Buffalo, Sam
uel B. Hart of Engewood II. j.; Franklin
Edison, John A. Comack and Erastus Wiman
of New York.
Mr.. Wiman had the scheme all fgur-
ed out at the time of his visit, but the
public did not appreciate the magni-
tude Of the scheme at that time. Mr.
Wiman and the other members of the
company have been working out other
details, securing concessions from diff
ferent corpora tons and municipalities
and getting the thing started.
1t is generally understood that the
Minneapolis millers have pledged a
tremendous volume via the Erie canal
to the sea coast, which, together with
the movement of grain, will keep a
tremendous fleet busy for nearly
eight months in the year. Then again
the wholesalers Of the Twin Cities will
bring their cOnsignments westward via
the new route, whenever possible, thus
getting the benefit of greatly reduced
rates. Of course it is to be expected
that the Trunk Line association of
the East will try to throttle the scheme
in every possible way. They have tried
it ever since the scheme was first
launched, but apparently with but lit
tie effect. The prospect Of active and
aggressive water competition strikes ter
ror to the trunk lines who have had
Veritable monopoly for years, being
able to dictate terms and rates. The
value of an all-Water route was demon
strated last summer. Several big firms
of this territory banded together and
toward the end of the season induced
certain steamboat owners to take their
trade, running independent of any
company between Buffalo and the up
per lakes. The scheme worked well,
and it is believed the same company
will be perpetuated the coming year
to cooperate with the Consolidated
Lake and Canal company.
NJ Uyl1n fc In
telegram as being one of the board of
directors, was seen by reporter for
the G o b last evening regarding
the plan. Mr.. Young said it had long
been the desire of shippers in the
Northwest to provide some method of
securing through bills of lading to
New York via the great lakes, Erie ca
ma and the Hudson river; this, how
ever, had been impossible, owing to
the responsibility Of the companies
operating boats on the canals. Many
of the boats are owned by single indi-
VidualS, and the companies which man
aged two to six boats each seldom
cared to enter into any agreement.
Fer this reason the shippers in New
York. and the shippers in the North
west wanted to change this situation
and provide for the smooth, uninter-
rGpted transit of commodities, whether
east or West-bound Through bills of
lading were desirable, especially on
east-bound shipments, as they would
obviate the necessity of advance
charges and similar evils.
The new company, said Mr.. Young,
had plenty of capital to push the en-
terprise right along. The contracts
for thirty boats had already been let
These boats will be of sufficient draught
to allow their passage through the Erie
canal which will soon be deepened to
nine feet. The steamers will carry 600
tons of freight EACH and will be capa-
BILE Of pulling a number of large steel
tow barges. Wheat loaded at Duluth
Superior Manitowoc, Gladstone or any
other port Will proceed direct to Buffa-
10 or Cleveland where they will be met
by the boats of the new canal company
The cargoes will be transferred to the
canal fleet, which will proceed imme-
diately to Albany via canal at the
latter city the Hudson river offers $50
miles Of clean sailing to New York
city. The common council of New
York has done much to aid the project
by granting the free use Of wharyes
and warehouses at Fifty second street.
on the Upper East river This Is
very valuable concession to the COM
pany, as it obViates the expense of
Tightening the cargOes. All this cuts
down expenses and consequently has
rates. The steam canal boats can run
without difficulty from Buffalo to New
York, and very likely from Cleveland.
Mr.. Young says the new company
will start out this year with thirty
boats, and that an equal number of
new boats will be placed in commission
each year until there is a sufficient
number to handle the traffic The pro-
meters of the scheme are very conf
dent of its ultimate success. Natur-
ally, the railroads will fight it, as it
means the deepest kind of warfare
from the first of April to the middle Of
November.
From st. Paul or Minneapolis, the
shipments can reach the lakes either
via the st. Paul & Duluth to Duluth
the Eastern Minnesota to the same
point, the 500 to Gladstone or Peshtiga,
the Wisconsin Central to Manitowoc, or
the Omaha to Ashland