, 1922-02-02
BENEFIT TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE 1T.

Answering the New York newspapers who are OPP
posing the st. Lawrence waterway project, Paul Brady
Of that city, having a clear conception of the subject
from both sides, makes this exposition of the entire
proposition. 1t is in reply to a newspaper article:
''The title The St. Lawrence Threat seems an un-
kind title to apply to a great public enterprise of the
character of the st. Lawrence undertaking.
"You ask what New York and neighboring states
are going to do about it. From a fair business stand
point they should help and encourage the proposition.
"You say this state OWNS a competing route from
Oswego to Mohawk and other points to tidewater. Let
may judge intelligently of the competing route, it is
well for US to know the character of the st. Lawrence
and Great Lakes and how much canal it is necessary
for vessels to traverse in going over this route.
I'VE will start at Duluth. The distance on Lake
Superior, which you cannot term "a canal, is 3s3
miles; on the st. Mary's river and st. Maryis Falls
canal, 2s.4 miles open navigation, improved channel,
So miles and lie miles in a canal; on Lake Huron from
St. Mary's river to the st. Clair river, 220 miles; on
the St. Clair river, 27 miles, improved channel, IS
miles; on Lake st. Clair, 1875 miles and 35 miles of
canal; on the Detroit river % miles, improved chan
mel, 9 miles; from the Detroit river. through Lake
Erie, to the Welland canal, 219 miles; the Weland
canal, when completed, rs miles; from the Welland
canal to the foot of Lake Ontario, 100 miles; through
Lake Ontario by the st. Lawrence river to Montreal.
open navigation, 1T miles, improved channel, As
miles. The canal, when completed, 20 miles, making
a total of 1889 miles to open navigation, 100 miles
Of improved channel and so miles canal.
mo one will question the navigabnity of the st.
Lawrence or the improved channel, which means
dredging of the river bottom so as to make the chan
mel from 500 to 500 feet wide. Part Of this has al
ready been done.
Strictly speaking, you are comparing a canal 20
miles in length with a canal from Oswego to Albany,
about 40 miles in length, through the Mohawk val
ley, one of the most populous portions of New York
slate outside of the large cities, and one in which it
would be difficult to provide sufficient water to float a
slip at certain periods of the year. The cost of a
canal through the Mohawk valley to accommodate
ships from the Hudson river to Oswego would prob
ably double the cost OF the st. Lawrence improvement.
So, your Statement that the route is shorter, compar-
ing 20 miles with ITO miles, is hardly correct.
"Your statement that the New York state canals
period of operation is longer than the other is also in
correct. because data shows that the present canal
along the st. Lawrence and the Barge canal are OPEN
ed and closed approximately on the same dates.
"As to the canals being wholly within American
territory. unless we consider treaties as only scraps of
paper. the ster-Ashbu treaty between Great
Britain and the United States, 7 believe, provides that
this great waterway shall forever be omen and free to
the commerce Ct the world. Certainly. under these
conditions, a toll charge cannot he made; therefore,
re eost Of mat ntenyree o~n7ratien snd interest on
s'~7Ye1ts mcst Ne bcrne Nv something other
er tr7~s Lawrence, how
hr reason of what
Ike care of itself,
E93vers of New
ans or Canada.
-eport to the
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