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«w<

RIVAL ROUTES FROM THE WEST.

— ■ —

An Extract from the Report of Alexander Berkley^ Canal Com-
missioner of the State of New York, March, iSy^.

% ^

INCHKASED CARRYING fACILITIES — CHAMPLAIN SHIP CANAL.

)

The immense productions of the great
west and north west are largely in ex-
cess of all existing means ot conveyance
to tide water, and the constantly in-
creasing yield of this rapidly devolop-
ing reg'on v\\\ render thom daily more
insufticient to m^et the ever growing
wants of a trade and commerce, whose
magnitude and colossal proportions
d^arf the foreign oomm'^rce of the
country into insignificance.

The necessity, therefore, of making
adequate provision for their transpor-
tation is apparent, and the quest i>n is
one of vital importance to the people
of this state, whoae past prosperity is
due to the control of this great business
and whose future is so largely depend-
ent upon it.

It is exciting the attention of the
general government and of all the great
states interested, and the past year a
United States Senate Committee, com-
posed of its ablest and leading mem-
bers, visited in person all the proposed
routes, and collected a mass of evidence
and statistic? in relation to this matter,
of great value, which are embodied in
two large volumes published by the
present Congress, and to which I shall
have oooasion to refer.

The need of enlarged faoliities is con-
ceded — the mode is yet undetermined,
but its decision will be speedy, and
while ihsre is yet time the people of
this great state should be awake to a
sense of the imminence of the danger
threatening them of losing the internal
tnMle, which carries with it of necessity
the external commerce of the country,

and providing suitable facilities, avert
the calamity,,

The empire state gained her proud
cognomen from the wisdom and fore-
sight of the great statesmen who were
early in her history called to the helm
of state to guide her destinies, and the
great canal system which was the re-
bult of their broad and en'arged con-
ceptions and cpabilities of this great
country, and ,. e proper mode of their
development, had scarcely been put in
operatii'"*', before she assumed that
leading and comminding position in
the '^reat family of states t,hat she has
since maintained, and thus controlling
the trade of the state and nation. New
York City became the great metropolis
and financial centre, not only of the
state, but of the nation and continent.

A few years latei [1835], when the
wonderful increase of business, engen-
dered by the rapid peopling of the
west and its immense productiveness,
rendered the great channel thus pro-
vided insufficient for the work of trans-
porting the products of the growing
west to the market, the persons to
whom were entrusted the control of
the ptate, showed equal sagacity, and
proved th3m8elves equal to the emerg-
ency by inaugurating the enlargement
of the Erie Canal, which delayed and
embarrassed by its enemies, was not
completed until 1862. These wise and
statesmen-like measures were eftectual
for a long series of years, but the com-
pletion of the great Canadian system of
canals with corresponding river im-
provements, and also the wonderful ex-

tension of the railroads, commencing
about 1850, and culminating in the for-
mation of great trunk lines, have open-
ed new routes which have been
gradually and insidiously divert-
ing, trade, and. commerce from
the^ old ^ecustomed chaauels id
Toufees b9th north and south of ue, untit
now this diversion has assumed such
alarming proportions as to seriously,
menace the prosperity and future wel-
fare of the state. The ; seriousness oi"
tie danger of this diversion is shown
by the fact that while ther^. is
positive insufficiency of means of
transit, the Erie canal is not *-^xed to
the utmost of its present capacity for
various reasons, chief among which, is
the length of time required in the
present system of towage by horse
power, and which it is to be hoped the
introduction of steam on the canal may
speedily obviate.

New York city, relying on its great
natural advantages, has supinely laid
back while its great rivals, Boston,
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Montreal,
have made gigantic and herculean
efforts to draw away this immense busi-
ness which has enriched aud built up
this great state and its great seaport.
An insignificant portion of the amount
expended by Boston or Philadelphia
for the purpose of attracting and secur-
ing this great western traffic, would
suffice to construct the proposed en-
largement of the Erie and the Oswego
<»nal, and the Champlain ship canal,
works which are absolutely neces^^ary to
the maintenance by the freat empire
»tate of its present pre-eminence in the
national family of slates'.

The value oi' these artificial channels
of commt'ice can hardly be over-esti
Uiated, especially as they are the only
■competitors of the railroad?, and did
they accomplish no other good than
that of keeping the prices of freight at
low figures, iheir value would be iaesti-
mable. in the hands of the state, no
railroads or corporations can combine
■with them, and unchecked raise the
cast of transport to prices ruinous to
the producer and oppressive to the
consumer. The fallacy of the idea that
canals have been entirely superseded
by railroads, has bsen so ably shown bv
writers of acknowledged abiUty, that I
«hall not dwell upon it. -But if

we do not furnish all the requisite
facilities by constructing canals adapted
to the exigencies of the business to be
performed, we must not charge conse-
quences which are the result of crimi-
nal stupidity to a system which haii B0t
been fairly teatad.. Deinand a{^8
causes shpply, aoci we oiay be certain
that all necessary facilities will be pro-
vided in some direction. Will the
people of this Str»te prove themselves
equal to the emergjency, .or. ^nll tl^ey
see' this trdffic, so Essential to their pros-
perity, borne away from them by their
more energetic neighbour?? Aud once
loet, these great advantages can never be
regained. While it is true that the laws
of commerce always gravitate towards
great money centres, yeu it stiould be
borne in mind that where obstacles
interfere to check ihis current, new
money centrv^s will be established to
meet the wants of the commercial
world. And let th j existing channe s
of trade be once forsakeu, and »he new
money centres tirmly establi hed neces-
sary for the controlling and handling
this trade, and all etforls to win it back
will be futile. The energy, force and
business pre&cience which shall success-
fully divert it, will be able to keep it,
and laugh at our feeble etibrts to regain
the prize which we ^hAll h jve so fool-
ishly allowed to slip from our rtn-
gers.

As pertinent to these views, and
showing the present state of the carry-
ing tr^de, and the danger of its diver-
sion as well as the extent to which it
has been already diverted, I will quote
the following extrMCt from a report
prepared for and adopted by the B jtt'.i-
Ic board of trade, December IS, 1S74 :

" Between 1S(U) and 1.S73, ilie re-
' ceiptsof graiu at Boston have more
" than doubled, having increased from

4,147,752 to 8,408,658

bushels ; thotte

" of grain and Hour at Montreal have.
'• also nearly doubled having increased
" from 10,394.454 to 13,713,5:^9 bushels;
" at Pbiladelphii they have multiplied :
" nearly four fold, or from 7,260,515 to
" 24,949,157 bushels ; at Baltimore they
'* have more than doubled, the in-
" crease being from 8,197,130 to 19;-
" 099 717 bushels, and tne extension of
" the Billimore & Ohio roftd to Chicago
'< indicates .that the future trade of
" Baltimore will increase dkn rapidly aa '

mse-
rimi-

JBtft

mis
tarn
pro-

the

** that of Philadelphia; but durinjj tbe
*^ same time the receipts at New York
"hive only increased from 57 S09 J 05
«td 90,731 523. " '

"In other word.", while the aggre-
"gate receipts of grain, etc. at the
"retir competing ports of Montreal,
*' Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore,
" have increased in seven years from
" 29,999,85rto 72,231,061, and are near-
" !y two and a half times aa large, as
" they were at the beginning of that I
'• time, those of New York have in- ,
" creased only one-half. The receipts
"of grain and flour in the four rival
•'routes have increased five times ae
*• rapidly as those of New York.

