The National tribune., 1903-12-03

fe21, 1,12& and the working expenses, f4ss,-
261. For the ham year ending June 90.
1900. tie canal yielded f18.lSS toward
paying the Ella. 80 Of interest which the
city Of Manchester has to pay on the capi-
tai invested in the enterprise. The freight
paying tolls on the canal amounted to
1,467 ,S41 tons in the half year. an in
crease of IL per cent. over that Of the
year.
THE KAISER WILHELM CANAL.
Two canals connect the Baltic and
North Seas through Germany, the first.
known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, hay-
ing been completed In 1898 and construct
ed largely for military and naval purposes.
but proving also Of great vaiue to general
merchantile traffic. Work upon the Kaiser
Wilhelm Canal was begun in 1887, and
completed, as above indicated, in 1895.
The length of the canal is 81 miles, the
terminus in the Baltic Sea being at the
harbor of Kiel. The depth is 29hs feet,
the width at the bottom y feet, and the
minimum width at the surface 100 feet.
The route lies chiefly through marshes
and shallow lakes aud along river val
leys. The total excavation amounted to
about 10O,0OOOOO cubic yards. and the
| cost to about S4OO00,OOO. The number
of vessels passing through the canal in
1900 was 2l,31, with tonnage of 4.2S2,
25S. and the dues collected amounted to
2.133, 15o marks.
SHIP CANALS CONNECTING THE GREAT
LAKES OF NORTH AMERICA.
Three ship canals intended to give con-
tinuous passage to vessels from the head
of Lake Superior to Lake Ontario and the
st. Lawrence River are the Welland
Canal. originally constructed in 1888 and
enlarged in 1871 and 1900; the st. Marys
Falls Canal at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
opened in 1855 and enlarged in 1881 and
1896. and the Canadian canal at st.
Marys River opened in lS9n-q In point of
Importance, measured at least by their
present use. the canals at the st. Marys
River by far surpass that of the Welland
Canal, the number of vessels passing
through the canals at the ST. Marys River
being eight times as great rs the number
passing through the Welland. and the ton
mage of the former nearly 40 times as great
as that of the latter. One of the impOrtan.
products of the Lake. Superior region, iron
ore. is chiefly used in the section contiguous
TO Lake Erie. and q large proportion of
the grain coming from Lake Superior
PASSES from Buffalo to the Atlantic coast
by way of tile Erie Canal and railroads
centering at Buffalo. The most important
article in the westward shipments through
the Sault Ste. Marie canals, coal, origi-
mates in the territory contiguous to Lake
Erie. These conditions largely account
for the fact that the number and tonnage
Of vessels passing the ST. Marys River
canals so greatly exceed those of the Wei
land Canal
The WeIland Canal.--Tbe Welland
Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake
Erie on the Canadian side Of the river. 1t
was constructed in 1893 and enlarged in
1871 and again in 1900. The length of the
canal is % miles. the number of locks %,
the total rise of lockage 327 feet, and the
total cost about S25,OO0000. The annual
collection Of tolls on freight. passengers,
and vessels averages about S225,00O. and
the canal is open on an average about 240
days in year.
The Sault Ste. Marie Canals-The
canals of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, and
Ontario. are located adjacent to the falls
of the st. AIarys River, which connects
Lake Superior with Lake Huron and low
er or raise vessels from one level to the
other, hight of II to 20 feet. The canal
belonging to the United States was begun
in 1853 by the State of Michigan and
opened in ISI5. the length Vf the canal
being 5.6I4 feet. and provided with two
tandem locks, each being 80 feet in length
and 80 feet wide, and allowing passage
of vessels drawing II feet.-tha original
cost being S1.OOO,O0O. The United States
Government. by consent of the State. he
gan in 1870 to enlarge the canal. and by
1881 had increased its length to 1.6 miles,
its widti'te' an average of 160 feet, and
its depth to 16 feet: also had built. a sim
gle lock o15 feet long and so feet wide,
with depth of I! feet on the siils, which
was located 100 feet south of the State
locks The State relinquished all control
of the canal in March. 1882. In 1887 the
State locks were torn down and replaced
by "a single lock 500 feet long. 100 feet
wide. and II depth of % feet of water on
the sills. This lock was put in commits
sion in 1896. The canal was also deep
ened to 25 feet. The Canadian canal,
one and one-eighth miles long $50 feet
wide. and % feet deep. with lock 900 feet
long, 90 feet wide. with % feet on the
inter sills. was built on the north side of
the river during the years 1883 to 1895.
The number of vessels passing through
the United States canal in 1902 was IT,
5SS. and through the Canadian canal
4.2O4. In 1900 the number of vessels
passing through the United States canal
was 1914. and through the Canadian
canal 1908, showing an increase of 1,200
in the number of vessels passing through
the Canadian canal, and a slight decrease
in the number through the United States
canal, the increase in the number passing
through the Canadian canal having been
due to the development of the Michipocoten
district. The tonnage passing through the
United States canal in 1902 was: Register
ed tonnage, 27,408,021 tons; in 1901, o.
DID, .334 tons. against 2O.136, ,7S2 in the
year 1900; the freight tonnage in 1901 was
23,O26.522 tons, against 23,251 $50 tons
in 1900. The Canadian canal shows:
Registered tonnage in 1902, 4.547.561; in
1901, 2,4O4, ,642 tons, against 2.160490 in
1900. A marked contrast between the
business of tire St. Marys Falls and Well