^ ^%. ^:^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) m l.i SMIIIIM lilH - m |||m ir m 112.0 i.8 ( 1 1.25 II 1 = 1.4 1.6 ■^ 6" ► p^^ ^r ^ e. em w ^1 .>- -^ o ■^f 4s. Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 8;2-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut cansdien de microreproductions historiques \ O 1981 Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, ere checked below. L'institut a microfilmd le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se proruier. Les details de cet exempj&ire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage sont indiqart of the vast territory tributary to the commerce of the Lakes is yet occupied and cvltivated, no one can for a moment doubt that great as the increase of the West has been in popu- lation and production, during the last thirty years, this increase will be still greater in the next thirty years. The State of Minnesota, for instance, contains an area of 52,000,000 acres. In 1859, she imported wheat and 5our for consumption, and in 1865, 10,000,000 bushels wheat were harvested. In 1864, no railways existed there, and now there are upwards of six hundred miles, but I must defer further remarks on this impor- tant subject to my next letter. A Westerx TpwVder. I LETTER 11. i Sir:— In coneludiug my last letter I alliuled to the rapid growth of the North-Westerii States in population and pro- duction, and expressed the opinion that in the nature of things, that growth would be as great in the next thirty years as it had been in the past. I also pointed out the various canals now existing in Canada and the State of New York, by Avhich the products of the West now reach tide-water, and ut suppose the freight, commission, etc., arising from an improved transport to be only twenty cents, it follows that the merchant eould in such event as easily give one dollar and eighty cents as one dollar and seventy cents. By this improve- ment in transport the farmer would either get ten cents more for his wheat, or he could sell his eastern neighbor for ten cents less and yet be as well off as he is now. There can, therefore, be no (piestion about the fact, for it is too plain for argument, that the people of the whole country, not only West, but East, are interested in the highest degree in reducing the cost of transport to the lowest possible figure, and that it is the ab -solute duty not only of the governments of the several states to give their attention to this important matter, but also of the general government at Washington. The means of accomplishing the ■cud in view, must, liowever, be deferred to anoth- letter. A Westeu.i Tradku. LETTER irr. Sm: — In previous letters I alluded to the immense ratio in which the trade of the Western States has yearly continued to increase, and pointed out the insufficiency of the existing artifi- cial outlets from the lakes to the ocean, to accommodate the over increasing tide of produce which annually sots from the West to the East, and I now propose to point out the means by which an immense annual saving can be secured for all time to 10 i t come, benefitting not only the people of tin* Western, but also of the Eastern States and Canada. Experience has provjd that the larger the vessel the cheaper the cost of conveyrnce. This of course lias a limit somewhe^e^ ,)ut the size of the vessel, will in a great degree, be regulatedi by tl;e depth of water in the lake harbors. Heretofore the slial- lowest part of the lake navigation w.vS on the Lake St. Clair Flats, but that obstruction is now being removed. The short canal built by the United States Government, which gives access to Lake Superior, has locks thn.*e hundred feet in length by sevcnty-tive feet wide, with a deptli of water of twelve feet This depth of water may be assumed as the capacity cf lake harbor.?. The artitic'il w^orks necessary for the improvement of the navigation should be designed, in accordance Avith the natural magnitude of that navigation The depth of water, therefore, in the lake harbors, limits the size of a essels for the navigation. The present state of our knowledge is, that pro- pellers area cheaper mode of conveyance than side-wheel steam- ers, and are destined to supersede .sailing vessels. The sugges- tion now made for cheapening transport, is that it is necces sary that all the canals on the route from west to east should be adapted for propellers of 850 tons burthen, with a depth of twelve feet water. The AVelland Canal, Avhich con- nects lakes Erie imd Ontario, is by far the most important arti- ficial passage for western trade. This canal, as I before stated has now locks of 150 feet by twenty-six feet, a«id renders the larger sized locks on the St. Lawrence nnavailable for western commerce. In the construction, therefore of new Avorks, while it Avould be necessary to adapt the locks to the width of the St^ Lawrence canals of forty-five {'est, the length of the lock should be 300 feet. The 'expense of this new Welland Canal has been estimated at six million of dollars in gold, for a com- plete steamer navigation, and would leave the existing canal, in the undisturbed possession of sail craft, tantamount to doubling its capacity for trade. The next obstruction to navigation