The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-16
ITS UTILITY NEARLY OVER.
1Iodcrn Lcke Vessels Find the Wei.
land Canal Much Toe Small.

land Canal Much Too Small.
Chicago Chronicle: The province OF On
tario is becoming alarmed over the SEEM
ing %decadence CT the Welland canal.
and strong pleas are being made for har-
Dor improvements at Port Colborne. Its
Lake Erie terminal. 1t is urged that the
lack of harbor facilities at this port Is
largely responsible for the loss In traffic.
The harbor is in the same condition
that 1t was years aGo, when
the Welland canal was opened. The lake
vessels now require such a depth OF wa
ter that none Of the largest class attempt
to enter Port Colborne.
The Welland canal is twenty six and a
half miles in length. connecting Lake
Erie and Lake Ontario by cutting
through the narrow Niagara peninsula.
There is a fall Of 32t;A feet in the twenty
ty-six locks. These locks are 30 feet
in length by As feet in width. Til canal
has a depth of fourteen feet, and when
1t was opened it was suppose! that pro-
vision had been made for the largest
lake craft. But the deep Sault Ste. Marie
cana has permitted the construction OF
such deep freight. carriers that most OF
tine vessels hat could navigate the Wei
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. Ihc Grand Trunk railway
built q branch line parallel with the
canal. Enough of the cargo was trans
ferred to the railroad to enable the ves-
sci to pass through the canal, and then
the cargo was taken on again at the other
terminal. This expedient has worked fair
ly we'll until recently; but in the mean
time the lake vessels have been growing
in size each year, and with each
increase came lower freight rates.
driving the smaller vessels out
Of competition. Steamers with 3U.-
O%00-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 n
While the Canadian government admits
the necessity of a better harbor, 1t 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 we'll; and II the canal
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 $24,1 49, 1852. Its best year
in tonnage was 1893, when 1904. 1913 tons
Of grain and merchandise passed through
1t east and west. Since then, the decline
in grain shipments has been especially
marked, although the grain traffic fn the
lakes increases every year. In 1893. the
grain that passed down the Welland was
about 16 per cent Of the grain receipts at
Buffalo; in 1893, 1t was about . per cent.
or a loss Of 43 per cent as compared with
Buffalo. The grain that passed down the
welland last yea was less than 1ve
years ago, while the grain receipts at
Buffalo were nearly three times what
they were ten years ago.