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The St Lawrence Route
Its Past and Future
Canada's Natural Watenoay from t/}e Rockies
to the Sea.
Being a Taper read by THOS. CONLON, Esq.. member of X
the Dominion Marine Association, before the
Thorold Hoard of Trade,
May II, igog.
Published jointly by ll/e THOROLU and ST. CATHARINES
Voards of Trade.
kte-
/^fl
I I
•I
The St. Lawrence Route
Its Past and Future
Canada's Natural Wa/encay from tl^e Rockies
to the Sea.
///^
] Being a •Paper read *y THOS. CONLON. Esq., member of
} the Dominicn Marine Associalicin, before Ibe
I Tfiorold Board of Trade,
May II, igog.
Pablished jointly by l^e THOROLD .,d ST. CATHARINES
'Boards of Trade.
ff{t>\
Thb St. Lawrence Roite
The St. Lawrence ^oute
Its Vast and Future
N tie Ofid Fellows' Hall, Thorolcl,
under the a'ispices of the Thorold
Board of Trade, on Tuesday evc-ii in (j,
May II, 1909, Mr. Thomas C'onlon
of St. Catharines, n well - known
marine man, and a member of the Dominion Marine
Association, delivered a most interesting and in-
structive address r.n the advantnjjes <,f the St.
Lawrence and Welland Canal route over the
Georgian Bay route ; and also irave a detailed
account of the improvements on the Welland Canal
during the patt sixty years. His address was much
appreciated by all who heard him. President John
Stuart occupied the chair, and referred in his address
at the opening of the meeting to Mr. Conlon's
extensive experience on the Welland Canal.
Ex-President Leslie McMann, stated that he,
as President of the Board of Trade, had asked Mr.
Conlon to give an address on the canal route, and
he h.->d kindly consented. The question is one of
the most important before the people, having to do
with better water trinsport:ition throughout the
entire Dominion of Canada. With the improve-
proposed, American competition need
ments now
The St. I.awhence Roi'tk
not be feared. He was proud that the Thorold
Board of Trade had such a incmbLr as Mr. Conlon.
Mr. Conlon's vessel was the first that ever entered
Port Arthur harbor. He is one of the pioneer
marine men, and a better man to handle the question
could not be secured.
Mr. Conlon was then introduced, and proceeded
with his address, which was as follows :
When I was asked a couple of weeks ago by
our Hoard of Trade if I would K've an address on
the history of the VVelland Canal, and after thinking
it over gave my consent, my idea was to furnish a
little entertainment that would not probably he
heard of outside the town of Thorold, or at all events
would be confined to people in this immediate
district, who are interested in the Welland Canal
only. However, within the past few days an in-
fluential delegation from the northern part of the
country has visited Ottawa, and strongly urged
upon the Government the great necessity of building
the Geor-i;;r Bay Canal from French River to
Montreal. 1 liese gentlemen had a perfect right, as
citizens, to urge their views upon the Government,
but they had no right to speak for the marine
interests of the country, as I understand they did.
The Dominion Marine Association is the best
authority in tiiis country on marine matters, in my
opinion, and apparentlv their assistance was not
asked for ; but the deputation was limited to men
who favored the Georgian Bay Canal. Because of
the action of this deputation, I concluded, as a
TiiK St. Lau'rkme RniTE
mi.iiber of the Dominion Marine Associat i, to
widen the scope of n,y talk tonight, and to commit
to manuscript.
The transportation question is, perhaps, the
most important we have to deal with in our country.
The Government has aided railways to the extent of
S.^ 1,000,000, and the provinr- and local muni-
cipaiities have given as much moi ;. The Govern-
ment has also spent !*I20,ooo,^aX) on canals, and
perhaps another #100,000,000 for deepening
channels and harbors, building breakwaters and
lighthouses, and providing other aids to navigation.
And they are n-it done yet, as the cheapening of
the transportation of products of the country, its
fieldy its forests, its fisheries, its mines and its
factr es, from the place of production to the
marKets (chiefly in Kngland), in competition with
other countiies, means, to a large extent, our
success or our'fa' ''re.
Therefore o Governm^jnts, our merchants and
our public men are devoting all their energies to
cheapening transportation. Most of them, however,
devote all their time and energy to the railways, and
very little to our inland waterways. This may be
accounted for by the fact that comparatively few
people, our legislators included, seem to realize the
vast importance and the future possibilities of our
great inland waterways, so important in cheapq/iing
transportation to less than half the cost of railways.
I will, therefore, confine my little talk to you to
our waterways, and chiefly to the St. Lawrence
The St. Lawrence Rodte
route. I will endeavor to show some of the im-
provements made in it during my sixty years on the
Welland Canal. During that period I have seen
Montreal harbor groiv from a 500-ton vessel size to
that of a 15,000-ton steamship, carrying off our
products to England. Fifty-eight years ago I saw
the first vessel going through our present old canal,
carrying 600 tons; I saw the canal enlarged in 1 881,
28 years ago, to what is now calle our New Canal,
with vessels carrying 2,400 tons ; and I hope to live
to see it further enlarged to accommodate a ship
carrying 15,000 tons.