*' While the receipts of grain at New
<* York, a sure indication of the tend-
*' ency of all the rest of her trade, have
" thus fallen enormously behind those
"of all her rivals, the transit of the
' cereals by canal has suffered yet more
"severely. It is even less tlian it was
<' in 1860. The aggregate of the total
*' movement of the cereals on all the
*' canals in that year was 1,080, n)9 tons ;
"in I8T3 it was reduced to 1,060,98],
'' (See Auditor's report on tolls, trade
^' and tonnage for 1873, p. 403) In
*' the intervening period it had de-
" creased to 1,189,207 tons, and owes
" even its present condition to t!ie
♦' reduction which has already been
" made in tolls. During the season
'' lately closed the cinal was in p« condi-
" tion never before surpassed, and
" boats were enabled o make an unus-
" ual number of trip^ ; lake and canal
"freights were unprecedentedly low ;
" an<J the if <i ipts of grain at the leaii-
"ing uppPT hike ports were almost ex-
"aclly the same as in 1873; but the ex-
•'ports from Bu'raio by canal were 0,-
" 484,786 bushels less than last year. "

The above terse and concise state
ment shows the extent of the diversion
•already made and the prt ssing need
that exists for immediate action m the
premises. The remedy proposed by
the Board of Trade (i-eduction of the
tolls), is merely one of those palliatives
Of a great evil which would be found
utterly inefficacious to accomplish the
desired result.

It is an undisputed fact then that
pfoduction is greatly in excess of the
.itl'eans of transportation, and therefde
'thd' only question to be onsidered is

bow to obviate it. For myself I cah
honestly avow that I am aincerely in,
favor of all the measurers. which may be,
devised for the relief of the great agri-,
cultural intere:>tG of the country, with-<
out any jealouoy of contending routes
or any local feeling bejond that of de;
siring that New York shall furnish the
solution oc the problem and retain the
control of this immense commerce and
derive the great benetits flowing from
it.

The great question then is, what route
will furuish the greatest relief and af-
forfi the greatest facilities for transpor-
tation. I believe the Champlain ship
canal route can do so, and that it hai8
every possible argument in its favqr,
and meets every r«q\iirement. It can
be constructed al less th)in oci»^-third of
the cost of any of its iiv.iLs (I do not
use this word in an invidious n^nse) unci
in lees than one-third of the time rer
quired lor the construction of any other
route. And when so constructed, not-
withstanding the great distance to be
traversed on this route, I am satisfied,
that owiug t( the very few miles of
caiuil navigation (not one-third of that
of the most favorable competing route)
and the broad and unobfctructed water-
ways of the great lakes and rivers,
much less time will be required to trans-
port freight i'rom any point on the
great lakes to New York, than by any
other water commuuication.

This route would seem, therefore, to
meet all the requirements, cheapness
of construction, greater rapidity of
I transit and lowest rates of transporta-
I tiou, and has the great additional ad-
i vantage that it cjuld be constructed
and in full tide of successful operation
years before any other route could be
completed, and when so completed,
would be of immensely greater size,
and practically of capacity without limi-
tation because it is a lake and river
route with ouly a few small and short
stretches of canal and those of large
dimensions

The first matter in considering the
practicability of a route is, of course,
the physicil features of the country it
is designed to traverse.

Now, with regard to the topography,
o; the country, no one who has ex;im-
' ined the subject can fail to be impress-
ed with the conviction that nature has

provided this route through the irreat
ehain of lakes, the 8t. Lawrence, L^ke
Champlain and the Hudson river -t,he
only break in the continuity of the line,
being from Wood creek, the inlet of
lAke Champ lain to the Budson at the
point where it can be m<ide navigable,
at Fort Edward, an actual distance of
IT miles (including Wood creek which
is 10 to 15 feet in depth), 24 miles on
the route as surveyed. Fhe Hudson
river here is 124 feet above tide-water
only and Lake Champlain 96, a ditfer-
ertce of only 28 feet. Though, as the
canal can be constri'^cted more cheaply
by maintaining the summit level at 135
feet, the engineers having adopted that
line and thi^ would make the distance
between the levels 39 feet.

The slight difference in level between
the waters so to be connected and the
existence of this valley, which is really
a break in one of the great mountain
ranges of the country, seems to be a
provision of beneficent nature for this
very purpose. It is a great natural
route and there are consequently no ob-
stacles requiring great engineering abil-
ity to overcome, no exiraordlnary or
vastly expensive structures which from
their cost would render the undertak-
ing impracticable. But the simple pre-
paration of a water-way, as easily pre-
pared as a ditch, with an unfailing and
superabundant supply of water from
the Hudson itself and the feeders al-
ready built, and the cost of which will
be small in comparison with the other
routes, and in comparison with the orig-
inal cmals constructed in this state.
And with regard to this route can be
truly said what cannot be said of any
other proposed or possible route, that
is, that size is of no consequence or
rather no embarrassment— for the pro-
posed c»nal can be constructed of om/
size required — large enough to float any
class of vessels and with an unfailing
supply of water right at hand and, in
tact, almost available at the present
writing.

That there is no natural obstacle in
this route is so plain that it cannot be
controverted, and it is equally indisput-
able that a supply of water greatly in
excess of all posaiblt* requirements is
immediately accessible and available
without any extraordinary expenditure
or indeed any expenditure at all, ex-

cept such as to tVt existing feeders and
channels to the changed line of the new
work and bring the great and main
feeders down to the proper suormit
level at 135 feet above tide-water in-
stead of raising the canal through a
long level to meet the feeder as the pre-
sent Champlain canal does.

All the requirements then of a ship
canal are ttierefore seen to be provided
by this route. Not one of them can ever
be fulfilled on the other route. The
onstruction of a s/iip canal on the line
of the Erie canal is a physical impossi-
bility, and if constructed it would be
utterly impossible to supply it with
water beyond the point to which it could
be fed from Lake Erie, and therefore
the question as far as the Erie cinal is
conctirned simply resolves itself into tho
deepening the existing canal within its
present limits and the lengthening and
deepening the locks, By tlws means
boats of probably double the pretent
cap )city, perhaps even of 500 tons bur-
den may be enabled to traverse it.
With this relief and the strong hope
that the introdv^ction of steam applied
to the boals, may secure greater rap-
idity of tran^^ii, the Eiie will have at-
tained the acme of its capacity, and its
case as a candidate for conversion into
a ship canal may be dismissed without
any fear or imputation of injustice being
done its claims.

The same things are true of the Os-
wego route — it is impossible to con.
struct it of a capacity to pass boats of
500 tons burden and all the engineering
reports have been made on this basis,
as I believe, but conceding to any pos
sible canal, so constructed, a capacity
for 500 tons or even 600 tons, and yor,
still have only a large canal, requiring
transhipment from the large lake craft,
and entirely unavoidable, unfitted and
inadequate for the passage of large
boats and cargoes. The enlargement
of the canal to this size would be enor-
mously expensive, and to the size of a
ship canal, if that were physically possi-
ble,would be utterly impracticable from
the enormity of its cost. The length of
canal, 202 miles, with the low rate of
speed practicable, also really and prac-
tically takes this route out of the cate-
gory, and this same objection applies
with still greater force of course to the
Erie.

