The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-30

OTOWtu OF DOmosgSC If0oc.
Much 10 heard Of the wonderful ex-
pansion Of foreign trade within the past
few years. and innumerabIe statistics on
the subject have been published from
time to time. 1t ia hardly realized.
however. that the domestic trade OF the
country has increased In very much
greater proportion.
A recent bulletin Of the treasury bu-
reau OF statistics gives an exact state
ment for q term OF years of the ton
mage which passes through St. Mary's
Falls canal. connecting Lake Superior
with Michigan. Huron. Erie and On
tsrio. and from these figures It In possi-
bic to compare In some degree the
growth OF traffic on the great lakes with
that Of our foreign commerce. The
foreign commerce of the United states
has substantially trebled since 1872,
During the same time the tonnage of
vessels engaged in commerce passing
through the St. Mary's Falls canal has
increased from sI4.7s5 registered tons in
is72 TO si.sos.s47 in 1899, an increase OF
over two thousand per cent.
The articles entering most largely
into the commerce OF the great lakes
are grain, -four. coal. iron and lumber.
The statemen, OF the quantities of each
OF these articles which pass through the
500 canal illustrates the growing utiliza-
ton of this great water route. notwith-
standing the steady increase Ia railroad
building and the steady reduction IN
railroad rates The number of bushels
of wheat passing through the canal IN
1883 was ss.ss5.3s5. more than forty
times "a much as in 1871. The receipts
Of grain at Buffalo by the lake route
increased from i4ooo, coo bushels In 1879
to 2s7,ooo.ooo bushels Ia lsss Trans
portation OF -four by the 500 route in
creased with even greater rapidly.
growing from 1851 barrels In 1872 TO
7.it.i1 barrels In 1889; while grain
other than wheat Increased from &ss.77,
bushels In 1879 to so.oae. eoe bushels In
1898.
Hut the increase Is not confined 10
the transportation Of grain alone. Other
commodities show even a greater pro-
poFtionste growth. The quantity Of
coal carried through the canal was
@,sis tons In 1872 and s.s4e. sss tins fin
issa. Iron ore Shipments increased
from SsS los tons in 1879 TO is.sss. 7.a IN
1898; copper from isssi tons 10 1872 10
igaeos tons tn isss and lumber from
i.5a.soe TO i.esSWT.ess feet.
Additional facts Of interest shown In
the same collection of statistics arr
that fram 1857 until 1885 the value Of the
American vessels engaged in this trade
increased from x7.sS4s $50 TO s.s. tss soa.
or nearly 200 per cent in eleven years.
With this striking Increase In tonnage
ana business there is an equally strik.
Ing decrease IN freight rates, the coat
OF transportation having fallen from
2s mills per ton per mile In 1857 to
5s-iee of a mai In 1888 Yet this trade
IL far from reaching its limit 81 ex-
panston. and IL is confidently autioipat-
ed that the season now opening VIII
break all records In the volume Of bust
ness transacted
IL Is undoubtedly true that the trans
poriatlon business OF the grea, lakes
has increased in a greater relative pro-
portion than the general average
throughout the United states. bat these
statistics afford at least fair indices 20
the volume Of business transacted In