Twenty-five years ago the " Soo " had neither
telegraph n6r railway, and if a vessel happened to
freeze in there for the winter it .vas as much as the
crew's life was worth to attempt to get out to
civilization. Now there are 50,000,000 tons of
freight passing through that channel yearly.
A qu-Trter of a century ago Port Arthur was no
larger than Thorold ; now Port Arthur and Fort
William have a population of 25,000, a dozen ele-
vators holding 18,000,000 bushels of grain and
sending out 60,000,000 bushels a year in about
seventy-five Canadian steel ships, which would carry
away, if they all went at once, about 6,00o,otx>
bushels each trip. Most of you are aware that my
brother and I built the little steamer Erin at St.
St. Catharines in 1 881, and ran her constantly until
a couple of years ago, when she was run into on the
River St. Clair and sunk with five of her crew. The
Erin, under Captain Jerry Clifford, was, I believe.
The St. Lwvre.nxe Route
the first steamer to load grain at Port Arthur— in
1882. The grain was loaded from wagons into the
vessels ; and the next year, 1883, under Capt. Patrick
Sullivan, the Erin was the first vessel to load grain
at the first elevator at Port Arthur. Captain Sullivan
is still on the lakes, commanding one of Mr.
Calvin's boats, and I am quite sure you will all unite
with me in the hope that he will take the first ship
through the next new canal, about seven years
hence (Hear, hear!)
These are some of the improvements within my
sixty years on this canal, and perhaps many of you
will be pleased to note the great changes and im-
provements in our inland waterways in half a
ceutury. It is some pleasure to recall them to the
minds of our Board of Trade, with a view to
shewing the possibilities and the probabilities of the
St. Lawrence route within the next half century
and to advise the Government to make the fourth
Welland Canal big enough.
The St. Lawrence Route
Commences at the Atlantic Ocean, coming up
the gulf and river to Montreal, a distance of about
one thousand miles, thence up the six canals to
Prescott, and through Lake Ontario and the Welland
Canal to Port Colborne, about 365 miles additional
or in all over 1,300 miles from Port Colborne to
the Atlantic. This is what is known as " The St
Lawrence Route." The seven canals, including the
Welland, have 46 locks in a distance of about
8
The St. Lawrence Route
seventy-three miles, the balance of the 1,360 miles
being lake and river navigation.
Less than sixty years ago Montreal commenced
active operations to make that an ocean port. They
realized their geographical and economical position
on the great ocean highway — behind them a great
waterway of i,4CX) miles to the head of Lake Super-
ior, and before them 2,800 miles of ocean to Liver-
pool. It was a large undertaking, but they com-
menced it about 1850, and it is only now that they
are beginning to reap the benefits of their labor. Of
the 1,000 miles between Montreal and the gulf,
about 100 miles had to be deepened, chiefly be-
tween Montreal and Quebec, where the river widens
and is called Lake St. Peter. At this point there
was a depth of only ten feet of water. About
twenty years ago they had succeeded in dredging a
channel through, 27J feet deep and 200 feet wide,
from Montreal to the gulf. But there was much to
do yet, and the burden was too heavy for the city
of Montreal, which had borne the expense and was
$3,000,000 in debt on that account. The Govern--
ment, consequently, realizing the vast importance ot
the St. Lawrence route and its tributaries, assumed
the debt, threw the waterway open to the world, and
vigorously continued improving the whole St. Law-
rence route, that we might successfully compete
with our American neighbors for the carrying trade,
by water, of not only our own country but as well a
large part of the United States, which sent their
products to New York by way of the Erie Canal.
The St. Lawrence Route
The Early and Late Canals
The oJd lower canals were completed, I think
in the sixties. The locks were l«o feet long by 9
feet deep. The largest boat accommodated carried
about 1,000 tons. These canals were enlarged to
the same siee as our present Welland Canal, and
completed about 189 1 (about ten years after the
Welland). The 25 locks on the Welland and the
21 on the lower canals permit the passage of vessels
260 feet long, 45 feet wide, drawing 14 feet of water
and carrying 2,400 tons, or 80,000 bushels of wheat!
The first Welland Canal was completed in 1829
by the late Hon. Wm. Hamilton Merritt of St
Catharines. It only followed the present route
south to Port Robinson, thence 9 miles by the
Chippawa River to Chippawa, entering the Niagara
River 3 miles above the Falls, from which place the
boats were towed by horses or oxen to Fort Frie
I see a Niagara Falls engineer is now asking the
Government to consider the old route again, but I
hardly think that vesselmen will favor the scheme
past Chippawa. The first canal was taken over by
the Government, enlarged and completed in 1851 to
accommodate a vessel carrying 600 tons and of 10
feet draught. The channel was then changed to
i'ort Col borne, and was fed from Lake Frie instead
of from the Grand River.