While engineers liave certifipd to the
sufficiency of water (or the Oswpiro en-
larged to a capacity lor boats of 400 tons,
it hft^ nowhere been shown that there
iaacipacity lor a shift cmal of (Jimon
sions siilticiprit to pass vessels ot 1,0(10,
1,200 or 1,500 tons which the Ch^impiain
ship cinal would be constructed to do
an<i therf is hardly a doubt that luck
of i^upply of water would be an insu
perable obstacle to 4he construction of
an Oswege ship canal as well as Erie
ship oinal. But that it would be sound
policy for the state to enlarge to
the utmost extent all the existing
modes of transit and I'urnish all the
facilities pr cticable, I ara fully con-
vinced and would therefore advocate
them, for their construction and piti-
ploynient even to tneir full capicity
would in no wise militate against the
construction of the proposed shif) canal
from Lake Chimplain to the Hudson,
which I believe to be the crowning
work of our great system of internal
improvements, and the only possible
solution of the great question ot fur-
nishing an outlet for the teeming gian-
aries of the VVesl, so cipacious tliat it
can never be over-taxed, so speedy and
certain that it can never be jsui passed
by any other route.

The representitions made by the
zealous advocates of other routes, and
in particular by those urging the ()>we
go route, are Hlled with inaccuracies
which require to be rectified. The
admission into the reports of the Senate
Comaaittee and otber ofiiciil docjmpnls
gives them a currency and qu/isioffic'inl
indorsement which requires their refu-
tation. It is necessary to call attention
to these matters before proceeding to
make comparison of the merits of the
various routes, in which comparison,
while coriecting the erroneous state-
ments and perversions of fact, we shall
take the distances, lockages, etc. from
the statements of the Erie and Oswego
routes.

Toe first misrepresentation is with
regard to the length of canal to be tra-
versed on the Caughnawaga route from
the Wfsff because the business to be
transacted is from the west, and the
addition of every mile of canal would
add to the i ne and necessarily the cost
of transit. Now, in transporting the
products of the great West to market,

vessels of 1,000 tons leaving Duluth or
Chicaco pass through the great lakes
an:l St. Lawrence River and ari'ive at
the entrance to the proposed Caughna-
waga Canal having only passpd through
thirtv miles of cnnal (the Wclland en
larged), instead of sixty five and a naif,
as stated in Mr. McAlfiine's report to
Oswego Connmittee, and inserted at
length in the Windom Senate Commit-
tee Keporl. The inaccuracy in this case
consists in including thirty-five, and a
half miles ol" the S;. Lawrence River
canals, which h'^ a\.f^ from l/ic west do not
have to use, it being nf cessary to use
them only on the return trip, owing to
the force and rapidity of the current,
and, therefore, th^se canals are wrong-
fully used as a factor in making up a
statement nf the time consumed in
making a trip from the great lakes to
New York. Admitting the correctness
of the statement that vessels must pa^s
through these canals, and still it will be
demonstrated that the Caughnawaga
route is the most favourable for rapidity
of transit as well as excelling in all
ot.h?r respects all the other existing and
i propospd routes The Richelieu R'ver,
I above St. Johns, i a broi.1, d^ep river
and iust as free from let and hindrance
in navigation as Like Cbampla'n itself.

Again, in the statements furnished
by the advocates of the Oswego route,
the number ot locks on the Caughna-
waga route is misstated. Instead of
four locks the twenty-nine feet lift on
Caughnawaga cinal will only require
two locks.

Again, on the proposed ship canal
from the Hudson to Lake Champlain
they state the lift from the lake to the
river to be eighty-three feet eight
inches, while in reality it is only
twenty-eight feet, and, as proposed to
be constructed, would only be thirty-
nine feet, a lift which, in no event,
would require over four locks, while
they state the number at eight.

The object of these misrepresenta-
tions will appear obvious when it is
stated that the time consumed in
making lockages is counted as a mile
of c^nal for each lock, and in this
manner quite an unfair difference is
made to appear to the disadvantage of
the Caughnawaga route.

But with all these misstatements
they can scarcely give an appearance of

advantage to their route, bhortfr, in-
dee<i, in the iictiml distance to he
traversed, but iramensiiy longer in Uie
line of canal to be passed through.

There ar3 other unfnir htateraents
which, in the course of rernarks upon
the tables ol' comparative distances,
will receive attention, but the greatest
inaccuiao)', and the one most calcu-
lated to mislead, ia the uiilkir assump-
tion ol an equai rate oi speed being
practicable on the two routep, an<i
making comparisons and deducing re-
sults from this unwarrantad assump-
tif n.

Now, lor the exirUng canal, or for
any Cinal that may be conbtructed on
the Oswego route, it is very question-
able whether a higher rate of speed
than three miles an hour cun be sus-
tained wittiout injury to the banks,
while on lh« large water ways of the
Caughnawaga route vessels can, with-
out dilHculty, mjiintain the f^ame rate
of speed as on the lakes and livers,
that i', nine mik-s an hour, but, for the i
ipurpofe of compari-on with (xistingj
jinutes, we shall call it ^ix miles. Tlie :
Simple statement shows that much ;
greater rapiiiity ol' transit is [>raclioable
on tills route liian by any other, and
that as 1 r as ripidity of tran^'i is con-
cerned the solution ol the problem in i
this rftspect is by the (Jhumplain sliij)
<iinil route.

A caielul examinaiioii of tlie map oi'
transportation routes I'lom the Missis-
fcippi to the seaboani, whioli accompa-
nies this report, wili satisfy any candid
and unprejudiced jierson that the natu
ral loule lor a great w.iter way is the
Cliaraplaiii ship canal, anil that it is,
moreover, the onli/ posiiibl'; r ate. Ex-
isting routes may bo increased in ca-
pacity, but can never, by any possi-
bility, do more than a small portion of
this immense business, while the (Jham-
plain si ip canal and Hudson River im-
provement, constructed upon a proper
tod'-, will have a capacity sutticient not
only 10 do all this immense business
now offering, but for a business of im-
mtiisely greater volume even, and with
the other avenues provided would set mi
to make ample provision lor many
years in the future. Space foibids my
entering in detail into a minute exami-
nation of the relative advantages of the
various routes, but, as bearing on the

questions, I will quote the following
from lion. W. -J. McAlpine's report to
Montreal Harbor Commission, Maroh
24, 1858: ''That the cleterraination of
the question of the best route for the
wa er borne trade is therefore reduced
to a comparison between the routes
through the State of New York and
that along the St. Lawrence. With
this view the cost of transport on the
Erie and Oswego canals is taken as if
they were (1858) enlarged throughout.
The Caughnawaga Cinal from the St.
Lawrence to Like Charaplain will be
considered as completed on the same
tcale its the St Lawrence canal, and
the Ch^mplain canal will be regarded
as also enlarged to the 8anl•^ dimen-
sion«. The locks on the Welland and
St Lnwrence canals will be considered
as also enlarged.''

" In comparing the routes through
the state (>i New York with eacii other,
and the St. Lawrence, it is necessary to
observe that by the way of BuH-ilo and
Oswego a trann/iipment must be made
from the htke vessel to canal boats, and
that the extra cost of canal transport
aiid heavy tolls must be added to those
rates, while by the way of Lake Cham-
plain to New Yoik an<i by the St. Law-
rence HI transhipment is requiretl, and
(he cost of transport will be very much
reduced.

" From the computations we have
made it will be seen that the cost of
transport to New York by the way of
the St Lawrence find proposed Caughna-
waga canal, and enlarging Champlain
canal for ordinary vessels, is less than
by the way of (Jswego.

'■' The Champlain route, thus im-
proved, will have the further advantage
of the more economic use of vessals of
the largest class proceeding from any
port in the States directly to New York
without breaking bulk, and also the
diminished lengih of canal navigation
by that route."

