New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-27
THE CANAL QUESTION.
The SHIP CANAL AGAIN.
J. A. Collier Wright Repeats His argu-
ments Against Bsrg. Project.

hc does not satisfy himself with stating the barge
canal estimates arc thorough but attacks the SUI
ncency and the reliability o: the deep waterway o.
sbp canal surveys. and also restates the objections
which DE says have often been stated. and. let me
add. often corrected permit me 10 tresrass on
,our space again As suggested therein. the only
foundation Tor Tho barge canal data. surveyed.
f-e che thorough data and surveys % the Deep
waterway Commission and Board % Sur.ev whom
rWo Presidents selected from the whole country g
most az for the work. and who spent seven years
ttea5y work and $50 80 therein. Colonel synons.
sor his original report. had only 500 his recon-
rnendation O. the Fifteen hunored ton bargeWay on
such slight data was outside MS detail. anyhow,
end he estimated n AZ Soesoeeo. on General
Greeue's committees the busy men, meeting few
s--nes. who had no appropriation. estimated a
ono thousand ton ba-gevay al 81 Ssoo co. though a
lesser project. I personally telecraphe6 Leader
Aids tho last Cay % the session 70 Jet the SO 90
survey biz oIt. that the hsrgeHay might stand On
g. r-crts. ARD this demonstrated. with the
n, the deep waterway surveys, that the one thou
sand tor barcewoy would cost So e1a.oso and rho
last winter it found be sI0I0o3gl0. The one
thousand ton barreHay. as projected. will have -
miles 70 traVrz0idHl canal and fully sixty locks
having crIv about one hundred miles Jess canal
and perhaps ten less locks :han the present Erie
q go miles q canal and seveuty-two locks The
deer waterway viii have only 1o3 miles 81 canal in
al and only thl-yy-siN locks 81 all by the Niagara
Cer-er5-ot ohaRk route. The canal sections are
0-r- twelve miles around niagara thirteen miles
between Oswogo and oneida Lakc. and forty-sfx
miles between oneida and TIE caualized Mohawk
TIE res, o. -he canal work is merely stra tef!Ig
-s-a,.zed rivers. The prism of such canal viii be
5s- square feet cross-seoron. six times the vessel
Section and viii allow speed therein OF 80 miles an
hour as found The only canal comparable !n cross
section Is the s. clair Tats wherein the speed OF
b-ov1 vessels on the lakes Las been observed as
r--srer The rest ~ the distance is canalzed nv
Is ~ greater section and open waters where
a. f.s .lazerr VIII make the twelve and one-half
rree m hour found economically best on the lakes
-t.s .1-reway has a c~oss-sectioa q only Ll2e
square feet but four times the cross-section Of the
one thousand ton barge and the speed in Il Is only
claimed 10 be three miles an hour
The lake vessels can pass through the short sec
f.o-e @ the canal and canalzej rivers ir deep
-ys-e-asv as readily they 80 through the 81
Nf7-ys S.. Clair and the made channels n the
Detroit River. u VIII take the vessel just thirty
seven minutes 20 pass through each lock The NJ
rrr-a ship canal therefore. Of twelve miles and
--e ks viii pass the nine thousand ton vesse
f-am Lac Erie 20 Lake Ontario in nine hours;
~. b. Jess -hsn hours In going through the
twelve miles - canal al seven and one-haf miles
ar hour and Jess than SIX hours IN going through
t-e nine locks 81 thlrty-seven minutes each i can
g. anywhere i- Ontario or 10 OsWego IN less than
-v- hundred miles q open water a. twelve and one
haif miles an hour in less than sixteen hours II
cam therefore come 20 Oswego by such 1eep water
vsv which VIII cost only SO 90 90. anywhere in
Ontario I'D Jess than twenty-five hours with a nine
thousand -.r load The barge canal 70 Rochester
Through Tho State alone VIII cost as much as IRIS
sE o1oe1o.