The present new canal was begun in 1871 and
completed in 1881, and present conditions show
that the engineers in charge were behind the age,
The St. Lawhence Rolte
both in construction and in estimating the futun;
possibilities of the St. Lawrence route. The locks
were only 12 feet deep, and had to be immediately
increased to 14- Twenty-five locl^s were con-
structed where half that number would have been
sufficient The bridges were located and swung in
the middle of the channel, as if they were intended
either to be knocked down or to sink the vessels
passing through. No place was provided, in the
whole 27 miles, where a vessel could turn around
The apparatus for filling the locks and opening and
shutting the^gates was obsolete, slow and cumber-
some The depth of the aqueduct at VVeliand and
the locks at Port Colborne, by some, bungle of the
engineer, was made toe. shallow, and had to be after-
wards deepened, as well as the whole long level from
Port Colborne to Thorold. All these mistakes had
to be rectified by the present Superintending En-
trineer Mr J. L. Weller, who now has the canal in
fairly good shape for its capacity. 1 right here want
to say as a vesselman, that vesselmen and all others
having business on the VVeliand Canal are well
pleased with his management; he is a competent
engineer, and is always ready and willing to give
assistance and advice to the vesselmen when re-
quiring it. And the canal is fortunate in having
him here.
Fourteen-Foot Canals to Montreal
We have now come to 189 1, when all the St.
Lawrence canals, from Port Colborne to Montreal,
The St. Lawrence Route
were completed for 14-foot navigation, and the ship
channel below Montreal made 27! feet deep.
Manitoba grain was coming down to I'ort Arthur,
and the tim; had arrived when Canadian vesselmen
were looking for better times on the St. Lawrence.
But they were destined to be sadly disappointed for
twelve years more, or until 1903, for it was only
within the last five years, or in fact only last year,
that the St. Lawrence clearly proved itself capable
of competing in carrying produce from the head of
Lake Superior to the seaboard. Its chief com-
petitors were the Erie Canal and the railways from
Buffalo to New York, besides the present Georgian
Bay route, which is part water and part railway. I
refer to the Canada Atlantic.
Delay at Montreal
Although the Manitoba grain kept coming to
Fort William in increasing quantities, Canadian
vessels received little benefit therefrom, as the
.American vessels took from 75^;^ to 90°^' of it to
Buffalo, and Canadian vesselmen and the general
public looked on with amazement, and asked the
question : " Was it to feed American vessels and
the Erie Canal that we spent $i<y 0,000 in de-
veloping Manitoba ? " That grain as going to
England by way of Buffalo and New York instead
of by our St. Lawrence route, and Canadian vessels
were disappearing from the lakes. The main cause
of our depression was the slow progress •of improve-
ments in Montreal ; they had no storehouses to
The St. Lawrence Route
receive grain, and our vessels had sometimes to wait
several days for an ocean steamer to arrive to un-
load them ; and when a spurt of three or four million
bushels came down they could not handle it. Navi-
gation was delayed for lack of storage icilities, and
consequently the grain had to go to Buffalo instead
of through Canadian channels, and Canadian vessels
continued to suffer.
Logs Go To Michigan
Another handicap at that time, equally as bad,
perhaps, for our vesselmen, was the taking by
Americans of our logs from the Gcorgean Bay to
Michigan between 1890 and 1896, 300,000,000 feet
of logs being towed away yearly while our vessels,
our saw-mills and our towns on the Georgian Bay
could only coolly look on as the benefits of our
lumbering industry passed over to the Americans,
along with the wheat from Manitoba. These logs,
if sawed here, would have kept going a fleet of 60
of our old canal vessels. But when the logs were
towed away our Canadian vessels lost all oppor-
tunity of carrying the lumber product. Conse-
quently we organized the Canadian Lumbermen s
Association, and asked the Hardy Government to
find some means of preventing our logs from going
to Michigan. But the Government did not give us
. much encouragement at first. Mr. Hardy seemed
to think his first duty was to sell his standing tim-
ber at a high price, regardless of Canadian mills,
vessels and merchants. We had not only the
The St. Lawkekce Roi-te
»3
Government to convince, but we had also to fight
two strong sections of our lumbermen's association.
The Ottawa lumbermen, who suffered no loss in this
way, took little interest in us, and we had, moreover,
their active opposition to contend against Be.sides
that, several of our Canadian loggers, who had no
mills, but sold their logs to the Americans, opposed
our request. Therefore practically a score of our
saw-mill owners had to make the fight at first. But
eventually public opinion came strongly to our
assistance in demanding that Ontario logs be sawed
in Ontario mills. Mr. Bertram, one of the best men
that Ontario has produced, was our president, and it
was he who worked out the remedy. He told the
Government that their own timber regulations en-
abled them^to.^!-equire that all Ontario crown land
logs must be Manufactured in this province into
lumber. As a result, the Governmr t Wlacted the
manufacturmg clause, so that if the . .r..ericans now
want our logs they m|4«t have them sawed here
And I am pleased to think that I was one of Mr'
Bertram s first lieutenants in the fight, but I can
assure you that my bank account has never recov-
ered from the results of the period from 1890 to
1896 for we had not only the troubles I have men-
tioned, but, as well, the financial panic from 189^
to 1S97 to augment our diflficulties, the worst in
my time to vessel- and lumbermen.
