Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-11-25
The st. Lawrence Project.

Inc Creat Lakes, ike a BTedt inidhS
sea, form one Of the most striking
geographical pecularities Of North
America. More than that, they are Of
the greatest economic and commercial
value, for they permit deep-water nav
igation, the cheapest and most salts
factory form OF transportation, over
almost two thousand miles in the very
| heart of the continent. From their
eastern en-! the St. Lawrence flows to
the sea, through most Of its course
deep enough and tranquil enough to
float the largest cargo boats. Between
Duluth will become to all intents and
were originally only there serious OBJ
structions TO deep-water navigation
Niagara Falls, the rapids at Sault
Sainte Marie and the rapids of the
St. Lawrence above Montreal. Two OF
those distractions have already been
removed by building great lock canals
round them. Ii Is now proposed to
remove the third and make il possible
to send cargoes unbroken from any
port OF the Lakes to any seaport in the
world.
The rapids Of thaSt. Lawrence are
all found in a stretch Of about a hun
dred miles, most OF which forms the
international boundary between the
State of New York AMI the Providence
Of Ontario. II is planned to put up
two great dams to hold back the water
until two long and deep lakes are form
ed where the shallow and dangerous
rapids now exist. Seagoing ships can
pass round the dams by means of
locks. Thus it will be brought TO pass
that Toronto, Buffalo, Cleveland, De-
troit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Toledo and
Duluth will become to all interest and
purposes not lake ports but sea ports.
II is estimated that the cost Of the
project will be Slio,OOO,OOO, but the
engineers add that the great dams with
the tremendous current Of the St. Law
renee behind them will provide not less
than four million horse power in cleo
trical energy, and that the sale of that
power will more than pay the carrying
charges Of the undertaking.
The advantages Of the enterprise are
apparent. Those advantages would
Of course be still greater il the upper
St. Lawrence were not icebound dur
ing part of the year. But even so the
canal would greatly increase the COM
mercial opportunities of our Western
States; it would make it possible to
ship Canadian and American grain and
live stock much more quickly and
cheaply to the European markets,
and it would relieve the congested and
inadequate railway systems of a part
of their burden. The creation of cleo
trio power at the dams would save
an incredible amount of coal; one
authority believes that ninety million
tons a year would be saved If all the
water power between Saut Sainte
Marie and Montreal should be utilized.
In spite of those arguments there
are men who oppose the project. In
! this country are the men who believe
that Canada rather than the United
States would be the gamer and bust
ness men in New York City and other
ports who do not like to see any traffic
diverted from those ports to the ST.
Lawrence River. In Canada the op-
position comes from Montreal, which
fears the injury of its trade as port
of trans shipment, and from the trans
continental railways, which fear a loss
of business. Whether the opposition
on this side Of the line will be strong
enough to prevent the construction of
the works by the use of American as
we'll as of Canadian capital remains
to be seen. But the plan has so much
to commend it that it seems certain
to be carried out sooner or later even if
Canada has to shoulder the expense
alone. That would, however, be I'M
fortunate, since the farmers Of our
Western States and the manufacturers
of the Eastern part of the country
might profit by it almost. if not quite
as much as their Canadian neighbor: