The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-06-04
(Jcientlke AIne7cSn)

igation on the great expanse of deep water OF
Lake Erie for 219 miles. II passes % miles OF
the Welland canal, with its seven locks, and then
has $50 miles more of deep water and open navi-
CATION across Lake Ontario. 1t has 49, 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 sack-water navi-
CATION behind the dams, there would be less than
~ miles of restricted channel Down the st.
Lawrence river to Belle isle, a distance of 1908
miles, ships navigate regularly today, and the
route offers no great obstacles during eight months
OF the year. From Belle isle to Liverpool there
IS OF course, the ocean crossing of 2,1S6 statute
miles of open navigation. Less than "A miles of
improved channel and SOL miles of canals would
interrupt full-speed steamiTg from Superior, Du-
luth, Milwaukee Chicago to England. The bar
rers that now separate the farms and cities Of the
great West and Middle West from the ocean can
be overcome by channels not long as diff
cult to navigate as the Panama canal, the Kiel
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 ~ Y
and the foot of the lowest rapid at the City Of
Montreal a total fall of 221 feet If 20 per cent
would amount to over four million horsepower.
The first lib miles of the river from its outlet
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 niney-twO feet the power pos
Sibilites OF this section the same basis would be
practically and two-third million horse power
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. 1t is 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 ere made
among others: The United States share Of the
st. Lawrence river power would have an annual
value of about $12OOO,OO0 Much of New Eng.
land is within a transmission distance of 25C
miles, This power is the equivalent of 7,75OOOO
tons of coal annually. This power would furnish
sufficient energy to supply a large part of the
mower now generated by fIiel>in this dominant In
dustrial district. The power production will pay
the entire cost Of all the project.
With the enlarged Welland canal available, with
the proposed dams and their great locks built,
big cargo carriers of many thousands of toRs
could traverse the whole length Of the St Law.
renee to and from Lake Erie With improved ia.
cilities at the 500 and deepee channels through
the Lakes here and there Duluth Superior, Mil
waukee Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, But.
faIo 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 Observation-Disclosures project