The Washington herald., 1921-08-23
ST. LAWRENCE
CANAL TOCOST
.$252,72S,2OO
Joint Commission Report
Gives Estimate for
Giant Project.
UPKEEP FOR YEAR
OVER TWO MILLION
Time to Complete Work
Now Estimated at
Eight Years.

The canalization of the St Law
renee River from Montreal to Lake
Ontario will cost s252.72s.2oo, ac-
cording to a tentative report MADE
by the international Joint Commits
sion, after a survey OF the naviga-
tion improvements and power sites
as proposed in the Great Lakes-At-
lantic deep waterway project, by
corps Of engineers appointed by the
United States and Canada
The entire proposed improvements
will be completed eight years after
work Is begun. provided the work
on all Of the projects is started
simultaneously and the funds are
provided as fast as needed, accord
ing to the estimates submitted by
the engineers.
The annual cost of operation.
maintenance and depreciation OF the
iu1proved waterway and power sites
Is estimated at s2.5s2 900, OF which
amount s1.457 900 will be expended
for the upkeep of the power plants.
Can Increase Depth.
Provisions that the proposed
twenty-five feet depth of the water
way. as included in the present re-
port, may be increased to a depth
Of thirty feet throughout the entire
stretch Of the river at a cost OF
sI7.sss.1s0. are made in the tenta-
tive report.
The report shows that the po-
tential power which can be de-
veioped in the river is approx
Inately 4.Iooo00 horsepower. and
that Il can be developed along with
the Improvement of the navieation
projects. However. the engineers
point out that the simultaneous de-
relopment Of such vast quantity
Of power Is not a sound economic
procedure. as a market to take this
output In not IN existence at pres
ent, and that the sound method is
to improve the navigation at pres
ent so that the power development
could be completed as needed.
The commission, composed Of
obadiah Gardner Rockland. Ne,
chairman: Clarence d. Clark, OF
Evanston. wyo.; Marcus A. Smith.
Tuscon, AriL. and William A
smith, Of Washington. secretary.
representing the American section
and Charles A. Magrath, Of Ottawa.
Ont. chairman: Henry A. Powell.
81. Johns, New Brunswick; Sir Will
lam Hearst. Toronto. Ont, and Law
renee J. Burpee, Ottawa, Ont, sec
retary, representing the Canadian
section, announces that engineers
report and accompanying maps will
be displayed for inspection until
faa al ~
offices in the Southern Building.
Criticisms and proposed changes
in the engineers plans will be con-
sidered at a meeting of the COM
mission TO be held in Ottawa on
October (, when it will be deter
mined whether or not a public hear
ing on the engineering features
viii be necessary.
Assets Not Touched.
The more tangible assets to be
derived from this Improvement, of
railroad freight conditions. while
of great importance. are not
touched upon In theengineers' re-
port
In making the survey, the engi-
neers divided the length of the
river under consideration into five
divisions. indicating the canals,
dams and locks required in each
and giving the cost of the work
necessary. These divisions are as
follows:
First division, from Montreal
Harbor to Lake st. Louis. to be
made by locks and side canals on
the Vile Emard route, with the
canal sections twenty-five feet in
aspth and a bottom width of 22Q
feet in through cuttings'to $50 feet
IN submerged or submarine chan
depth. The cost of construction
for this division will be S6S.727 900,
while the cost of upkeep will be
s35o.0o0 annually.
Plans Side Canal.
Second division, from Lake st.
Louis to Lake st. Francis, to be
made by side canal from Meloche-
willie to Hungary Bay with flight
locks at Melocheyille, the canal sec
tions being twenty-five feet in
depth and locks thirty feet in
depth The cost of construction
for this division will be S36,590,000
and the upkeep will be annually
100000
Third division, from Lake st.
Francis to the head of st. Regis
Island. to be made by dredging a
canal $50 feet wide and rs feet
deep at]ow water. Costing s1,l5S,-
900 with an annual upkeep cost of
$4,000.
Fourth division, from the foot of
St. Regis Island to Chimney Point
to be made by a dam at Long SauIt
Rapids and sidc canals with locks
at Cornwall The estimated cost
Of this project. inclding the insta
lation by hydraulis and electrical
machinery for the power, is $780,
097 400, with an annual upkeep
cost OF S1.7s2.0oo.
Fifth division Will include the
removal OF certain shoals and
widening Of the present channel of
the river. at an estimated cost of
100000 and the annual cost Of op-
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