F 556 ,.J93 copy "• EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE State Engineer and Surveyor Of New York. 1902. LAKE ONTARIO HARBORS FOR CANAL COMMERCE. By WM. PIERSON JUDSON, Deputy State Engineer of New York. Book -^^^^ EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE State Engineer and Surveyor Of New York, 1902. 'a g- — -^ LAKE ONTARIO HARBORS FOR CANAL COMMERCE. By WM. PIERSON JUDSON, u Deputy State Engineer of New York. \l^ Lake Ontario Harbors for Canal Commerce. STATE OF NEW YORK: Office of the State Engineer and Surveyor, Albany, May 8, 1902. EowARD A. Bond, State Engineer. Wm. Piekson Judsom, Deputy State Engineer. Hon. Edward A. Bond, State Engineer and Surveyor: Dear Sir. — In consideration of the routes for the thousand- ton barge canal from the Hudson River at Albany to the upper lakes at Buffalo, the Mohawk-Oneida-Oswego Rivers via Olcott line is shown at page 52 of your Barge Canal Report of 1901 to cost 154,700,000 or |32,000,000 less than the similar enlargement of the present Erie Canal. This great financial advantage results partly from the lesser number of bridges, but it mainly results from the fact that this line includes navigation of Lake Ontario for 110 miles from the harbor at Oswego t^'^il^', ImrboV'at Olcott, from which point on Lake Ontario there have oeen numerous surveys for ship- canal lines to reach Lake Erie at Buffalo. In connection with the obvious advantages of this open- water navigation, it is desirable to describe the harbors along the south shore of Lake Ontario which would serve as places of refuge for tows of canal-barges of ten feet draft and 1,000 tons capacity using this route. The south shore of Lake Ontario, in the distance of 110 miles between Olcott and Oswego, has seven United States harbors, including the two first named, and with all of these harbors the writer is familiar, having, as United States Assistant En- gineer, made repeated surveys of all of them at various times between 18G9 and 1897, while in charge of their works. In addition to these harbors which are maintained by the general government, there are three lighthouses on points which have no harbors. The safety of boats navigating this part of Lake Ontario is thus amply provided for, especially in view of the further fact that this portion of Lake Ontario off- shore is entirely free from shoals and islands; the open Lake being 400 to 600 feet deep and there being no shoals or islands in it, except a shoal at the mouth of the Niagara River 18 miles west of Olcott, and shoals and islands at the extreme easterl}' end of the Lake 30 to 50 miles beyond Oswego. Tn this connection, the following details of the various Lake Ontario harbors along this route will be of interest: Olcott Harhor. — Eighteen miles east of the Niagara River and six miles east of Wilson harbor is Olcott harbor; this is formed by two piers each 850 feet long and 200 feet apart, located at the mouth of Eighteen-Mile Creek and having a channel of 180 feet wide, 131/2 feet deep at mean lake level, or II14 feet at extreme low water. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1867 to date, $163,000. Thirty-Mile Point. — Twelve miles east of Olcott is Thirty-Mile Point lighthouse. Oak Orchard Earhor. — Fifteen mills further east is Oak Orchard harbor; this consists of two breakwaters and two channel piers, which are 190 feet apart, and extend 1,300 feet into the Lake, to 9% feet deep at extreme low stage; the space between the piers is two feet deeper than this, so that a limited amount of excavation in the Lake outside the piers will increase the available depth two feet, as well as removing a small 10- foot shoal which lies 800 feet off the entrance. These piers are located at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, which has a naviga- ble width of 120 feet and a low water depth of over 12 feet for two miles up-stream from the piers; this channel being sheltered by high wooded banks and affording ample room for boats taking refuge here. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1836 to date, |205,000. A detailed description of the condition of this harbor is last given in the report by the writer from his surveys made in September, 1896, at page 3318 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, TT. S. A., for 1897, wliich shows practically the present condition of the harbor. Braddock's Point. — Twenty-one miles east of Oak Orchard harbor is Braddork's Point lighthouse; at this point the shore of Lake Ontario trends to the southeast towards Charlotte harbor and forms a sheltered area where tows often anchor in the lee of the point. Charlotte Harhor. — Ten miles to the southeast of Braddock's Point is Charlotte harbor, which is the port of Rochester. This harbor consists of two piers each 3,700 feet long which are 4S0 feet apart between which there is a natural channel 12 feet deep and 400 feet wide, which is deepened by dredging to 16 feet at extreme low water stage for a width of 150 feet. This is maintained from deep water in the lake to deep water in the Genesee river in which the depth of 16 feet to 27 feet for a width of 300 feet extends 4^ miles up-stream towards Rochester. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1828 to date, |532,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made by -the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is given at page 2458 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present good condition, described at page 3355 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. Pidincijville Harhor. — Twenty-two miles east of Charlotte is Pultneyville harbor at the mouth of Salmon creek. This har- bor consists of a west breakwater and two channel piers, which are 200 feet apart and extend 560 feet into the lake, and 10-feet depth at extreme low stage. These piers shelter a basin at the mouth of the creek which has been used by boats of eight-foot draft, being sheltered by a high bank on the west. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1870 to date, |79,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made by the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is given at page 2402 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, 6 U. S. A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present condition, described at page 3359 of Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. Great ^odiis Harhor. — Ten miles eastward from Pultneyville is Great Sodus harbor which forms the entrance to Great Sodus bay. It is one of the finest natural harbors on the Great Lakes, having a sheltered deep-w^ter ar(\a 2^,/. miles wide and 3 miles long, with a wharf and with good holding- ground for anchorage. The entrance to this harbor consists of a west breakwater half a mile long and an east breakwater one-third of a mile long, and two piers each 1..500 feet long, which are 470 feet apart, between which a channel 1,800 feet long and 200 feet wide, with 15-foot depth at extreme low water, is maintained by annual dredging from deep water in the bay to deep water in the lake. