Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-13
COMMERCE. OF THE LAKES
SEASON EVER KNOWN IS
PREDICTED.
Increase of Over Two Thousand Pei
Cent in Twenty-Eight Years
Indicated.

No feature Of the commerce of the United
States, whether domestic or foreign, shows
a more wonderful development than that
carried upon the great lakes. where navI-
CATION is about to resume for the season of
1900
A growth in our foreign commerce from
one billion dollars in 1872 to two billion dol
lars in 1900 Is remarkable, and an increase
Of our exports from four hundred and forty
four million dollars in 1872 to twelve hun
bred and twenty-seven million dollars in
1899 Is even more striking; but this growth
Is insignificant when compared with the
growth Of commerce on the great lakes as
measured by the few available measuring
rods which the present rather unsatisfac-
tory statistical system furnishes. Yet the
fact that navigation on the lakes is about
to open, and that the greatest season
ever known is confidently predicted by those
familiar with the traffic there, makes some
facts which the treasury bureau of statis-
tics has just presented in one Of its monthly
publications especially interesting.
Increase of 1000 Per Cent.
The single point at which accurate stats-
teal statements have been kept during a
siderable term OF years is at St. Mary's
Falls canal, which connects Lake Superior
with Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Onta-
rio and by study of these figures it is prac-
ticable to compare in some degree the growth
OF internal commerce on the great lakes
with that of our foreign commerce. AS al
ready indicated, the foreign commerce of
the United States has doubled since 1872,
and the exports have trebled during that
period. During the same time the tonnage
OF vessels engaged in commerce passing
through the st. Mary's Falls canal has in
creased from 914 735 registered tons in 1872
to y ,aaS,347 tons in 1899, the increase hav-
ing been over 1000 per cent, as against an
increase of 100 n fnrotpp
commerce and 200 per cent in exports.
Inc great articles entering into the COM
mere on the lakes are wheat, flour and
other grains, coal. iron and lumber. The
statements of the quantities of these ar
ticles passing through the 500 canal illus
trate the growing utilization of this great
water route for transportation of these ar
tlcles so readily transported in bulk In
1911 the number of bushels of wheat pass
ing through the canal was 1876 7O5 while
m 1888 the number of bushels was IS. 397
80 3d. or more than forty times as much as in
ISn: Meantime, the receipts of wheat at
Bu1alo nave increased from Il 600 COO BUSH
els in 1872 20 100000 in 1898. while the
total receipts of grain of all kinds Qnclud-
ing wheat in the form Of -four received at
Buffalo by lake increased from 80 OOO 600
bushels In 1872 to 267, OOO, 900 bushels in 1s9s
MeanWnile the expectation of wheat and
T hour increased from $4,000 900
pusheis IN 1872 to 222 900 900 in 1899 the in
crease in transportation by lake thus being
niuch greater proportionately than the In.
crease in exports from the seaboard. Trans
portation of flour through the 500 canal has
Increased with even greater rapidity grow
ing from 136411 barrels in 1872 to lid 147
barrels in 1899. while grain other than
wheat increased from 1877 bushels in
1o'2 to 5o,oOo,Oo0 bushels In 1899.
Metals and Minerals.
In metals and minerals the growth of
transportation on the lakes is quite as
striking as in breadstuffs. the quantity of
ceal carried on the 500 canal having in
creased from SOS15 tons in 1872 to 3,9aO sS7
tons in 1899. Coal from the PENNSYLVANIA
and Ohio fields is supplied at low freight
rates to the Lake Superior region, where
coal production Is light and fuel greatly in
demand, as the vessels which carry the iron
ore. grain and flour from the Lake Superior
region carry coal on their return trips at
nominal freight rates, and as a consequence
the coal passing through the 500 canal, as.
has already indicated, increased from so. S15
tonsin 1877 tO3.9iO SSI tons in 1899. The prod
uct OF the Lake Superior region which is
poured through the 500 canal in increasing
quantities every year is, after grain and
-four, which have been already mentioned,
chiefly iron ore, copper and lumber. The
iron ore shipments through the canal in
creased from 1888 1o5 tons in 1872 to IL, 32S,-
2iO tons In 1880; copper, from IA ,591 tons in
1872 to 10000 tons in 1899, and lumber
from 1,l42.OU feet in 1872 to 1,03S.O57 900
feet in 1899. The report from which these
also include the traffic through the Cana
dian canal, lying just alongside st. Mary's
Falls canal. which was opened to COM
merce September 8, 1895.
Some additional and equally interesting
facts are shown for the period from 1887 to
1893. These relate to the proportion Of
freight carried by American and Canadian
vessels, value Of American and Canadian
craft, and cost of transportation per mile
per ton of freight passing through the canal.
II shows that the percentage of freight car
RED by Canadian vessels. which in 1887 was
Z per cent Of the total. was in 1898 only 22
per cent. The value of Canadian craft
passing this point was in 1887 81 OS9, 400 and
in 1898 s2,491 800 while that of American
craft, which in 1887 was ST ,6S4 $50 was in
1898 $40 1893 800, the value of Canadian craft
having increased less than % per cent while
that of American craft had nearly trebled.
and the total registered tonnage, as already
indicated, having increased from 913 435
tons in 1872 to 81 95S347 tons in 1890. With
this Increase in tonnage and business comes
an equally striking decrease in freight rates.
the cost of transportation per ton per mile
having fallen from % mills in 1887 to 20 Of
a mill in 1898.