In the report from which the above
extract is taken, made in March, 1853,
by W. J. McAlpiue, J. P. Kirkwood and
J. Childe, an estimate is there made as
to the comparative C3st of transport via
the Erie Canal route, the Oswego
route and the Champlain, and the ad-
vantage showi to be largely in favour
of the Champlain route.

In Mr. McAlpine's report to the Os*

were
their
Ilei
prest
McA
distal

«ei
Canal
Oneiil
Oneid

Eiri

Os * (■
Caoa
Oneitl
Erie

loclcJ
Tiio 1|

»ng
to
iroh
of
the
uced
utes
anil
■With
the
ns if

•wego Board of Trade, submitted Sep-
tember 1, 1873, and bupplemented by
answere made by Mr. McAi|iine to the
Windom Senate Trunt-portalion Com-
mittee, there are many things requir-
ing correction, to Konie of which we
have already ciilied attention, and the
Hon. John Younj?, of Montreal, lias
done this 80 felicitously, that I quote
from his reply to this report, published
in the New York Twus, November,
1873 :

" The Se. retary of the Oswego Board
of trade says: -In September last, in
prefenting Mr. McAlpine's report, that
' it is with much gratitic;ition I am en-
abled to state that Mr. McAlpine de-
•oides in favour of the Oswego water
route, and shows most conclusively that
a ton of freight, or bushel of grain, can |
be transported Irom Chicago via the |
enlarged Wellan<l Canal, or the pro- i
jeoted Niagara ship Canal, Jake Ontario, |
the Oswego route via Oneida Lake, the l
improved Erie Canal from the Oneidi
Lake .luncti n to Troy or Albany, and |
the Hudson River to New York, much
raoie cheaply and quickly than by the i
Erie Canal route via ButiUlo, or the St. '
Lawrence an(i Like Champlain routes j
were either of those routes improved to
their best capacity.' "

Here the issue is fairly and i-quarely
prcfented. Now as to the lactn. Mr.
McAlpine's statement is in reference to
distance and lockage on the

OSWEQO RC'UTE VIA ONEIDA I;aKE.

Milec

Ovvofio Canal imiirovcment 21

Caiiiil tJiciice to Oinida L'iki' 13.]

Oaei(l4 LmR." 23

Onuida Like Caufil 9

Eie Canal to Troy 128

Total 19Ii

Lockage

Number
of locks.

Os «• ego Canal 13

Canal to Onuida Lalto .... 'I

Oneida Lake Cf>nal 7

Erie Caual to Tioy 46

Ti.tal 63 609

TBI OAvanttkyikQK oanai. r< uti.

Miles.
From polut in Luke Ontnrlo rpposHu
OhWtno to St. i,t\vrou(.'B livi v at
Kit K tf n 22

8t. Liiwrinio river nav ^uHon .
St . Lawrt nee < anal nt vJKiition .

(' iii<bnawaga rtinal .

Uiclulji n livi r

L'ik(; CI ami l«in

Ci)HnipIaiii hliip-raral

Hudson river to Trov ,,,

134
35i
31 J
23

111
25
40

Total , 425

Lockage.

St, Liwiarce Rivtr cannl.
Cau«)-ir]rtwiij,M nnal .

<"!* ampl tin c nal*

Hudsen Itivir ioiprovu-
mtfit

Numbtr

Ff.tof

ot loi ks.

ln( ka^fl.

162

83.8

Total,

116

Fief (f

ockagii

113

427

showing by Mr. McAlpine a difference
in distance in favour ol the ')swego
route of 23.'U mile?, and a ditft-rence in
lockage in favour of the t,'hamplain
route of 218 feet. Taking each lock as
equivalent to one mile of canal, the
ditference in distance is 209.^ miles in
favour of the Osvvego route.

I presume the distance, locks and
lockages, as given by Mr. McAlpine on
the Oiwego rowte are correct. I regret,
however, that this is not the case on
i.he St. Lawrence route No one knows
better than Mr. McAlpit'e that the
large mail steamers of G()0 tons, draw
ing 7 and 7^ feet of water, daily de-
! tcend the St. Ijawrence from the head
j of Lake Oljtario, without using the St.
I Lawrence canals on the down'^ard trip.
! He knows, also, that the Canadian gov»
I ernraent have had frequent surveys
made of those parts of the river requir-
ing improvement to give at lowest
I water on the descending trip twelve
j feet. Messrs. Maillefeit and Kiasloff
j estimated in their report the whole cost
i of this io^provement, giving twelve
j feet water at $720,000 ; and it is now
part of the policy ot the Canadian
j gove-rnment to make the whole river
from Kingston to Caughnawaga, or

•Incorrect. Tli'-rc iirohntiwo lock^ on Uauijlinawaga caiinl, and thrn' wi 1 be but four
locks up from Lako Cl'.amplain, i nl 28 feet lift, instead cf 83.8, as erroneously given above.
Tbe length of Oliamplala Snip caual is 21 miles not 25 as above stated.— \. B.

Lacliine, navigable for vessels drawing
twelve feet of water. It is only during
two months ol Honie seasons that the
Si. Lawrence falls to itd utmost level.
During the rcnninder of the season
there is from fourteen to sixteen feet
of water in the navigable channel.
Instead, therefore, as Mr. McAl{iine
states, of there being forty-four looks
on the St. l^awrence route, with '501
feet of lockage, there will only be
twenty-two locks with 229 feet lock!ig(>
on the downward trip, Taking Mr.
McAlpine's viewH, that one lock is tqual
to one mile in distance, we hivo

OSWKGO It'H'TE TO TKOY.

DiHtaiice. No, of In dis.
Milrs. lorkrt. tHncc.
From OswcKO. .. . lOlJ G8 25'.'j

0(!wc^r() via Sf.
Lttwreucn and
Chain plain t o
Troy 425 22 447

Difter'Tuc lH7i

Insteatl of 2';9j miU-e, as stattd ly Mrl
McAlpiDo.

Lockage.

LotkBge, fttt.
By Mr. McAlpine's Oswoko rent

to Troy (309

by St. Lawrence and Cluimplnin

route to Troy 229

Difforeiue 280

loftead of 218,88 stated kiy Mr. McAIpinn.

With regard to the speed of vessels
on lakes and rivers, and time of transit
by the various routes, Mr. Young, in
continuance of his criticism on Mr.
McAlpine's statement, proceeds :

" Let me now allude t • the question
of speed on the lakes and river naviga-
tion. Mr. McAlpine says, on page 9 of
his report, ' that it will not be economi-
cal to exceed eight miles an hour on
the lakes and six miles on rivers. la
reply, I state, without fear of contra-
diction, that there are propellers now
in the trade between Montreal and head
of Lake Ontario and to Chicago, regu-
larly running ten mileti an hour, and I
am aware of some that run eleven
miles an hour. These vessels pass
vhrough the Welland Canal, and are
about 400 tons burden. It is not, there-
fore, too much to say that such being
the speed of those vessels, the speed
of the 1,(H)0 ton vessel, when the canals

are enlarged, will at least be er|ual. The
St. Lawience below Kingston is the
only river to be traversed on the route
to Troy, an<i the sjieed there will be
e(jual to the speed on the lakes. I
sIihII, therelbie, take the speed at ten
miles an hour, which a little UKjuiry on
the part of Mr. McAlpine would have
shown him to be oorrect. lie says the
spt^ed on the enlarged canals will be
four miles an hour, but prefers to take
the speed at three and one half miles,
which I accept. Mr. McAlpine gives
the following att the estimated time
which will be occupied on the voyage
via Caughnawaga to Troy : —

Miles. Hou 6.

