Ad .0^. \^t>^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques 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, are checked below. a n n n D D n n D Coloured covers/ Couverture ie couleur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommag^e Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurdft et/ou pelliculie Cover title missing/ Le litre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiquas an couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque ceia dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6x6 filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires; L'Institut a microfilme la meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a et6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdas □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur^es et/ou pelliculees j y\ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ liiU Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piquees □ Pages detached/ Pages d^tachees I . I Showthrough/ l-^ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Qualita in^gale de I'impression □ Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire I I Only edition available/ D Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages toralement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc.. ont 6t6 film^es 6 nouveau de facon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. ^°^ 14X 18X 22X 12X 26X / 16X 30X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Douglas Library Queen's University The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Origin^; copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. Al* other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ♦► (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grlce it la g«n«rosit« de: Douglas Library Queen's University Les images suivantes ont M reproduces avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet« de l'exemplaire film*, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim«e sont film«s en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniire page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmis en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dos symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fiim^s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film* d partir de I'angle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 1- mK\ PRO LAK ."•Cl 1 I TI PllELIMIMRY REPORT OF THE ENGINEER, ON THE SURVEY OF THE VARIOUS ROUTES, FOR THE PROPOSED SHIP CANAL, TO CONNECT THE WATERS OF LAKES HURON & ONTARIO ^T TOI^OISTTO, TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE. JANUARY 22, 1857. TORONTO : THOMPSON & CO., PRINTERS, KING STREET EAST. 1857. L /^jope /Mv t' / ■'^ X ^ i % y I I I BOARD OF TRADE ROOMS, TOi^oisTTO Ex:cia:.A.3sra-E. At a meeting of the Council of the Board of Trade, held d their Rooms, Exchange Building, 28th January, 1857, the Report c KiVAS TuLLY, Esq., Civil Engineer, in refevence to the Ship Canj'j between Toronto and Lake Huron was read, ordered to be printecj and copies sent to the Government, and to each Municipality irj terested in the work, with a request for further subscription enable the Committee to complete the survey for this importa undertaking. Extract from the minutes of Council, Board of Trade. CHARLES ROBERTSON, Secretary. Toronto, 29th January, 1857. ^ f> N-' \j ^1 'J 4i I I TORONTO AND GEORGIAN BxVY Sllir CANAL. § Toronto, January 22, 1857. Sir, — In accordance with your directions, I liercwith furnish a statement of the field operations, and other important data, con- nected with the Preliminary Survey, of the various routes for the proposed Ship Canal, to connect the waters of Lakes Huron and Ontario. The project is by no means a novel one, having occupied the attention of the public for some years past ; it did not, however, assume a practical shape until 1846, when I explored the proposed route through the ''Ridges," in the Township of King, in company with Dr. Rees. I considered further exploration unadvisable at that time, as the advantages would not have been commensurate with the cost of the undertaking. The cities of the " Great West" were then in their infancy, and no person could have prophesied so prosperous a future, as has since been realized. From the ar: xiety expressed for some information on the subject, by the public in the United States, as well as in Canada, a Com- mittee was formed in Toronto, and at their request, I made a second exploration of the " Ridges," in 1851, and ran a line of levels between the headwaters of the Humber and the Holland Rivers. The result was by no means satisfactory, owing princi- pally to the difiiculty of exploring a country at that time even only partially cleared ; as from recent examination, a much more favourable route has been discovered within a short distance of the one originally explored. The last examination was commenced on the 3rd of September, 1855, at the instance of the Board of Trade, in order to collect some definite information for the Convention of Delegates from Chicago, Milwaukie, Oswego, Barrie, Orillia and Toronto, on the L e 13th of September following. The Report of the proceedings of the Convention Iiave been already piiblishe regards the practicability of the undertaking. The expenses at this period linviug exceeded the subscription by double the amount, I did not feel justified in proceeding with the Survey — particularly as the County Council of Simcoe objected to the payment of the remaining portion of their subscription, namely .