The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-27
DEEPER WATERWAY
PLAN MEETS FAVOR
Project for Channel for Ships
of 80 Foot Draft to
Duluth.
CANALS IN ST. LAWRENCE
Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland
and Buffalo All Would
Reap Much Benefit.
By a stag Correspondent Of THE Sun.


MONTREAL, Sept 26.-The plan to ex-
tend the thirty foot waterway right
through to the upper lakes finds favor
In Montreal. Being the head of naviga
ton for thirty-five foot ocean going
ships. It is felt that all past experience
goes to prove that a city in the line OF
travel and traffic stands to gain.
The through water route. between
Montreal at the head OF ocean naviga-
ton and Fort william is 1929 miles !;
seventy-four miles OF canal, with forty
eight locks and 1,115 miles of river and
lake waters. From Montreal to Duluth
is 1854 miles by water route and 1886
niles to Chicago. The minimum depths
of water on this route Is fourteen feet.
The American Sauit Ste. Marie Canal is
twenty-four and q half feet now. 1t Is
proposed to make the entire route twen-
ty-five feet
The Welland ship canal, now nearing
completion, will be twenty-five feet.
but all concrete stills and foundations
are being put down to the thirty foot
level, SO that whenever 1t may be de-
cided to deepen the waterway 1t can
bo done by dredging out the reaches
The length of this canal is twenty-five
miles; and the difference in level be-
t"SeH tuo Two lhheS oEO ~ ltct, 10 VNo'
como by seven lift locks, each 500 feet
| In length and having a lift of 4615 feet
| The original Welland Canal cost $780,
| 100000 and the WellaQd ship canal $l5,-
100000 1t will be ready long In ad-
vance of the st. Lawrence route.
Up to March 81. 1918, Canada had
| put a grand total of s124,701,271 into
| capital expenditure on canals. In 1904
canal tolls. were cut away down. Fo1
| the 1917-191S fiscal year the revenue
amounted only to $414,66S. and the out
lay, apart from capital, $1,274,000. II
! one season the freight traffic in the
old Welland Canal amounts to 2,500,O0(
! tons With through traffic for ocear
going vessels that amount would bt
greatly multiplied by traffic from chi
cago, Duluth, Cleveland, Buffalo. Toron
to and other points.
st. Lawrence Chief Problem.
| The chief thing that remains to b'
done is to deepen the ST Lawrence Rivel
| SO that the waterway between Lake On
tario and the point below Montreal vii
| be capable of passing ships drawing
thirty feet of water. For the first hun
dred miles the St. Lawrence is an inter
national waterway; from there on to thu
| sea 1t Is in Canadian territory. Between
| Kingston ana CORNWALL Wnere tne III
ternational boundary line runs east b.
south, there are two sharp rapids sec
tlons of the river, and again near Corn
wall In Canadian territory, there arr
two other deep rapids sections. and thu
cost Of the work on these two portion
of the river will run from 500, 100000
| to $4,000, 000. 900, according to the exten
of the expenditure on power develop
ment.
1t is estimated that not less thai
9, O0o, 900 horse power could be developed
on the river between Kingston and tn
Richelieu, Just below Montreal. The plaI
which the engineers have in mind I
to build four great dams below the fou
great rapids, thereby raising the leve
OF the river. doing away with thes
ipids that are now in the way Of navi
cation.
The first dam would be constructed a