22 From polrit as KtHtu.l. tj Kinfr"^-

ton (liike) ,, 3. 75

134 Vxo\\\ Knuston to Caughua-

wtij^r* (rivtr) 22 ?3

3." J Vum Kio«8l()ii to CdUK'""*-

wnya (' atjul) , . . ,. 14 00

34j From CauKhi llWtt^ a to St.

J iht u (oaiial) 9 04

23 Fr. m St. JoIhjh to R luse's

Toil t ( ivti) 3 83

111 From Boii-c's Point to Wtiite-

1)hII (hkf) 13.87

25 From WMt' hail to Fort Ed-
ward (■ ana ) 9 CO

4T From Foit Edwaid i) Toy

(rlvfi) 9 41

425 84 59

or 3 52-100 days.

Mr, McAlpine says the time for pass-
ing each lock will be fifteen minuter.
If this is added to the forty-four locks
which he says are on the route — say
eleven hours — the total time will be
95.59 100 hours.

In contrast with the statement I give
the following as the true time, which
no one who understands thj route will
contradict : —

Rats.

Miles Speed. Time.
From point opposite

Oswego to Kingston

(lake) 22 10 2 2

From Kingston to

Cauglinawaga (rivei) 16PJ 10 17.0
From Caughnawaga to

St. Johns (canal). .. 34 j ^ 9.4
From St J u li n s to

Whitehall (iak»)... 134 10 13.4
From Whitehall to Fort

Edward (canal) .... 25 3 J 9.0

Fro* Fo
Troy (

Add flfteo

two I

Tol
or 63.16 K
er.Cr) (,f thi

Then o
R compar
lake rout

From Oew
From PI «

(Ink.)..
Through (
Tlir.iiKh

caiia!). .
Firm Hi

Troy (' a

Total
or 2 83-10
brt iv-i follow

From Osw

(canal) .
From PI

(can«l).
Through
Through

canal) .1
HiggiDivjj

(cana')
8ixtj.eigh|

fifteen

Totall

As befJ
plan of tl
is to disci
rying 50,[
Gapo, int(
500 tons,
with the^
to Troy
McAlpinl
the voyff
makes
transferrl
the uppe

. Tho
I the
route
ill be

P8. I

t ten

iry on

1 have

yrs tlio

ill be

r> take

inilef,

gives

time

oyage

HoUB.
3.75

. 22 ?3

. 14 00

9 04

3 83

. 13.87

fl CO

9 41

84 69

Miles. Speed Tinie.
From Fort Edward to
Troy (ilvei) 40 6 6.66

Tot**! ft7 CO

Add fiftauo niiunteH each for twenty*

two locbf. . .. 6.50

Total 63. IG

or 63.16 :00h'urB HKtinHi 95 59-100 ditl. r
Rrori of thirty-two (lud one-half hoJirw.

Then on pflg© 11 Mr. McAlpine gives
a comparison of tLa time on the Uneidn
lake route :

Rati.

MileH. Speed. 'Jimt;

From Oswego to Phciunix 21 8.50

Frv)m PI oeiix toUewego

(lak.) 13} .. 3.75

TliiougL Oueida (lakt ) 23 .. 3 b.s
Tlir.iiKh Oiiti<lu (!.»:«

caiia!) 6 .. 3 25

F'cni Hiitgi'iHvtllo to

Troy ('UDbI) 128 .. 43 50

'I'otiil 62 83

or 2 83-10 'd»y8. The abovo figureB uUould
be ax fidlowii ;

F'aTB,

3} 6.00

3 86
2.30

1.72

36 55

17.00

Milts. Spt(d. Time.

From OswHgo to Pf oe'ilx

(canal) 21

From Pi oeaix to Oneida

(can«l) 13j

Through Oneida (tana') 23
Through Onoida (Uke

08i)aJ) 6

Higginaville to Troy

(canal) i28

Sixty-eight locks a t

fifteen minatsB each,, .,

Total 67.43

As before explained, Mrh McAlpine's
plan of transpoi I from the upper lakes
is to discharge the 1,000 ton vessel, car-
rying 50,000 bushels of wheat, at Chi-
Gaco, into steam barges, at Oawego, of
500 tons, carrying 25,000 bushel?, and
with these go through tht' Oueida route
to Troy and New York. Now, in Mr.
McAlpine's calculation of the time of
the voyage from Oswego to Troy, he
tnakes no allowance for the time of
transferring the 50,(KX) bushels from
the upper lake vessel into the barges.

Taking 5,000 busheln per hour m> good
average for an elevator, we have thus
ten hours for the 60,000 bunhels, and if
We allow two hours more for berthing
and mooring the ship, we have twelve
hours, which, if added to the sixty-seT-
en and forty-three one-hundredth houra
as above, the time by the Oswego route
would be eighty hourj*, against sixty-
three and one half hours by the Caugh-
nawaga route, or a diHerence in favor
o|' the latter of sixteen hours, whereaa
Mr McAlpine erroneously, in his Oswe-
go report, declares the ditlerence in
favor of the ( >-»wego route to be
twenty-one hours, contradicting bis
statetuent, when associated with Messrs.
Kirk wood and ('hilde, that '' by way of
Oswego a trtinsliipment must be mad©
from the lake vessel to canal boats,
ard the extra oost oi* canal tranKi)0ri
and toll must be added to that route,
while by way of Like (,'hamplaiu to
New York no transhipment is required,
and the economy of lime and of iians-
port by the Like Champlain route
could not fail to attract a very
huge share of the trade between the
Western States, New England and New
York."

With reference tr. the cost of tran-
sport Mr. Young proceeiis :

"I shall now examine Mr. McAlpine's
estimate ot the cost of transport t>v the
two routes m question Both are equal
in reference lo O vego, for to that point
from the upper lakes the 1,000 ton pro-
pellor is con)mon to the two routes, and
it is as to the merits of the route Irom
Oswego to Troy, by c inal, with a tran-
shi[>ment at (.)swego, and the advanta-
ges of th route trora Oswego, by the
S . Lawre ne and Champlain route to
Troy, thai are now in question, fn the
report of Mes.'-rs. McAlpine, Kirl-.vvood
and Childe, the cost ol the transport
was fixed at four mills per ton per mile,
on large ship canals, and two mills on
lakes. Mr. McAlpine, in his late re-
port, after elaborate calculations, deter-
mines the cost of transport by the Onei-
da and Oswego canal at a little lees than
one and a half mills per ton on lakes,
and three and a half mills on ship
canals, the ditterence bein ', no doubr^
in consequence of thg enlarged oha,-
racter of the navigation and size of the
vessel.

"'^riMT, FROM CHICAGO TO TBOT m ST. i-AW-
RtfNOP AMD LAKB CHAMFLAIN.

Laf 1 Nivigation.
Miles.
Trom Chicago to

Eiogston 1,077

Lake CbamplaiD.. 134

Total J, 211 at Ij mlU», $1 92

River Navigalion .

1''rom K ngBton to
TinKbD « w a g A,
«qail to lake... 169 at ^ mill(>, 25

Cannl Navigation.