14
The St. Lawrbnck Roimr
Demiiuoft Hariiie Associ»tioa
Now. though the i4-foot "^vigation had^«^»
perhaps J50^.«»j«'jij„^., This was
r^SiS^n^^f ffli^^^^^^^^^^ •9^3, when the Kingsto.
m'rkTe men took ti.e lead in calling together all the
"medy o some kind. The government assured
remeay realized the position, and that they
them that they reaiMQ v^ Canadian trade in
were QU te anxious to Keep »-««»■»
The St. Lawrbncb Routb
flinished stating their case, Mr. Blair, the then
Minister of Railways and Canals, replied that he did
not think our suggestions would remedy the difficul-
ty — did not think half a cent a bushel sufficient to
turn the trade from Buffalo and New York to Mont-
real, while the treasury could not lose a quarter of a
million dollars in canal tolls. Coming from Mr.
Blair, this was rather a cold blanket for the vessel-
men, who for a time felt discouraged. The Premier
however, then came 'o our aid ; he said the loss of
tolls was smPi'l compared with the keeping of
Canadian grain within Canadian channels, and the
suggestions of practical vesselmen should be con-
sidered. Before leaving Ottawa that day we were
convinced that our request would be granted. The
Government abolished the tolls for two years as an
experiment, and also the tonnage tax, inspection
fees, etc., and began to vigorously improve the
harbor at Montreal and the ship channel to
Quebec. They now have fourteen lines of steam-
ships, 30-foot draught, carrying 15,000 tons each,
and 2,000 feet of dockage, which will soon be
doubled. Large steel sheds have also been erected,
capable of handling 1 50,000 tons a week, with rail-
way tracks on each side, and freight is being
handled direet into the sheds or the vessels at half
the former cost. Elevators have Vten built, and
grain can be conveyed to any of a dozen ships.
The Government assumed the harbor debt, and
took over the ship channel below, thus making the
whole St. Lawrence route a GovcrnmBiu work.
,g The St. Lawrence Route
TwTcommissioners were appointed to improve the
l^ZZTZ. re^uested to maUe Montrea one
^f the best ocean ports in the world. Ihese com
;-?on1r\' rtho'rou«hly competent and pract^^^^^
J .««m tn have the confidence ot an coi,
S'ed T-: h>Sor ""'I'hip channel helow have
S thoroughly lighted, and equipped vUh buoys
fog-horns and other aids to "="'8^' °'\ ^ " ' ranee
inl the risk and cheapenrng the ■■«"-■« "^'"^"""/o",;
Telephone and telegraph l.nes --each abou 20o
miles from the Harbor Commissioners office to aid
^IZ in distress The cost of improvmg Montreal
harbor and shTp channel will probably amount to
i7^::f ^''^;Lr ^ToTe^ht f:U beS
If^lll thi'::?e^^d\tre'°c:;:thI°wSe St. Lawrence
-'"f/%r:i;waSf;harwnrei
StaCttCtof%^yin^; our produce ^om the
Rocky Mountains to Liverpool, a distance of 5,^
fhe Americans in the water carrymg trade, not only
of our own North-west, but also the g-n trade ^
several of the American states. 1 he last five years
ves the last two years-has put new hfe mto the
r^^^c of this route and has convinced Americans
iT^e. a Can diS; that its geographical position
is bound to win out in the end as the cheapest
The St. Lawrf.mk Rmte
'7
route fn ., the head of the lakes to Kngland for the
products of half a con'.iiiejit. Last season, for the
first time, (jrain was carried from Fort V\'illiam to
iMoiitreal as low as 34 cents a bushel, while the
American route via Huffalo to New York was 7
cents, with the result that Montreal secured nearly
all the jjrain exported to Knjjland. The Americans
became thoroughly alarmed at losinjj their trade,
and have now lowered the rate from Huffalo to New
N'ork to 4 cents, thus making their rate from the
head of the lakes to New York about 5 A cents
instead of 7 cents, as it was la t )ear. Of course the
3i cents above mejitioned is a starvation rate for
Canadian vessels of present size.
In order to insure the future success of the St.
Lawrence -route, the canals should be shortened ■
the 46 locks on the seven canals can be reduced to'
15 ; and the depth of the canals should be increased
to 30 feet to avoid further enlarging in a lifetime.
