The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-16
FOR CONTINENTAL CANALS
NEW YORK COMMITTEE Is ORGAN
lied IN THEIR INTEREST,".
International Action to BE Sought
Planning "a System to Cost Ten
Thousand Millions of Dollars.

NEW YORK, March 15.-At a meeting
held Friday In the office of Andrew II.
Green. No. PA Broadway a memorial was
presented to Senator Lewis, approving his
action in presenting his Senate resolution
asking Congress to complete surveys for a
canal thirty feet deep between the great
lakes and the Atlantic tidewater and for
the development and utilization Of the wa
ter power that could be developed there
from.
A resolution was adopted for committee
to call an international convention. includ-
ing all the people Of North America, for
organizing a continental association to pro-
mote the construction of a continental sys-
tenn Of deep waterways and a system of
bic lands of the continent Among those
asked to serve on this committee are An
drew H. Green, Frederick w. Seward j.
Edward Swanstrom, Paul Dana, William
Hyatt Harrington, Dumont Clark, J. Ed
ward Simmons. Ludwig Nissen. Gardner d.
Matthews, Henry Clews, John De Witt
Warner Warner F; z. Olcott, Lyman ]. Gage. A. D.
Jarvie, A. p. Fitch, Charles s. Fairchild,
George F. Seward Charles T. Barney, Max
Nathan, Henry Morgenthau, Robert c. Og-
den, Louis Stern and Oscar Straus.
In presenting a memorial to Senator Lew
is, Ethan Allen said that at the present
time the cost OF transportation In this cOun-
try exceeded the cost of production. The
charge for transporting the products of the
Mississippi valley to the Atlantic coast was
so great as to check production and con-
sumption, and to limit the area in which
production was profitable. More than half
of the best steel steamships of the United
States were imprisoned above Niagara Falls
from Dec. Is until April !. With deep sea
canals open from Lake Erie to the tidal
Hudson, those vessels could pass from the
lakes in December and engage in the ocean
service until the opening of navigation on
the lakes. The earnings the seacoast
would enable them to reduce the charges
of transportation on the lakes.
Ten billion dollars would construct a con-
tinental system of deep sea canals and Gre
ate water power equal to 100000 horse
power or 100000 manpower. By the con-
version of this water power into electrical
power, il could be used a motive power
for production or distribution. At the rate
of $23 a horsepower a year, so 900, 900 horse
power would command a rental of 81, 150. Co.,
600 a year, or liz per cent. year on the
cost. On this basis the rental of the water
power would discharge the interest on the
power and the cost of maintenance, and
create a sinking fund for the discharge of
the principal within fifty years. Competent
authorities had estimated the available
water power upon this continent to be equal
to 1O0.000,0O0 horsepower.
The system outlined would give to Amer
lean vessels absolute control for all time to
come of the foreign commerce of this con-
tinent, without subsidies being granted to
them, and therefore save the 500 900 for
subsidies proposed in the Hanna-Frye bill.
Senator Lewis thought that before the
State began constructing a twelve-foot
barge canal, at an expense of $10O,OOOOOO, all
practicable means should be exhausted to
induce the federal government to ascertain
definitely whether the national deep-water
| canal could be constructed.