Welland 28

Oaughnawata 34

Champlain 25

Total 87 at 3^ mills, 30

'Hudson Bivrr im-

pr vement ... 40 at 2 tn'.lU, 8

^otal cost per iioii $2 45

■" SECOND, FROM CrilCAOO TO TROT VIA ONEI-
PA LAKE AND O.SWBGO.

Miles.
C/blcaKO to Oswego. 1,077
OaeidiiJ.ake 23

Total 1,100 lit 1^ mills, $1 65

O.-tweffo to Troy :

T)8wego Canal 2l

C >nal to Omida

L-tke 13.t

"Oneida Canal 6

Eric Canal to Ticy. 128

Total 169 at ? J mills, 59

Add cost of tran-

sliipment 20

Twelve h' urts'detm-

♦ ion, interest and

insurance 20

Total $2 64

*' t)r, 8iy a ditForcnce in favour of the
Dbatnplain route of twenty cents per
ton. Yet Mr. Mc Alpine declares ' that
ooraparing the cost, we find a diif^rence
of forty seven cents per ton in favour of
the Oneida L-vke rout?, or seventeen
per cent, less than by the Caughnawa-
Toute.' Still this same gentleman with
Messrs. Kirkwood and Childe, declared
in their report of 1S,58, that by tahing
the large lake vessel through to White-
\bM < the cost would be twenty cents

per ton less than by the way of Oswego,
even if the Champlain canai[ should not
be enlarged, so as to sUow the large
lake vessels to go direot to New York ;'
and again, when the St. Lawrence and
Caughnawaga improvements are coiu>
pleted, it will be by far ' the cheapest
mode of corriraunicatiois to New Eng-
land and to New York."

'' It, perhaps, wi:^ not necessary to
have gone iuto this question so minute-
ly. The gveat fact is acknowledged by
Mr. McAlpine and not contradicted by
the Ofiwego Board of Trade, that it is
impossible to take the lake vessel of
1,000 tons, carrying 50,000 bushels of
gram, through from Oswego to Troy
without breaking bulk, and without
transferrin g her cargo into barges of
500 tons. It is also admitted by all
that there is no difficulty vrhatever of
taking this 1.000 ton vessel down the
St. Lawrence and into Lake Champlain,
to discharge her western cargo at Bur-
lington, for Boston, or for distribution
through' ut New England, or to go on
to New York without transfer of cargo
or breaking bulk. These are tacts not
disputed. I have shown t'oat even if the
cargo could be tran.st'erred at Oawego
at the rate of 5,00(^ bushels per hour,
there would be a detention of at least
twelve hour=, and that the Champlain
route is the quickest and cheapest route,
while the cost of ths work necessary by
the one is admitted to be over $25,000,-
00*3, while the itaprovements of the
Champlain canal trom VVhil hall to
'IVoy have never been estimated at o^er
|6,0(X1,0(». The route by the St. Law-
rence will be ben 'icial to the whole of
the f^astern stateib>, ..s well as to New
Yorl . and places all these states not
orly in direct communication with the
west and western Canada, but with tiie
great timbe.- regions of the Ottawa
valley.

" The Oswego board of trade declare
that the Oneida lake route has the ad-
vantage of ' two weeks' earlier naviga-
tion in the spring, and two weeks later
in the fall,' while the facts prove that
the St. Lawreiice canal and Lake Cham-
plain are open earlier and later than
the Erie canrii. Then again, we are
tod of ' the fogs of the St. Lawrence.'
We b ve all hr ird of the fogs around
Newfoundland and in the Gulf of the
St. Lawrence, but it is q'lite new to

govei

on f<|

not

inent

the CI

to b[

tweej

Unit{

entirl

ehoof

port,!

tuattf

in tb|

COIU-

learn of the fogs on the St. Lnwrence
above Montreal. Again, the Oswego
board say « it is th« oldest route.' This
i» aleo an error, tor I have before me a
statement showing that Mftjor.-Gei . Ira
Allen, of Vermont, applied to Oen,
Haldimand, governor ot Quebes. in
1784 tor a licenee to open up ' a naviga-
ble ship canal from Lnke Cbamplain to
the River St. Lawrence by the way of
the Surrell river.'

" The whole subject seems to me of
such great importance to both countries
that I have been anxious that the facts
as to both routes should be f urly stated.
I have shown that Mr. McAlpine s state-
ment, ot there being 165 miles canal
navigation below Oswego on the Cham-
plain route — is an error, and that when
the St. Lawrence is improved, the
canals on that river on the downward
voyage will not be used. The first
canal is the Caughnawaga, of thirty-four
and a-half miles, fro/a the St. Lawrence
into Lake Champlain. The next is from
Whitehall to Fori E<iward, ot twenty-
five mile?, or fifty-nine and a half miles
in all. The improvem'^nt of the Hud
son to Troy, of forty miles, is more a
river than a canal ; but even taking it-
as a canal, we have thus ninety-nine and
a-half miles ship canal on the St. L-iw
rence route, instead of 165, as stated by
Mr. McAlpine, with 609 feet lockage,
via. the Oovvego route, against 229 feet
locktige via. Ijnke Champlain. The St.
Larrence river, below Kingston, has all
the equivalents of lake navigation, both
as re g*' ids speed and freedom But an
objection is urged th'»t the Washington
treaty, although it gives the United
Statea the right to use the St.
Lawrence, yet it does not protect
or fxlend to the Caughnawhga
canal,' and that ' the United States
government cannot expend its money
oa foreign soil.' Now, Canadians do
not desire the United States govern-
ment to spend money in Canada ; on
the contrary, I think they are anxious
to have such a good understanding be-
tween their kindred people in the
United States as to create a feeling of
entire confidence with each other in
oboosing and using any route of trans-
port, either by canal or railway, no
matter whether a part of such route be
in the territory of the United States or
in Canada, when the result ot such

route will be to lessen the coat of trans-
port from any one poit t to another. It
is of the very highest importance, in the
interest of both countries to cherish and
promote the most liberal principle of
trade between each, and having some
experience of the feeling in Canada, [
am sure everything will be done to in-
sure and guarantee svery reciprocal
advantage that may be demanded in
I the way ot transport.
! "The late J. B. Mills, a civil en
: gineer, of the United States, of great
I eminence and experience, declared in
i 18V0, 'that is a truih beyond all con-
1 troversy, that the people of the Do-
' minion of Canada have, by the forma-
' tion of the country, greater natural
j facilities for preserting, even for the
I city of Now York, the beat line for the
I carrying of the norlhern and north
! western state*, and we of the slate of
New V'ork have to act only a liliie in
concert with them t) derive the full ad
vantage of these at a very small c->;s(,
considering the favorable and inevita
! ble results.' 'The distance from the
' westerly end of the Welland canal to
i Troy i-, via the St. Lawrence and Cham-
i plain route, 59<J miles, of which !)>)0
miles will be free and uninterrupted
' lake and river down- stream navigation,
and ninety miles, on the down voyage,
is canal. I arrive at the conclusion that
it will take tour days and thirteen
^ b-»urs to carry a ton of freight fram Lake
L. ie to Troy, or ti(te-water.' Again,
' the St. Lawrence line is open from
twelve to eighteen days longer than the
Erie canal, and we can carry a ton of
; freight at one dollar and ninety five
cents less than by the Eiie canal.' Mr.
Mills says further, ' it is said we are to
have a ship-canal frcm < ).swego to tide
water. Such a work will be about 2tX)
miles long, which possibly may be had
tor |!2r),(MK),()(X>, but in the name of com-
mon sense and judgment, why spend
that when you can get a better line, one
of greatvr capacity, of quicker transit,
for one-fourth the sum, which will be
returned to the treasury of the state in
tolls in about four years.' It is satis-
factory thst this opinion was also ap-
proved of l.y Walter Shanly, E'^q., the
eminent civil er^ineer and contractor for
the Hoosac tunnel, who, in writing to Mr.
Millf, declared that, ' I am satisfied that
the only solution of the problem of how

the water communioation between Jvake
Erie and the Atlantic can be made to
keep pace in capocity with the (trowing
trade o( the West, and of New York, ia
to bo found in the way so clearly point-
ed out by you.

