The age-herald., 1901-07-27

From ar Interview with Ieon George T.
 wisses Of t44os t5n4ted sssteis. s6asf4Aa s5i6asfAa q Engineers 6n BeeP w'as9f ways:
 The eeeasifissnasesy Of constr ( ssatef- [ way for ibe purpose Of promoting direct traffic bsr@ss4f 6fe great likes and fi11 Atlantic d9Senaaass entffely Glo9 wletfie4 the bensfsts GGtha GaGttha 6FfiecT an,5 i46ifect, win exceed th6 annual a.pprsosriations neees- sary to pay interest of1 the cost of con. structfoni, and the }epats4s ana nlaflter- ance 6s, t5llles. t5les rus4tte Fhe direct benefits, if any tssS tife rtasfr rtafrsffons in transport rates, drs to th6 S9}asss sirh rhctfon of q route over @hfeh c91'7l.akffei Gan be transported t5 eastern ri:ts.s ff:sfs zi6re economically than over exieting fisr6s of traffic. Phe indirect benefits Wtfs TssHlt from building up new industries and new commerce., R6t possi- b1e under existing conditions. 6f tfaffe; extensive ship buifaffig 61 tiiS. ErSSt fakes and eeVef65:aasielHle Of eteGi alllla SfSfafae- turing enterprises St tAe iake eitiss a!gsa Si5Hs ik6 HEe ef tRe wS4eFWays.
 # ss, ReW practically esanseasa taat & waterway; t5 produce tke best Fesspllsss te the ealsi:e e6ssnttFy, aiaa, G5HseGEefftis, shg only 6iie wfiieR saTi iesitiHi&tsiy be e6R- stucted at government expense, must be of such diriiensfons as t9 permit the bRss= age. at economical speeds, ef slips best adapted for the traffic 6S tie water routes connected: 1t then beeefHes ii9pefeaHt first, to establish What ti2s ee5Hefais8i draft for freight Carriers on the lakes should be, especially at tie boicy 9f making improvements ih Sfte aast hes been that ef continually ifiafe8slg 1he depths of channels and thsrsty tefanr- | ing the smaller easfiefs aHfysrsaale i9rts befeee Wofii 9Hs:
 RRs eeeieEaieas aiaasasisas fet a fssisist earsier 6ri &ay r9s2ta $ & fiai9eeien es the distaAee betWeaa ikFsisnt teffHiaaisI of length of haal and F ths tinte of round trips detentions at tertrsnsts, and cost Of ships of different eliNeast5hs afe lsiisTAi all may be easily aataEtllnad The eost et vessels per ton, carrying capacits', is is,ueh larger fer stasansiips then fni | smaller craft: FiiefeFsfs, as siie s,na af the vessel Is increased the aAsa ehafssa for Cargo carried Increase, ana 7fias:i equal to the decrease In the eest tt moving the trafs,s betneeh terminals Iii larger ships fixes the nest eeeHeaieai dimensions that eaf De used eh. the route.
 6n eeeaA lines of commerce of ffsfa eeo1 te 5BS9 niles, the t.i.ae lost at terminals Is small, compared with the running timej and much larger carriers will be eevnemi= cal than on the Great Lake routes, where the length of haul is less than 1eee miles.
 The channels on the Lakes were erigi- | lxy ntlNv hpta to fb1 a,, the shallow sections, and each foot ef he crease In depth has materially decreased the eest e4 Transportation until the iiInl. is how nearly reached, beyond which any increase in the depth of channel and draft of carriers will not diminish the cost of transport.
 In other words, if the Lake channels were Of unlimited depth, it is not proba. ble that tho dimensions of the freight carriers could be profitably increased over those recently put In the Lake service.
 A waterway u feet deep will certainly accommodate the carrier best adapted for the lake traffic, and therefore any con-
 nectdon with the seaboard, If of greater dimensions, would be a useless expense, unless 1t can be shown that the indirect
 benefits would exceed the fixed charges arising from greater cost of construction and maintenance. But since domestic traffic from the lakes to the eastern mar kets Is more than three times the vol ume of the export commerce over the | routes and as a 21-foot waterway would be fully as efhcacious In developing new industries and new commerce as one Of greater depth. 1t would seem that such depth was practically fixed by the lim- dting conditions as the one which would | yield the best returns for the cost of 1 construction and maintenance.
 With the economic depth fixed, what