Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-18
GOVT. TAKES OVER
N.y.CANAL SYSTEM
Director General McAdoO Orders
Fleet of Barges Constructed
Immediately
GREAT FREIGHT CARRIERS
Goal VIII he Brought from Troy and
Other Hudson River Terminals to
New England By Rail

washington, April T.-Director-Ge General
McAdoo tonight ordered that the Erie
and New York State barge canal system
be taken over by the railroad administra-
tion, and that a fleet of barges be con-
structed Immediately and operated there
under under the direction of G. A. Tom
linson Of Duluth, Mimi, to relieve freight
the first inland water way whose
opers s!on under the railroad administra-
ton has been definitely decided upon as
q result of the extensive investigation
made by the committee on inland water
Within q few weeks. however. the direc-
tor-general Is expected to order several
other canal systems and navigable rivers,
including the Chesapeake Ohio canal,
the Black Warrior river in Alabama and
several Atlantic coast water ways used
actively by the railroad administration
to relieve traffic on the rail lines. Con-
struction of barges within two or three
months and their intensive use in the late
summer and fall is planned. Investiga-
tion now is being made of the practicable
ity Of concrete barges which, it is said,
can be built quickly and cheaply.
The director-general announces that "he
had decided to construct as quickly as
possible and put into operation line OF
barges to be operated by the government
on the Erie canal"
1.-The barges," the announcement con-
tinued, will be Of modern construction
Of the most improved type and will be
operated in conjunction with and as q
part Of the general railroad and water.
ways transportation system of the coun-
try under the control of the director
general Of railroads This will insure the
complete coordination of the Erie canal
facilities with the railroad facilities and
It is hoped will greatly enlarge the avail.
able transportation facilities throughout
eastern territory.
q. A. Tomlinson Of Duluth, Mimi. a
man Of large practical experience in lake
navigation. has been appointed general
manager Of the Erie canal operations. in
cluding the construction of barges and
general equipment. Under government
control of the railroads and the canal
there can be diverted to the canal all of
the traffic that can be handled to the
best advantage by water and the canal
be made in the highest degree serviceable
in the present situation"
Several hundred steel barges of about
700 tons each will be ordered Immediately
from construction companies on the great
lakes. and the. first Of these probably
can be completed in five or six weeks.
old equipment will not be used to any
great extent.
The canal system, running from Buff
falo to Waterford, near Troy, on the
Hudson river, is capable of carrying about
100000 tons Of freight a season. and
probably half Of that amount will be
hauled this year. Grain from Buffalo
and coal from Ithaca and Watkins, N. Y.
will be- the principal commodities trans
ported. Grain will move through the
canal and down the Hudson river to New
York. where it will be taken largely by
the food administrations grain corpora
ton for storage and transhipment te
Europe. Coal will be carried from Troy
and other upper Hudson terminals by
rail to New England.
Albany, N. Y, April 17-Governmen,
operation under the direction of the rail-
road administration Of New York State.
barge canal system, which was announced
tonight by Director General Of Rail
roads McAdoo, will not interfere with the
construction work on the system nov
under way or contemplated. it was stated
by representatives of the State depart
ment of public works.
Through the use of the canal system
freight can be transported by water from
Duluth to New York city, and thence
through Long Island sound, Vineyard
sound and the Cape Cod canal to Boston
an inland waterway route virtually th'
entire distance of approximately $50
miles.
The States waterways total more thai
$50 miles in length, divided as follows
Erie 361 miles; Champlain 81 miles
Oswego n miles; Cayuga- Seneca % miles
Black River SO miles.