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36 ‘MARINE REVIEW Deepen Barge Canal (Continued from Page 19) Lakes is a question that has been discussed with considerable sectional bias. Sectional politics have handi- capped each project from its incep- tion. One weakness in our past water- ways policy has been that the engi- neers employed or in the public ser- vice generally recommended the things that the majority of those with a sectional bias desired to have recom- mended. And as between these two waterways, it is doubtful if even from the purely economic view of the ship- per and operator an argument could be contributed or a conclusion reached that would be accepted as satisfactory by even the unbiased. The operator and citizen engaged in Great Lakes shipping generally has other industrial connections which give him the control of much of the cargo carried in these specially designed freighters. Such an operator is seldom frightened at the prospect of compe- tition or selfish in the matter. And while it has not been definitely deter- mined just what effect the opening of the St. Lawrence ship canal might have on Lake shipping, he is convinced that if this waterway will bring about what is claimed for it, then the gen-. eral stimulation of industry will more than offset any ill effects resulting from the appearance of ocean vessels in his present domain. If this ship canal is built and the ocean ship does not appear and stay, then his field of NEW YORK STATE THE IMPROVED CANAL SYSTEM February, 1926 TWIN PORTS—ONE OF TWO DIESEL-ELECTRIC TWIN SCREW VESSELS OF THE MIN- NESOTA-ATLANTIC TRANSIT CO. WITH A CARGO OF SUGAR FROM NEW YORK— DISCHARGING AT A SAND DOCK IN CLEVELAND HAVING MADE THE VOY- AGE THROUGH THE BARGE CANAL—THIS VESSEL IS 258 FEET LONG BY 42 FEET BEAM BY 18 FEET 9 INCHES MOLDED DEPTH operation will have been enlarged and to that extent he will be benefited. Old. and New Welland Canal The present Welland and St. Law- rence canals have locks forty-five feet wide by 270 feet long and were de- signed to provide 14-foot draft over the sills. However, the water level of Lake Erie has gradually lowered until but 12% to 13 feet remains at the entrance of the Welland canal. This is attributed to the deepening of the Lake channels, the stripping of forests from the watershed and the sucking of sand and gravel from the _ state desired control over it. ing of being able to carry a state ref- upper Niagara river assisting the run- off and scouring the natural weir that holds back the water and governs the level of Lake Erie. The diversion of 10,000 cubic feet of water per second through the Chicago drainage canal is a very serious loss and it is calcu- lated has lowered lake levels six inches. Canada is constructing a new Wel- land canal with locks 80 feet wide and 859 feet long with a 30-foot draft over the sills. In this new canal the number of locks have been reduced from twenty-six for the present canal to only eight, and the approximate running time will be cut down from thirteen hours to four and one-half. An illustrated account of the progress made in building the new canal will be found on page 15 of this issue of MARINE REVIEW. The completion of the new Welland canal will definitely fix the western terminus of the New York State barge canal between New York and the Great Lakes at Oswego. This was foreseen by lake shippers when the New York canal improvement was contemplated. They volunteered their aid and sup- port for a larger canal if the project could be made national, but New York Dispar- erendum without the support of west- ern New York it was considered po- litically expedient to build 150 addi- tional miles of canal paralleling Lake Ontario to Buffalo. As a compro- mise the shipper desired to have the locks in the canal between Oswego and Waterford made 14 feet in place of 12 feet deep, hoping at some future time to make the channel conform. The additional cost was estimated at Pert PE at Sek Naa oS Ce a ol ia