The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-23
HERE'S THE EXPERTS VERDICT
RARGE CANAL A MONGTROUS FOL-
LY, SAY THE ENGINEERS.


and Greedy Defeudant-Wherc Are
| tho witnesses for the BarIoway Now:
II you were considering the investment
Of vast sum in an engineering enterprise
would you not deem 1t prudent to get the
advice Of the best engineering talent'
| That Is what Engineering Neus has done
| for the voters who are to decide on Nov.
! whether or not they shall spend SOL 900 0OC
! for barge canal
! That journal sent letters to number OF
well known engineers asking them what
! action the people should take with respect
! to the proposed canal enlargement, we
need hardly say" the letter read. that 1t
| in your free and unbiased opinion which ID
desired. whether it agrees with the position
taken by the editors OF this journal or
not"
Every precaution was taken to secure
an eminently fair jury. The letter was
sent only to promine mt members OF the
American Society of Civil Engineers. In
making up the list It was decided to e1-
clude engineers connected with the New
York canals or who served ON the Board Of
surveys and who might conceivably hold
that they were in honor bound to defend,
or at least to refrain from opposing, the
enterprise onwhich they had been employed.
On the other hand, in Difference to the
contention that the trunk line railways
connected with such corporations and
identified with railway work were omitted.
The names picked were those Of men who
by their professional standing and reputa-
tion and the character Of their experience
were qualified to take a broad and ex-
perenced view Of the subject and render
valuable expert opinion.
which are printed in the current issue Of
the Engineering NeUs. The Jury ia Il to l..
The dissenter believes the canal will be q
regulator Of the railways. The proposed
expenditure is truly branded as an
economic crime"
Engineers will agree that a more COM
petent Jury OF experts could not be assem-
bled These men have no personal interests
at stake. They are not advocates OF one
side or the other. Each hiss given his per-
sonal view, without knowledge Of what the
others have said, and they present solid
front OF sci ntiho learning and experience
ageinst this projected folly. or the sum-
married. opinions the Enoineerinp Neus says:
No such weight Of expert opinion. unbiased
by personal interest," has anywhere and ut
any time been presented In favor OF the barge
canal proposition II. IN the f &osr Of ds sgSih
to undertake the barge canal. well and good,
The only, point we wish TO emphasize, ana
that the enRineerins profession must not DO
held responsible for the success OF the barge
canal enter prise. II the barge canal Is under
is unable to compete with Canadian water;
ways, or with railways, or that the hoped
for benefit to commerce ana ihdastfy Is nGC
was undertaken without warning from the
engineering profession.
George Y. Wisner has national reputa-
ton as a consulting engineer in connection
with harbor and waterway works. Presi-
dent Mckinley made him a member OF the
United States Board Of Engineers on Deep
Waterways which investigated water trans
portation from the Lakes to the seaboard.
He also served as consulting engineer on
the proposed Ottawa route from the Lakes
to the Atlantic. Mr.. Wisuer's opinion,
briefly stated, Is this;
beg to state that. in my opinion, the best
interests OF the'people OF the entire STATE
reason that any waterway requiring transfer
OF cargoes at Buffalo will effect little or no
improvement over present conditions -.
unite ee with Hp those Of the other States tribu-
tary to the Great Lakes waterway system
in asking for national deep waterway from
the Lakes to the seaboard or else save their
money by leaving their transportation system
as 1t Ia.
W. r. Jennings of Toronto Is one Of the
best known engineers In Canada. be is
a member Of the Institution OF Civil Engi-
neers Of Great Britain and OF the American
and Canadian ins titutes. Mr.. Jennings
says that grain route from the West
through Lakes Superior and Huron and
thence by rail or ship canal to Montreal
can be constructed and operated under
modern conditions OF lees expense than
by the bargeway. He also thinks that the
Great Lakes, Welland Canal and st. Law
renee route can be reconstructed to do the
work in a more economical manner
Major W. n. Bixby, U. 8. A.. in charge
wrote:
| opinion. which is, that It Is for the best in
terests Of the United States as whole that
| a canal be secured as soon as practicable
M sTn" allow tSe passage Of large steamers
| which shall be able to take cargoes directly
| from the Great Lake harbors to the Atlantic
Sss yn4 I0 Phadsp 10
| Charleston. Savannah and Fernandina- with
out need for transfer Of cargo on the way.
adTant s n to the Northwest Northeast and
| Southeast Of the United States, and all these
sections can well afford 70 be taxed reason,
ably for the SANE ,o.to 10, snip eanal VII VII
ceive all possible encouragement from New
| York State, as well as the other States to be
| benefited. The ,2-foot barge canal appears
to me toe. expensive for local purposes and
too small for Interstate purposes.
| Horace Andrews Of Albany wrote In
favor OF ship canal and against the barge
way He said:
| fear that the control Of the elevators Is III
, the hands OF those. who would like to see new
| canal which would be Just large enough to
| insure the need of trsnsshpment and not
| large enough to make such transshipment
Unnecessary.
Charles II. Snow is dean Of the engineer-
Ing school Of New York University. He
said that ship canal, not a bargeway,
should be built.
"A large canal can accommodate small
boats as well as large ones, he wrote. THE
barge canal must necessarily be considered
In the light OF a temporary undertaking.
For these reasons / believe that 1t Is not
to the interests Of our citizens to pledge
| ourselves to the smaller work,
Gardiner S. Williams Is professor of
and in charge Of The famous hydraulic
laboratory there. President Roosevelt has
lust appointed him member OF an inter-
national commission on the regulation
OF tho levels Of the Great lakes, He calls
attention to the projected Canadian ship
canal, twenty-five feet deep from Georgian
Bay to Montreal, and says that when that
canal Is in operation the patriotism Of the
| Northwest will not he sufficient to hold the
traffic to route which requires trans
shipment at Buffalo.
"The barge canal proposition should be
| rejected" said Prof. Williams, and the
State of New York should unite with the
interested States OF tho Northwest and