The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-04-10
An Inland Empire Around In
land Seas.

Fable or mythology does not present
the elements of empire grouped in the
north of the territory of the United
States of America, between meridians
seventy-six and ninety-six and north
of the fortieth parallel. The most lux
uriant of oriental dreams could never
supply the varied sources of wealth
assembled there, provide the means for
reducing them to the service of man
and create the mighty natural avenues
to the world beyond.
In the United States, there are the
States of New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wis
consin and Minnesota. To the north are
the extended regions of British Amer
lea. In its heart are the regal lakes of
Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and
Ontario, linked by rivers or broad
straits or artificial waterways, and
through the sweeping tides of the St.
Lawrence leading out to the great ocean
and the continents of both hemispheres.
The land is the garden region of North
America. 1t is the Scripture land flow
ing with milk and honey. 1t supplies
food for it's own teeming millions and
contributes to the needs of the CONT
nent and the whole world. 1t pro-
duces timber for its dwellings and all the
purposes OF commerce. 1t raises the
animals required for food and traffic.
On the shores of the upper lake are
the richest mines of minerals in the
world, the most extensively worked,
and in the bowels of the States to the
south is the coal for their conversion to
the uses of commerce and industry. The
lakes furnish an unrivalled channel of
INSTRUMENTATION The crude min.
erals of the north are taken south for
reduction, and the food and clothing of
the south are carried north for the
great army of laborers in the regions of
the mines. From the vast territory to
the north and west ships bring the
products of the great wheat fields and
the lumber of the virgin forests, down
through the chain of matchless lakes
and out on the broad ocean to the mar
kets of the world.
From Ogdensburg at the eastern
limit to "the zenith city of the unsalted
seas" in the far northwest, where else
in the world is there such an array of
great cities as those which have grown
up along the shores of theseinland seas?
Oswego, Niagara, Buffalo, Cleve-
land, Toledo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chi
cago, and on the upper shores, Mar
quette, Houghton and Duluth, with
towns of lesser magnitude fringing all
the coast between; and on the Canadi-
an shores chain of fourishing indus
trial and commercial communities, the
developments of the natural resources
of the region and its marvellous means
of communication.
If one were asked past what port of
the world the largest tonnage of COM
merce sails, "New York." would prob
ably be the reply in the majority of the
answers. Certainly the port would be
located not on these "unsalted seas
1t is however a fact confirmed by the
statistics of commerce that that port
is Detroit. Sustaining this statement,
Iron Ore, an industrial publication Of
acknowledged authority, published at
Ishpeming, in the heart of the iron re-
gion OF Michigan, in q recent issue
says:
The traffic OF the Great Lakes has
grown with marvellous strides, but its
magnitude is scarcely appreciated, al
though the statement is made that q
larger tonnage passes Detroit, Mich,
between the upper and the lower lakes,
than at any other point on this earth,
while below this immense traffic
railroad trains pass through a tun-
mel laid under the ST. Clair river, con-
Meeting the tracks 10 the United States
and Canada. just what this lake
now be given in exact figures, but il
probably exceeded 100000 tons
Fortunately, the reports issued by the
superintendent of the canals at Sault
Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario
aid us in this estimation. The com
MERGE which passed through them il
the 231 days during navigation in The
year 1899 is represented by 20,25i
vessels, carrying over 25,000,000 tom
of freight, Of which over 15,000,00C