The sun., 1903-05-17
The ELEVATOR RING won OUT
DICTATED TIE ROUTE FOR PRO-
POSED RARGE CANiL.
state Engineers Reports showed That the
Ontario Route Could He Construed Ell At
HaIf the COst--That Plan Might Cheat
the Elevator Pool Of Its Tribute.

state FneinCer's VepOrts SnOWeO INat TIC
Ontario Route Could Be COnstrUcted ed At
Hair the COst-That Plan Might Cheat
the Elevator Pool OF Its Tribute.
When State Engineer Bonds annual re-
port Is issued IN a lew days 1t will contain a
rs,orr by Deputy State Engineer William
p. Judson favoring the Lake Ontario route
for the barge canal which the jobbers,
who insisted on what is known as the
Buffalo plan being adopted, will find hard
to explain.
Why a route was chosen that will cost
twice as much as the plan favored by the
State Engineer and his first deputy is the
nut of the whole selfish argument for the
spending Of SOL. 600 900 for canal enlarge
ment. Ex-senator John Laughlin, who
was the lobbyist at Albany for the canal
legislation, was unqualitiodly opposed to
any plan which might permit barges to
transport grain to the East and not pay
tribute to the Buffalo elevators.
If a barge canal was to be built at all the
Lake Ontario route was the right one
When Senator Laughlin is getting out
the literature which the canal contractors
and the elevator ring will pay for, he might
explain what non-mercenary cons derations
argued for the route chosen when State
Engineer Bond had made this recommended
tion for the Ontario route:
The main ADVANTAGE of the Lake route is
saving in cost Of construction. he next
the Lake route there will he only is.o miles of
standard canal section, l04 miles of canalized
river section aud ioj miles of oren water.
y on the round trip between Troy
and Buhalo with rover for three-mle-
per:hopr can@l spetd &c there would be gain
of the Lake route, l he item OF annual main
tenance would practically be nothing on the
l95 miles Of open water NAVIGATION and Is,
therefore, another factor in favor OF the
Lake route.
Deputy Engineer Judson reported that
the Ontario routes cost would be little more
than half that Of the other plan. Then he
said:
This great financial advantage results
but it mainly results from the fact that this
line includes navigation Of Lake Ontario
for ITO miles fr2m tie harbor ,.t,, a. osweso to
Lake Ontario there have been numerous
surveys for Shr-canal lines to reach Lake
In connection with the obvious advantages
OF this open water navTation: IT is desirable
Of refIre fol, tovs of canal barges Of ten feet
draught and 200 tons capacity using this
route
The south shore Of Lake Ontario. in the
distence Of ITO miles between olCott and
c"dins tie tie two soe rst nan" mined 1 and l WITH all
Of these harbors the writer is # miliar,
having. as United States Assistant, En- nsineer:
made repet ted surveys Of all Of them A.
in hsrge Of heir works ,'' anu '''', "''
In addition to these harbors which are
are three lighthoussss on points which have
S s h9Fs pa 81 aRs R of odS Of Is HG"s sS"s nnysas @ p"
yded for. ESPECIALLY in view HS Of ' the Further
iaet that ,his portion Of Lake Ontario on
the open lake being 400 to 800 feet deep and
there being no shoals or ISLANDS in it, except
shsen at niles ans Ms, Of G "eo snd
and islands at the extreme ehsterly end OF
the Lake. Thirty to, ffty miles Lcyond osweso.
Of Lake Ontario would in no way contribute
TO the Canadian commerce by way of the st.
's 2enet bg NV the e hs
Hudson River to New York, That it would
not benefit Canadian commerce is evident
lTeady have the Welland Canal with two
feet sisater dNlth and with much larger
now has full access to the St Lawrence
route.
gerence h"t s.oon bd"s "rS,f" hu j, ofas aSrae
the present Erie Canal. can safely be tcwed
On Lake Erie and can he used in tratio iIemm- IN
fact being. established, it is e,ide,, that
boats for the proposed ,oCo-ton-barge canal,
Erie Cana" boats can an Tth fSs equal % "T ereater
safety navigate Lake Ontario which is more
favorable for navigation than Lake Erie.
Lake Erie heing comparatively. shallow. 40
10 40 feet in depth, and mere Qlio ky disturbed
by storm. while Lake Ontario /, 400 to 600 feet
deep and less easily ffected
With the humorous harbors which have
been described, there i no quest ion that
loo0-ton barge canal boats can he towed with
safety during the canal season ,april-No-
vember,, through Lake Ontario 70 OsweRo,
from which the greater part of the route to
The Hudson River will lie through the open
waters Of the Oswero and Oreida rivers.
Oneida Lake and the Mohawk River
IT is worthy OF corsidcrntion that when il is
undertaken TO enlarge the Erie Canal by way
Of Oneida Lake and the Oneida and Seneca
rivers to Buffalo. such enlargement will
take many years As well many millions:
meantime, by merely erlarrng the osHepo
Canal and OsweRo River for twenty miles
from Three-river Port down to Oswego.
commerce can use this route ard ret irto
yenr' before they will he BILE to use the other
route through the cc'tre Of the Sta'.
In picking cut the ccstlier route was any
interest protected except those Of the gentle
ncn who contrcl the transfer trade at
Buffalo ard New York?
No. To serve their ends the expansa Of
an Experimental canal was increased $780,
OOO. 600
If you own stock in the Buffalo elevator
pool vote "yes" next November.