There is now 20 feet draught from the head of the
lakes to Buffalo, and the Americans are talking
of increasing it to 26 feet ; and, considering the fact
that three VVelland canals in my time have
been considered too small and l)ehind the age, we
surely are justified in asking the Governme^nt to
make the next one large enough to avoid enlarging
for a few generations at least. The competition
with the Americans will continue ; but if we enlarge
the St. Lawrence route our geographical and eco-
nomical positior ■■II enable us to successfully com-
pete with all 1 .or the water carrying trade of
:
,g Tkb St. Lawrbncb Rov n
iiTTakM including a large share of the American
rade is wen as ouf own We must remember Jh.t
we will have not only the hne ^nal the Buffalo
railways and the lllino.s canal, v.a the M.ss»s.ppj
river Ut also the npetition of the C. P. K^ ano
Tt R in carrying the products of our west to
ImeXr that our Northwest is likel> to become
rg^ea^es grain exporting area in the «orid »nd
♦wit th,. St Lawrence route w " ive to fight for
t^sha'e of the grain; and. if . we should now
'ieSre for it whe'n considering th ^-tJ^-'-f-
ment of our canals so thu they n. y compete with
other routes.
The Erie Caiul
Let us com.are the Erie Canal with Its com-
petitor the St. Lawrence route, taking Buffalo and
Fort Colborne a. the startmg pomts ; and, the
waer rates from the head of the lakes to these places
S the same, sav ijc per bushel, and say 4c froni
Buffalo to New York by rail or Erie Canal, and al o
Vc from Fort William to Montreal, wh.ch appear to
be the likely rates as now fixed for the «>mmg sea-
son by he railways at Buffalo, and also by the GJ.
R from Georgian Bay pomts to Montreal, both
Thb St. Lawrincb Route
'9
competini; with Canadian vcsmIb from Fon William
to Montreal :
From Kuflalo to New York there are 306 miles
of canals in the 450 miles as acainst a distance from
Port Colborne to Montreal of _ j6 miles with only
Ji miles of canals. Then, again, the Erie Canal is
six feet deep, and the canal-boats carry only K.ooo
bushels, while the St. Lawrence Canals are fourteen
feet deep and accoinmodate boats carrying 80,000
bushels. Both canals occupy about the same time
in navigation. The present Erie Canal is, therefore,
out of the race. A new Erie Canal is now being
built, but only for • ,000-ton boats as compared with
our present 2,400-ton ships. Therefore, where will
the Erie be when we get our I2,ooo-ton Welland
Canal ? The railways from Buffalo to New York are,
however, vitally interested, and will put up a hard
fight against the St. Lawrence route. But when
you put grain in a railw / car you begin to increase
the freight rate eno.mously, as compared with vessel
rates, and the Canridian vessels can carry grain
cheaper from Port Colborne to Montreal than the
railways or the Erie Canal from Buffalo to New
York.
The Proposed Georgian Bay Canal
I have the engineer's refwrt on this proposed
canal from the French River on the Georgian Bay
to Montreal, 442 miles, with 27 locks 650 feet long,
65 feet wide and 22 feet deep, the cost being one
hundred to one hundred and ten million dollars.
The St. Lawrence Rocte
The following advantages are claimed for this water-
way over the St. Lawrence route :
Distance from Fort William to Montreal, 936
miles instead of 1,216 by the St. Lawrence route,
showing a saving of 280 miles of lake navigation
and of' one to one and a-half days' time in makmg
the trip from Fort William to Montreal. It is also
claimed that a 10,000-ton vessel will pass through
the 442 miles of canal in 70 hours, or about 6^ miles
an hour. These are the leading features of this
project, which the Government is apparently now
seriously considering. The question is whether to
build this canal, or to enlarge the St. Lawrence
canals, or at all events the Welland Canal, and
perhaps next session of Parliament will decide the
question.
1 think the Government should give this matter
very serious consideration, and that they should
secure the views of practical vessel captains and
owners as to the length of time required to pass
throu.rh this canal. From what 1 know of canal
navigation, I think the speed will be nearer two
miles an hour than six. It may be considered pre-
sumption on my part to make such a bold statement
in the face of the engineer's report. I would say,
however, that the Government should investigate
thoroiighlv this question of time before committing
the countrv to this enormous expenditure on what
may fairly 'be considered but an experiment. And,
The St. Lawrence Route
21
viewing it from a vesselman'S standpoint, I think
the engineer's report practically kills the scheme.
The present St, Lawrence route has now
proved itself capable of holding its own against all
present competitors, and for a comparatively mod-
erate sum it can be enlarged to defj' competition.
Its ■]■>, miles of canal can be shortened, .ind its
present 45 locks can be reduced to 15, if the seven
canals be all enlarged, thus reducing the time to
Montreal by a day, or say from Fort William to
Montreal in six days.
The estimated cost of enlarging the VVelland
Canal is from $25,000,000 to .$30,000,000. Its 26if
miles will be reduced to probably 23 in a straight
line from Port Colborne to Lake Ontario ; its 25
locks will likely be reduced to 7 ; its depth should
be 30 feet ; and its locks should be 800 feet long by
about 75 feet wide. These dimensions would allow a
large ship to make fairly good time in the canal.