£50 — unless a Survey between Lakes Couchiching and Huron, at the eastern portion of tlie County was undertaken. The justice of the objection was admitted by the Committee, and on the 4th of .February following, a surveying party started from Toronto, but being detained at Orillia four days for want of snow- shoes, operations were not commenced until the lltli, when a party of seventeen were formed. Three packmen being required in addi- tion to the usual surveying party, as all the provisions, camp utensils, etc., had to be carried over the wliolo route, a distance of fourteen miles, there being no other means of communication. This party did not return until the 21st of March, 1856, having also completed a portion of the survey of the Nottawasaga River and Bay, which was left unfinished last season, and which consisted of about ten miles of swamp, inaccessible except during the winter, when the surface of the water was frozen. I have thus detailed the field operations of the several routes, which have extended over a distance of 150 miles, at a cost of about £8 a mile, for the purpose of satisfying those who have taken an interest in the undertaking, that the work has been performed in as economical a manner as possible, consistent with the demands of the project. 8 During' the wholo of the af)0vc period I was constantly engagerl either in exploring the various routes, or in ])rovi(ling for tlie several parties omploye-l .mi the Survey; .'ind I take this opportunity of stating that I have every reas Maps and Profiles, as far as the Survey has progressed, havr heen oinpleted, ana. The greatest exc nation accomplished in England, of which I have authent''' information, amounted to one hundrct be denied that if po: ^ible for a short distance, it is equally practicable for almost any len.ih, provided the material remains the same. This material is termed " Drift" which is com- posed of Sand, Gravel and Boulders, deposited wLen the land was 10 ?l^l^ Hi i i submerged below the surface of the Ocean, at a period long antece- dent to the present time, according to the opinion of the eminent Geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, in his account of Canada, and the Uinted States, published in 1845. From a careful examination and enquiry, I have every reason to suppose that the material of which the " Ridges" are principally formed for a depth of two hundred feet, at the point where the proposed Canal will stop, is identical with the beaches at Hamilton, and I have also ascertained, as far as I can judge, by boring and observation, that Quicksand, which was the cause of so much expense and diffi- culty, at the deep cut on the Wclland Canal, Avill not be encountered in the " Ridges" at the level at which the excavation would be made. In a late number of the London Times, the route of the Pro- posed Ship Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific'^ through the Isthmus of Panama, is thus described : — " The whole length of the Canal would be thirty-five miles. The Harbours on both coasts are excellently adapted for the termini of a great ship canal. Tlie Savannah river is navigable at the mouth of the Lara — this is the first stage ; there remain six others. From the junction of the Lara, with the Savannah to the Chuquan- aqua, the distance is twelve miles. The country presents no Engi- neering dilficulties for Canal purposes. The third stage is fi'om the Chuquanaqua to the confluence of the Rivers Sucubti and Asnati, a distance of nine miles ; the country is of the same character as in the last stage. The fourth section is six miles in length from the confluence of the rivers above named to the little Indian village of Sucubti. There is no difficulty here. In the fifth stage, three miles long, the land gradually rises f)'oin one hundred and eight to four hundred and twenty feet. In the Sixth stage, also three miles long, the real pinch occurs, the ground rises into a peak eight hundred and twenty feet high. Here a Tunnel ivoidd he required. The seventh stage takes in a distance of but two miles from the Peak to the Atlantic seaboard, but here all is plain sailing, and level ground." " It seems yet a question if this mountain which en- 11 mg antece- le eminent I, and the J reason to illy formed osed Canal nd I have bservation, ! and diffi- icountered would be f the Pro- iroiigh the five miles, he termini )le at the six others. Chu.quan- j no Enofi- s from the id Asnati, icter as in 1 from the village of age, three d eight to hreo miles )cak eight ! required. from the dling, and which en- cumbers the Sixth stage might not be turned; and in order to ascertain this point, further and more accurate surveys are required. Such is the subject of Mr. McDermott's communication, which we have abridged from his letter, and which we now leave to the con- sideration of our readers. We are no Engineers, but when we look at the enormous works which have been executed at the different points in the civilized countries of the world, we cannot but think the construction of a Tunnel, three miles in length, is