Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-14
GREAT LAKES CANAL PLAN
AROUSES A CONTROVERSY
Two Routes Being Advocated-One Via
St. Lawrence and Other All-American.
Each Has Strong Support.

| Congress has provided for the
deepening of the Hudson River to
| Albany so as to provide a 21-foot
| channel. The estimated cost of the
construction of the ship canal from
| Oswego on Lake Ontario to the IIud
I son River at or near Albany is $780,
| 100000. In addition to this, an eN-
| penditure OF $i2500o.000 would be
| necessary to build a canal In Amer
| lean territory from Lake Erie to
| Lake Ontario. So the total cost of
| this project is to be $625.000.0
st. Lawrence Route Cheap.
Compared with this figure, the es-
timated cost of the St. Lawrence
Canal is small-although stable
figure in itself. In 1919 Congress ex-
pressed a desire that the 1nterna =
tional Joint Commission, which had
been created by treaty in 1909, should
prepare an estimate of the cost. This
was done and the report of the COM
mission was transmitted to Congress
in 1922. The International Joint
Commission and its, engineers held
that the project was feasible; that
the maintenance and operating costs
would be low 1t estimated the cost
of construction at S252.72S.20 which
would include the cost of developing
l.4640D0 hydroelectrc horsepower
The project could be completed. it
was said, In eight years. The total
annual cost nf operation, maintenance
and depreciation of the works. in
Guiding the power plants, would be
S2.562.o00. BY the expenditure of an
additional $1S.000,000 the canal depth
could be increased TO 80 feet in the
future. II necessary, it was estimated.
The new report. which is now be-
ing completed by the engineers of
he commissions appointed by Presi-
dent Coolidge and the Canadian gov
eminent. will bring up-to date the
costs of the ST. Lawrence River
project.
One feature of the All-American
Canal-the canal connecting Lake
Erie and Lake Ontario-can be
Topped off the ST. Lawrence River
project. for the Welland Canal, now
being constructed on the Canadian
side. will serve the purpose. The
Welland Canal. which is to have
depth of 80 feet. and will cost about
s100,000.000. will be completed it is
expected. in 1880.
Both the proposed ship canals have
he weighed in making a decision as
to which shall be chosen by this
country.
The St. Lawrence River Canal, for
example, has the advantage OF pro-
viding for a great water-power de-
velopment-a development which Will
not accompany the All-American
Canal, except in connection with the
short canal from Lake Erie to Lake
Ontario. The St. Lawrence River
Canal has the advantage Of lower
original cost of construction and of
lower cost of maintenance and opera
ton and can be more easily deepened
TO 80 feet. if this becomes necessary
to accommodate the traffic
Needs Only Seven Locks.
Furthermore. there will be neces-
sary only seven locks on the st. Law
renee River Canal from Montreal TO
Lake Ontario, while a score of locks
must be constructed for the ALI
American Canal
The distance via the St Lawrence
Canal from Chicago to London is GIL
miles less than the distance from Chi
cago to Liverpool via the Ail-American
Canal. From Chicago to Copenhagen
by the same route is SAG miles less
The distance to Genoa and the other
Mediterranean ports via the st. Law
renee Canal would be about 1876 miles
less than via. the All-American Canal
But the difference in time, according
TO experts of the Department of Com
merce. would be even more marked
from Chicago to Liverpool via.the st.
Lawrence River route than the all
American route. 1t is estimated that
a vessel would go by the first route
three days quicker than by the lat
ter. This would be due, it is said, to
the delay in passing through the
greater number of locks in the All
American Canal and to the fact that
vessels will be able TO proceed at a
greater speed in the s.. Lawrence
than in the All-American Canal.
Interference with railroad and road
traffic, unless the bridges across the
New York Al-American Canal We're
made sufficiently high to permit the
pa ssa2e Of ocean-goins craft, might
prove great drawback. There are
some so bridges across the presen.
waterway. and if drawbridges We're
for all or a part of them
either the ships or the railroad trains
and automobiles might be SERIOUSLY
delayed.
Take the other side of the case. The
route runs through a.
very densely populated country in
New York State. 1t is connected by
many short railroad hauls with New
England. making it accessible to mil
lions more population. Its outlet
would be the port of New York. the
greatest port in he. world today. 1t
would bring the GNat Lakes territory
much closer to the Panama Canal, the
West. Indies. the American coastwise
trade and South America than the
other route. Mr.. Dempsey has point
ed out that Americas growing trade
is with South America, while the
trade with Europe has fallen off. 1t
must be remembered, however, in this
connection that the farmers in the
great grain States who are seeking an
outlet for their surplus must deal with
Europe rather than with South
America.
BY the New York route, from Os-
wego to Pernambuco, on the east
coast of South America. the distance
would be 564 miles less than by the
ST. Lawrence Canal. The New York
route would bring the West Indies
800 miles nearer the Great Lakes
than via the st. Lawrence Canal, and
the same would be true in the case of
Gulf of Mexico ports.
American Routes Advantages.
Other advantages cited for the All.
American Canal over the st. Lawrence
River canal are: That the distance
from Lake Ontario to the sea via Os.
wego and Albany is $40 miles as
against ] ,1S0 miles via Kingston and
Montreal; the st. Lawrence River and
the Gulf of St Lawrence arc Suh;aot
to frequent fogs. and there are fire.
quent icebergs in the Atlantic waters
near the st. Lawrence. while there are
few fogs and no icebergs off New
York. And finally, the All-American
Canal would be of grea err a id from, tho