Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-09-14

Modern Lake vesseIs Find the We'll
land Canal Much Too Small.

Chicago Chronicle: The province OF On
tarfo Is becoming alarmed over the SEEM
ing decadence OF the Welland canal.
md strong pleas are being made for har-
Dor improvements at Port Colborne,, is
Lake Erie terminal. 1t Is urged that the
Tack OF harbor facilities at this port Is
largely responsible for the loss In traffic.
The harbor is in the sam condition
that II was seventeen years ago, when
the Welland canal was opened. rhe Lake
vessels now require such a depth of WA
ter that none of the largest class attempt
to enter Port Colborne. f4A
The Welland canal is twenty-six and a
alt miles In length, connecting Lake
Erie and Lake Ontario by cutting.
through the narrow Nliearaa peninsula.
There is a fall OF 32GM feet in the twenty
seven miles of canal, necessitating TWEEN
ty-six locks. These locks are 270 feet
In length by As feet in width. The canal
has a depth OF fourteen feet, and when
IL was opened It was supposed that pro-
vision had been made for the largest
axe craft. But the deep Sault Ste. Marie
canal has permitted the construction OF
such deep freight carriers that most of
the vessels that could navigate the We'll
land canal ave been driven out of the
carrying trade.
|, When the vessels became too large to
enter the Welland canal, Tightening was
resorted to-. Tho Grand Trunk railway
eotN y ohiN AHS PoA tiN VAIN NA0
canal. Enough of the cargo was trans
ferred to the railroad to enable the ves-
sel to pass through, the canal and then
the cargo was taken on again at the other
terminal. This expedient has worked fair
ly well Until recently: but In the mean
time the lake vessels have been growing
N size each year, and with each
increase came lower freight rates,
driving the smaller vessels out
of competition. Steamers with 2oO,-
000-bushel capacity now control the car
rying trade, and these cannot enter Port
Colborne harbor The vessels that can
enter are growing less in number each
season and soon even the experiment of
Tightening vessels will not suffice to bring
traffic to the canal.
While the Canadian government admits
the necessity of a better harbor, IL seems
unwilling to take immediate steps toward
providing one. 1t is urged that this will
| prove OF only temporary value unless the
canal Is enlarged as well; and IL the canal
Is enlarged so as to permit the largest
lake craft. there will still be heavy ex-
penditures required on the st. Lawrence
route. which does not even have a four
teen-foot channel for Its entire length,
although that depth is expected to be Sc
cured this season.
The Welland canal. up to date. has cost
the Canadians $24. 1I3,352. Its best year
In tonnage was 1898. when 1.294 ,s23 tons
or grain and mercnandlse passeu lnfoush
II east and west. Since then, the decline
In grain shipments has been especially
marked. although the grain traffic en- the
lakes increases every year. In 1893, the
grain that passed down the Welland was
about 10 per cent of the grain receipts at
Buffalo; in 1898, II was about Q per cent
or a loss of 40 per cent as compared with
Buffalo. The grain that passed down the
welland last year was less than I'VE
years ago, while the grain receipts at
Buffalo were nearly three times what
they were ten years ago.