" It is aSs© satisfactory th.it Mr. Mo
Alpine, in ]858, with his coUeaguen,
Messrs. Kirkwood and Childe, expres
Bed a similar opinion by declaring that
' the economy and time of transport by
the Lake ChampUin route could not
fail to attract a very large share of
western states, New England and New
\ork trade,' and ' when the route of
the St. Lawrence is improved it will
present the cheapest mode of com-
munication, not only to the spaboard,
but also to New York and New Eng
land.' "

The advocates ot the Oswego routes
claim that the necessity which exists for
transhipment at that place is a positive
advantage, inasmuch as it prevents in-
jury to the grain by healing. Now, on
natural water ways, no one ever heard
of grain being damaged in this manner,
and all the testimony taken before the
Senate Committee in relation to the
transportation of gram 1 20U and 1,5
miles down the Mississippi to the Gulf
of Mexico, under a tropical or almost
tropical sun, shows that there was no
difficulty of this kind. On the cooler
water ways of the great lakes and
rivers, of course there is less reason to
apprehend this dinger, which in fact
does not exist, but in the heated waters
of canals it is a thing constantly occur-
ring, and is a real and solid objection
against long reaches of canals of less
capacity than the broad water channels
of the Champl.Jn route.

I have thrs briefly adverted to some
of thfc leading features of Lhe proposed
improvement, and met and answered
some of the objections urged against it,
and corrected some of the mis-state
ment-i with regard to it, and I will now
for a moment consider the q''.e8tion of
its coats.

We have an estimate in detail very
carefully prepared by Mr. McElroy in
hi'-' reuort of 1867 for a canal and river
improvement for a canal, the pri.-im of
which t<hould be the same as the Erie,
except that its depth would be 8 feet,
and the locks would be 225 by 25, and
river imi)rovement 200 feet wide

by 8 feet deep, all the structures, etc
to be constructed of stone in the most
substantiil manner, and the cost was
estimated at $4,500,000. Now, labour
and mate'ials were both higher in 1867
than they are to-day, and I nm satisfied
both from my own long experience in
the construction of public work.", and in
the management of canals, and also
f om consultation with experienced
engineers, that to make the proposed
.'fhip canal of the enlarged capacity with
12 feet of water and locks 30 by 45,
which of course renders necessary the
deepening of the river channel from S
feet to 12 feet, would not increase the
estimate oi' Mr. Mcllroy more than $3,-
0(X).000, and that the total cost of this
magniriopnt work would not exceed
$7,500,000. But iv the cost be assumed
j at $10,000,000, this must be regarded
I as a trifling and insignificant sum when
j considered either in comparison with
! any oth* r proposed route, or in view of
! the immense beneficent results to the
I people of this state and also the great
! west. And it must ever be borne in
I mind while making this comparison,
j that the competing routes, while costing
I more than four-fold more at She least
I estimate, would not accommoilate ves-
sels of onf: third the capacity of those
tra/ersing this route, and whic'.i could
only partially relieve, at the best, the
pressing need of greater trf..n8portation
facilities, while the Champlain route
would furnish a capacity sufficient to
bear the whole product of the west, and
more, for, practically, its capfxity is
almost limitless.

Since the above was written I have
received the report which immediately
follows, from Mr. G, T. tiall, the engi-
neer, who has been employed in making
survey of proposed ship canal. As it
gives a full description of the canal
fr m Whitehall to Fort Edward, its size,
locks, feed of water, etc., together with
a careful estimate of cost m detail, I
commend it to the careful perusal of
all who take any interestin this matter :

Whitehall., N.Y., Dec. 18, 1874.

Hon. Alexander Barkley, Canal Com-
missioner :

Sir, — In accordance with your re-
quest, I have the honor to submit the
following report and map of the pre-
liminary survey for a ship canal from

On th
structioi
resident
my earli
survoy fi
from Wl
enginer
organize
tion wit!
the Chai
actual fl(
Ist.. Thi
was assi
the pro
begun
of Woo<
the low
the comi
object gi
follow, (
channel (
elevatioE

Ifrom the
mile lev€
necessita
one lock
place of
use, witi
general <
was thro
leys of
Cr08s-pe<
points ol
excavatil
the surfq
run by
length.

There ail

There aj

There ar,

and ai

The
con tern]!
be almol
width is
to one
berme
Bide.

The_
of four i

Lake Champlain at Whitehall to the
Hudson river at Fort Edward.

SURVEY.

On the 24th August I received in-
structions from S. E. Bibcock, Esq.,
resident engineer, to proceed to make at
my earliest convenience, a preliminary
survey for a ship canal and map thereof,
trom Whitehall to Fort Edward. The
enginer corps at this place was at once
organized for that purpose, in connec
tion with our regular duties attending
the Cham plain canal enlargement, and
actual field work was begun September
let. The transit line of the survey
was assumed as the centre line of
the proposed chip canal, and was
begun at a point in mid stream
of Wood creek at right angles to
the lower mitre-sill of the lowest of
the combined locks at Whitehall. The
object gained thereby, is to utilize and
follow, as nearly as prHCticible, the
channel of Wood creek, reducing the
elevation of the Whitehall level 13 feet
from the present elevation of the " five-
mile level " of the Champlain canal,
necessitating the construction of but
one lock, ''<ith a lift of 15 feet, in the
place of three combined locks, now in
use, with a total liftage of 28 feet. The
general directijn of the line of survey
was through the lowest line of the val-
leys of Wood and Little Wood creeks.
Cross-ppctions have been taken at all
points of rock excavation, and in earth
excavation, whenever the unevennes ot
the surface demanded it. I'he line was
.'"ju by angles and is 24 19 100 miles in
length.

CHARACTER OF MATERIAL.

Miles.

There are of rock excavation 1.65

There are of stiff clay 19.15

There art of silt overlaying clay
and sand 3.39

PRISM.

The prism which is estimated for,
contemplates 13 feet of water, and will
be almost a thorough cut. The bottom
width is 100 feet, slopes two horizmtal
to one vertical. A towing-path and
berme 15 feet wide will be left on either
side.

LOCKS.

The plan contemplates the building
of four locks of 270 feet length between

quoins and 45 feet width at level .of
lower reach. They are distributed as-
follows : — One of 15 feet lift, with dam,
125 feet long and 15 feet above Lake:
Champlain at Whitehall; one of 32
feet lift about 2^ miles south of Wbite-i
hall ; one of 12 I'eet lift in the vicipHir.
of the " old wooden lock," and on«. pf
17 feet lift down to the river at FbrV
Edward ,'^'

WATER SUPPLY. ' " *

Ihe daily water supply for leakage,,
lockage, evaporation and filtration iS'
based on an estimate of 100 lockageS'
each way per day and will be 57,119-
975 cubic feet, or 12 556,354,680 cubi©;
feet for 220 days. The extra supply
horn the lakes at the head of the Ra-
quette basin will bf» , accort^ing to Prof.
Benedict, 13,329,360,000 cubic fept, so
there will be an abundant supply of
water. 1 have also taken cireful
gauges of Eist and Wood creeks, and,
notwithstanding the extreme low water
at the time, a daily supply of 12,000,»
000 cubic feet is assured, all of which
can be made available.