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1828 to date, |490,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made by the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is given at page 2408 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, V. S. A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present co^idi- tion, described at page 3360 of Report of the Chief of Engineers, TT. S. A., for 1901. Little Slofhis IJarhor. — Fifteen miles east of Great Sodus harbor and midway between Great Sodus and Oswego is Little Sodus harbor, which forms the entrance to Little Sodus or Fair Haven bay. This bay is practically as fine a harbor as Great Sodus, although not as large, having a deej)- water area of two miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, with wharf and with good holding-ground for anchorage. The entrance to this harbor consists of two !)reakwaters; the west one 470 feet long and the east one 1,850 feet "long, with two piers each about 1.700 feet long which are 250 feet apart, between which a channel 2,300 feet long and 15 feet deep at extreme low water is maintained by occasional dredging from deep water in the lake to deep water in the bay. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1852 to date, |338,000. Detailed description of this har- bor is given at page 2470 of the Report of the Chief of En- gineers, U. S. A., for 1894; its present condition being described at page 3363, Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. Oswego Harlor. — Thirteen miles northeast of Little Sodus harbor is Oswego harbor, which is the principal port of Lake Ontario. This harbor consists of the mouth of the Oswego River which has been deepened and improved by the govern- ment, and of the outer harbor sheltered by a breakwater over a mile in length, furnishing ample shelter for vessels. The entrance to the River and to the inner harbor is sheltered by a west breakwater 1,500 feet long; a lighthouse pier 400 feet long and an east breakwater 750 feet long with an entrance of 357 feet width between them, through which a channel 15 feet deep is maintained from deep water in the Lake to the sheltered wharves inside. The outer breakwater is 6,000 feet long, has a lighthouse at its eastern end, and shelters an area of 100 acres, with depth from 9 feet to 18 feet at extreme low level, having wharves and mooring-places. The United States government has expended on this harbor from 1826 to date, $1,973,000. Detailed description of this harbor and a detailed map of it made by the writer from his various surveys, from 1869 to 1895, are given at page 3216 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1895; its present condition being described at page 3365 of Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. Lake Ontario Commerce.-- The traffic on Lake Ontario has decreased during recent years to such extent that the govern- ment has partially discontinued the maintenance of four of the eight harbors which have above been mentioned, namely, Wil- son, Olcott, Oak Orchard and Pultneyville, at which places maintenance can, of course, be resumed at any time when there should be need for it. The creation of this canal route by way of Lake Ontario would in no way contribute to the Canadian commerce by way of the St. Lawrence, but would solely benefit the commerce of New York State by way of the Hudson river to New York. That it would not benefit Canadian commerce is evident when it is considered that the Canadians already have the Weliand canal with two feet greater depth and with much larger locks than proposed, by which commerce now has full access to the St. Lawrence route. From a common point in Lake Erie, 17 miles uj) the lake from Buffalo and opposite to the entrance to the Weliand canal, the distance to be traversed to a common point in Lake Ontario opposite to Olcott is practically the same, being 66 statute miles by way of the Weliand canal, and 03 statute miles by way of the Niagara river and the proposed barge canal and Olcott. Lake Navigation. — It has already been proven by actual experience that 24:0-ton boats, built to navigate the present Erie canal, can safely be towed on Lake Erie and can be used in trafSc from the ports on Lake Erie to Buffalo. This fact being established, it is evident that boats for the x>i'oposed 1,000-ton barge canal, being four times as large as the present Erie canal boats, can with equal or greater safety navigate Lake Ontario, which is more favorable for navigation than Lake Erie; Lake Erie being comparatively shallow, 40 to 90 feet in depth, and more quickly disturbed by storm, while Lake Ontario is 400 to 600 feet deep and less easily affected. With the numerous harbors which have been described, there is no question that 1,000-tou barge canal boats can be towed with safety during the canal season (April-November) through Lake Ontario to Oswego, from which the greater part of the route to the Hudson river will lie through the open waters of the Oswego and Oneida rivers, Oneida lake and the Mohawk river. Reference has been made to the relative depths of the lakes and to their elevations above the sea, which are approximately shown upon the accompanying section from the head of Lake Superior to tidewater. It is worthy of considertion that when it is undertaken to enlarge the Erie Canal by way of Oneida Lake and the Oneida and Seneca Rivers to Buffalo, such enlargement will take many years as well as many millions; meantime by merely enlarging the Oswego Canal and Oswego River for 20 miles from Three- River Point down to Oswego, commerce can use this route and get into Lake Erie by way of the Welland Canal many years before they will be able to use the other route through the center of the State. Very truly yours, WM. PIERSON JUDSON, Deputy State Engineer of New York. ( FT ) OF ST. LAWRENCE 5ize of sections approximated to relative areas of the several Lakes. To accompany letter j.,.^.^. f] of ^^-j S'-*- 1902. -TT^Wtf^;^^^^^^^^^