Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-12-23
COMMERCES KLONDIKE.
MORE SHIPS SAIL THE DETROIT
RIVER THAN ENTER LONDON.


|
One-rhird OF the Population OF the
| United ststes Dependent on the Great
Lakes-HOw We Feed the World
! Some Remarkable Facts.
The enormous traffic OF the Great
Lakes is we'll brought out in an art
icle in Ainslee's Magazine, by Arthur
j. Stringer, who writes:
''The Great Lakes have become a
great artery OF our richest commercial
blood. One.third of the population
OF the United States is dependent on
these lakes for their export and i'm.
port trade. This waterway taps the
richest and most prosperous agricul-
tura( territory OIL this continent of
ours, together with our most produc.
tive mines, and it is worth while not
ing that within radius OF 400 miles
of Cleveland lies one.half the popula-
tion of the United States. 1t is we'll
established fact that deep. water trans.
portation is, and necessarily must be,
far below the cost Of transportation
by rail; indeed, it is computed that the
cost of water transportation by steam,
when the voyage is of any consider
able length, is about one.quarter the
average cost OF transportation by rail,
while by sailboat it is only one-eighth
of the latter. AS this question Of
transportation determines to a great
extent the existence or the non-exist-
ence of a possible industry, and en-
hances or diminishes the value of
every article of export in proportion
to its efficiency aud economy, the bat
tie cry of the West for twenty feet of
water between Duluth and the sea is
no great problem to account for. In
the year 1898 there passed through
the Sault Ste. Marie canals no less
than 21,2a4,66I tons of Canadian
freight, alone having a value Of $780,
600, 900, while American ships moved
some 1853, 100000 tons through the |
same waters for the same length of |
time.
THE $500" AND THE sUEZ.
"The total traffic through the locks
OF this 500 Canal, for less than eight
months, is five times as great in num-
Der of vessels and slightly less than
twice as much in actual tonnage as
passes through the Suez Canal during
an entire year. Through this same
Suez Canal, which boasts of carrying
the commerce OF the world, there
passed, during last year, 100000
tonnage, while there tioated through
the locks of Susan Mary tonnage of
16,500,000. The stupendous proper.
tions of the traffic on our great lakes
may also be realized from the fact that
more ships sail the Detroit River
than enter either the port OF London
or Liverpool. A greater number of pas
sengers, on the other hand, pass
through this same river than do in
and out OF the port of New York, the
great gateway of the New World. In
fact, the total number Of passengers
carried annually by the lake fleet falls
very slightly short OF 200, 100000.
The city of Buffalo, which claims the
largest grain elevator in the world,
does business in the trans shipment
of grain and -four which exceeds that
done by any other city in existence.
Cleveland, with the exception Of the
Clyde, is the most extensive ship.
building centre OF the present day.
The neither shores of the lower lakes
have been necklaced with collection
OF the busiest and most prosperous
manufacturing centres in the United
States, and so much so that to-day
our country's commercial centre OF
gravity will be found to fall somewhere
along the northern portion Of Ohio.
Mill and foundry and factory in oil
these cities depend on the great iron
freighters that steam north with coal
and bring southwark their cargoes Of
timber and grain and iron, and it is
in the possibility of such economic
exchange that turks the secret of Uncle
Sans mercantile greatness.
... WE FEED THE WORLD.
"It is in just this, too, That lies the
secret OF how the United States has
taken such generous hand in the
feeding of the world. It is an &C.
cepted fact with shippers that Liver
pool makes the price of cash wheat,
and that every cent saved on the cost
Of delivering American grain at Liver
pool means so much money to be paid
to the owner of this wheat ct the time
it is sold and shipped. So Duluth, in
q commercial sense. is placed by the
Great Lakes two thousand miles closer
to Europe than is, let us say, st. Louis.
The Canadian Government has recent {
ly realized this fact, and, although they {
have heretofore allowed American ves-
sells to carry ninety-six per cent. OF
the traffic of the Great Lakes, they are
now perfecting deep waterway sys. I
tenn from Port Arthur to the Gulf OF ,
st. Lawrence that promises to threaten 8
even the business of the port Of New 6
York and the comparatively diminu- /
tive Erie Canal. The last link of this :
enterprise of the Canadian Govern ,
ment was forged by the opening Of the
Soulanges Canal, and by its operation +
It is expected that the cost of trans =
porting lake freights to tide water will =.
be reduced to such an extent that !
there will be saving of from one 10 ,,
two cents bushel on wheat. The :
Canadians have expended over $685.. ,
900, 900 to secure their fourteen feet !
Of water between Port Arthur and d,
and in comparison with this -,
the $4O,OOO,0OO expended by the 8
United States seems relatively in .
significant, especially when one re- :
members the surprising extent to
which our commercial interests are In.
volved in such deep waterway improve
ments, Our greatest interests in this
of course, are in the iron
and coal exchange, which takes place
between Ohio and Lake Superior
ports,
IRON AND STEEL.
ut is an unarpreciated but indis-
putable fact that the Great Lakes lie u,
ut the root of Americas present gu. !