The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1899-12-30
A KLoNDIKE OF COMMERCE.
The Great Lakes aud Their Ena-
p0rtnnce To Our National
ProRrcss.

United States is dependent on these
lakes for their export and import trade.
This waterway taps the richest aud I
most prosperous agricultural territory |
on this continent of ours. together with /
! our most productive mines, and tia |
worth while noting that within ra-
dius of l0n miles of Cleveland lies one
/ half the population of the United I
States. Ii is a well-tstahlisied fact TINT
/ deep-water transportation is, and rec
essarily= usthe. far below the cost |
of transportation by rail; indeed, il |
/ is computed that the cost of @wuter |
transportation by steam, when the vcN- /
are Is of any considerable length. Is I
about quarter the average cost of |
/ transportation by rail, while by sail |
beat it is only one-eighth OF the latter. I
As this question Of transportation de- I
tetWtneS Ia u great extent the existence
or the noreXistenee OF Il possible IN.
dustry, aud enhances or dimnishes tho /
value of every article OF export in pro-
portioa 10 it's efficiency and economy. |
the battle cry of the west for 80 feet OF |
water between Duluth and tho sea"
Is no great problem To account for. In I
the year isoS there passed through the /
Sault ste. Marie canals no less than sl,- |
s346Gt tons OF Canadian freight. alone |
hav'sg value OF 5000 100000, while |
American ships moved somc tGS.ece,oo |
tons through the saEc waters for the |
same length of time.
Tho total traffic through the locks
o. this $500" canal FOR less than eight
months is five times rs reat in mum
her of vessels and slightly less thaa
twice rs much in actual tonnage ms
passes through the Suez canal during
an entire year Through this bame
Sues canal, which boasts of carrying
the commerce Of the world, there
passed, during last wear, S,soo,0oo tom
mage, while there hoated through tho
locks of "Susun Mary" a tonnage %
1880 900. The stunrudous proportions
of the traffic on our crent lakes may
also he realized from the fact that more
ships sail the Detroit river than enter
either the port Of London or Liverpool,
A greater number Of passengers ON
the other hand. pass through this same
river than do In and out of the port 81
New York the great gateway OF the
rev world In fact, the total humble
. Of passengers carried annually by the
lake fleet falls very slightly short Of
= cen 600 Gnp The city az I}ufrnlu. which
claims the largest rratl elevator In the
world, turs n business in the trnns-
p shipment ~ grain and -four which ex-
. ceeds that done las ans other city in
u existence. Cleveland, with the cNcep-
e ton ri the CN&r, Is the most extensive
u rhipbuildirE center ~ the present DAY.
Z The neither shores Of the lower lake.
L. have been neck,nccd with II collection Of
I the busiest and mnst prosperous mauu-
Il featuring ccntrrs In the United States,
n and so much so that to-day our epup-
try's commercial center OF gravity viii
$ be found 10 fail somewhere along the
{ northern portion II Ohio Mn aud
y foundry and factory In all these cities
depend on the great iron irciehtcrs
that steam northwnrd with coal mud
bring southwark thcir cnrrors Of im-
Der aud grain aud iron. and ia IN IN the
4 possibility nf such economic exchange
that turks the secret OF Uncle Sans
mercantile greatness,
II Is in just this. too, that lies the
, secret ~ how the United States has
!, taken such n generous hand In the
, feeding 81 the world II IL nh accepted
+. fact with shippers that Liverpool makes
4 the price 81 cash wheat and that every
cent saved on the cost of delivering
American grniu nt Liverpool means 81
. much money to hc paid 10 the owner of
this wheat NJ the time II IN sold and
shipped. So Duluth, in a commercial
u. sense. h. placed hy the great lakes 2.o0D
miles closer to Europe than H.. let lis
say 81 Louis The Canadian govern
mcut has recently realized THE fact.
mud, although they have heretofore at.
lowed American Vessels TO cartY tG rcr
cent Of the traffic ~ tho greet lakes,
they are now perfrcting deep water.
way system from Port Arthur 20 ihe
CUT nf the 81 Lawrence lint prom
iaes 90 threaten even The hutiurfa ~
T. the port 81 New York mud the com-
J parati,vly dimlnufiyr Etic cnuai The
% Isu link ~ this enterprise Of Tho Gam.
: Adinp government nrE forged hy the
+ opening ~ The SpuanRra canal, and
by its operation II Is expected that the
b cost 81 Transporting latc frripbts to
b tide-watrr will be reduced To such an
extent that there wijl be- 8 saving ~
= from one to- tw1 cents buahcl on
wheat The Canadians have expended
over 9C2 .Gtg ~ srcuFc their 70 feet
of water between Port Arthur end
Montreal snd In comparison with This
. the sN03DcoG expended by tho United
: States seems relatively Insignificant.
especially when one remembers the
sufpaselrg extent 10 which our com.
rnefrisi interests are involved IN such
deep waterway Improvements our
. greatest interests IN this connection.
Of c1ufte. ARE IN the iron and coal sx-
change, which takes plare between
ohio sb9 Lake superior ports.
II isan uuAppreelaied and indisputu.
bic fact hat the great lakes he ~ the
root ~ Americas present supremacy
In the iron and steel market Of the
world II las beer actunlig the seGtte
ton 81 lake freight rates ON these two
essentials 81 life ard commerce.
trat ght about ~ improved facilities
for loading ard disebafRiua enfRoeg,
the Increased tonnage Of lake settels.
at the improvement ~ rivers and bar
bpYr. that has allowed The American
tftsl-potAer tfIuuplHutiy 20 invade
the English markets Ainaies'k Nigga
zine.