The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-05-07
LAST CONTRACT LET
ON WELLAND CANAL
New Ditch Will Let Ocean
Liners Pass Niagara Falls.

Toronto.-A few days ago the last
contract was LET for the completion of
the new Welland canal connecting
Lake Erie with Lake Ontario, form
ing the first link in the scheme of
navigation which will enable ocean
liners, instead of halting at Montreal,
to steam westward to the far inland
ports of Duluth and Port Arthur and
all intervening points.
Without much flourish or advertise
ment. work on the new Welland canal
has been proceeding for IS years. 1t
VIII be completed, according to pres
ent estimate. in five years more. De-
lay has been due to the war.
From an engineering point of view,
the new Welland is a mightier feat
than the building of the Panama canal.
While it is only % miles long as COM
pared with Panama's so, Panama's
summit is only So feet above its en-
frances while the Welland must over
come a lift of 326 feet, which. owing
to the falls of Niagara and accom-
panying rapids, separates the higher
level of Lake Erie from Lake Ontario.
AS q consequence lifting apparatus is
On a colossal scale.
To give some idea of the magnitude
of the work it may be noted that if
ali the earth and rock to be excavated
were loaded on damp cars the train
would stretch for 1,500 miles, exactly
the length of the great wall of China.
The moun OF concrete to be used
would be sufficient to build a solid
concrete wall 20 feet high. 6 feet wide
and 100 miles long.
Rebuilt Three Times.
A hundred years ago the first Wei
land canal was built, connecting the
present terminus, Port Colborne, on
. Lake Erie, with Port Dalhousle, on
Lake Ontario. Three times the work
has been reconstructed, and the exist
Ing canal accommodates a substantial
share of lake navigation. But the
new enterprise is infinitely more am
bilious.
TIL northern or Lake Ontario ter
flinal has been moved from Port DIAL
housie three or -four miles east to Port
Weller (named after the engineer).
The canal will follow an almost
straight line, and will be five miles
shorter thar the old.
There will be only seven locks on
the new as compared with 81 on the
old. Not only the largest steamers on
the Great Lakes can come through the
locks, but come through in one-third
the time. Instead of "a hours for
passage through the present structure,
1t is estimated that only eight hours
will be required for the new.
Another way to estimate the i'm
mensity of his undertaking. calcu-
lated to cost $50,O00.000 even at 1912
prices. is to say that while the present
canal will accommodate only boats at
the most 800 feet in length, the new
one can let through vessels measuring
800 feet. Such a length is 200 feet
more than the largest boat now plying
the lakes.
Among Largest Locks in World.
Some of the new locks are among
the largest in the world. The locks
ST the present canal are only $50 feet
long, As feet wide and IA fee in depth.
The new are not only 800 feet long,
but so feet wide, with 80 feet of wa
ter oven the gate-sills at extreme low
Stages of the lake. Capacity loads for
vessels during the present low water
levels in the old canal are II 900
bushels. Not only will the Grant
Morden, with her 100000 bushels and
% feet draft, pass through the new
locks, but have s feet to spare. 1t
will take just exactly eight minutes to
clear this gigantic freighter through
each lift.
These huge lock compartments,
built throughout Of concrete and
founded on bedrock. will have walls
towering 80 feet above the gatesills.
Two of the locks will have walls over
100 feet high. The gates, a notable
feature, are to be among the largest
In the world, weighing 100 tons
each. Three Of them are twin locks
in fight, similar to the Gatun locks
of the Panama canal, that is, each
pair rising one above the other.
For construction purposes the work
of the canal was divided into nine
sections, No. / being at the Lake On
tario end of the canal, and No. 8 at
the Lake Erie or Port Colborne end.
The first three sections include the
Lake Ontario entrance and all the
seven lift locks, each One of which will
raise or lower a vessel 461a feet. These
sections begun in 1912. will all be
ready for navigation in three years.
Section No. 5, between Thorold and
Port Colborne. really IN enlargement
of the present canal, is the only
section completed and in use. Section
No. 4, south Of ThoroId, is almost
finished. The contract for section No.
6 has just been awarded.