Evening star., 1925-08-15

"Scotland's burning London
Bridge is failing down. And Mia CARA
| Falls is drying up" Secretary Of Com
merce Herbert Hoover is responsible
for the last statement Of disaster. but
nobody knows who Is guilty OF the first
two.
1t is not disclosed just how soon
| the precipice over which the water is
still pouring between Lakes Erie and
Ontario will become dusty, but the en-
gineers, of whom Mr.. Hoover Is pre-
eminent, are beginning to talk as
| though something ought to be done
about 1t. While the Chicago Drainage
| Canal is held TO account for diverting
much water from the st. Lawrence to
the Mississippi River and lowering the
levels Of the Great Lakes as we'll as
the depth OF the St. Lawrence chan
mel, It is not that which Is exciting in
terest Of the engineers in the drying
up Of the falls.
In truth. 1t is not that a lessened
total volume of water is pouring over
the falls, but 1t Is shifting its channel
and changing the conformation, so
that the long straight edge of the
American Falls may emerge above the
lowered surface Of the shallow water,
while more and more of the volume
will be diverted to tumble into the
Horseshoe Gorge Of the Canadian
Falls. That would eventually an
nihilate the picturesque American
Falls, while the increased, but con-
centrated, flow over the Horseshoe
would not increase the scenic beauty.
The engineers propose to plant stone
and concrete islands just above the
Horseshoe Falls, which would turn
the current toward the American
Falls. The Canadians have no obJec-
tions to that project, for under exist
ing treaties the power created by the
entire falls is definitely assigned to
the two countries. It makes no differ
ence whether the water falls on the
American or the Canadian side OF the
international boundary. OF the total
flow of $4,000 cubic feet per- second,
Canada gets $4,000 cubic feet In power
and the United States 10000. Uncle
Sam calls that a square deal,' and Is
perfectly satisfied, because when the
treaty was made there was an Ameri-
can power company with works on the
Canadian side, but selling its current
to American consumers. That COM
panv used 5000 cubic feet per second,
and it was agreed that the 5000 should
be taken from the American half and
added to the Canadian half, making
the division 20 to SO. Since then the
American firm has sold out to the
Canadian government, which inherits
the 5000 cubic feet without legal re-
strictions as to its market of the
power. When the present treaty ex-
pires, in the next rs or 80 years, a re-
adjustment will be undertaken, accord
ing to new developments.
X y y x
In the meanwhile, what is to be
the outcome of the greater project
to unlock that barrier to ocean navi-
CATION and admit into the Great
Lakes ships which sail the Seven
Seas? There ahey may discharge their
cargoes brought intact from the far
thest ports consigned to Duluth, Mil
waukee and Chicago.
Never in mans efforts to remodel
the world has there been a plan so
stupendous as that of transferring
Atlantic terminals from the coast to
the heart of the continent. In COM
parison of commerce, the digging of
the Suez and Panama Canals pro-
duced far less diversion Of traffic
than will the opening of the Great
I4akes-St. Lawrence Ship Canal
through the 80 miles of barrier yet
remaining undug. The total cost of a
ship channel of 25-foot depth, which
will admit IS per cent of the vessels
Of the ocean to the harbors of Lakes
Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and
Superior. is estimated at $252,000,00 &;
for a 30-foot depth of channel, the
cost would be $275, 100000, and that
would carry all ocean vessels except