Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-12

Written for The Evening Star by Bassett staines.
When men began to girdle the earth with
railways they began also to look down upon
the old methods of transportation which
had served their fathers and forefathers.
Among the things despised were canals.
In many cases old time canals that had car
ricd merchandise for generations were
drained dry and their beds utilized for the
laying of railroad tracks.
But the canal is coming to its own again.
Men are discovering more and more that
il has its place in the economy or COM
merce-a place which railways cannot en-
tirely fill.
The digging of great canals ranks among
the foremost works and projects of many
leading nations at the present time The
world is getting TO be cut up with canals
all over its land surface, and before the
end of the present century the canal mile
age on this globe is likely to be nearly
doubled!
America is undertaking the two biggest
canal schemes at present projected-the
Panama canal and the thouSand-ton barge
canal
Few countries have given more attention
TO canals and canal schemes than the
United States did in the days before ran
WAYS of the many canals constructed In
that era the most important was the Erie
canal through the state of New York, con-
Meeting the Hudson rived with Lake Eiie.
The Erie Canal.
In the words of a distinguished expert.
This canal although originally bhit OF
small size, played a very important part III
the settlement of the great west, or what
was then the great west, by furnishing d
route in connection with the great lakes by
which the products of the new western
country could reach the markets along the
h,-t iph n 1
IFS supplies of clothing, tools. groceries,
etc at an economical rate or transports,
ton 1t is certain that the settlement anu
DEVELOPMENT of the New York and New
England hinterland We're enormously GA
pedited by the Erie canal ..,.,
This canal has managed to witnstanu
lie opposition of the railways, althousH
The country around it is absolutely grlo
ironed with them Undoubtedly it has had
much to do with the development of New
York city and New York state Along us
banks there has been built up what mas
been called THE most important chaln Oh
cities in the country''-Albany. Troy, Co
hoes Schenectady. Little Falls. Utica;
Rome. Syracuse, Rochester. Lockport ana
Buffalo.
But this great canal and its subsidiary
branches. the Oswego and Champlain ca
nails. are now palpably inadequate Tor the
work they are called upon to DO. Inc
Erie canal can only accommodate poatS
carrying 30 tons of freight. Agitation Tor
the enlargement of the canal has been 60
ing on for many years. and at last New
York state has decided to spend Slol.oio.oo'
To enlarge the Erie canal to capacity
that Will enable it to be used by thousand
ton barges. y similar enlargement of the
Oswego and Champlain branches is to be
made.
A Great Undertaking.
This great work, which is now being COM
menced has attracted comparatively little
notice outside of New York state, but 1t
is declared by leading authorities to be by
far the greatest public work ever under
taken by any state of the union.
This projected work is in the very front
rank of canal propositions, said Colonel
Thomas w. Symons, who was the nrst 10
to the federal government away back In
1897. 1T is overshadowed In the pubic
mind by the Panama canal, on account or
the international character and the inter
esting complications that have attended
the Inauguration OF that work by the
United States.
In commercial Importance the Erie Is in
many ways the equal of the Panama canal.
on the Panama 1t is hoped to some time
reach q tonnage Of 10,OOO,OO0; on the Erie
al works. structures. water supply. etc.
are prediCated on a tonnage of 10.OOO.OoO,
and provisions are made for accommodate
ing. at slight additional expense, tonnage
greatly In excess of this.
ION the upper great lakes there Is
watcr-borne commerce of very nearly 3d.
Olu.uu0 tons per year. The Erie canal will
furnish the cheapest route for c5nnecting
this vast lake commerce with the seaboard,
and it's wide-reaching influence can hardly
be conceived or appreciated except by
those who have given years of study to the
problem.
Compared With Panama Canal.
In magnitude the work that New York