Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-05-11


and Lake Champlan to the Hudson.
The canal between Lake Erie and Lake
Ontario Will be common to both routes
Tho all-United States route will run from
Oswego by way of Oneida Lake 10 MO
hawk down the Mohawk, striking the
Hudson at Troy. Tho International route
pa sses by way of the St. Lawrence to
Lake st. Francis. thence by canal 20 Lake
Champlain, from Lake Champaign TO
Whitehall, by canal from Whitehail to
Troy, there striking the same point as
the alternative route.
The engineers in charge Of the Inter
national survey, which is of the most in
terest to Canadians, are Mr.. Frank p.
Davis c. F., from Lake st. Francis to
Lake Champlain: Mr. G. l. Harrison, I.
e., from Whitehall to Troy. and Mr.. j.
w. Beardsley, C. f., who is making an
examination of the st. Lawrence river
between Lake St. Francis and Lake on
tario. The survey between Lake St
Francis and Lake Champlan was COM
menced in July, of last year, and Will, as
before stated, be completed about the
middle of May, only few more borlnSs
having now to be made. Mr.. DAVIS, WHO
is an engineer of great experience ana
ability, has had about 80 men working on
the section in his charge; his detailed
maps are now almost finished, and he and
his assistants are busily engaged prepar-
ing estimates of cost. The maps ana estl-
mates will be sent to the headquarters OF
the commission at Detroit, and it is eX-
pected that the complete report VIII %
sent to Washington about December l.
The route of the proposed canal joining
Lake ST Francis and Lake Champlain,
cannot fail to be of general interest. The
different points the proposed canal Will
strike along the route are as follo~s
One and "a quarter miles south of john
sons Corner on the Canada, Atlantic
railroad; it crosses Chateauguay river
three quarters of mile below Ormstow1l,
and strikes Lake st. Louis about two
miles above where the St. Louis Feeder
leaves the lake entering Lake Champlain
at Kings Bay, few miles south or
! Rouses Point.
! The length of canal between Lake St.
! Francis and Lake Champlain Will be
about AZ miles, and the canal from Whlte-
hall to Troy will measure about "a miles;
that is to say that the total length of
canals by the international route Will be
l13 miles, against about 23S miles Of canal
ling by the all-Amercan route. The level
of Lake st. Francis Is about GO feet higher
i than that of Lake Champlain and the
highest point of land reached between
the two is lis feet, this point is near the
station on the Canada, Atlantic railroad
at Johnsons Corner, and here cutting
30 feet deep will be necessary only Two
locks will have to oe provided on lhs
canal the general trend of the land being
a gradual decination from Lake st. Fran
els to Lake Champlain. The canal route
now surveyed is about nine miles longer
than the route proposed by the Canadian
Commit ssioners on the International Com
mission in 1896, but frequent and thorough
testings of the character of the soil, anc
actual measurements levels, etc, have
/ proven the new route to be the most prac'
, ticable and economical. Mr.. Davis anc
,l-i NJ Get lima 70
for the two sizes of canals, the first to be
20 feet deep, 203 feet wide on bottom ir
? earth. and $50 in rock; the second to be
q feet in depth. 2l5 feet wide in earth or
bottom. and $40 feet in rock.
1t will be seen that this subject is one
: of great magnitude and Importance, ant
\ that it involves an undertaking on the
part of the governments Of the United
states and the Dominion of Canada which
affects the material interests of that i'm
mense region bordering on both sides o
the great inland seas. upper lakes, TN
largest bodies of fresh water in the world
II embraces over six degrees of latitude
and sixteen degrees of longitude, bord
I cred by eight of the United States and tn
most fertile portion of the Dominion o
u Canada. In the words of ex-senator Ed
munds to the deep waterways convention
: at Cleveland in September, 1880 The sit
uation is unique; nowhere on the race o
the globe does there exist naturally any
thing comparable to these means of com
mercial and social Intercourse and pro
gress, and nowhere are the peoples of dif
ferent nations having such resources o
!, intercourse whose habits and customs an
Il social systems are really so much alik,
), The Canadian Commission was appoint
ed by an order-ln-council dated Nov. l.
1896 and Immediately set to work, but tn
appropriation did not allow of a complete
y independent survey. An invitation wa
| received from DR.. Angel, chairman of III
United States Commissioners, to met
the later in Detroit, which was accepted
and joint sitting OF the two commission
was held there on Jan. H. IS, 90 and ?
1895. The principal business Of the joir
sittings was the consideration of the e>
listing materials in the form of map
:" charts, surveys, and reports, hithert
made at various times by the govern
L ments of Great Britain, Canada, and II
E. United States. 1t was found that info
l. nation already existed which was sun
Client to enable a provisional profile to
made of a route from Lake Superior
tide-water, via the St. Lawrence and Il
. Hudson.
~ In making his report of this preliminai
=, meeting, Mr. Rowland says: The S
III Lawrence and Lake Champlain sectio
together with the necessary branch
a, connect it with Lake st. Louis and Mo-
:, treal, will comprise the Canadian porto
- OF a deep waterway which Will come
the great lakes with Montreal and Ne
York and, it Is probably due to "A stroi
conviction in the west that the only WI
he by which New York Uhe most impOrta
nd market on the continenO can be reach
Ivy the largest vessels without transshi
at mont is by utilizing the wide and de
To- waterways of Lake Ontario, the st. 1,a'
renee river and Lake Champlain, tn
this International Commission has be
created, and also because such a wate
way could be readily connected with oce
ais navigation at Montreal, and thus secu
the shortest route to Europe, While I
to government of the United States has q
ceded to the urgent and combined desl
of the people of the western States a
re- lake cities to undertake the Investigate
MS of the most feasible route to the ocea
whether national or international In cha
'as acter, at the same time there are lar
lin local interests naturally favored by r
tional sympathies, which advocate rot
completely within United States territo
Tot These influences have procured the
PRODUCTION OF an act OF Congress author
is ing an aprropria ton of 100000 for an {
his animation into the possibility Of an ent
gh ~ United States route by way of the N
!. hawk valley from Lake Ontario TO