New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-15

THE SOULANGES CANAL.
STEAMERS OF FOURTEEN FEET DRACGHT
WILL GO DOWN TO MONTREAL
NEXT SEASON.

Montreal, Oct ii (speciaD.-The opening OF
the souanges Canal last Monday marks the
completion Of fourteen foot waterway between
Montreal and the Great Lakes. and thus puts the
COMMISSIONS on the great system Of Canadian
canals on which nearly $4O.OOO.OOO has been
expended The shipping season Is now 80 near
its close that the canal. though formally
opened, Will not be used until the spring; put
next summer steamers with 'lraught OF FOUR
teen feet will be able to take on cargoes OF
wheat at Fort William and come through 10
Montreal without breaking cargo.
The Soulanges Canal was designed TO replace
the shallow Beauharnois Canal which is on the
other side Of the river When the question OF
deepening the st. Lawrence canals from nine
to fourteen feet was brought up some ten years
ago the engineers reported that 1t would be
cheaper to cut a new canal on the other side
Of the st. Lawrence than to deepen and enlarge
the Beauharnois Canal and accordingly the
canal just completed was begun The canal is the
connecting link between Lake st. Francis and
Lake ST. Louis between which the mighty st.
Lawrence falls S2x feet four great rapids
the Couteau. Cedars Split Rock and Cascades
occurring within a distance Of sixteen miles.
The canal leaves Lake st. Francis just below
the village of Couteau Landing and runs in an
almost direct line to the ottawa River. which 1t
enters two miles from its confluence with the
st. Lawrence at the Cascades The fall OF S21a
feet is overcome by four locks; 7Oh feet of this
is at the Cascades end, where the bluff forming
the right bank Of the Ottawa gives an oppor-
tunity Of locating three of the locks In the first
mile. each having rise Of 23la feet. The fourth
lock is situated little three miles from
the entrance. About thousand feet above
Lock No. pair Of heavy guard gates have
been placed in solid abutments Of concrete and
masonry. At the upper end a guard lock has
been constructed. which Will be used as a lift
lock only when the level Of the lake rises above
the stages. LOckages will be made in
from twelve 10 fifteen minutes; this means a
capacity for passing during an ordinary season
2OOOOVOO tons Of freight The canal over
comes 40 per cent Of the total rise In the ST.
Lawrence from Montreal to Lake Ontario The
minimum depth Of water in the canal will be
fourteen feet, but this will be reached only in
seasons OF very low water. the depth at mean
stages being about seventeen feet
The canal has cost over 100000 II "a
operated and lit entirely by electricity. which
IS distributed from central power house Tur-
bnes giving a maximum OF GAO horse power will
operate the generators In building the canal
many serious engineering problems had 70 be
met and conquered. To pass the drainage OF the
country lying to the north necessitated large
outlay. The River Delisle with maximum flow
of more than 10000 cubic feet a minute had
to be carried under the canal through four lines
of castiron tubes. ten feet In diameter laid in
trench fifty feet wide and excavated to the re-
quired depth. The two other rivers Of less VOL
ume also carried under the canal.
In past seasons the average wheat rate from
Chicago to New-York by way Of the lakes and
the Erie Canal was ~ cents a bushe and the
rate from Chicago 10 Montreal cents The
opening Of the new canal WILL II Ia believed here
reduce the rate from Chicago TO this port to bout
three cents bushel. or approximately one-half
the rate from Chicago to New-York by the Erie
Canal