Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19

above. thus avoiding the formation of
Objectionable currents and SurgeS while
ships are being conveyed through the
locks This requires vast water sup
plies, the ponds which serve the various
locks being from $50 to 200 acres in
area, while the concrete culverts and
valves which serve the reservoirs are
so arranged as to permit filling the
locks with water in eight minutes.
Three of the locks are twins, permit
ting passage of long takers" without
any loss of time. The twin locks are
similar to those used at the Panama
Canal; while the Gatun locks have an
| 85-foot lift those on the Welland Canal
have a lift OH 1885, feet At the
| highest point in the lock walls, which
| is between locks and 5, the huge
structure towers more than 100 feet
in the air. The water is controlled
by giant steel gates. the lower leaf of
which weighs nearly 500 tons .In order
to operate these, more than $1,000
horsepower of energy will be required.
Safety Gate at Erie.
Since the water level of Lake Erie
varies as much as - feet at differ
ent seasons of the year. it was found
necessary to construct special guard
gate and safety weir about a mile above
lock I. This also acts as a safety
measure to withhold water on the sum-
NIT level, in the event of an accident
to the gates of the flight locks, which
convey ships up or down the 328-foot
escapement. Whereas the lower gates
of each of the seven flight locks will
be 81 feet 6 inches high by 48 feet
wide. and the upper gates 35 feet 6
inches high, the guard gates are A
feet high.
Lock 8, at Lake Erie entrance, is
the longest in the world, 1880 feet in
length This is approached only by
those on the American side of the ST.
Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, both
being / $50 feet long.
Ships entering the canal at the Port
Colborne terminal leave Lake Erie and
enter a protected area, 500 feet wide.
protected by breakwater 1000 feet
long constructed of concrete crib work,
reinforced with rock fill, resting on
solid rock The construction of the
cribs was a masterful piece of engineer
ing. since each of the structures is ITO
feet long by so feet wide, ranging in
height from 81 to Is feet.
Build Artificial Harbors.
These were built 20 miles from the
breakwater site, towed and sunk by
opening valves in the bottom, the rock
filling following Immediately after they
were in position. A reinforced light
house. erected at the south end of the
breakwater, insures safe passage to
ships entering the protected area.
At the Port Weller, Lake Ontario,
terminal, an artificial harbor was
formed by the construction of two en-
bankments extending out into the lake
nearly a mile and half. The harbor
entrance is 400 feet wide and widens
- 81 loff rr,iIt IF q
the harbor, providing a safe refuge for
ships. which is $50 acres in area.
This canal forms a vital link in the
shipping route from the Great Lakes
to the Atlantic, which. when others on
the st. Lawrence reaches are enlarged,
will enable vessels of considerable ton
mage to ply direct between Duluth, at
the head of Lake Superior, and the
ports of the Atlantic seaboard," de-
clared j. Alex engineer in charge.
Lake Superior is 200 feet above sea
level. and Duluth, at its western eX-
tremity Is 1889 miles from the Straits
of Belle Isle. Below Lake Superior is
Lake Huron. at level of 581 feet above
sea level, shipping passing between the
two by means of the Saulte Ste. Marie
canals of the United States and Can
ada. This traffic consists of grain and
ore. constituting the densest canal and
lock traffic in the world, for the season
for which navigation is open.
Gigantic Engineering Feat.
Below Lake Huron and connected
with it by means of the st. Claire and
Detroit Rivers, is Lake Erie, at an ele-
walton of 572.5 feet above sea level,
while below Lake Erie is Lake Ontario
with an elevation of only 242.5 feet
This last fall occurs in the stretch of
l,-;,, ~T IL; -,
the Niagara Falls. Here, on the Nj
agara Peninsula, have occurred epoch
making engineering works, two of
which are the most notable of our
period. One, the Queenston- Chippewa
development of hydroelectric power
project, develops white coal into mil
lions of horsepower of energy. The
Welland Canal is no less interesting
and inSures an entirely new era in
waterway traffic on the American con-
tinent."
The canal, in common with other
waterway projects constructed by the
Canadian government. comes under the
immediate supervision of George w.
Yates, assistant deputy minister of the
department of railways and canals, and
| a staff of engineers headed by Mr..
Grant.
Year after year the Welland Canal
has become more popular, and its traf-
fic increased to such proportions as to
tax existing facilities.
In 1901 the total tonnage passing
| through the canal was only 100000
TONS" advised Mr.. Grant I'm 1914
this had increased to 100000 tons,
indicating that since the completion of
the 14-foot navigation system the st.
Lawrence route had gradually drawn
more heavily year by year upon the
Great Lakes Atlantic Seaboard trade
AS result of the war the traffic grad
ually fell off. but since has been grow
ing rapidly year by year, with a new
maximum annual tonnage of 5,640,298
tons i'll 1925
Offers Keen Competition.
Already the competition which the
new and shorter route will be certain to
offer established transportation links
has manifested itself in the proposal to
reduce freight rates. Since the reduc-
! ton in the Mississippi Valley aggre-
gated 20 per cent, due to water-bound
competition, it is reasonable to assume
| that similar savings will follow the
| efficient service which the enlarged
Welland Canal will insure, with the
passage of large cargo vessels through
| the 25-mile artificial waterway in eight
hours time. thus causing no shipments
| to suffer a handicap, due to water
| routing.
| Although the completion of the canal
will chiefly affect the transportation OF
| Canadian grain from the West for ex-
port, it will play an economic role in
relief to thousands of farmers in the
I; United States who have long felt the
pressure of restricted transportation ia
cilities at the harvest season.
| Briefly, large Lake Superior ships up
! to 24-foot draft, which have previously
| piled only as far as the Detroit River
will be able TO run up the st. Lawrence
River as far as Prescott. which is only
N Is miles from Montreal Ilern the Ii