If this estimate of from 25 to 30 million for the en-
larging of the VVelland Canal is right, I would think
that §75,000,030 would be a reasonable estimate for
the enlargement of the whole system from Port Col-
borne to Montreal. Now, if these estimates are
nearly right for enlarging the St. Lawrence route
for all time to come, why should our Government
consider seriously the question of building a com-
peting canal of a doubtful character, and at a yearly
loss for interest and maintenance of six or seven
million dollars, without receiving any tolls from it,
as I assume that canal tolls are abolished. I think
2i.
The St. LAWHE>fcE Route
it safe to say that its cost would be double the cost
of enlarging the whole St. Lawrence route, because
the present dimensions, as given in the engineer's
report, would have to be considerably enlarged for a
ten- or fifteen-thousand-ton ship in order to give it
safe navigation.
The engineer's report says that, comparing it
with the St. Lawrence route, there is a saving of
2&2 miles (one day's lake running), and a saving in
time of a day to a day and a-half from Fo William
to Montreal, allowing about 70 hours to g,^ through
his 442 miles of canal. I do not think he will get
any practical vessel captain to agree with him in
this. I think that a io,ooo-ton ship would average
less than two miles an hour, and, if 1 am rifiht in
this, it would mean eleven days from Fort William
to Montreal instead of six by the new St. Liwrence
route.
All Hands on Deck
Steamers navigating canals must have all hants
on deck all the time ; and they must either tie up
for rest or carry a double crew, which is very ex-
pensive.
Insurance
The principal disadvantage we now have on the
St. Lawrence route is one cent a bushel extra for
insurance in coming through the Welland Canal,
and we are threatened with another extra cent for
going through the lower canals, thus making two
The St. Lawrence Route
»i
cents a bushel for extra insurance for passing
through the 23 rniles of canal. What would Lloyds
charge for iusurance through the Georgian Bay
Canal, 442 miles long ?
Up, or Betttrn, Cargoes
By the St. Lawrence route we get considerable
" up " cargoes at all points between Montreal and
Sarnia. But there would be comparatively little by
the Georgian Bay route — and vesselmen appreciate
return cargoes.
Not Enough Water to Feed It
The engineer says that for $9,000,000 extra he
can secure a sufficient water supply to feed the
Georgian Bay Canal. We may assume that he is
correct, and will only ^ay that some people think
differently, and have icme serious doubts about a
future supply.
At a 3c to 4c rate from Fort William to Mont-
real, what chance has this lonj,, expensive canal in
competing with all its rivals, especially the St. Law-
rence route, which is only 282 miles longer (one
day's run), and a proved route. The only reason I
can see for building that canal is the one given by
our Premier when he says there will be work enough
for them all. But if he will only tell Mr. Graham to
make the St. Lawrence route big enough this time,
it will be a very long time before the Georgian Bay
Canal will be required.
34
The St. Lawrence Route
Waterway to Winnipeg and the Prairies
At the present time navigation ends at the
head of Lake Superior (Fort William) and Duluth, a
hundred mile j further to the extreme end of Lake
Superior. It would not be surprising to see it ex-
tended to Winnipeg, and possibly to the foot of
the Rocky Mountains, for a small class of barges,
navigating the Kaministiquia River, L.-'e of the
Woods, and the numerous small lakes and rivers to
Lake Winnipeg. The Red River, with its head
waters in Minnesota, and the Assiniboine, empty
into Lake Winnipeg, and run thence by way of the
Nelson River to Hudson's Bay, being many hundred
miles in length. The great Saskatchewan also
empties into Lake Winnipeg, and runs in two
b'ranches to the fertile valley of Saskatchewan, al-
most to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The
waters of these rivers, together with the waters of
Lakes Winnipeg, Winnipegosis, Manitoba, and
other smaller lakes atid riveri, could be carried down
to Fort William and make a continuous waterway
from the Rocky Mountains to Liverpool, a distance
of five or six thousand miles. You may think these
are only my views, and are visionary ; but only three
years ago a company of American and Canadian
capitalists applied to Parliament for a charter to
build such a waterway for barges. They asked no
bonus, but said they had plenty of capital, and only
required a ch--ter. The Government refused their
request, replying that the waterways of Canada must
The St. Lawrence Route
be built, owned and controlled by the Government
The scheme therefore fell through.
Canal from Hudson's Bay to Winnipeg
Only a few days ago the report of the Govern-
ment engineer, who has just located the railway from
Winnipeg to Hudson's Bay, about 400, miles, was
sent out, stating that a canal between these points is
feasible ; and 1 have no doubt that in a few years
ocean ships will be loading grain at Winnipeg for
Liverpool via Hudson's Bay. The whole prairie
country is dotted with lakes and rivers, and we lately
learn through the public press that the great Peace
River possesses 1,500 miles of navigable waters.
What a field for navigation !