on the above scale, are ^ne canals of the St. Lawrence, the locks on which are not less than forty-five feet in wif^lh, and two hun- dred feet in length, but these would require to be lengthened to three hundred feot to correspond with the proposed new Wel- land. The cost of this lengthening of the locks of these canals, has already been estimated by the Eiiginecr-in-Chief in Canada, at ^l,oi28,000. who stated that the rebuilding and alterations can be effected in the Winter and S[)ring without obstruction to navigation. Propellers would descend tlie rapi'^s and not use the canals on the downward trip. At present ves- sels drawing nine feet des(;endth i rapids,buta survey made some time ago shows that an unobstruct 'd navigation of these rapids can be_ secured of thirteen feet depth at lowest water for .1^720,000. With these improvements, the propeller of S'lO ions could loa-l at the head of Lake Superior, or on Lake JMichigan and sail direct to Montreal without breaking bulk. So fnr as the export ulso 11 trade to Europe is concerned, tliis would be all tluit is needed, but, as already stated, the trade of the Eastern States with tlie Western States is of far greater importance and greatly exceeds all the export trade. T^he distance between Lake Chaniplain and the St. Lawrence, at or near Montreal, is twenty-eight miles, and the difference of level between the lake and river at Caugh- nawaga is only twenty-five feet, the lake being the highest, and the construction of a canal to connect these two waters has for a long time engaged the attention of the Canadian Governmsnt .and lias been reported on by several eminent engineers. Its cost is estimated at 82,250,000. With this canal constructed, the propeller from the upper lakes could then proceed from the St. Lawrence on to Burlington or Whitehall on Lake Champlain and tlius could discharge her cargo trom tlie West for distribu- tion throughout the New England states, .at a port tifteen miles nearer Boston than Albany, and she could take in a returning cargo for the AVestofthe manufactures, etc, of New England and deliver them at the upper lake ports without breaking bulk. But, let me ask why should the canal which now connects Lake Champlain witli the lludson River not be enlarged, so as to enable the propeller of 850 tons, from the West, to ])roceed onward to New York. The great object I have in view of the utmost cheapening of transport cannot be fully realized without this improvement of the New York Cl.'amplain Canal. But Aviil the State of New York provide such improvement'/ or will jeal- ousy for the revenue of the Erie Canal induce her to refuse any co-operation that may benefit the Canada route? Would there not be, however, a vast influence created by the presence .at Whitehall of an 850 ton propeller direct from these upper lakes without breaking bulk? I believe the influence would come w'th great power, and if my views are correct as to the future of western trade, the time has come when it has become an imperative necessity to providt? for its increasing volume. I know there are many who may not have the same faith as I have in that future trade,but history so far has verified my view of it, and nothing can be more certain, than that the existing enlarged Erie Canal will soon be found wholly Inadequate to accommodate the increasing trade of the West. If the route through Canada was opened as I now suggest and in complete order, the two routes would excitcj a salutary competition, and give a vast im- pulse to the Weste'>'n trade. Both would be well supported and steadily grow together in the enjoyment of its increasing volume, and with these views there is no occasion for jealousy. It is out of the power of any state to prevent this increase o^' western trade; — nature has settled the question, and it .s : matter, as I conceive, beyond all question, that it will reach a nuignitude ..nparalleled in the history of internal connnerce. The city of New York lias a great interest in improving ihe New York Cham- plain Canal and adapting it for the 850 ton i»ropoller, and if the state should d<^cline to make it they may give the ])ower to an incorporated company, and it would be no great affair for the 12 . -city to provide the ainoiint of cost, about $5,000,000 Let this entire enterprise be properly completed and a merchant at Chi- •cago or Milwaukee may draw his bill on New York or Montreal on a cargo of produce at fifteen days and depend with almost a certainty on the arrival of the vessel, and the sale and collection •of proceeds in time to meet the draft. The idea of a vessel of 850 tons loading at an inland port and proceeding without breaking bulk two thousand miles to reach a port on the ocean, has no equal on the globe. i must, however, defer further remarks on this subject to another letter. A Westkkn Trader. LETTER IV. Silt: — In following up the conclusions of my last letter, I have to state that the cost of all the necessary works, to com- plete and adapt the navigation from the Western Lakes to Montreal and New York, for propellers of 8J0 tons, would be 418 follows: The New Welland Canal ^6.000,000 Lfiiglhenihg the Lockrf of the St. Lawrence Canals 1,028,000 Improvini? the Rapfds of the St. Lawrence to 13 feet. . . 