The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-01
ENGINEER SAYS
GULF CANAL IS
FEASIBLE PLAN
Claims Waterway Could be Built
Between Lakes Superior and
Michigan. .

Chicago, Aug. by the Asso-
ciated Press.)-A two-way ship
canal between Lakes Superior and
Michigan, deep enough for ocean
steamers, could be built at q rea-
sonable cost and would divert to
this route and to Chicago at least
Is per cent of the tonnage which
now goes through Sault Ste. Marie,
according to D. Chase Denison, a
Chicago engineer.
After surveying the territory
through which it was proposed to
build such q canal, Mr.. Denison
said that the best place for the cut
off route would be from point
near Au Train, Mich, on Lake Su-
perior, to the headwaters Of the
bay north of Escanaba, Mich, on
Lake Michigan.
1t was pointed out that any ship
canal from Lake Michigan south to
the Gulf Of Mexico would require
more water than Lake Michigan
could at present supply. As an
example, the engineer showed that
the Panama canal would be useless
without the artificial lake which
keeps the canal full of water. And
Lake Michigan, he said, is shrink
ing. Since the government began
to keep records, the surface Of the
lake has been lowered several
inches. Half q century ago the
lake was said to be slightly less
than $40 feet above the surface of
the Atlantic ocean and is now said
to be little more than 61S feet
above the Atlantic. According to
Mr.. Denison, the greater part OF
this shrinkage has taken place dur
ing the last Is years
The water necessary for the
gulf canal could be obtained from
Lake Superior" the engineer said.
Lake Superior is now nearly Il
feet higher than Lake Michigan,
but the bottom OF Lake Superior
goes down many hundred feet be-
low the surface Of the Atlantic. In
many places in Lake Superior it Is
not certain that the bottom has
been reached even at four or five
thousand feet, while Lake Michigan
is comparatively shallow even in
its deepest places. The many small
err, lakes in territory surrounding
Lake Superior are one to eight hun
bred feet above its surface. They
receive much water, but have no
surface river outlets. It is Mr..
Denison's belief that these lakes
have underground outlets into Lake
Superior.
The supply Of water from Lake
Superior and the smaller lakes that
are above and surrounding it will
be practically inexhaustible, but
only as long as the large tracts OF
forests are allowed to stand The
future generations, it was stated
will suffer in every way il this
selfish generation is allowed to rob
the earth of one Of its most valua-
! BILE resources"
Mr.. Denison said this excessive
water supply gives Lake Superior
much more than it needs, and in
certain seasons the over-supply
goes down through Sault Ste. Marie
into Lake Huron in large quaint
ties. All Of this water should
come down the 21-foot incline into
Lake Michigan, and would do SC
were it not for q solid rimrock OF
basin edge which holds 1t back.
he continued. This rimrock starts
on this surface at a point short
distance west Of Marquette and
continues east to Sault Ste. Marie
A low place in the rimrock at Al
Train makes this point the mos
desirable spot to begin the canal.
{, Few Shallow SpotA
The OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
cd that there are4sw shallow beach
e. around Lako-0apeHior except d
hays, cAamnols and small rfvel
Imoufha. Nfnsty-lve per cent Of TIN
Y shpgos1s.daap wxter 100 to 500 tee'
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