BSTIMATB.

Rdck excavation, 280 000 cubic

>ar(jH, $1.50 $420,000

Eiiith oxoavatioD, 5,500,000 cu-
bic yard-', 30c . 1 ,650,000'

Pour lock'* cotuplete, $15 ',000 . 600,000'

Right- f-w .y 120,000'

8ixt(^e» filing highw>»y l ridsyes, ' '

$i 4,204 227,264'-

Two Bwing railrcHd brMges, .-"■*!

$18,524 37,04i?

Wood crenk dam 3 849:

Engineering .V,6.8\S'

Totnl $3,3 4,»77

R'sp^ctfaljv p\il)TnittP(« :

G Thomas Hall.
A!^8i^tant Eugiu<jer.-^d

It will be seen that Mr. H ill estimate*
the cost of the ship canal at $3,374,977.
The estimate of the United Slates en-
gineers, I am informed, is for the canal
proper $3 700,000, and for the IJudson
Riv.er improvement, $7,300,000, mtking
a grand total of $11,OJO,000, which,!
am confident, will covei every possible
contingency, and which, as 1 have be-
fore intimated, is, I bolieve in excess of,
what the work would cost properly and:
economically expended particularly a-*
two of the existing Hudson river dama

are sufficient and those the moat ex-
pensive on the line.

If the State should not abandon her
policy of making the canals self-sup-
porting by the abolition of all tolls on
the commerce of the c .nals, or by so
low a rate of tolls as only tc keep them
in repair, I am satisfied that a very brief
term of years would see every dollar
expended from this great improvement
returned to its treasury.

But I have not dwelt upon this con-
sideration, for it is of such vital impor-
tance, in my judgment, to the future
weal of this State, its continued pros-
perity and its retention of its leadmg
position in the nation, that I believe its
construction is demanded, were theie
never a dollar of the outlay to be so re-
turned, for it would be returned a hun-
dred fold in the iramense benefits which
would How from it to the whole people
of the State when once in active opera-
tion and bearing on its bosom the cereal
product of the great world granary, the
west and north west.

An argument used by some of its op-
ponents is, that when iVeight on this
route was so near Montreal, it would
never continue on its route to Montreal,
is about as sensible as the Montreal op-
position to the Caughnawaga canal, on
the ground that it will divert from Mon-
treal trathc that would otherwise go
there, and which Mr. Shanly disposes of
very summarily by stating that Mont-
real cannot iote what she never had,
and in this case we need feel no alarm
that products will stop short of their
market, the great money centre, unless
we are so foolish as to fail to provide
the necessary facilities for their transit,
in which case only need we lear an im
proper diversion of our own trade.

I had intended to have submitted
herewith some tables showing the re-
ceipts of grain at Buttalo, Oswego and
Montreal for the past few years, btit am
unable to obtain as full and accurate
statistics for the season jujt closed as I
could have desired, and am, therefore,
unable to present the subject in the full
detail I wished, ana must, therefore,
leave this branch of the subject, with re-
ference to the comparative statement
of receipts at the various port', con-
tained in the extract from the Buffalo
Board of Trade Memorial on page 170.
Owing to the low prices and stagnatioa

of business there seems to have been a
falling off in the receipts at each of the
ports named, and about in proportion
to the amount received in 1873. Calcu-
lations based on the statistic? of 1873
and a term of yearn preceedin?, would
seem to show a large and marked in-
crease in the receipts at Montreal, and
a large relative gain there, which would
indicate a serious diversion of the trade
legitimately belonging to u?, and which
sound policy would require us to check,
if in our power. The statement is well
calculated to alarm those who know
that the diversion of this traffic and its
accompanying benefits will be fatal to
the prosperity of the state.

Imoressed with a sense of the grave
importance of this subject to the people
of this state, and of the necessity of
prompt, vigorous and decided action in
the premises, t have written earnestly
on this subject, and 1 trust the legisla-
ture may take such action in the mat-
ter as will not only secure in perpetuity
to the Empire State her leading posi-
tion in the nation, but also atiord to the
great west the outlet for their produce,
which is the only clog and obstacle in
the way of their development to the
fullest extent of their wonderful re-
sources.

" rhe opening or tue Caughnawaga
route would not only afford cheap water
transport, but also the reduction in rates
of said transport which such competi-
tion would induce.

The Senate coirmittee on transporta-
tion routes were most favorably im-
pressed with this r'^iite, as all must b«4
who have personally examined it, as the
following extract from their report will
show :

" The committee also express the
hope that the slate of hew York wilt
recogn'z« the expediency of construct-
ing this line by the way of the Cham-
plain canal and the Hudson river to the
city of New York, or in the event of the
state decliuJng to enter upon the work,
that tho United States Government
shall give the subject that attention to
which its manifest merits entitle it."

A survey has bnen made, and a full
and exhaustive report on this route, as
well as the Oswego and Erie canals, are
now being prepared by U. S. engineers,
under the direction of Col. Wilson, U.
S. engineer corps, tor which we mfty

been a

of the
portion

Calcu.
of 1873

would

ked in-

eal, and

h would

\e trade

which
o check,

is well
know

and its
fatal to

he grave

le people

cessity of

action in

earnestly

e iegisla-

the mat-

erpetuity

ding posi-

>rd to the

produce,

bstacle in

nt to the

iderful re-

look with interest, and with confidence
that the judgment of experienced and
ttained engineers will show that tlie
Champlain is the onhj practicable route
for a ship canal or any canal of sufficient
capacity to meet the re^^uirements of
the case.

I have written upon this subject sole-
ly with reference to its forming a link
in the great water route to the west,
and have not the space to allude, as I
could wish, to the part it would play in
the development of the inexhaustible
mineral resources of the counties bor*
dering on Lake Champlain, but in pass-
ing I will simply poiai to a great advan-
tage which this route p.^ssesses over any
other, which is, that an immense amount
of return freighti< could be secured for
vessels which, on any other route, must
go back entirely empty or in ballast.
The iron ore, slate and marble of
northern New York and Vermont which
are now shipped west at great troub.'.e
and expense, would furnish so lartje an
amount of return freights as to serious-

ly reduce the rate of freights bound to
tide waters. The prosperity of any
country, according to the best authori-
ties in political economy, is mainly based
upon deposits of coal and iron, and the
proper development of thi j region alone
in the vast addition to the material
wealth of th'j state, would justify the
construction of this great work, as
merely a state work, without reference
to its national character.

It is impossible, within the limits at
my disposal to more than touch upon
the important issues mvolved, and I
therefore dismiss the subject commend-
ing its careful consideration to all in-
terested in the present and future pros-
perity of our state, believing it to be
the subject of the moat surpassing and
paramount importance now before the
people.

Respectfully submitted,
Alexander Barkkev,
Canal Commissioner.

Albany, March, lii75.

ghnawaga
leap water
on in rates
1 competi-

iransporta-
orably im-
l must be.
d it, as the
report will

cpress the
York wu
■ construct-
the Chara-
nver to the
vent of the
\ the work,
rovernmeufc
ttention to
title it."
, and a full
tiia route, as
B canals, are
1. engineers,
Wilson, U.
ch we may