﻿770 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  ship 
  canal, 
  and 
  that 
  if 
  Erie 
  canal 
  be 
  further 
  improved 
  by 
  en- 
  

   largement 
  to 
  a 
  size 
  sufficient 
  for 
  1500-ton 
  barges, 
  making 
  such 
  

   alterations 
  in 
  alignment 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  continuously 
  descending 
  

   canal 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  to 
  the 
  Hudson, 
  and 
  canalizing 
  

   Mohawk 
  river, 
  the 
  improved 
  canal, 
  navigated 
  by 
  barges, 
  would 
  

   render 
  practicable 
  the 
  transportation 
  of 
  freight 
  between 
  the 
  east 
  

   and 
  the 
  west 
  at 
  a 
  lower 
  rate 
  than 
  by 
  a 
  ship 
  canal 
  navigated 
  by 
  

   large 
  lake 
  or 
  ocean 
  vessels. 
  The 
  difficulty 
  of 
  navigating 
  large 
  

   vessels 
  through 
  long, 
  shallow 
  canals 
  is 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  

   consequent 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  pro 
  rata 
  expense 
  account, 
  as 
  

   compared 
  with 
  the 
  actual 
  amount 
  transported 
  between 
  termi- 
  

   nals. 
  Major 
  Symons 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  enlargement 
  

   of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  on 
  these 
  lines 
  is 
  a 
  project 
  worthy 
  of 
  being 
  

  

  Fig. 
  56 
  Rock 
  cross-section 
  of 
  deep 
  waterways 
  for 
  21-foot 
  channel. 
  

  

  undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  government,, 
  because 
  the 
  benefits 
  to 
  

   be 
  derived 
  would 
  be 
  commensurate 
  with 
  the 
  cost, 
  which 
  he 
  esti- 
  

   mates 
  at 
  approximately 
  one 
  fourth 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  ship 
  canal, 
  or 
  $50,- 
  

   000,000. 
  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  Major 
  Symons's 
  report 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  A 
  ship 
  canal 
  which 
  would 
  permit 
  lake 
  vessels 
  to 
  reach 
  

   tidewater 
  and 
  ocean 
  vessels 
  to 
  reach 
  lake 
  ports 
  would 
  be 
  valuable 
  

   in 
  reducing 
  and 
  regulating 
  lake 
  freights, 
  transfer 
  charges, 
  etc. 
  on 
  

   such 
  freight 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  tributary 
  thereto. 
  

  

  2) 
  To 
  justify 
  construction 
  the 
  benefits 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  such 
  

   a 
  canal 
  should 
  be 
  clearly 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  suitably 
  commensurate 
  

   with 
  its 
  cost 
  and 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  maintenance 
  and 
  necessary 
  improve- 
  

   ments. 
  

  

  3) 
  The 
  present 
  and 
  prospective 
  conditions 
  of 
  lake 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   lake 
  channels 
  and 
  harbors 
  limit 
  the 
  reasonable 
  depth 
  of 
  a 
  ship 
  

   canal 
  to 
  that 
  required 
  for 
  vessels 
  of 
  20-foot 
  draft. 
  

  

  4) 
  Any 
  ship 
  canal 
  built 
  should 
  be 
  entirely 
  within 
  the 
  territory 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  should 
  terminate 
  at 
  a 
  first-class 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  seaport 
  and 
  commercial 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  center 
  in 
  order 
  

   that 
  western 
  products 
  for 
  domestic 
  consumption, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  

  

  