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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



barking in the enterprise. If, however, after full investigation 

 it appears that the canal water supply can be obtained and the 

 manufacturing interests protected, no reasonable objection can 

 be urged. 



The foregoing was written in 1897. In 1898-99 the writer 

 investigated this question for the United States Board of En- 

 gineers on Deep Waterways, arriving at the conclusion that 

 water enough to supply the deep waterways could be obtained 

 without interfering with the development of manufacturing. 

 How this may be accomplished is detailed in the present report. 



In order to justify the construction of the ship canal as a com- 

 mercial proposition, the saving on the transportation of an esti- 

 mated annual tonnage of 24,000,000 tons over the cost of its trans- 

 portation by existing means and methods must at least, equal the 

 interest on the cost of the canal plus the annual cost of mainte- 

 nance and operation. The first cost is taken at f 200,000,000, with 

 the maintenance at $2,000,000 per year. Assuming an interest 

 charge of 3 per cent, the annual interest plus the maintenance 

 becomes $8,000,000, which sum represents the annual expense 

 of the proposed ship canal connecting the Great Lakes with the 

 Atlantic seaboard. As regards the State of Xew T York, there 

 should be added to this amount a sum representing the decrease 

 in wealth in central New York due to the absorption of the 

 inland waters of the State away from manufacturing interests 

 in favor of navigation interests. As a rough estimate the w T riter 

 places such decrease at not less than $5,000,000 per year, al- 

 though the decrease would probably be much greater than this, 

 but in the absence of data for full discussion he places it at a 

 conservative figure, which can not well be gainsaid. On the 

 other hand, if the International St Lawrence-Champlain-Hudson 

 route were to be constructed, not only would this source of 

 lohs be entirely eliminated, but since that plan proposes to 

 deliver water from the St Lawrence river into Lake Champlain. 

 and thence by a through cut from Lake Champlain to the Hud- 

 son river, there would be delivered into the Hudson river a con- 

 siderable quantity of water which would be available for power 

 at Saratoga dam. Mechanicville and Troy. This ship-canal pro- 

 jecl thus increases rather than decreases the productive capacity 

 of the State. 



