The Washington herald., 1921-10-02
Otherwise Correct.

OF the association, and ready to earnestly sup
port the plan to have the United States pay half
the costs of developing the Canadian route to the
'seaboard." The News continues with a series OF
follow-up statements that while the engineers es-
innate is Sz5oooo,ooo, the ultimate cost would be
probably SIooooooooo that THE Herald does moi
appear to be aware that lake freighters are of a
quite different type from those sailing the high
seas" that they would not be serviceable on the
Atlantic, would ocean tramp ships be service
able on the Great Lakes.
1t talks OF the thousand miles and OF
inland waterways from Duluth to tide water much
of the distance through tortuous channels, with a
multitude of locks They would have to crawl
along" Better than this shpv ay, it holds would
be the Erie barge canal operating to capacity
and so Sufficient for all needs of water shipment.
The Canadian route could offer such advan-
tages" Indeed "the possibilities of it just
being discovered by Duluth shippers, who are now
sending barges through to tide water" AS con-
clusion: Nobody whose opinion is worth rap
has come forward to say there would be economy
for American shippers, in the construction of the
ST. Lawrence route"
Probably this is as accurate statement as
could be expected to come from Buffalo. We are
not blaming Buffalo. 1t fears the ship canal
route will lose it a part OF its transfer business,
yet if its argument against the canal route IS
worth rap that route being OF no economic
value to American shippers, could not hurt that
city. 1t is inconsistent in being scared at the
vision of failure. Moreover. it fails to realize
how little actual advantage there is in being
ly transfer point. Duluth far excels it in this,
vet Duluth reckons that its lake and rail traffic
alone would no than support 5000 to 10000
population.
The Herald is not Convert" this St.
Lawrence project. 1t is original Our interest
and promotion antedates the present organized ef-
fort not for the Canadian route" but for the in
ternational route. The News does to be
aware that there is projected Canadian route
from Georgian Bay via the Ottawa River to Mon
treal, route which many Canadians prefer, with
greater power resources than the St. Lawrence in
which this country could have interest share,
and which would be the shorter. 1t would be ex-
cusively Canadian.
1t may, ALSO interest the News to learn that
while lake boats and boats materially differ
in construction they do not materially differ
in operation Navigators go from lake to ocean
ships and vice versa. The construction difference
is due to the variance in wave length and height,
demanding much stronger framework for ocean
vessels. But that ocean vessels could not navi-
gate on the Great Lakes is hardly accurate. as
they have done so. Several hundred ships built
on the Great Lakes for service the high seas,
have gone with full cargoes from Duluth and other
ports, across the Atlantic.
They were just as servceable the lakes as
any others, but because of the shalowness of the
present ST. Lawrence channel were limited in tom
mage to 4,2oo deadweight tons. So far the lake
ports and the upper lake channels were concerned,
they could have been nearly three times that ton
mage. They cost and no less to operate
than any other vessels They had difficulty in
navigating those "tortuous channels at the 500
and Detroit through which 10000 and $4,000 ton
boats pass every day of the shipping In
fact these channels, like those projected for the ST.
Lawrence, tortuous straight line be.
II may interest the News to learn that the
man who has the principal financial interest in the
Duluth barge line the Erie Canal, is an earnest
advocate of the ST. Lawrence project These
barges are about four times the capacity of any
ever before operated the canal and OF far
greater tonnage than there is water to float when
loaded to capacity. They are the only barges on
the canal which navigate the lakes under their
own steam and have been the final demonstration
that the canal does not and will be "suffi-
cient for all needs of water shipment" 1t reminds
one of the old rhyme when the small boy went
fishing for a whale and all the water that he had
was in his mothers pail.
Nor is it material that the port of New York
is open all the year round" since the canal itself
and the entrance at Buffalo is frozen tight as
drum at least FIVE months Of the twelve as are the
upper lake channels and ports incidentally, many
times more tonnage of grain is now going via the
lakes and Canadian railroads to Montreal for ex-
port, than via the Erie Canal.
AS to the cost, the engineers probably know
at least as much as either the News or The Herald
They place it at Szsooooooo for the waterway COM
plete that vessels of around 5000 tons can go
from the Great Lakes ports to the Atlantic and
with the first of the water power projects avail
able for power leasing When there is demand
for the rest of the power. private capital will
probably gladly pay the cost under government
leasing. The further improvement of the ports
which will never be necessary if the waterway is
failure as the News foretells would be local prof.