The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-07-12
CANAL TO THE SEA.
Some of The Benefits That Would Accrue
from a Big Ditch.
Duluth News Tribune:


Duluth News Tribune:
The ever increasing vloume of COM
merce on the great lakes, large part
of which goes to or comes from the
seaboard, must soon compel the nation
al--government to hasten the consum-
nation of plans for ship canal con-
Meeting the fresh and salt water seas.
In the middle and northwest the peo-
pie appreciate the Importance of this
proposed improvement. 1t has been
forced upon the attention of congress
and interest enough awakened among
the law makers to cause them to in
stitute an investigation to determine
the most feasible routes, and probable
cost. The expediency of. the early
construction of ship canal depends,
of course, on whether the benefits
which will come from it will be suffi-
Gent to warrant the heavy expenditure
required. On this point there should
be little difficulty in marshaling an
array of facts and figures that will
dispell the doubts of the most conserva-
tive.
1t seems to be established that for
lake traffic the best results can be at
tanned with vessels having a maxi
mum draught of 81 feet This being
the case, a ship of that depth is what
will be required for the accommoda
tion of the lake fleet. Lake vessel men
generally agree that, even if the chan
nels were all deeper than this, no
economy would result from the build
ing of larger ships.
George Y. Wisner of the United
States board of engineers, who has
made an exhaustive investigation Of
this subject, has prepared some data
that should be conclusive evidence
that the requirements of commerce de-
mand the early construction of a deep
water canal. He says that the law
governing the economical depths for
lake channels holds true for a water
way from the great lakes to the sea-
board. Taking into consideration the
fixed charges due to cost of construc-
ton and maintenance of the respective
waterways, and the cost, interest, in
surance, ru ming expenses and profits
for vessels best adapted for each, the
rate which it will be necessary to
charge for moving ton of freight
from Chicago to New York city will
be approximately $1.09 with a 21-foot
through waterway, and 81. 80 with a
21foot waterway on the great lakes,
and 12-fooU barge canal from Buffalo
to New York city, via. the Hudson
river.
For depth of waterway greater than
81 feet there will be no corresponding
decrease in the cost of transport The
average rate per ton from Chicago
to New York for the past five years for
grain has been by railroad, 81 by lake
to Buffalo and railroad to New York,
So. 80; and by lake to Buffalo and Erie
canal to New York, $175.
1t is, therefore, apparent that with
a properly constructed waterway
freight can be transported from great
lake ports to the Atlantic seaboard at
much less cost than over existing lines
of transportation, and that the indi-
rect benefits which are certain to result
from such construction will be of in
calculable benefit to the manufactur-
ing interests of the great lakes and
the cities along the proposed route.
The total freight tonnage on the
New York state canals and railroads is
about 7O,0OO,O 900 tons annually, of
which probably $1,000, 600 tons are
through freights from the great lake
region to the seaboard From the pre-
sent rates between the lake ports and
New York, and the rate which it
would be necessary to charge on 81
foot waterway, it appears that the
saving would be made by construction
of such waterway would be about
81 per ton on through traffic.
The cost of maintenance of the canal
would be about 50, 900. 600 per year,
and, therefore, the saving in transpor-
tation rates on through freight Is, 900, :
900 tons annually if capitalized at 8
per cent, would warrant an expendi
ture of 5000, 900, 600 for the construc-
ton of the waterway. A traffic of H., :
900, 900 tons would warrant the expen-
diture of $500, 600, 600.
The estimated cost of 21-foot
waterway, including the improvement
of great lake channels, is approx
mately 5000, 900, 600.
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