Evening star., 1924-01-16
BUSIEST CANAL"
HALTEDF0R WINTER
Locks at Sault Ste. Marie
Closed, Due to Freezing
Weather.

When the locks at Sault Ste. Marie
closed down for the winter 4 few
weeks ago because Jack Frost's fn-
gers were getting a firmer and firmer
hold on the north country the worlds
busiest canal went out of business
temporarily" says a bulletin from
the headquarters in this city OF the
National Geographic Society.
Through this narrow gateway that
joins the greatest OF the great lakes
to Its sisters to the east and south"
continues the bulletin, flows for eight
months OF the year a marine parade
OF huge vessels that dwarfs trafic
streams elsewhere. The $4,000, 900 tons
OF freight sent through in 1922 was
something like fve times as great az
the freight passing through the Pana-
ma canal that year. and more than
tnree times as great as that moved
through Suez in Its best twelvemonth.
st. Mary's "Jumpingn waterx
The vast wheat fields OF Mtnne-
sofa, the Dakotas and parts OF Cana
da, and the great iron and copper
mines on the shores Of Lake SUPERIOR
are the chief factors that have built
up this inland canals tremendous
business Ore furnishes most OF the
weight in the years freight total, but
the grain handled rs Of greater value.
The st. Marys river, which con-
meets Lakes Superior and Huron, has
on its oanks at the rapids towns
named Sault st. Marie both in the
with a population OF about 1900.
1t is pronounced 500. and many many
Americans both In and out OF the
town have insisted on spelling It
as 1t is pronunced. Letters adore -
failed to reach their destination. The
term means the Jump or tumble
OF the st. Marys
Old Tran Now City Street.
THE banks Of the st. Marys at
the rapids formed tho site OF a mis-
sion and fur trading post in the
early days Of the French settlement
of North America After the British
1857. a small affair capable Of han.
ding only canoes and skiffs. Even
this was destroyed by American
soldiers during the wsr Of 1919
For nearly half a century all
freight was taken past the rapids
first in carts and later on a horse.
drawn tramway. The American Sault
Ste Marie's principal business street
of today grew up along this old
portage, ust as Broadway grew along
the COW path OF the New Amster-
damers.
"Sault Ste. Marie 10 a typical
modern, wide-awake American town
through the week, but on Saturdays
1t takes on a color that proves that
1t is not yet wholly out Of touch
with its virile frontier days Then
numerous Indians Join its street
crowds and everywhere one encount-
ers booted 1umbeP-Jacks' wearing
colored flannel shirts, and If II is
cold. generously checked makinaw
Jackets.
Origin OF Hiawatha Legend.
Near the 500. in the Taquamenon
river country. among the Ojibway
Indians. originated the Hiawatha
legend; and each fall redskins gather
to enact the delightful story made
famous by Longfellow.
Even though the fall at the 500
Is little greater than twenty feet,
a large volume Of water passes out
Of Lake Superior and much water
power is available. Big hydro-elec-
trio plants have been developed on
both sides of the river and the towns
are Of growing Importance Industrial
ly While the throaty blare Of the
whistles on the lake steamers is
silent in winter the water wheels
still turn and keep woolen and lum-
Der mills, carbide and chemical fac
tories and numerous small enter
prises busy"