Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1908 — TOO BIG A CONTACT [ARTICLE]

TOO BIG A CONTACT

Georgian Bay Canal Project Gets a Hard Blow from the Engineere. WOULD BE A COSTLY SCHEME Requiring the Outlay of $100,000,000 for Its Construction. Would Also Take Ten Years to Build, . and Not Be a Lot Better Than a Cheaper Plan. Ottawa, Ont, July 7.—The short cut by water from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic known as the Georgian bay canal project has been reported upon by engineers who have completed the first thorough and comprehensive survey of the route. Although It has been alleged that the canalizing of the French river from Georgian bay, connecting it by canal with the Ottawa river, and canalizing that river to deep water at Montreal, and generally creating a twenty-two-foot waterway by a short route would revolutionize the commerce of the continent and turn it to this route, the report does not hold out much encouragement for these who expect that result Ten Years and 5100.000.000. The engineers report that sm h a water route could be constructed in ten years at a cost of about a hundred million dollars. The Georgian bay canal would be a little over four hundred miles long from Georgian bay to Montreal. It would take seventy hours to traverse the canal and would afford a route from one and three-fifths to two days shorter than any existing waterway from the lakes to the ocean. Engineers Not Enthusiastic. Its carrying capacity would be immensely superior. But the engineers make an estimate which makes it doubtful if the canal will ever be constructed: They say: “Compared with the possible Improved system of the St. Lawrence canals to a depth of 22 feet, assuming that the number of locks would be greatly reduced, probably no practical saving in time of transit could be claimed for the Georgian bay canal route, the saving of distance being offset by the longer stretches of lake and wide river navigation which exist through the Lake Erie and Ontario route, where high speed would ba permissible.” No Legislation Likely Hoon. It is hardly probable that the government will bring in any legislation this session bearing on the project, in view of the brief period between now and prorogation. It is probable a commission will be appointed to report on the cost of deepening the St. Lawrence and the Welland canal systems to 22 feet