The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-17
NEW YORK BARGE CANAL.
Stupendous Work, Second Only to
the Panama Canal.

the Panama Canal.
The Erie canal, reaching across
New York state and connecting the
Great Lakes at Buffalo with the Hud-
son in 1925 and for many years
opened in 1925 and for many years
it was the most important waterway
in the country. 1t was originally
proposed by Gov. Dewitt Clinton,
who wanted the federal government
to carry on the work and own the
canal. Uncle Sam would not agree,
however, to undertake a purely state
canal, even though it was to be of
such value to the whole nation, and
finally New York state shouldered
the job. The introduction of rail-
roads and other changes however
eventually put the Erie canal practi-
cally out of business. 1t was too
small to meet the demands of mod
ern traffic and often in dry seasons
the feed-water would give out and
the canal-boats would be stuck in
the mud along the route. For years
it was a much-debated question in
New York what the state should do
with its long ditch. Finally it was
proposed to reconstruct it on an up
to-date basis and make it into a
barge canal, big enough to accom-
modate boats of 5000 tons. This
called for an expenditure of S110,-
600 900, but the people by a referen-
dunn vote agreed to stand it.
An article in the Williamsport
Grit gives interesting details about
the stupendous undertaking. While
the new barge canal does not pos
sess all the spectacular interest that
the Panama canal does, it is a work
which at any other time would
command nationwide and even
worldwide interest and admiration
because of its magnitude and bold
ness. The excavations will total up
wards of 110,00O,000 cubic yards
and 100000 cubic yards of con-
crete will be required-which is
more than half as much as the Pan
ANA canal calls for in each case.
But the canal will cost the state only
little over a fourth as much as
the Panama ditch will cost the ma
tion. Nearly 25,000 men, mostly
foreigners, are now at work on the
line, which covers altogether al
stretch of nearly 500 miles. The
route of the main canal, from the
Hudson to Waterford, near Troy, to
the Niagara river at Lockport, near
Buffalo, is about 800 miles, but
there are also three branches being
built. One of these side-steps is to
Lake Champlain, another to Lake
Ontario and the third to Lakes
Cayuga and Seneca. The net rise
from the Hudson to Niagara is 565
feet. Altogether 81 big locks, over
200 bridges and 80 dams must be
built. The rise from Waterford to
Lake ChamPlain is 112 feet, the fall
to Lake Ontario los and the rise to
Cayuga and Seneca II. The locks !
are like so many steps in a flight OF
stairs, though the comparative as
cent of course is much smaller.
For getting over the ridge between |
the Hudson and the Mohawk a fight |
of five locks with total lift of 10 |
feet in a distance of only mile and |
half is essitated-making the |
greatest fight of locks in the world !
For quite a stretch the bed of the |
Mohawk is canalized. At Little |
Falls there is a lock with a lift of |
over 40 feet, which will be the high |
est single lock ever constructed The |
canal makes use of Oneida, Onon- |
daga and Cross lakes, but when it |
reaches Lyons it follows the line of |
the old canal to Lockport. When |
done it will have minimum depth !
of IL feet of water and a width at |
bottom of 10 feet. Several huge !
reservoirs are being built to store |
water to feed the canal The great |
Delta reservoir near Rome will |
bring the waters of the Black river
into the ditch. The dam here will |
be So feet high and LOO feet long
and itself calls for $4,000 cubic |
yards Of masonry. The plans pro-
vide for the completion of the canal |
in 19l5-the same year that the
Panama canal will be formally fin
ished. 1t is believed that the new |
waterway when in operation will give
lower freight rates not only to the |
people of New York state but to |
those of a large part of the coun-
try.