New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-12
A PLEA FOR A DEEP WATERWAY.
Its Advantages Compared with the Thou
said-Ton Barge Canal
70 the Editor OF The Tribune

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: In your Saturday issue you give letter
Of James Wood. which is anti-canaL Sundays
letter OF a correspondent favors bargeway as
mean between extremes" He states that a
bargeway OF 1000 tons carry cheaply a
ship canal. This is an The rate on deep
waterway. carefully found. VIII be 81 of mill
per ton mile. while that OF a 1.Ooo-ton bargeway
win be, revise IL, 81 OF mill-or just
double.
The rate claimed by partisans OF 1ooo-tcn
bargeway is 81 but that is 20 per cent out OF the
way. as they figured vessel itself In figuring the
cargo capacity displacement. and we need
20 subtract from Loss tons total the weight OF
the vessel itself 255 tons. making II an So-ton
barge per cargo business. We may speak OF
Il '1.0e9' tons in argument. however. The
deep waterway by Lake Ontario. carrying the
twenty-one feet way already provided for to Ton
AMANDA will have twelve miles OF canal and nine
LOCKS around Niagara. IL viii take nine hours TOT
the s.o00-ton vessel to go into Ontario. and cost
but 81. 100000. From Oswego to Oneida Lake is but
twenty-seven miles OF waterway-only thirteen OF
which are canal-and there are six locks. With a
spur made from Three Rivers along seneca
for twenty-one feet. Onondaga can as well be con-
nected In the Great Lakes system. The l-foot way
to Oneida viii cost but s2o.oO0.Oo ana spur to
onondaga about IS o0oo CO., total Of s5s0ooOco The
l.OOO-ton bargeway viii cost much across the
State. Is not the deep waterway preferable. even
II the State build il? While We have reason to
know that on proper presentation the federal gov
operate in a deep waterway, IL not build Il all
This waterway question needs more consideration
before We develop a specific LooO-ton bargeway
plan projected
BY such deep waterway the e.0oo-ton vessel
having 10 toll or transfer at Buffalo. comes freely
into ontario in seven hours and to Oswego. or
anywhere in it, say go miles. in six hours. at
l2i5 miles an hour. found economically best on
upper lakes. or twenty-five hours to Oswego.
From there in a 27-rnile waterway. either TO onon-
- frTr 1f1
IN Of about two hours IN thirteen miles OF canal
at seven and one-half miles hour; one and one
half hours in fourteen miles Of canalized rivers
and four and one-half hours in passing six locks
at thrty-seven minutes EACH or thirty-two hours
TO Central New-York lakes. and less to Ontario
points
With 1.000-ton ba-geway. on the other hand the
eOOO-ton vessel stops at Buffalo. distributes her
cargo into at least twelve of these so-oallet Loo
ton barges. taking twelve hours only one hour
apiece. These then take over fifty hours at three
miles an hour. to go over the $50 or more miles
mostly by canal TO Onondara or Oneida Lake or
osweso. and Longer Tor ontario p olCs anu an l az
thirty locks at twenty-four minutes each, or a
sn5 81 hours 10 bring the same load
The deep waterway would bring you 70 Cen. Ii
New.Eork in thtTty-two hours with one vessel
Noreover. the deep waterway saves the ls%
cents ton toll al Buffalo. item Of s 100000
year on its 100000 tons capacty-3s 900 600 tons
went through the canals last ye2rano saves s t nn
this 5000 90 tons The through way is 90. ni n
from Buffalo 10 New-York. another item OF s5oeo-
600. or 81 00O00 year in freight saved To Cen
trail Ne-y-Ycrl when cost Of construction or deep
waterway, or 1ooo-ton barEeway, is the same the
deep waterway saves the 100000 toll at 8uiIaIo
and the SO 600 a mile 200 miles from Lake EIie
20 OsweEo OnondaFa. or Oneida. an item OF w.
100000 or total of $4,000 year 70 the advantage
OF the deep waterway over the oargeway at the
same cost 49,
ests in Buffalo object? And why shouia not al
Eastern Central and Northern New-lork. as
well as Western New-York. as Rochester is. out,
side Of a very few IN Buffalo, which in whole VIII
likewise be benefited be for the deep waterway as
against the Oo0-ton hargewayz - ,--,-o--,--
"e~ JOHN A. COLLIER WRIGHT,
Butternuts, y. Y, Sept. 10, 1893