Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-20
DETROIT RIVER FIRST
Greatest Water Thorouqhfare
in the World.
800" CANAL RANKS NEXT
Steamer Passes Through Every
Twelve Minutes.
INCREASE IN LAKE COMMERCE
Recollettions of the Stoughtons
Brought Out by the Return of
Gen. Sheridan's Battlefag.
INCREASE IN LAKE COMMERCE
BY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.


Chicago Record Herald.
The Detroit river is the greatest water
| thoroughfare In the world.
During the late season of navigation
25.I21 vessels passed through it, with a
| tonnage of 4s,95S.3 as compared with
| 24.O77 vessels Of 1902, 66S tons in 1906.
This shows that the lake vessels are
growing larger as we'll as the volume of
business.
The merchandise traffic of 1907 through
the Detroit river amounted to 81 ~. .iO4
net tons, compared with COTS, 100 net
tons for 1906.
or this total AZ. 9G6 1919 tons represented
iron ore. lumber and grain from the
northwest southbound to Buffalo and
other Lake Erie ports. of which ::,.4OJ. 500
tons were iron ore. The northbound traf-
fic represented 2O.326,311 net tons, of
which 1Si27,121 net tons was coal from
the mines of Ohio, Pennsylvania and
West Virginia.
Excepting the Detroit river the Sault
Ste. Marie canal is the greatest water
thoroughfare in the world An average
of one steamer every twelve minutes
passes through day and night, carrying
more freight than enters the harbOrs of
New York. Boston. Philadelphia, Balti-
more. Charleston and Savannah COM
IL,
ampton and Liverpool combined; more
than the tonnage of the Suez. Manches-
ter. Kfcl. Amst erdam. COrinth and all the
other great canals of the worl,. combined.
Commerce of the $780,
There is no other basis of parison.
In 1881 the freight traffic through the
500 Canal was 1.:'67.741 tons.
In 1886 is was 1927. 100 tons.
In 1891 is was S.SSS 7:79 tons.
In 1898 is was 6.239 600 TONS
In 1891 is was %. 4E,. ftiI tons.
In 1908 is was 44,27O,6 $50 tons.
In 1906 is was II, 751 $50 TONS
In 1907 is was 5S217.214 net tons. Or
more than twice as much as the total of
1901 and early four times as much as the
total of ten years ago.
The history of commerce can furnish no
parallel of this record.
The number of vessels passing through
the locks was considerably smaller. being
only 20. 431. as compared with 22.155 in
1906; and with II SO. for 1903. The ton
mage. however. was 44,OS7,974 for the sea-
son of 1907. as against II O9S.:324 for 1905
and 36.617,G:0 tons for 1905, and 21.9os,347
for 1860.
These figures. like those for the Detroit
River. demonstrate the rapid increase in
the size of the vessels engaged in the lake
traffic. Their average tonnage has dou-
bled since 1899. The average for 1907
1907 was 2,157 tons. The maximum
carrying capacity has increased from :, coo
tons in 1900 Ito 1900 in 1907.
Increase Of Lake Commerce.
The total lake commerce for the sea-
son of 1907 was 10 per cent larger than in
1906 and 20 per cent larger than in 1876.
The increase fs due mainly to larger ore
and coal shipments. although the move
ment of grain and miscellaneous mer-
chandise. excepting lumber and -four, ex-
ceeded any previous year.
The total of shipments reached $685.
9l9 tons, of which 40, 127 ,912 gross tons
were iron ore from the Mesaba and other
Lake Superior mines.
Duluth shipped 1s.s27.227 tons: Two
Harbors, S,051,32S tons; Superior. 7.2.1,-
O74 tons: Escanaba, 1854. 7os tons: Ash
land, 1885, 574 tons; Marquette, 1,6tH,s45,
and Pressure Isle. 1,267. 731 tons.
The three neighboring towns at the
western end of Lake Superior-Dultuh.
Superior and Two Harbors-which are
practically one community and have a
common interest. ship. more freight than
any other port in the world. their COM
bined total for last year exceeding that
Of London. New York. Hamburg. Liver.
pool. Antwerp, Marseille, or any other
of the worlds greatest commercial CEN
tiers.
The shipments of grain included 63, 49,
126.17S during the season of 1906 The
shipments of corn were 44.355. 800 bush
els as against 1851. $40 most of it being
from Chicago. The shipments OF barley
showed a. decrease of % per cent The
shipments of flour were slightly below
those for the preceding season. and
amounted to 13,S49,77O barrels The ship
ments of lumber amounted to .SO7. so
thousand feet. remarkable decline AS
compared with 1906 and 1905 and a de-
crease of - per cent since 1891. which
shows that the lumber supply in the ter
rltory contiguous to the great lakes is
rapidlY Incoming exhausted