South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-08-30
LAKES TO-SEA IS
ESSENTIAL ROUTE,
M'ELWEE RELATES
Speaker Cites Economic Inn
pertance of st. Lawrence
Waterway Project.

Urgent need for the carrying out
o. the proposed St Lawrence river
Improvement as a great transporta-
ton economic need was pointed out
by Dr. r. s. 1cEIwee. who has made
a deep study Of the proposed project.
70 the members Of the Chamber Of
Commerce az their weekly MONDAY
luncheon Monday.
The country needs this develop
ment both for navigation and power
purposes" declared DR. McElwee.
following his Introduction by Pres't
+. j. Johnson. Of the Chamber OF
Commerce. The meeting Monday
was the first Of the season.
In discussing the proposed inn
provement Of che 81. Lawrence river
as a transportation project, Or. Nc
Elwee said.
"The project 20 drown out the
rapids OF the s.. Lawrence river with
a great dam and at one stroke OF en-
cheering open the interior Of the
continent 20 the ships Of the seven
0eas while enormous electrical ener-
8 - generated 20 replace our wasted
coal resources. IS less costly is more
urgently needed. and will have more
immediate economic advantages than
any other similar enterprise IN his
tory.
THE feasibility Of this project is
established by the report OF the en-
gineers submitted to the information
a. joint commission Few people
realize now much work has been
done on this survey. It has COM
pietely covered the ground so far
as the major outline Of the plans IS
concerned. An ideal site has been
located for a dam which viii give
slack water all the way from Lake
Ontario 20 the international bOun-
Diary, at which viii be developed
neatly 100000 horse power Be
low this dam there wiz be two short
canals TO pass the rapids in Canada.
When this IS done and the new We'll
land IS completed. ocean going yes
sells can come up TO Lake Erie The
present channels viii accommodate
vessels drawing 20 feet
The cost is estimated at $27j,90O.
600 including power installation.
Spread over six years and divided be-
tween the two countries in some fair
nronor.ior g. u,o1,1d hs no financial
burden Rut a. ia narfact1,- feasible
IN finance the coustruc+ion bv the
.a,,e ,,a+bo5.. ,-,-,,ro,..4 h. +be
Province Of Ontario in it's great pow
er development so it can be done
without depending on appropriations
from the treasury There is need Of
this power which can be marketed
as fasr as II IS deveIoped The mower
VIII nav FOR TO 5ob
"Our recent experience in trans
,or+s+fo-, chou, HON. ia, - is
1esdad
-. ..,,,sr,.,,...+f,,,, r,,-oio., g. g.
sntjrely feasibia N-obodv synnoses
80. H. r-s.e,,t e,,.os+ 1al,a carriavs
,-i1I 81 30 ~, re-. s~. NOT ,,,tlt
e. +r,+ 7-t,.,. Mil ~, s,,o,,e,b ~
al fr,ns,ortirr- ors and coal and
grain ON the ralxes and as cor,rerce
and irdus+rv dsveron toe fIeet Of
ralra cs,,.fers v-fr1 a.. lsr-e- shan ~ il
nov
Co,,,r,.rco Nead Not Vait
There NAV be i'm time q special
TYNE developed especiallv for coast
wise service be+0een lake and At
lanffc nor+s Rut commerce need
no. ,,,f+ FOR tb.+ Ocean eoi,g -
sels the same types mat now carry
fba r-orr5's +,sde can and viii come
up the lakes as soon as the passage
~ che ~ Tav-rencs fs oDered Not
~ ere,+ o.s,-, e-.... t,r.,,-5, tba
froa+iDy naIacss RT+ tbose bo9ts
cors+f+,,+a orr,. a small nronor+iop nj
the roe~cnanr fleet EVEN i'm New
yorl- +bav arc only small fraction
of The rr1v,Fa,. or ,-as-aI.s ..,,-~i,-ire,
and many, grea+ Morris never ace one
of those vessels and could not admit
them II they came. The worlds
tr.da "a CARRIED on i'm boa+a nat
could como up the lakes. Three
fourrbs OF the vessels Dassius
through Panama are OF the smaller
TYNE The Mediterranean and Black
sea por.s have mo- greater deptls
than tbe lake ports And there viii
he hardly 20 miles in which the
bosts must go slowly because of re-
s+rfcted channels or limited dentls
All The rest is clear sailing with
annie water under the keefs Of inn
anaad
The 81 Lawrence route is as log
fea1 as The Mediterranean Nobodv
thinks OF shipping across Europe
from the Black sea. evervthin, goes
around by water. when we consider
that vessels 20 through the KEEL
canal TO save 400 miles around Dem
mark. is there any doubt they viii