scarcely a work from vrhich the human race need turn back in dismay. It may well be, however, that even this diflSculty may be avoided ; what seems wanted at present is more accurate information." In the above remaks it will be perceived that the only contem- plated difficulty is in the " Sixth stage," 'Mvhere the ground rises into a peak eight hundred and twenty feet high'' The excavation of four hundred and tioenty feet is not considered a dijjieultyy neither can it be looked upon as such in those days of " Steam Ex- cavators" and other mechanical inventions, which facilitate and economize human labour. When the London Times treats the subject of excavating four hundred and twenty feet, with the climate of Panama to contend with, as an ordinary Engineering matter, the project of excavating half that depth will not again be pro- nounced impracticable after dispassionate consideration. With these facts before me, I ^cannot come to any other conclu- sion than the following, that the Excavation of the Ridges is only a matter of cost, and it may possibly be now considered as an insuperable difficulty, but even this objection will not apply to the future, as the great advantage which this route possesses over any other, as a con- necting link between the " Great West" and the '* Atlantic," would justify the expenditure of a much larger sum than has ever been contemplated by the most enthusiastic supporter of the undertaking. A Ship Canai with an ample supply of water, only eighty miles in length, can be constructed to connect the waters of Lakes Huron and Ontario. This I am enabled confidently to state from the in- formation which I now possess. It will remain with the citizens of 12 Toronto to determine, whether it is desirable to secur'^ he advan- tages which 80 important a line of communication wou; ' confer on this portion of the Province, and the profits which would accrue to the city, as the Terminus on Lake Ontario, of so vast an amount of Traffic, which, of necessity, must pass through the Canal. The following extract from a letter of a Montreal correspond- ent, signed ''Canada," published in the London Times of December 26th, will give some idea of the growth of the West, and the prob- able increase of traffic : — " The States of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, and the ter- ritory of Minnesota, arc ready to pour their products into the lap of Europe. The vastness of the commerce that is about to centre in Chicago and Milwaukio is not generally known, and cannot be fully appreciated without actual observation. The population of the former place has increased from 30,000 to 120,000 in five years. Last year the railways terminated there (yet only partially com- pleted) brought into it more than 16,000,000 bushels of grain, and other provisions in like proportion, which were exported in 6,600 vessels, and this year it is anticipated that the quantity will exceed 20,000,000 bushels." For a more detailed account of the past progress, and future pros- pects of the lake and cities of the West, I would refer you to the published statistics of Chicago, and the speech of William Bross, Esq., of the " Chicago Democratic Press," at the late Montreal Celebration. It is no more than probable that the anticipation of future progress there depicted, will fall short of the realization. The improvement of the country between Toronto and Lake Huron, and the supply of Water Power to the City, would be amongst the local advantages, and there is no one but will admit that those advantages would prove a source of untold wealth and would be^worth the expenditure of a large amount of capital to secure, vvhilst the opportunity is afforded. It is not advisable in a communication of this description lo go I he advan- confer on accrue to amount of )rrespond- December the prob- id the ter- to the lap to centre cannot be Illation of ive years, ally com- ^rain, and in 6,600 ill exceed ture pros- ''ou to the m Bross, Montreal af future and Lake would be ill admit I wealth, f capital 18 much into detail, which, in reality, will be the subject of after consideration ; the advantages are so obvious that I cannot but state if they are secured, there is nothing can prevent Toronto being the largest and most influential City in British North America. The exertions Avhich Hamilton and Montreal are now using, hj every meam in their power, to secure permanently even a portion of the through traffic between the Western States and Europe, is an indication of its value and importance. The Western Trade which established Buffalo, was secured years ago, through the sagacity of De Witt Clinton, the projector of the Erie Canal. A reference to the map of the United States and Canada will satisfy the most fastidious citizen that the geographical position of Toronto is, in many respects, far superior to any City in the Pro- vince. If the present opportunity is neglected, those interested in the progress of the City, will have much cause for regret hereafter, when the gradually increasing and immense traffic of the <' West" is diverted by more circuitous, hazardous, and expensive channels to the Atlantic seaboard. I have the honour to remain Your obedient servant, KIVAS TULLY, Civil Engineer. THOMAS CLARKSON, Esq., President of the Board of Trade, Toronto. ion lugo