Freight Bates on Grain via tke St I.awrence
Boute
The St. Lawrence route has forced BufTalo
railways to reduce their rates from Buffalo to New
York from 5 J cents to 4 cents for the coming season,
which leaves only one cent a bushel as the water rate
from the head of tht lakes to Buffalo, in order to
compete with the St. Lawrence route. On the
other hand, we are at a disadvantage as regards the
ocean rates from from Montreal to Liverpool. Last
summer grain was carried from New York to Eng-
land at 4j cents, while 7 cents was charged from
Montreal. This was owing, partly, to the scarcity of
cargoes at New York, and partly to the still higher
rates of insurance, which is now our principal dis-
r
26
The St. Lawrence Roite
advantage until all our improvements shall have
been completed from Port Colborne to the ocean.
Hut if the ocean rate is again 4 cents from New
\'ork and 5 cents from the head of the lakes,
making a 9-cent rate to IJverpool, requiring^
evidently, greater competition in ocean rates at
.VIontreal, the solution is to complete the improve-
ments at Montreal and the ship channel to the
ocean. This will lower insurance, and induce
greater competition among ocean ships. It is of
little benefit for our vessels to lower the rate to
.Montreal if the ocean lines charge a higher rate
from Montreal than from New York.
The profits of the New York ocean lines are
mainly derived from their passenger traffic, and their
freight rates are a secondary matter ; they must have
cargoes for ballast, and consequently they cut the
rates in competing with the St. Lawrence route.
And the more we see of this contest for trade with
the .Americans the more we must conclude that the
St. Lawrence route must be enlarged, if we are to
successfully compete with the Americans for even
the trade of our own country, as the records show
that there passed through Buffalo last year 18,000.-
000 bushels of Canadian grain.
The rates on grain via the St. Lawrence route
are : From Calgary to Liverpool, about 5,200 miles,
33 cents a bushel— of this the C. P. R. gets 1,200
miles of transportation to Fort William at about 21
cents a bushel ; then lake vessels, from Fort William
to Montreal. 1,200 miles, 5 cents a bushel ; and the
The St. Lawrence Route 27
ocean ships from Montreal to Liverpool, 2,800
miles, 7 cer.ts a ' ushtl.
Some Interesting Figures
From Port Arthur to Port Colborne by water is ... . 8,0 miles
The WeUand Canal ( jj locks) is j"./ .,
Port D -lhou.<ie to Prescotl (lake and river) ,' [ «, "
The Iroquois Canal is iu ••
Farren's Point Canal is ,u "
The Cornwall Canal is , -^ ..
The Soulanges Canal is ........' ,, ..
The Lachine Canal is ' ^,y „
The Morrishurg^ Canal is ,^ ..
Lachine Lake is " ' J'* „
Coteau Lake is ....!' ''^v- >>
Dickenson's Landing to Fan en s Point is " ' "'f ••
Farren's Point to Morrisburg is . . . u'/ "
The head of Morrisburg Canal to irtitjuois ] .' ^;l '•
Total from Fort William to Montreal 7a7^ liiiLs
Less total of seven canals with 46 locks .' „4^ I.
Balance is total lake and river navigation i7i4J« miles
Elevator Capacity
West of Fort William, in about 1,500 buildings
along 6,000 miles of railway, 50 million bushels •
about a dozen elevators at Fort William and Port
Arthur, capacity about 20,000,000 bushels ■ east of
Fort William, at Midland, Depot Harbor, Victoria
Harbor, Meaford, Collinguood, Owen Sound, God-
ench, Sarnia, Port Colborne, Toronto, Kingston
Prescott and Montreal, about 20,000,000 more!
This makes a total storage capacity between Fort
38
Thb St. Lawrence Route
William and Montreal, both included, of about
40,000,000 bushels.
There is not enough elevator room east of Fort
William. When they are filled the grain generally
goes to Buflalo for want of room there. The area
of our Northwest is estimated at about 170,000,000
acres. Less than S % of it is yet under cultivation,
which produces 100,000,000 bushels of grain yearly,
employing our Canadian fleet of about 70 steel
ships. What sized fleet will we be employing at
the end of the next 60 years, when we will likely
have a population of about 60,000,000 ! Enlarge
the St. Lawrence soon, and make the fourth system
big enough.
A Sttnuniag Up
Now, I have taken you over a vast area, from
the Rocky Mountains to Liverpool, five or six thou-
sand miles, to try to show the vast extent of our
waterways, and to bring to your attention, if pos-
sible, their future possibilities, and their immense
value in cheapening the cost of transportation of our
goods to the English markets. Canada in the near
future is certainly destined to be one of the greatest
grain-producing and exporting countries of the
world, and it is our privilege to make the St. Law-
rence route the main waterway at the cheapest cost.
We have to the south of us ,reat country, de-
termined if possible to carry our goods as well as
their own, and the question of cost does not easily
The St. Lawrence Route
29
deter them. At present their cost of freight is
about equal to ours from the head of the lakes to
the Atlantic, but they offer better ocean rates.
Therefore to successfully compete we must enlarge
our canals to make a safe and easy channel to the
Gulf. It is necessary also to spend more money on
our inland waterways, to make " feeders " for the St.
Lawrence. Our Governments have bonusi-d rail-
ways to the e.\tent of $35o,ocxj,ooo ; the different
provinces and municipalities have given them as
much more ; and yet the railways own the property.
