The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-07
.SUEz AWAY BEHIND
Wonderful Tonnage Through the
500 Ship Canals.
1901 WAS THE GREATEST YEAR
And Uncle Sans Canal Passed 90
Per Cent of the Total
IA AN Traffic.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, Feb. THE an
nual miles-tons report of traffic passing
the American and Canadian ship canals
at this point for the season of 1901, COM
piled under the direction of General Su =
perintendent Ripley of the St. Mary's
Falls ship canal, contains statistics Of
more than usual interest.
me total freight traffic was 2S, 4OS, O6J
net tons, valued at $3.50 800, S65, and is the
maximum in the history of the canals.
The tonnage exceeds that of the Suez
canal. the next largest in point of traffic
IN the world, by approximately 10 900 900
tons, valued at 100000 In 1871. 5S5, 900
greater than that of 1900 showing an in
crease OF IL per cent. OF the total traffic,
the American canal passed 80 per cent.
Inc vessel passages numbered 20,041, as
AGAINST 19,452 for 1900, and the total
4ockages were 1921, an increase of 636.
Development of the Traffic.
The growth of Lake Superior commerce
the past half century has been phe-
nomenal. The estimated amount of value
OF articles which crossed the old portage
of Sault Ste. Marie in 1851 to and from
Lake Superior was 1860 net tons, worth
S1,t75.OOO. In 1861, decade later, the
traffic through the state locks was $4,000
tons, valued at $4,000. In 1871, $4,000,
valued at S13,00OO0o. In 1884, through
Stdte duu "ellZel lOChS, l,Ooi, al lOuS,
valued at $3O,OOO,O00 In 1891, through
Weitzel lock, S,SsS,759 tons, valued at
$12S,17S,2OS. In 1901, through Weitzel,
Poe and Canada locks. 28.403.065 cons,
valued at $3.50, 900, S65.
Thus the average annual percentage CT
increase in each years traffic over that
OF the preceding year has been as follows.
by decades: 1S51-1S61, Fl per cent; 1861
1871, p per cent; 1S71-1SS1. 1914 per cent;
1SS1-1S91, 10 per cent; 1S91-11901, 1914 per
cent; average, 16 2-3 per cent.
Cut in Cost of Transportation.
While the tonnage exceeded that of the
previous year by 2,759,992 tons, the report
shows that the total cost Of transporta-
ton was $23, PIT ,97407, as against $24,-
9o3,S14.n for 1900, the average rate per
ton of freight being 81 cents in 1900 and
81 cents last year. This difference is at
tributable in large measure to the in
creased size of the new craft being placed
IN commission. This is shown by the fact
that about all of the fifty-two new YES
sells built for the Lake Superior trade
were large steam freighterS ranging from
375 to $50 feet in length, carrying on an
average 1000 to 5000 tons per cargo. The
cost per mileton was so mills against
1.18 mills in 1900. The average distance
freight was carried was 1888 miles, the
total mile-tons being 23,3S3, S61.9S7. The
canals were used by S39 craft with reg
istered tonnage Of 1850, 1852, and valued at
$50, $50 100
OF the freight 80 per cent was carried
by American vessels. The American craft
embraced 533 steamers, having regis
tered tonnage Of 735, $50 and 2S0 vessels
of a tonnage of 275,240. The Canadian
craft embraced sixty-five steamers with a
tonnage Of 29,416, and fifteen vessels of
1856 tonnage. The valuation of the Amer
lean fleet is given at $57, 244, 200, and of
the Canadian, $3,311,9O0
Maximum Records.
Maximum records made by vessels dur
ing the season were as follows:
Single cargo, steamer William Edenborn,
S,222 tons; barge Manila, S,2SS tons Both
vessels belong to the Pittsburg Steamship
company.
Freight 'Carr,ed-Steamer Presque Isle,
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron company, 161,375 tons.
Miles Run-Steamer Buffalo, New York
Central G Hudson River Railroad company,
Il $40 miles.
Mile Tons-Steamer ]. J. Albright. Aetna
Steamship company, 1SS,S22 ,226
The table of maximum records shows
that 4OS vessels in a single trip Of each
carried q total Of 1,696,360 net tons, or an
average Of 4,158 tons.
The maximum traffic for single day
was Sept. 2, when 23O, 156 tons were passed
by $50 craft, whose registered tonnage
amounted to 2o2,525.
The east-bound freight amounted to
23,0S7,742 tons and the west-bound to
5,315, 1928 tons.
In freight valuations, the largest items
were: General merchandise, 55S, O41 tons,
valued at $685. 755,125 iron ore, $1,000, SIS
tons, s5S,794,5O9; wheat, 52,S12,636 BUSH
els, $36, 440, 719; -four 1854, $50 barrels,
$24,S11 ,637; grain other than wheat "a,
76O,547 bushels, 1922, 779, 7OS; copper, eS,6O1
tons, $26, 227, 1866; manufactured iron, 1885,
O9s tons, SIT 500, 800; lumber, 1,072,124 M
feet, B. NJ. $16,617, 1922; coal, 4,593,1S6 tons,