720 000 The Caughnawa?a Canal 2,500,000 New York Champlain Canal 5,000,000 Improving the Hudson Hiver 1,000,000 $16,300,000 Most of these figures are taken from rejiorts, are based on •actual surveys of the work to be done, and sufiiciently accurate for comparison. I shall now advert to the saving which would b^' effected by the employment of the 850 ton propeller or sailing vessel, in transport, by the improvements suggested. Raw commodities and those of considerable bulk rf weight must necessarily be transported by the cheapest conveyance, and while the railways will enjoy the monopoly of carrying valuable goods in proportion to their bulk and those of a perishable character, the propeller and sailing vessel will carry the wheat and other grains, the provisions, ore, &c. During the last twenty years, the demands of trade have caused a vast increase in the size of vessels everywhere. The New York packet ship has been enlarged from two hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred tons, and steamers of three thousand tons are now in common use upon the ocean. On the Lakes small vessels only were a' first employed, and vessels four times the size of those employed u few years since, are now in use, and wherever there is a sufficient am.ount of trade, the cost of transport is reduced by increasing the size of the vessel. Exp<'rienced navigators on the Lakes, estimate the cost of transport at one-fourth less by the large vessels now 13 saving )1 I ! employed, tliaii by the small vessels fbrineily in use. The tendency of late years has been towards the increase of the class of steamers called propellers, of great carrying capacity, with engines adapted to a slow speed to obtain the greatest economy of fuel. The first of this class of vessels employed' were of small size, but experience proved, that tlie greatest economy was obtained by enlarging them to the greatest size the lake harbors would admit. The celerity and certainty of their voyages, will alwaya give them a preference, for their charges are less than the railway, their deliveries are prompt and but little longer. AVith the improvements in the naviga- tion completed r-nd adapted for the 850 ton propeller taking cargo, without breaking bulk, from the upper Lakes to Montreal or New York, there can be no doubt, that the cost of transport would 00 greatly reduced below the rates now paid. ]>y the expendituvc of fourteen millions of dollars on the Erie Canal, the state of New York opened a route by which a ton of freight could be conveyed from Chicago to New York City for $8.64, and by a further expenditure of twenty-two million dollars in enlarging her canal she reduced the cost of transport to- $5.56 per ton. Now supposing the reduction in cost of trans-^ port, by enlarging the various canals and adapting improve- ments for the vessel of 850 tons, as proposed, to be only ono- dollar and fifty cents per ton less than i)resent I'ates, (and emi- nent engineers have estimated it much higher) this would be a reduction of five cents per bushel Now, let me point out what the saving would be in one year on the grain shipped from Lake Michigan alone. The exports of grain and flour from this lake have already amounted in one year, equal to ninety million of bush- els, raid within two years will no doubt exceed one hundred million bushels. I have stated that the average freight of this ijrain from Lake Michieran to New York, is about thirty cents per bushel, including 2^ cents for transferring cargo and other charges at Buffalo. A deduction of 5 cents per bushel, on one hundred millions of bushels, would be live millions of dollars in one year, which would represent a capital of about ninety millions of dollars, at six per cent, interest, while the total cost of the impro\ements I have suggested, would not exceed seven- teen million dollars in gold. But this is not the full extent of the saving. I have shown that by these improvements, the vessel could sail direct to Montreal, Lake Champlain or New York, without breaking bulk, and the 2^- cents now paid at Buftblo for transhipment charges there, would also be saved,, making seven and a half millions, instead of five millions, on the grain from Lake Michigan alone. I have not alluded to, or taken into account, the great provision trade so rapidly growing up, nor have I taken in the vast trade which will sc soon exist on Lake Superior, neither have I alluded to the grain, and other exports from Lakes Huron, Krie, and Ontario. Ihave prcferred.to- single out the one greatluctof the present grain exports from this Lake, so that any one can see at a glance the enormous importance- u and udvantuge of perfecting the navigation from the West to the East. Bear in mind also, that the saving in transport, on Western imports from the J^Jast, will also amonnt to a very large snm annually. Nor should it be forgotten, that in conjunction ■with the proposed improvements in navigation would be the crea- tion of thegreatestfacilities in such ports as Quebec, Montreal and New York, for the rapid discharge of the interior vessel, and for lessening charges at these ports to the greatest possible extent. Before closing this ])art of my letter, it is well I should allude to other