New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-26
NETWORKS COMMERCE..
THE VALUE OF THE LONG ISLAND SOUND ROUTE
AND THE HARLEM SHIP CANAL IN


AND THE HARLEM SHIP CANAL IN
HELPING TO RETAIN 1T.
To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: May IT not be the case that there is a
strong undercurrent seeking to divert the wor'o
traffic from the great continental route across 'ne
American continent? II this shall be done; II the
chief route from the Orient to Europe be maae
elsewhere than on United States soil while the
United States Government is wrapped In CONNER
cial slumber it will not be the first time IN inc
worlds history that great nation mas oe7"
caught mapping.
This country has thousands OF miles of coastiine
and ought II have proper merchant marine 'e
vice such as other nations have. TO transport our
products and our malls to the ports OF the iore'e"
world. as well TO transport those OF our own
people who desire to visit the countries OF their
ancestors The lack of such marine Is an evil vi
vast magnitude, and 1t will require bold ana lar
seeing statesman TO deal with it, Senator Eiks
proposes plan that worked well In the early MS
tory OF country. But some more tangible sup
port might be required before capitoiis's
would organize to build fleet of fast steamers one
Of which would depart daily from New-York Tor
Europe on fixed schedule time. regardless OF the
tide Such line, starting from Port Morris, "ouii
quickly become known in all the large ports OF
the world as affording the surest and swiftes'
route from the Orient Europe.
With a wel-built Harlem River ship-canal and
proper improvements OF the Erie Canal there
would be unrvalled union between inland and
ocean commerce. Passengers mails. provisions
fruits and general merchandise could be sent out
daily six days week. landing passengers and
mails in London by way OF Bristol In hve Gays.
Rates Of passage for irst-class passengers coud
be reduced to $50 and freight rates likewise. Inc
time from Chicago to London could be reduced TO
six days Can timetable be more satisfactorily
arranged with better assurance that it can be exc
cuted on any other route? With wise legislation
this can In detail be brought 10 pass In three years
from the present day. Ii should be possible, also
for a similar line lines Of steamers to be estab-
lished between New-York and the chief ports oil
those South American countries with which TINS
country desires to establish close commercial reia-
tons
The Mississippi Commission has just held its
eighteenth annual meeting In this city. 1t has not
yet been announced exactly how many million dol
lars have in all these years been expended upon
improvements of that river. but it seems to be an
evident fact that the river Is still in most depior-
able condition In 1873 placed paper before Con-
gress after having been engaged for many years
| in commercial transactions in New-Orleans and
after much travel upon the Mississippi and its trib-
utaries, with close observation of the conduct OF
that stream.
In that paper l remarked that the great river,
with its weighty sediment Would doubtless con-
! tinue to open new channels and fill up old ones
beyond the power of any ordinary engineering skill
! to control It. But / urged that the prosperous
! States which are directly benefited by the COM
merce of the river should build levees along It to
restrain its floods. At the recent meeting OF the
! Commission a prominent United States engineer
remarked that thus to put the Mississippi River
into strait jacket as it should be, might COST
from SIS 600 900 to 500 100000 Might it not be more
profitable then to put about one-quarter of the
latter sum into a progressive merchant marine ser
! vice?
Much is being said about the present entrance to
the port OF New-York over the sand flats ina
I stretch across from Coney Island to the New-Jer
| sey shore called the Sandy Hook bar route 1t is
urged that it can be widened and deepened sc
! that what Is narrow and SHALLOW channe
can be made suitable for the passage OF the largesl
/ fact Yet the Mayor of New-York says that there
, is great deficiency of proper dock room loI c ,
to go into dangerous waters. where proper facili
ties for its reception are not proV!ueu anu a.
and where more mishaps occur than these ESQ., oyer
| crowded waters of the harbor OF New-1 orKi
| United States engineer has had the Sandy Hooi
channel in hand for years. and has expended MUG,
money thereon, yet the same old story Is sun tod
so Tns hat' tnrbulen bit Of water In one Of Il
angry moods it upheaved Coney island ana l'ocn
Beach from Its oweG DEPTHS ano no" az
steadily filling up from the Coney island sue -
SANDY Hook II VIII not De from am hayng its owl
sweet will. But the bar IT is placing in the way o
Networks may be awotoe saad Sound
AT Port Morris land and ocean commerce can COM
into close conjunction as in no other narDor 81
matter and merchandise of all kinds can be trans
ferred more quickly and more cheaply thah al an.
surely. il ought not to be said that our CANADIAN
cousins. who only few years ago were Ias9ns 81, =
cannon awoke from their profound slumber ar
now far ahead Of US and we 70 Ss
New-York July H. 1897.