Tie Gee7 waterway from oswego 70 Oneida is
fv-euty-seTeu miles. about thirteen canal and siA
Jocks. cr the same 20 Onondaga Lake. II viii cost
So sa 110. The nine thousand ton vessel hnyiEg got
t0 Osweeo in t~euty five hours VI" go hIo = -
jess than eIltt hours. being about Two hours ~
- ,l i'i PES. fr.1 '1 one ars one-half hours IN
Tte fourteen miles u canalized riVer az aplF9ghl-
thar four hours in passing through the six locks
81 ia-.5 seven rnn,ites each. In other words, IN
D
f-om Jnere 20 Otoudaga and Oneida lakes the flae
5Sir5y-'Sree hours The 6SrFgNay across ne state
which b. the only way The harge can enter Onta1o.
49, -.-l,- .. 49,, 80 ne one thousand tor
barge VIII take over hfty hours a. three miles an
ihirty locks al tveuty-four minutes each; or July
,tc zen usteruav brings the nine thousand ton
lead in. And For Ell ontario points n one thol-
getuug there. LEI Us suppose syracuse me- f
ore. bv the deep waterway ne gets il IN thirty
three hours a. 81 ~ MI per lon me, ~ .-e
vsse las 10 transshp cargo into al least twelve
q The so-ulled one thousanc ton re ges Wien are
really elEtt hundred. which viii take twelve hours
al one hour apiece In Buffalo. He has 70 pay l61s
7ay the rate q g Of mill pc top nile rom
there. .nttsad o. 81 or oe9i. s 90 r,S
shlrrinr al Buffalo. these viii be stXty-two hours
f ,5e 5ce n Jhf IN otheT words his nine
thousand Tor load costs hin oouoie frelgi , I,tn
Buffalo. takes double The tune. and y a1dlilon
a. an unnecessary transfer toll a. Buffalo
All su-eIv meier trausshirnlent al his own place
ana Tie cost and LAND values there are quite as
Tfe same IS true all along the line. and in the
reIrf rorho0i 81 New-York. and u land IN NeW-
York ftseIf expensive IL Is no more eKpeHsiye
ur -lc lower HUDSON or East River than az Buy
ca-1. And We may be sure that methods VII ne &c
r.-eT when the lake carrier IS enabled 20 come 70
s.z-,-fou- 10 s1ty-eiEht hours, whereby its cargo
San be transferred 20 ocean liners just as tnese
osd and urlcad IN the Upper Lakes by Instnoas .!
these .lakors which not ming but nine thoasa "a
IlE Z
-r rr~,lsarf ton barge or the original fifteen hun
CRED Tr The deep waterway from Buftalo 70 New
york Eve hundred miles. the nine thousand ton
raE II rrtcc0 hours through lo2 miles OF canal ~
spTar a-a one-half miles an hour. IL thi-ty-two
rau-e ar twelve and oue-har miles. in the rest ~
te s-r rlrd-e7 miles n caralized river and open
water and viii require less than twenty four
seta0 minutes each total 81 soventy-one hours
90 tais liberal estimate The one thousano toI :
,-evs - bring the same load. and these viii take
one hundred and scyenty-one hours. or quite one
iIr lhrrl four miles hour in the rest q the
carallzed river and open wateT being -5 mics or
the sixty locks ~ least AZ twentyfour minutes
each ~ more thar ooute 70 lile &C - -
+te freight rate viii oe double Tor every mic ~ nc
distance anc the trarssfiI rne1t charge OF lbes
certs tor vii also be paid a SUI 20 insteaa o.
being paid by the merchant or rnarlltctufei ~
fls teep waterway a. his own place and TO his Own
way should not the NeN--To rzer anywhere IL The
STATE outside buffalo prefer trarss hiprneut -
rsr home possible and half ~ the freight rates
o. UaT ss prefer the ability ~ such deep water
ea- f- creating commerce and INDUSTRY and ship
t..G--g such q exist IL tho upper laAeg. mat a
uargeuay cannot and especially when by Federal
obtained a. less * % nc Trr, y y41 ~
Rochester y. y. sept. Is 1908.
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