The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-06
more freight than the whols amount carried

more SS y freight than the whols amount carried
Is a canal Q luxury when the State pays
out S3,s0S,74i 20 that the boatnen doing
,Nas l,e on y can make q gross revenue
The foundation OF the l000-ton- barge
canal theory that the traffic Of the
Erie Canal will be greatly increased and the
carrying cost reduced. The Roosevelt COM
mission guessed that the cost OF transporta-
oredths Of q mill per ton per mile. This
would effect saving OF t.23 mills per ton
NILE and on the present tonnage OF the
canal that would amount to q saving OF
1851 .i0s.i0. When the tonnage increased
to lo,oo0JO 600 tons for the season the saving
estimate OF the Roosevelt commission was
that the canal business might grow to he
2OO00O00 tons, In that case the saving
would be 93e90,0O0.
The State could pay that maximum sum
70 the boatmen or to any one else and save
si,3ioooo year In the interest and principal
which i must pay under the operation Of the
Where is the new tonnage to come from.
The entire tonnage entered at the port OF
and OF this less than 10 per cent. is shipped
eastward by the Erie Canal. The rest either
goes by rail or Is consumed in or around
Buffalo. Giving the whole tonnage OF the
port OF Buffalo to the canals, II then Tails
far short OF 10000 600 tonnage Tor the
canal
The i,0OO-ton barge. for which ii is pro,
posed to prepare the canals, is an untried
type Of vessel. II il to he $50 feet long
Is feet wide and will draw ten feet OF water.
II will carry 80 .33s bushels Of wheat There
are no vessels Of this type operating to-day,
and a shipbulder said few days ago that
II the Sl0i 600 900 WAS spent on the canals he
doubted IL ten .0OO-ton harges ever would
be built On the Great Lakes the vessels
OF 1900 tons or less have been found 10
be Improbable. Only the introduction OF
the great steamers now used on the lakes
has saved the water transportation there
from decline.
II boats Of 900 tons and even 1000 tons
prove to be Improbable on the Lakes can
their Use he made profitable in Il continuous,
service on lakes and canals where canal
navigation IL slower and necessarily more
expensive? Traffic on the Mississippi
River il no longer profitable except with
the boats that descend with the current.
A decline is shown in river traffic there
while the trade OF the competing railroads
has increased enormously.
The 1.OOO-ton barge will bear the same
proportion to the enlarged canal that the
! canal boat does to the Erie Canal to-day.
There can. therefore, be no great saving
1OOO-ton barge must be an impediment 10
| its use. The Hudson River will have 70 DE
| dredged before the barges can come down
| to New York.
The biggest steamer on the Hudson is the
Adirondack with her four decks. her large
passenger capacity and her vast Load OF
| freight She draws only eight feet OF water.
| while the 1.O00-ton barge must have ten
| feet.
In it's report to Gov. Roosevelt the Canal
, Commission which considered the barge canal
| project said: THE heaviest part OF the COST
,p,St In n m " ayant fall on the city OF New lOrk
| as now constituted. This city pays about .?
| per cent of all the taxes in the State and
would pay 90 per cent. OF the assessment
! OH the canal counties.
In other words. New York city would
| nav a little more than 90 OF the 101 millions
| OF dollars for the enlarged canal and the
same percentage OF the interest on the
| debt And for what? To see some OF New
York's export commerce from the West
brought TO the port by water7