The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-08
TO THE SEABOARD.

|
lished in these columns yesterday from
the pages of the Blue Book of
American Shipping can possess the same
degree of interest to the people of the
Northwest which is embodied in it's refer
ence to what has been done to establish
an ocean route for vessels through the
ST. Lawrence river. There is a volume
Of instruction embodied in the brief ex-
cerpt which we feel called on to repro
duce in that behalf.
1t may safely be assumed that unless
national public sentiment on the subject
Of an all-water route to the ocean from
the inland lakes by way of the canal
system of New York becomes much more
insistent than it has been, nothing will
have been done to that great end during
the first quarter of the present century.
The attitude assumed by Gov. Roose-
welt toward the establishment of a ship
canal uniting the lakes and the Hud-
son has been effective in putting an end
to all serious effort in that direction for
many years to come The adoption of
the barge system determined on may be
a natural evolution in the movement
toward a ship canal open to vessels OF
the heaviest tonnage; but the facts seem
to point much more plainly to it's en-
bodying the expression of the determined
purpose of certain large commercial in
terests to prevent the establishment Of
the needed waterway
While We are thus yielding to private
interest on a subject of the most far
reaching Importance to the people of ev-
cry section of the country, there exists at
our very doors the means OF maintaining
water connection fer the purposes of
marine commerce between the Atlantic
ocean and the Great Lakes. Canada has
such route which is open to commerce
for at least six months in the year, and
the Canadian government is doing what
is in its power to perfect the route. But
even in it's present unsatisfactory condi-
ton the st. Lawrence route to the sea
is already attracting the attention of
the shipping interests of the continent
Referring to the possibilities of this
route, and reciting the efforts made in the
past to render the canal available, the
report of the Blue Book proceeds as fol-
lows
Since then the Northwestern Steamship
company, of Chicago, has opened a reg
ular service on this route, and its four
steamships, built at Chicago last win
ter, have each made a trip abroad. The
dimension of the locks of the Canadian
canals are Z7O feet in length by As feet
width. They permit a draught of IA feet
The vessels of the Northwestern Steam
ship company are 256 feet long over all,
a. feet beam and 261a feet depth of hold
which is regarded as the regulation Can
adam canal size. The company eX-
presses itself as satisfied with the results
of the enterprise. The Importance of this
waterway, however, must not be either
magnihed nor minimized. 1t occupies a
definite field though a limited one, oW-
ing to the restriction in size. The COM
pletion of tie canals, however, has per-
mltted the lake shipbuilders to compete
with the coast shipbuilders for the con-
Stfuction of some types of vessels for
coaStWlSe trade. Twelve vessels suited
to transatlantic and seaboard trade, as
well as lake service, were built on the
1901, and the experiment Of building, each
IN Two parts, two steamers much larger
than the canal locks, is now being tried
IN Cleveland. These vessels will be
about 1000 tons capacity when put to-
gether at the seaboard, after being towed
down the Canadian canals in sections.
Here is state of facts which, of course.
Americans may ignore if they choose
to do so. American railroad interests
now engaged in the carriage of bread
stuffs from the productive regions of the
West Atlantic seaboard cannot afford
to ignore the diversion of American ship
ping which is inevitable if only the
Canadian government puts forward Sc
rious effort to render the present route
available for vessels of heaviest draughr.
By the time the barge system of navi-
cation on the New York canal system is
perfected so as to meet the expectations
of its designers. it would not be sur
prising to find that the Canadian route
had secured the bulk of the merchandise
seeking a cheap outlet from the Amer
lean interior to the Atlantic ocean.