Warren sheaf., 1898-04-07
THE COMMERCE OF THE LAKES
iotaA tonnage of the 500 Double That
%Of the Snez Canal .z.ss4.

iotaA tonnage of the 500 Double That
#of the Snez Canal. +.s.
Ihe commerce of the lakes is enor-
nous. The outlet from Lake Superior to
Lake Huron had always been serious
oostacle to commerce, in that it was
not deep enough to allow the larger
freight and passenger boats to pass
comfortably through. Locks have been
Du1lt at government expense, at the
coast OF many millions of dollars, which
now allow the passage of large boats;
ana TWO more locks are being, built; and
and two more locks are being built
one by the Canadians, and one by the
Amerlcans-which will still further in
crease commerce. The new lock on the
American side is larger than the old,
and, when completed, will be one of the
most wonderful pieces of masonry to
be found in the country. 1t will allow
the passage of vessels drawing 21 feet
OF water. 1t has cost several millions
of dollars, and will not be completed for
a year or two. ..
For many years the great Suez canal
was looked upon as the most wonderful
piece OF commercial engineering in the
world, carrying enormous cargoes
through it's gateway from the east.
But in this newer land the commerce of
the fakes has dwarfed the Suez canal.
Ihe total tonnage of the 500 during the
year 1897 was 16, 10000 The tonnage of
the Suez canal in 1896 was 100000
This tonnage of the 500 does not by any
means represent the entire commerce
of the great lakes; it is only portion of
1T. Hundreds of thousands of tons of
merchandise and supplies of all kinds
are shipped annually up from Lake
Michigan points through the Straits of
Mackinac eastward, which do not pass
through the 500; and many thousands
more go eastward from points below
the 500 on the other lakes, to be ex-
changed for other supplies for points
also below the 500.
Year after year this immense traffic is
growing. From the great west there
come, to the gateway of the 500, wheat
and flour and lumber and iron ore-all
the natural products from vast area
of country, drawn to the lake route
because it is so much cheaper to move
goods by water than by rail. In re-
turn, the east sends the west vast
quantities of manufactured goods, and
immense supplies of hard and soft COAL
The west furnishes raw materials; the
east manufactures these materials and
sends back the products of her fac
tories and mills. There were received
at the ports of Duluth and Superior
during the year 1S96-that is, during
the lake season., ,775,712 tons of coal.
On the margins of these lakes, par
ticularly on the shores of Superior,
there are ore-bearing rocks containing
iron, silver, copper and gold. The iron
ore is of remarkable commercial value,
and practically inexhaustible in
amount. Immediately tributary to
Lake Superior, in some cases on it's
very banks, are iron mines the output
of which rivals that of any mines in the
world, and the supply in ''sight,'' as the
miners say, will furnish the:world with
iron for centuries to come .,
Some of the lumber which goes east
by way of the lakes is sent away on to
South American points without separa-
ton, taking first journey, of perhaps
several hundred miles, down the rivers
to the mills, then a thousand miles and
more on the lakes to the ST. Lawrence,
passing through the Welland canal to
get to Ontario, and then trying few
thousand miles of salt water-a pictur-
in St. Nicholas