Catoctin clarion., 1898-12-01
ST. CLAIR SHIP CANAL
IMPORTANT INFLUENCE IT WOULD
HAVE ON LAKE TRAFFIC.

A Cut of Fourteen Miles at an Expense Of
$500, 900 Which Would Save Seventy,
nine Miles-Recent Development Of Com
merce Throughout Lake System.
The prospects for the construction
Of the St. Clair and Erie ship canal IN
the near future have recently attracted
q good deal OF attention among busi-
ness and shipping men. 1t is stated,
upon what is believed to be good au-
thority, that within year operations
will be begun, Two years work
would be required in any case before
the canal could be completed and open
ed for traffic. The purpose of this
canal is to shorten materially the sail
ing distance between Lake st. Clair
and Lake Erie and to afford deep,
safe and direct channel In place OF the
present unsatisfactory, tortuous and
dangerous one through the Detroit
River.
Leaving the old course in Lake st.
Clair at a point about five miles from
the foot Of the st. Mary's River, the
proposed course strikes southeast d.
rectly across Lake st. Clair in bee
line for Cleveland. 1t cuts through
the low-lying neck of land which sep
arates Lake st. Clair from Lake Erie
and debouches into the latter at point
about sixty miles easterly Of the usual
route through the Detroit River. This
low-lying land forms the southwestern
extremity of Ontario. In general con-
formation it resembles somewhat the
Iberian peninsula, Lake st. Clair TAX
ing the place of the Bay Of Biscay and
Lake Erie Of the Mediterranean. In
this view the St. Clair Canal would be
a counterpart Of the long-projected
Bordeaux Mediterranean Canal.
The direct saving in distance would
be- seventy-nine miles. The actual
cutting necessary is about fourteen
miles, and the expense Of constructing
the canal Is estimated by the engineers
at about $5,5O0,O00. The management
believes that toll Of three cents ton
on the freight, which may reasonably
be expected to pass through this chan
mel upon its completion, would Justify
the outlay for construction and repay
all expenses of interest and manage
ment If two-thirds of the tonnage
now passing Detroit should avail itself
of the advantages Of the canal the tolls
would meet these anticipations. At
the rate mentioned 1t is not apparent
why all the through traffic now pass
ing Detroit would not take the new
route. That portion Of the thousand
mile journey to the seaboard to be
rendered more safe by the proposed
canal is passed over by all through or
long distance traffic, for the tonnage
passing through the Detroit River has
always served with approximate ac-
curacy to gauge the development OF
commerce throughout the whole sys-
tenn. Thus, for example, in 1889 the
cargo tonnage carried through the De-
troit River in American vessels (and
exclusive of that carried In Canadian
vessels) was 19,717.S60 tons, while the
shipments from all American lake
ports aggregated but 25,027, ,30S tons.
The proposed construction in this
new link in the chain Of magnificent
waterways which connect Duluth, Chi
cago, and other western lake ports
with the tide water again calls atten-
ton to the enormous growth of the
lake marine in recent years, Its steady
and continuous advance, and the re.
cent improvements both tn the vessels
themselves and in the facilities Of dock.
ing, loading and unloading. The mag.
nitude of this commerce, as demon
strated by the accurate official reports
now kept for a considerable series OF
years. while we'll known to shipping
men and to most residents Of the lake,
side cities, is we'll recognized cause
of surprise and astonishment to the
great bulk of otherwise well informed
Americans, to say nothing Of foreign.
ers whose ignorance of the trade de-
mands Of our country might more
readily admit of excuse. To take the
figures of this commerce for the last
ten years. only, and omit amounts
smaller than one million tons, we find
that In 1887 the registered tonnage
passing through the Detroit River
amounted to about 100000
tons. Advancing each year in
a steady growth by one or two
million tons, this tonnage amount
ed in the year 1892 to 26,000,000
at which it now stands. The enor-
nous extent of this business is more
readily appreciated when one is re-
minded that these figures indicate
tonnage four times as great as that
which passes through the Suez Canal,
twice as great as the combined tonnage
OF the ports of London and Liverpool,
and double the entrances and clear"
ances at the port Of New York. This,
too, is for the annual shipping season
of eight or nine months at most, while
the Suez Canal and the English ports
are open all the year around.
Not alone in regard to the amount OF
tonnage now employed is the record a
marvellous one. The character of the
tonnage has undergone within a de-
cade most wonderful change for the
better. Steam has been substituted
for canvas altogether and steel ships
for wooden. 1t is believed that no.
where in the world can steel ships now
be built more cheaply than in the lake.
side shipyards. The only reasonable
limit placed upon length Is that es.
tablished by the necessity of steering
and the principal existing limitation oi
loading depth Is fixed by the shoals
met with in the Detroit River and in
the western end of Lake Erie. Were
all obstacles to frse navigation remov.
ed the vessels now building would
adopt the dimensions of ocean vessels