New-York tribune., 1907-09-22
GREAT LAKE COMMERCE.
Figures Which Inland Water7cays
Commission VIII Consider.

Cleveland Sept. 81 (SpeciaD The Inland
waterways Commission. appointed by President
Roosevelt and headed by Congressman Burton.
who was recently nominated as the Republican
candidate for Mayor of this city sailed to-day
from Iorain Ohio. for Duluth Mimi. on its tour
Of investigation of the interior waterways OF
the country. The party went the big ore car
rying steamer Cole. From Duluth the party
will proceed 10 St Paul and then go down the
Mississippi River. being Joined by President
Roosevelt at Keokuk Iowa. He will accompany
II TO Memphis where he will address the water
WAYS convention. which is to be attended Dy
eighteen governors of states interested IN tne
problem of more economical methods and great
er facilities for handling interstate commerce
Few Americans realize the volume of the
water borne commerce Of the interior or the
country one can learn exactly how much
sugar and tobacco and sweet smelling spices ar
rive in this country from foreign shore, FOR
every imported parcel be it ever so small is re-
corded at customs house. The magnitude
of the internal commerce can be gauged only by
means Of private and ordinarily inaccessible
records In the case Of the Great Lakes the
records of the vessels that pass through the
canal at Sault Ste Marie. and the size of the
steamships give one some impression OF the
great amount of commerce borne upon them-
II has been estimated that within ten years
after IT is opened the Panama Canal Will be &C
cOmmodating ten and one-half million tons Of
cargo in the course of a year The trafhc
through the canal at Sault Ste. Marie in 1905
in round number was 45.000.000 tons II Is esti-
mated that 100000 tons Of ore alone will pass
/ through this year before the season closes Be
sides this tonnage of ore from the Lake Supe-
rior mines there is a large tonnage of coal luHl-
beT, wheat. flour and copper.
If the United States flag flies on few ocean
steamships. the lake fleets flying the Stars and
Stripes help to make up the deficiency in Ameri-
tonnage. Nearly forty new steamships.
ranging in carrying capacity from 5000 to T.
Tp tons, were added to the fleet this season
The tonnage OF the thirty-fOur bulk freight car
riers included in this total aggregated 33S.OoO.
At least dozen more vessels will be added next
and others which are building are 6te feet long
Perhaps nowhere is cargo handled with greater
facility and expedition than on the steamers in
the Great Lakes. Invention has made II posi-.
BILE 10 load steamer at the western end or
Lake Superior with 10O'0 tons of iron IN
eighty minutes and unload it at COnneaut, on
Lake Erie into cars ready for transportation TO
the Pittsburg furnaces in three hours and forty
five minutes.
The members Of the commission who departed
from Iorain to-day there the hoists
by means of which the ore that a few days be
fore shot down the Chutes into the holds of the
big steamship he lifted out, ten tons at
time. Day and night are alike at the piers VI
the steel carriers No time is wasted Work
goes on at night the electrically Illuminated
piers with the same speed as by day. As one
vessel departs with her cargo another takes her
place al the piers. Making the most of the days
which lie between the melting of the ice In the
spring and the freezing or the waters in the
fall a continual procession Of steamships NOV
ing almost with the regularity Of ferryboats. is
constantly passing and repassing through the
great canal which joins Superior with the others
o. the Great Lakes.
The Importance Of the Great Lakes water
ways is illustrated by the report recently made
by the State Tax Commission Of Minnesota. re-
gardng what is termed known tonnage mines
The figures OF the commission show that in st.
Louis County on the Mesaba range. there Is
tonnage Of 1907 .621 I6f. and the Vermilifon
range Of 9.959.1j1. In Itasca County there is
tonna ze of 1157lq03T and in Lake County of
$4,000 a large proportion Of this will be
transported to the smelters of the East by water