projects than those I have been advocating, which liavo received considerable su])port, and have also for their object the cheapening of transportation between the West and East. Efforts have been made and are now making to export western products via the Mississippi River and New Orleans. A barge system for grain lias been introduced, and agents are preparing to grant through Bills of Lading from the Upper xMississippi, St. Louis, orts. com}>ared Avith those sailing troni the Northeastern Atlantic ports. .The climate of the lower country injuriously affects most of the products of the Northwest, and diminishes their value when shipped by that route. The expense of trans- ferring cargoes at New Orleans, will, I think, be greater than at the Northeast. All these circumstances combine to the preju- dice of this route, and will probably confine the exports by it to a narrow belt along the Ohio, and along the Upper Missis- sippi, between Cairo and Des Moines Rapids. Few persons can look at the map of the great lakes, without noticing the narroAv isthmuses which in several places divide them, aud particularly the nearness with which the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, and Lake Simcoe which empties into it, approach to Lake Ontario. By cutting Ihrougn an isthmus of about ninety miles a savin ir of four hundred miles in distance would be made from Chicago to Oswego. This project has again been revived, and sometime ago a convention of delegates from Oswego and Chicago met to deliberate upon it. This ■ project looks very Avell on the map, but when a section of the land dividing Lake Ontario and Lake Huron, is examined, almost insuperable diiiiculties a|»pear in its construction. Surveys of this project have been made. Lake Simcoe is 475 feet above Ontario, and 110 feet above Huron, making a total of 586 feet lockage against 300 feet by the Welland Canal and St. Clair liivei , Moreover, there is a summit ridge between Lakes Simcoe md Ontario, which can not be locked over on account of the deficiency of water to su])ply the sum- mit level, and mnst he cut through and fed from Lake Simcoe. ) est to ort, on Y large nction le creii- Giil and iiul for extent. allude h have object East. export rleans. nts are Tipper is route U New produc- s from ions of freight, uropean leasterri uriously ninishcs »f trans - er than le preju- s by it Missis- without 3 divide Jeorgian into it, inuis of ilistance eet lias eleijatcs ;. This I of the amined, ^ruction. mcoo is aking a iVelland it I'.dgo ! locked he sura- Si mcoe. They would require, (according to the Engineer's Reports) a cutting 2U()fcct deep for some two viiies^ and an average cutting of some eighty feet deep fur six miles and a half No such cut as tliis was c\ er made on any work, and by giving the banks of the cut a slope of one and a half feet to one i'oot in depth, the opening on the surface would be eight hundred feet. Still, this is considered «[uite a trifle by the fi'iends of the project. Its estimated cost is 825,000,000, but more likely to be forty mil- lions. Of course the improvements of the St. Lawrence Canals, the Caughnawaga Canal, and the New York Champlain Canal, M-ould liave to be added to the above sum. Tlie next j)roject, which has also been warmly advocated by many, is v/hat is called the Ottawa Canal, to connect Montreal with Lake Huron, via Lake Nippising and French Kiver, which has been surveyed and re})orted on. This project also shortens the distance from Chicago or Milwau- kee to Montreal, about 430 miles. To understand its merits I would begin by stating, that it is the breaking up of the ice in the Straits of Macinac, in the spring, which opens navi- gation and it is the closing of these Straits by ice in the fall, which puts an end to navigation for the year. Now, su})- ))Ose two propellers of eight hundred and iifty lons, leaving Milwaukee together, bound for Montreal, one by the Wel- land Canal, and the other by the Otta^va route. Both vessels keep together, as far as the point in Lake Huron, where it is necessary for one to diverge to enter the French Itiver. This river has to be ascended by a lockage of seventy live feet to reach the summit level in Lake Nippising, and of course there has to be lockage of seventv-five feet more to iret back to the k-vel of Lake Huron. This engrafts on the route 150 feet more lockage than on the Welland Canal route. The Ottawa River is reached through the river Mattawan, both of which are dammed u}) in a arious places to admit of their navigation, making them nothing more or less than large canals. At night it would be almost impossible for the proj^eller to sail except very slowly, while the other propeller couhl sail by night as well as by day, at her full speed. The whoh; lockage would be at one j)lace, on the Welland Canal, for the St. Lawrence Canals would net require to be used on the downward voyage. Now, I have never seen a shij) master, who has not acknowledged that the proj^eller would sooner be in Montreal by the long rout(; than he could be by the shorter one of four hundred miles, and from the more northern position of Lake Nippising, navigation would be later in opening and sooner closed. Tlie estimated sen fare heir ent, ■ of nta- 3te