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

there is nothing in the plan or scope of the en-
terprise which goes beyond well established en-
cheering precedent, or calls for constructions
that are experimental and regarding whose ul-
innate cost there is any serious doubt; that the
opening of this great waterway by canal, canal
lied river, and deepened channel thereby en-
abling a deep-sea ship to load at Duluth and not
break open her matches until she reached Ham
burg, London or Marsees is as certain of being
taken in hand as it is that the sun will rise daily.
So it asks: "Why not today?'
The project is an international one. Canada,
at its own expense (about $50,OO0,O00) is recon
structing the Weliand canal between Lakes Erie
and Ontario, in order to give ocean-gong ships
access to Lake Erie. Thanks to the enterprise of
Canada, the problem broadly reduces itself to
submerging certain rapids lying in the interna-
tonal waters OF the st. Lawrence river between
Lake Ontario and ST. Regis and then dealing in
a similar way with that stretch Of the river ex-
tending from st. Regis to Montreal. The esti-
mated cost Of the international river Improvement
is $6O,O0000O and Of the Canadian river, S5OOoO,-
coo. The establishment of power plant sites
would entail additional expense.
An argument brought forward for the project
is that it saves distance. From Duluth through
the Detroit river by deep-draft vessel the distance
is 693 miles.
Following is an extract from an official state
ment read into the Congressional Record by Rep
resentative John NJ. Nelson of Wisconsin,
present depth of channels and harbors of n feet
will enable large numbers of ocean vessels to
steam directly to The ports of the Great Lakes.
The two barriers are the ST Lawrence river rapids
and the Niagara Falls. The barrier of the Niagara
Falls is already being overcome by the Canadians
in the reconstructed Welland canal. The differ
ence of lake level will be overcome by seven locks
in the new Welland canal in a distance of %
miles. These lock chambers will be 1000 feet
long 80 feet WIDE and will have lock stills sunk
to depth of 80 feet, that will permit the passage
Of vessels Of % feet draft when the channels are
dredged to 80 feet From the Welland canal to
the foot of Lake Ontario there are $50 miles of
straight sailing and then open navigation in the
wide st. Lawrence river. Out of the total of 1872
miles to Montreal there are 10 miles of improved.
channels, with at present 40 miles of canal. With
this project, with dams and six locks of 800 feet
in length, SO feet in BREADTH and possible depth
of 80 feet with slack water, midstream navigation
would reduce the total canal and lock Navigation
to 20 miles or less.
1.-THE proposal is to build dams across the river
with locks in the dams Vessels navigating the
river will not pass through narrow canals around
the rapids as they do now in the present 14-foot
Canadian canals but will sail majesticay down
fhe center of the stream in slack water produced
nv the dams and pass from level to level through
the locks.
"Assuming that an ocean vessel has passed
through the Lakes to Superior Duluth and has
loaded q cargo of western grain and is sailing
for Liverpool, the first leg of the journey, the
length of Lake Superior, will be 3S3 miles of open
navigation. Then comes the st. Mary river, 60
miles long. This is all open navigation, except 50
miles which is improved river channel and
canal 16 miles with one locRage. Past this re-
stricted channel the vessel will have 22O miles OF
free sailing through the deep water of Lake
Huron 1t will then pass 81 miles of open naviga-
ton and 13 miles of restricted channel in the ST.
Clair river 1872 miles of open and 30 miles of
restricted navigation in Lake st. Clair and y
miles of open and miles of improved navigation
in the Detroit river. Again. it will have free nav