Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-20
FROM GREAT LAKES TO SEA
Government Bonrd of Engineers
Makes Report on Proposed
Deep waterway Routes.

| DETROIT. Mich. Dec. 19.-The United
States board Of engineers designated by the
! president to make surveys and examinations
OF deep waterways and routes thereof be-
| tween the great lakes and Atlantic tide
| waters has submitted a preliminary report
| by request of the secretary of war upon
the question OF the regulation OF the level
! OF Lake Erie and the waterways above.
! This special report covers cnly the board ;
! findings and recommendations as to regula-
| tion OF these levels The complete report
OF the board. which will soon be presented.
covers the estimates OF the entire cost OF a
waterway having a minimum depth Of six
| teen feet or Of twenty-five feet from upper
lake ports to tdewater, and the results Of
surveys and estimates Of the different routes
for artificial channels between the great
lakes and the Hudson river, all of which
will be submitted finally to congress
The preliminary report In brief recon-
mends the regulation Of the Lake Erie level
by controlling the discharge through the
Niagara river by a system of fixed weirs,
built near the head of the Niagara river and
a series of sluices to be operated in connes-
tion with the weirs, so as to control the
discharge OF the lake and reduce the varia-
ton of its level to small amount.
The board recommends that the weirs be
constructed of concrete blocks and have an
aggregate length of 1900 feet; the sluices
thirteen in number. of the Stoney type, to
each have an opening of eighty feet Piers
of masonry are designed to separate the
slulce openings. These sluices according to
the board. can be operated under rules
easily formulated, and would amply provide
for conditions more unfavorable than any
recorded.
The report recommends a canal about a
mile in length with lock to be provided on
the American side around the end of the
dam and the rapids at the head of the
Niagara river, which canal would afford a
much safer navigable channel than the
present one through the rapids. The board
estimates the cost of the regulating work at
S796, ,923; of lock and canal. $2,325, 697. The
level adopted by the board for the regula-
tion OF Lake Erie is about 5-1O of foot
below the Level Of extreme high water. The
board is OF the opinion that with the works
proposed the level of Lake Erie can be main
tained during seasons OF navigation within
about 6-10 of foot below the level adopted
for regulation, under all conditions of sup
ply
1t is stated that the proposed notifications
of the outflow Of Lake Erie will not ma
terialy change the total volume of dis
charge, nor injure the navigation interests
of the lower waterways to any material ex-
tent. In the opinion of the Uoard one result
would be to raise the low water stage about
three feet in Lake Erie, two feet in Lake
St. Clair and one foot in Lake Huron.
Attention is called to the fact that the
project would be of an international char
acter and could only be carried out after
agreement between the United States and
Canadian governments. The report is signed
" II,
ant Colonel C. w. Raymond, corps of en-
gineers, U. s. A., and Alfred Noble, the en-
gineers comprising the deep waterways
board.
Accompanying It is submitted details Of
the surveys, soundings and maps, data as
to supply, evaporation, etc, and estimates
which contributed to working out the report