46: 



NA TURE 



[June 17, 1909 



in the walerways of the country as being beneficial 

 to trade by the greater facilities of transport alTorded, 

 and in the' reduction of freight charges. The railway 

 companies are credited with olTering no opposition to 

 such an expenditure of the public funds, as they have 

 alreadv more traflic than they can cope with satis- 

 factorily. 



The project that is now occupying most attention 

 is the linking up of the eastern and western sides of 

 the country by a continuous circular waterway ex- 

 tending over 5000 miles, serving a district covering a 

 million and a half square miles, or an area as great 

 as that of this country and Europe, exclusive of 

 Russia. 



Taking New York as a centre, the proposal is to 

 connect the waterways southward to Florida and 

 the Gulf of Mexico, running nearly parallel with 

 the Atlantic coast, and connecting up with the exist- 

 ing rivers and canals, thus providing an inland route 

 for barges and small coasting vessels. By the Gulf 

 of Mexico there would be communication at New 

 Orleans with the Mississippi, and thence by the 

 Illinois River along the Drainage Canal to Chicago 

 and Lake Michigan. .Mong this part of the system 

 dredging would be required in the upper part of the 

 Mississippi and in the Illinois River, over a distance of 

 850 miles, so as to give 15 ft. depth at low water. By 

 the Great Lakes communication already exists to 

 Buffalo, along the Erie Canal to Albany, and thence 

 by the River Hudson to New York. By Long 

 Island Sound, in which some dredging would be re- 

 quired, Cape Cod and Boston could be reached. As 

 collateral branches the Columbia River would be 

 made passable for barges, and afford a w-y for transit 

 to the Pacific for the States of W'ashington, Idaho, 

 and Oregon. 



The estimated cost of carrying out this scheme is 

 100,000,000 pounds. 



New York at the present time is spending 

 20,000,000?. in widening and deepening the Erie Canal 

 over a length of 445 miles, so as to enable vessels of 

 1000 tons to pass along it. 



In the State of Illinois the Government has voted 

 4,ooo,oool. for deepening the Illinois River and con- 

 necting Lake Michigan by means of the Drainage 

 Canal with the Mississippi, a distance of 100 

 miles. 



The United States Government is also spending a 

 large amount in improving and deepening the shoal 

 places between the Great Lakes. At Sauk St. Marie 

 an additional channel has been cut, having a depth of 

 26 ft. of water. Below Detroit a curved channel has 

 been replaced by a straight cut 13 miles long, having 

 20 ft. depth of water, which is to be increased to 

 26 ft. On the Ohio River, extending from Pittsburg 

 to the Mississippi, a length of 1000 miles, for some 

 time past works have been in course of construction 

 for the improvement of the navigation, involving the 

 making of fifty dams and locks at a cost of 12.000,000/. 

 These locks have a length of 350 ft. by 45 ft. in width, 

 with 17 ft. of water over the sills. \ new and 

 straighter channel, called the Ambrose Channel, has 

 been dredged from the sea up to New York, giving a 

 depth of 40 ft. at low water. This work has been 

 in progress since iqoi. For the over-sea shipping ex- 

 tensive works have also been carried out in the har- 

 bour, and a large pier constructed for ocean-going 

 vessels. A canal has been made from the Hudson 

 river, 2000 ft. long with 30 ft. depth of water, along 

 which berths for vessels have been provided. \\. the 

 city of Newark work has been commenced on a new 

 port opening out of New York harbour ; and a canal 

 is lieing made 3 miles long by 700 ft. wide, in which 

 berths for vessels are to be constructed, and a large 



NO. 2068, VOL. 80] 



area of marsh land reclaimed and adapted for storage 

 purposes. 



On the Delaware River and approach to Phila- 

 delphia a 30-ft. waterway has been dredged at a cost of 

 200,000/. ; and a scheme is now under consideration 

 for a further expenditure of 150,000/. by the city for 

 the purchase of the river frontage and construction 

 of wharves. Also, for the improvement of the naviga- 

 tion up to Baltimore, a 35-ft. channel is being dredged 

 25 miles long. 



At the entrance to the Mississippi from the Gulf of 

 Mexico, the jetties constructed by Caplain Fade thirty 

 vears ago have been replaced and the channel deepened 

 at a cost of 1,200,000/. A large sum is also being 

 expended in improving the ports on the Great Lakes. 



For the completion of the Panama Canal, which is 

 now being carried out by the United States Govern- 

 ment, 30,000,000/. has so far been appropriated by 

 Congress. 



In Canada the project of providing a cheap and 

 convenient mode of transit for Canadian produce 

 through Canadian territory to Canadian ports for ship- 

 ment abroad, by connecting the Great Lakes with the 

 St. Lawrence and so with the Atlantic by what is 

 known as the Georgian Bay scheme, has now assumed 

 a definite shape. 



During the last few years a most extraordinary 

 development of trade has taken place at the ports 

 situated on the Great L.akes. The freight passing 

 through the locks at Sault St. Marie rose from 

 13,000,000 tons in 1894 to 51,000,000 tons in 1906. 

 The transit of wheat rose from 35,000,000 to 84,000,000 

 bushels ; and of iron ore from 6,500,000 to 35,500,000 

 tons. In the meantime the capacity of the vessels 

 trading on tlie lakes has increased to 10,000 tons. 

 The greater part of this traffic, however, passes by 

 .American waterways to the sea coast, and only about 

 S per cent, reaches the St. Lawrence. It is esti- 

 m;ited that grain can be carried from Chicago to 

 Montreal at two-thirds the cost of transit to New- 

 York, and Montreal is 300 miles nearer to Liverpool 

 than New York. 



The Canadian Government has been giving 

 recently its serious attention to this matter, and 

 it is generally admitted that the carrying out of 

 this scheme is the next great work to be under- 

 t.aken after the completion of the Transcontinental 

 Raihvny. 



This scheme was first mooted fifty years ago, and 

 various routes for carrying the waterway have been 

 proposed. .A rejxirt has, however, been recently pre- 

 sented by the Public \Vorks Department as the result 

 of a survey made by its oflicers at a cost of 110,000/.. 

 and a definite scheme settled. The route proposed 

 is from Georgian Ray along the French river and 

 Lake Nipissing into the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers, 

 and so into the St. Lawrence, the distance between 

 Montreal and Georgian Bay being 440 miles. The 

 waterway where artificial works are required is to 

 be sufficient to carry the largest vessels trading on 

 the lakes, which require 20 ft. of water. The cost is 

 estimated at 20.000,000/., and the time for construc- 

 tion ten years. There will be required eighteen dams 

 and twenty-seven locks, which are to be 650 ft. long. 

 There will be 2.S miles of canal excavation, and more 

 than 400 miles of dredging in the lakes and rivers. It 

 is also proposed as part of the scheme to use the water 

 stored for generating electric power, and it is cal- 

 cul.ited that there will he sufficient supply and fall to 

 develop 1,000,000 horse-power. 



For improving the transit up the St. Lawrence 

 to Montreal the Canadian Government is dredging 

 the river over a length of 62 miles, so as to give a 

 depth of 30 ft. at low w ater. 



