Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-06-03
Gcientlfle At7aetzcsa

igation on the great expanse of deep water or
Lake Erie for 219 miles. 1t passes IS miles OF
the Welland canal, with it's seven locks and then
has $50 miles more of deep water and open nayl-
CATION across Lake Ontario. 1t has 1872 miles
from Lake Ontario to Montreal, but of this dis
lance only about 20 miles are canal navigation.
At present there are 46 miles of canals, but in
the proposed Improvement, with slack-water navi-
cation behind the dams, there would be less than
20 miles of restricted channel. Down the ST.
Lawrence river to Belle isle, a distance Of 1OO2
miles ships navigate regularly today and the
route offers great obstacles during eight months
of the year. From Belle isle to Liverpool there
IS of course the ocean crossing of 21S6 statute
miles of open navigation. Less than "a miles or
improved channel and SOL miles of canals would
interrupt full-speed stealning from Superior Du-
luth, Milwaukee or Chicago to England The bar
rers that separate the farms and cities Of the
great West and Middle West from the ocean can
be overcome by channels not as long nor as diff
cult to navigate as the Panama canal the KEEL
canal, or the Suez canal, and would cost only a
fraction of the expense of construction
The possibilities of the development of hydro
electrical power are large. The normal mean
flow of the st. Lawrence at its outlet from Lake
Ontario is 100000 second-feet There is between
the head Of the rapids near Ogdensburg, N. H..
and the foot of the lowest rapid at the City Of
Montreal tota' fall of 221 feet If 20 per cent
of the power can be realized, the development
would
The first 113 miles of the river from its outler
from Lake Ontario is international-that is, it
constitutes the boundary between the two coun-
tries. The fall in this section, confined to about
forty-two miles, is ninetytwo feet; the power pos
sbiities OF this section the same basis would be
practically one and twothrd million horsepower.
Normally one-half Of this would be Canadian and
one-half United States. 1t would seem, therefore,
that the minimum power that may be developed
from the ST. Lawrence and distributed through
northern New York and New England would be
eight hundred thousand horsepower. It's not
unlikely however, that in the final bargaining be-
tween the two countries the United States may
assume some of the expense Of Improvement below
the international section of the river and in return
receive more power
In an address by Alexander t. Vogelsang, first
assistant secretary of the interior, before the
river and harbor congress Of 1919, read into the
Congressional Record these statements are made
among others: The United States share of the
ST. Lawrence river power would have an annual
value of about $12,000000. Much Of New Eng
land is within a transmission distance of 25O
miles This power is the equivalent of 775O,OOO
tons Of coal annually. This power would furnish
sufficient energy to supply large part OF the
power now generated by fuel in this dominant in
iustrial district The power production will pay
the entire cost of all the project.
With the enlarged Weand canal available. with
the proposed dams and their great locks built.
big cargo carriers of many thousands OF tons
could traverse the whole length of the ST. Law
renee to and from Lake Erie With improved ia
cilites at the 500 and deeper channels through
the Lakes here and there Duluth Superior, Mil
waukee, Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Buff
falo and other lake ports. would have an unham-
pered outlet to the ocean. So says the Middle
West.
And with the mighty St. Lawrence harnessed
for power purposes and the energy distributed
through industrial New York and New England
many problems that affect the cost Of living would
be made easier of solution. SO say the promoters
Of the ST. Lawrence Tidewater project