New-York tribune., 1900-01-26
CANAL COMlNITTEE'S REPORT

policy Of the State consists of General Francis
v Greene. chairman; ex Mayor George E. Green
of Binghamton; John n. Scatcherd. OF Buff
falo Frank S witherbee, Of Port Henry;
Major Thomas W. Symons, United States En-
gineers with the State Engineer and Surveyor,
Edward A. Bond, and the Superintendent of
Public Works. John N. Partridge. The work
of the committee has included exhaustive
study of the commercial situation of the en-
gineering problems connected with the various
projects of enlargement. and the cost OF trans
portation under each project
The report of the committee is signed by all
the members and IT is understood that while
there was much discussion at some Of it's meet
ings yet at the end all the members were
unanimously and heartily in favor of the report
finally adopted
The report emphatically opposes the abandon
ment of the canals, and takes the ground that
with adequate Improvement they will again be-
come active factors in transportation and pro-
moters of the commercial and Industrial inter-
ests Of New-York State.
DOUBTFUL ABOUT A SHIP CANAL
OF the various projects for improvement that
for ship canal is dismissed a subject more
properly to be considered by the Federal Gov
ernment, but the committee expresses the opin-
ion that ship canal is of doubtful expediency.
1t considers that the speed necessary to the
economical movement Of the large and expen-
sively built lake and ocean vessels could not be
obtained any canal, and that the ex-
pensve equipment and navigating force would
add to the cost of transportation that such
ships could not compete with lighter built and
less extensively equipped barges for canal
traffic. The investigation of the committee makes
ii clear that the cost of transportation on
barge canal would be almost as low as on the
lakes, account of the cheaper construction
and operating expenses Of vessels used only on
the inland route.
The project Of improvement begun under the
law Of 1895 which would permit the of
boats of 800 tons capacity the Erie Canal, in
place of boats of 240 tons used, is considered
inadequate to the present situation, producing
too slight an improvement over existing con-
ditions to justify the expenditure of public
money. AS result Of the extended examina-
tions and careful study made other propo-
sitions which have been considered are elm
mated, and the committee submits two projects
as worthy of consideration These are accom-
panied by elaborate estimates of cost prepared
under the direction Of Major Thomas w. Symons
by Messrs. George w. Rafter, D. ]. Howell and
F. NJ. Sylvester, submitted for approval to Pro-
fessor w. H. Burr and William Barclay Parsons.
The first project may be considered an ex-
tension of the Improvement Of 1895, adopting
the prism depth of nine feet provided for in that
plan, but changing the locks. structures and
curves on the canal so as to accommodate boats
125 feet long, feet draught and of the present
width, with a capacity of 450 tons. The second
project provides for the enlargement of the
canal to accommodate barges $50 feet long, %
feet wide and 10 feet draught. with a cargo
capacity of 1000 tons, the locks passing two
boats at time.
LARGER CANAL RECOMMENDED.
The committee recommends the larger canal,
using the following language: In our judgment
arrived at after long consideration and with
some reluctance the State should undertake the
larger project. the ground that the smaller
is at best temporary makeshift and that
the larger project will secure the commercial
supremacy of New-York, and that this can be
assured by no other means"
The route for either of these two projects de-
parts from the present Erie Canal for about one
third Of its distance. The principal change is
that between Clyde and New-London, where
the Seneca and Oneida rivers and Oneida Lake
are utilized. This change gives a wide water
way through the rivers and lake, avoids the
engineering difficulties of enarging the canal
over the Montezuma marshes and takes the
canal out Of the city of Syracuse while pro-
Viding ample harbor facilities for that city
through Onondaga Lake Another very i'm
portant change is at the eastern end, where a
new canal is to be constructed from the Hudson
River at West Troy to the foot Of the Cohoes
Falls, and the Mohawk River to be canalized
from the head of the falls to Rexford Flats and
possibly as far as Little Falls. Mechanical lift
locks are recommended at Lockport and Cohoes
under either project.
In determining the cost the surveys Of the
boaro OF Engineers on Deep Waterways and the
surveys made at the time Of the 100000 i'm
prOVement been IIt{Iizad Tho 30. 80.
SZlI6l645 for the smaller and sos, ,S94. .66S for
the larger project. Under the former the cost of
transportation is estimated at A cents per ton,
or l l-3 cents per bushel of wheat from Buff
1alo TO New-York: under the latter at 26 cents
per ton' or OS Of a cent per bushel of wheat
Inc ton mile cost would in one case be SS Of
a nlll' IN the other case 80 of a mill.
Inc capacity OF the canal as enlarged under
the smaller project would be 100000 tons a
year, and on that tonnage the saving in cost
OF transportation compared with the present
canal would be $4,3000O0 per annum The
capacity or the larger canal would be 20 600 900
TONS year and on that tonnage the saving in
cost OF transportation as compared with the
present canal would be $50, 200 600 per anpum
Even If less than half of the maximum tonnage
is secured the direct reduction in cost of +rans
portation will much more than offset the OUTLAW
Tor Improvement while in addition New-Yorz
state would gain indirect and inmeasurable
advantages by the development of its COM
1nercial and Industrial activities.
WOULD OPEN VAST POSSIBILITIES
1t is shown that the larger project not onlv
would prevent any further diversion OF the ex
port trade in breadstuffs from New-York but
would regain trade already diverted and would
also open vast possibilities in connection with
the development of the iron and steel industries