53 [ 32 ] 
the valley of French creek to Franklin, would foliow tliat of the Al- 
le^^hany to Pittsburg. The two shores of both these valleys are 
equally favorable for digging a canal, but, as tlicir chief tributaries 
join them on the left shore, it should be preferred. On each shore 
there are about ten miles of rugged banks, which leave little or no 
room for a canal; it will be necessary, at the most diliicult spots, ei- 
ther to run it on attificial embankments, or, in the most rugged spots; 
to pass over from these batiks to the otber on aqueducts; three miles 
along the left shore, and four and a half along the other, present the 
greatest difficulties. 
It will be necessary to trace a route along each bank, ahove the 
highest floods of the river, to «.om|)are them- The Big Sugar creek, 
the Alleghany above Franklin, Toby's creek and the Kiskimanitas, 
may be formed into reservoirs to feed the canal, and these may be 
cotisidered as the lowest levels of canals descendir»g through their 
valleys. The feeder from these streams should be traced in the pre- 
pauatory surveys, and the dams which w«»uld be required across the 
valley of the Alleghany should have locks, in order to leave the navi- 
gation of that rivpr open. In these surveys, we should take in all 
the experimental lines for tracing the course of the canal, and those 
relative to its details, locks, dams, and aqueducts. The waters should 
every where be measured with care at their lowest stage. 
The branches which this canal might receive from the East, give 
it in our opinion an importance, which, though its route is longer 
than the other which we have analysed, justifies the expense of a pre- 
paratory survey. The whole valley of tije Alleghany above Frank- 
lin and those of Toby's creek, Mahoning. Kiskiminatas, by which 
the basin of the Susquehannah may one day be united with that of 
the Ohio, will thus become tributary to it. 
Such are the four routes which may connect the Ohio from Pitts- 
burgh by the shortest distance and least elevation of summit level 
with Lake Erie. They may all be regarded as a prolongation of 
the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and as forming part of that noble 
line of ai'tilicial communication, which will join the vast regions of 
pur northern Lakes with the Capital of the Republic. 
Exact surveys can alone give the tiiie length of these several 
routes, and the accurate height of their summit levels; the following 
sketch may, however, give an approximative result to compare them. 
1st Roufv — length, 104 miles; elevation 
of the summit level at Lake Erie, 450 ft. total lockage 773 ft. 
2d Route, by Grand River — length, 115 
miles; height of the summit level 
above Lake Erie, - - 342 ft do. 557 ft 
by Ashtabula — length, 104 miles; 
height of the sammit level above 
Lake Eric. ... do. do. do. 
5d. Route — lengtli, 113 miles; height of 
the summit level above Lake Kv\e, 470 ft do. 80S 
4th Route — length, 140 miles; height of 
the summit level above Lake Erie, 470 ft total hickagc, 749 ft. 
