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BARGE CANAL, Increase in Total | HE 1934 season of navigation on the New York State canal system closed shortly after Nov. 30, that being the last day set for issuing clearances to vessels, unless weather conditions necessitated an earlier closing. The division of canals and waterways of the depart- ment of public works of the state of New York permits all vessels on the canal to finish that trip, so that navigation sometimes lasts a week or ten days longer. Up to and including Nov. 3, which was the latest day which figures were available as this is written, the total tonnage transported on this system amounted to 3,583,716 short tons, as compared with 3,568,642 short tons for the corresponding period of 1933, a gain of 15,074 tons. With four weeks of the season still to go, and all active carriers operating in a manner resembling boom times, it is confidently expected that the 1934 season total tonnage will exceed that of 1933 (4,074,002 short tons), which was the banner year of opera- tion since the opening of the system. Diversity of Products Shipped While it is the general impression that the canal is used only to ship gasoline west and grain east, there is in fact a wide diversification of commodities making up the _ total movement of traffic. The kind of commodities and their amounts, in short tons, shipped via the New York State Barge canal system during 1934, up to and including Nov. 3, are listed in the following tabula- tion. Manufactured, Miscellaneous Products Pig Aronsand Bullets sos ciicicesskccc es 35,369 Iron or Steel Articles Ps 24,930 Ornere Metals yee i a eccicocssasaseuetneneiecs 21,554 Petroleum and its Products Gement and Tlimer ss. teicccsticcccccscves NVI ASS OS ates. ccs iascnccguestsstecechaivacsosseucess Ube cree ekeunc rac cacncisocueranccovaseescecuecucesicatsiess Implements, Vehicles, and Parts........ 25,012 Machinery ‘and: TOs) 05. eosc.ccccccessceccace Paper and Paper Products ... Canned Food Products ........... SGLAD VOM ecdss ecosse suesocsdovecsaccessee Oil Meal and Cake ...... POrGiliZers = sciscccisatseceseccccss Chemicals, Drugs, ete. ............. PAINE GMS ter occen ca zete sh ocuceceecoouuneuvateseslecsoae sus Products of Animals VBE oD PESSOCO 22ociccsccaits ficciccsshsoscevesnsstesces 18 All Other 1,447 SWaGe tat sscraclicictecavicrscocesssecssceeoseervevscoesnccudeaes 555,454 GOT Aeerccecuscs 131,522 Oats a3 40,952 UVC: rseicctsssasetes 45,577 Barley. ciisc..cs 11,564 DOU secon scascase 66,443 REEVE Wicniesceseseresecss 2,140 Flaxseed ....... 27,382 Stock Feed 8,378 Fruits and Vegetables 68 All Other 22,202 PTOI et sceccicey eictcsiscecsccatsccccclessse llc ccstudcsseces 33,865 Wood Pulp 24,944 PALI WiOOG: aessscicsccsteosesece = 29,357 Crude Rubber 20,455 PANTS = OtOIS ccs csvestcccsassecsss 3,627 ROS Uigeeciteg ne eawe ce deensrxcrsaatnes ours canncccienstceseeogaccents 27,778 Anthracite Coal 7,410 Bituminous Coal 4,582 Tron:-Ore: .. isc: Laan 2,240 Others Ores sks os issicevtecss ents 11,350 Sand, Stone, Gravel 43,728 Cais cen a dececevsuicesesseossiecess 1,129 Sulphur 178,222 All Other 14,445 Total for 1934, to and incl. Nov. 3.. 3,583,716 Movements of iron. or _§ steel articles, petroleum and its products, fertilizers, grain (wheat, corn, oats, rye, and barley), flaxseed, woodpulp, iron ore, and other ores during 1934, up to and including Nov. 3, had al- ready exceeded the movement of the same commodities for the entire season of 1933. Minimum clearance under fixed AE Ford Co.’s twin screw steamship Edgewater, one of the newer freighters oper- ating on the ca- nal. Length, 300 feet; beam, 48 feet; canal draft, 9.6 feet; depth, 20 feet; capacity, 2175 tons. See Ma- RINE REVIEW for April, 1932 MARINE REVIEw—January, 1935 onnage Transported BY JOHN J. BRYAN Upper—Lock 6 at the Waterford flight. Drop of 169 feet in a little over a mile from the Mohawk to the Hudson river Lower—Steel fleet in lock 28A at Lyons bridges throughout the canal system is 15 feet, 6 inches. Length of the lock chambers from the lower gate to the breast wall is 310 feet, so that no craft over 300 feet in length can be accommodated. The width of the lock chamber is 45 feet, except at the Federal lock at Troy, where the width is 44.44 feet, and _ this must govern. The navigable depth of the canals is 12 feet. The two largest freighters in op- eration during 1934 are 300 feet long, 43 feet beam, and operate on a draft of 9.6 feet. The holds are 20 feet deep. No particular type of craft can be said to be best adapted for use on the canal, as the type is entirely de- pendent on the class of com- modity to be earried. Indi- vidual motorships or _ steamships (such as the EnGEWATER and CHESTER) carry 1500 to 1800 tons on a trip, while a steamer and six barges will carry nearly 4000 tons. It is true that an individual motorship or