New-York tribune., 1908-11-08
WORK ON ERIE
BARGE CANAL
OPERATIONS COVER HALF
ENTIRE AREA.
Comparisons nth Progress at Pan,
an1-NeTr York State Project
Presents Paried Problems.

Presents Par1eG Problems.
I,ttIs has been said lately about the great barge
Fz-sl which tne State CT New York is building at
81 expenditure OF s1O1coo.oco excepting In the way
o< un1svo-able criticism to the progress which
q being made. Il viii be a surprise to some to
les-n work is being done over nearly half the
entire route Of the Erie Canal. Out Of the s4l
niles &c Be constructed l64 miles ar- under contract
great cezj % The work is also being done Oh the
Chsuplsin and Ozvego canals According 20 A
3 FTy. O1e of the members Of the advisory board
of engineers, the Chzmplain branch VIII De finished
probably Il four years. the Erie to q point vest OF
syrscase II Eve years. snd the remainder IA seven
yssz
The total excavation IL September, which Is the
lsst month for which there Is completed report
WIS l1sSsoS cubic yards, the largest monthly record
Of work u the anal This is % per cent OF the
amount excavated al Panama In September 1907,
E6e corresponding month eating from the time of
he beginning % work on the project under Araer-
oAn control In the OF the month also there
se7e dad 5.2S cubic yards OF concrete or the
eeVera contracts To complete the comparison. for
little except digging has beer done OF the Panama
Nsaa- X Is necessary the figures for con-
crete work into terms CT excavation Based the
Only common basis Of con1pariSon-the Of each
81 TIE average prices the contracts Iet-thiz
amount O. concrete equals nearly q million yards
of excavation Therefore the amount OF al work
done II September is equivalent approximately TO
-vNsSa9 yards OF excavation
COMPARISONS WITH PANAMA
On the isth1nus, up to October l. 1897. the total
amount Of excavation Il. 2z53z5 cubic yards.
on the barge canal Up to October L this year,
which corresponds Il elapsed time since the
ginning OF the work that represented by ths
figures for Panama the total OF actual
excavation was L2.654216 cubic yards Al the
ocne OF the canal. Il reckOned II terms Of exCsva-
zion, would approximate 29Oa0Oo cubic yards Il
Is extremely difficult make statistical conpari-
Hon with the Panama Canal as regards the per
centage o. the work remaining TO be accomplished
y is known almost 70 the yard how much material
wiz have 70 De excavated TO create the Panama
ditch L is not knoRns although with considera-
bic expenditure os tine could be ssCerLained ap
prDxiuateIy, now much earth and oe
Dug Out before the Erie Barge Canal is completed
The Panama Canal Is q big drCh- with arti-
tc-al lake having al area approximately OF III
square miles IL the centre fer controlling the dooc
waters of the Chagres River. Il is 81 engineering
problem pure and simple. The chief Work Is the
construction OF : dam s. feet high and e series OK
-ocEs take vessels a-elnd il The problems Of the
Erie Barge Cana not only Of al engine ring
nature but they include The solution OF problems
connected with the reaTra-g e1leaf 81 the Waker
S---Iv auc sewage systems Of number OF large
cities and the avoidance O. conflict with vested in
.a-ss-s- such Is manufacturing businesses using
water power a large part OF the work On the
--ev Eerk canal consists il building dams across
rivers and deepening channels II the tai o. the
slack water thus provided, the land line extending
g distance of only rs miles from the nngeT iaKeS
south gf Lake Ontario 10 Lake Erie, beginning a.
Irauz the west side q TIE Aoutezun1a I1a-shes-
The Panama Canal hzs one summit level with q
lake upon IT, The Erie Barge Canal also Is TO
l-ave its summit lakes They are to be located
near Delta and Encklsv. IN Oneida and HerkiTner
..1s.rtiep The former vii b. created oy tse con-
z---tfcn Of dam So feet high and hve-eighths OF
q nile long al point about eight miles north Of
Rome THIS izFe VIII cover an area OF II -en
~--are miles be seven miles long, with maxi
r---n width Of two miles. and depopulate SIXTY
ea---s The dam VIII be constructed q cyciopean
sso=-z II a., exDanse q sseaooo IN round figures
The contract vas let October L
TO CREATE TWO LAKES.
The mans fer the HInckIey Dam are not COM
rieted The lake which VIII be created in the West
Canada Greek this point. about fifteen miles
from Utica, viii be almost twice as great In storage
czpacty the Delta lake but VIII cover sIla+ieF
z-ea Il VIII be Eve miles long, with maximum
width of and one-hal4 miles Il VIII o DEEPER
zs il VII wind through narrow dehles- The cam
VII approximate mile IN length, with crest al
rrosr high that Of the sister lake OF une
Mohawk River. Forty farms. besides much swamp
land VIII be submerged by lis waters The dam at
F5tuckIey illustrates of the problems OF the
engineers Below the town Is 2 gorge which Is the
natural location fer the dam from an engineering
rc.-t O. view To erect The dam there however
would wipe Out the village with its various
interests II the village there are pulp and saw
mills. which support Z population OF about one
thousand persons The destruction Of village and
rs business interests would be costly 10 the
that Il q the part Of economy 70 build more
expensive dam above the village than could bs
built below and construct II ii such way that
tae water power viii preserved The two lakes
VII supply water for the operation of the canal az
Is summit eveL-
While the Panama Canal viii have q maximum
elevation ot feet ba-ges using the Erie Canal
z1u have climb to Rome. elevation OF 42e.S
f--t above the Hudson River il their westward /
sszrasy then drop SIS feet and climb again 70 5655
teet st Touawanda- Between the Hudson River al
Troy arS the dam a. -rescent. distance OF four
teer rzEex the bsrZes will have rise IS4 feet
through flight Of locks On their way TO Buffalo
trey viii De obliged 20 pass fifteen dams in the
Nuhsxk z e. and one II the Clyde River, besides
locks ether than those necessary 20 allow passing
around the dams The major part Of the G-foot
canal w.u follow rivers and pass through lakes,
ch as Oneida. which WI give the oarges twenty
u-Ees Of urobsr-ucted waterway. Most OF the
contracts which been let for the barge
canal work are for dam, locks 70 allow get
u1E from pool 70 another, adjacent chan
nels and bridges TIE new channel Sew
e-sl have also been let for work the Land nne
Q Syracuse The involved ii contracts
Already LEI IL s7.7Sq54z. than one-fourth Of
ne amount which The OF the author /
ized OF this s. Ga S3 has been PAID for done.
EVIDENCE OF ACTIVITY.