We have paid 8120,000,000 for canals, and the
country owns them, and uses them to check the rail-
ways that were also built with our money. This is
not fair to the vesselmen of this country, who have
been instrumental in largely reducing the cost of
transportation. As our exports increase, our loss to
railways will also increase. We should, therefore,
spend less money on railways and more on navi-
gation — not on the Georgian Bay Canal, to permit it
to parallel and compete with the St. Lawrence route
at a yearly loss of six to eight million dollars ; but
on " feeders" to the St. Lawrence, which is now a
proved system. Develop the waterways of the
prairies, to enable them to utilize their large lakes
and rivers, now partly navigable for hundreds of
miles, for a cheap class of barges to carry their
produce by water to Winnipeg, Hudson Hay and
Fort William, in competition with the railways, and
at less than half the cost.
We willingly give credit to the Government for
30
The St. Lawrence Route
their energy in developing the St. Lawrence in the
last five years, and especially the last two years, the
results of which are proving satisfactory between
I'ort William and Montreal. Perhaps the ocean
rates will also improve with competition, when the
shipping facilities at Montreal and the ship channel
are finally co.npleted, in a couple of years.
We should also admit English goods free ot
duty, and lessen ocean rates by giving ocean lines a
chance to obtain return cargoes to Montreai. Re-
turn cargoes mean cheaper rates both ways, and are
a vital spot in our transportation question of the
future. Our Government deserves credit for giving
England a preference of one-third in our rate of
duty, but I think they should go further, and admit
English goods free, or at all events charge not more
than s7c duty. If our revenue requirements will not
stand this, let us raise our duty on all foreign
countries requiring our markets. Hy doing this we
will get more return cargoes for our ocean ships and
cheaper goods for our own people, and we will then
be treating England as fairly as she treats us in
trade matters. They admit our goods free : why
could we not do the same with them ? England is
our best and only market. If we open our markets
free for English goods, they will appreciate it more
than the present of a dozen Dreadnoughts, and we
will prove our willingness to deal with our best
ci'stomer on a fair and equal basis. We will also,
fur.iier, secure the friendship and the markets of
Thb St. Lawrbncb Routs
3«
England, which is a commercial nation depending
largely upon the sale of its manufactures. When
they admit our goods free, they have a just right to
ask us to reciprocate. This treatment is due to
England, and nine-tenths of the pC' pie of this
country will benefit by it. Especially is this the
case with the marine interests of the countr>', that
would get a great benefit from more return cargoes.
Some Say Enlarge tkc WeUud Oalj
Some of our marine men say it will be sufficient
to enlarge the Welland Canal only. It may be
right for the near future ; but for the distant future I
think we should consider the St. Lawrence route as
a whole from Port Colborne to the Gulf of St. Law-
rence. Judging from my past sixty years on the
Welland Canal, and looking ahead at the future
probabilities of the route, I think we should com-
mence at once to enlarge it to admit the passage of
a 15,000-ton ship, by making it 30 feet deep, with
locks 800 feet long and 75 feet wide, so that there
will be room for big ships to make good speed, and
to avoid jamming their sides in small locks, as is the
custom now, and is costing them so much extra
insurance. If this be done, I think the Government
need pay little attention to the promoters of the
Georgian Bay Canal scheme.
At the conclusion of Mr. Conlon's paper, a
3»
The St. I.aukencb Routb
vote of thanks was tendered him, moved by Mr I H
Iho.npson and seconded by Mr. Joseph Hattle. '
■nrl <t rTJ^ /'"ended joint meeting of the Thorold
and St. Cathannes Hoards of Trade was held at St
I athinnes June 9. with President McGhie of the
c.ty Board .n the chair, when the following rcsolu-
t.on was moved by Mr. J. H. Thompson of Thorokl
and^ seconded by Mr. K. G. VV. C^onno.ly of St'
" Whkkkas. the development of the various
waterways, comprising what is known as the St
Lawrence route from the Canadian West to the
Atlantic seaboard, ha. received the favorable con!
s.deration of the various successive Canadian
Governments since the vf ,ir . "^ 1 5 • ai.tl ■"'«'"3"
soent" !J'"l'-'*''f '.•he ^um of !S, 20.000,000 has been
spent m developmg the different sections of that
route to su.t it to the requirements of navja ion
and of our growm- country ; and
"VVhhkk.vs, the time has come when a far
vXm/nt'r^nd"""'"^ '^"'^"^^ °^ ^«'-" de-
itself'T"hr''''f' '^''^'- ^'^^''•^"^ ™"'^ has proved
In L ^ "^ competing with all rivals, whether
ra,l or water, on account of its favorable geographical
pos.t.on.^ natural advantages, and ease\f^rS
"Whereas, within the memory of men now
Thh St. Lawrencb Roi-tb
33
living our naviRatioti requirement!) have out^rrown
the capacity of three successively enlarged canal
systems, antl cjur supremacy in that retpect is
thenrby imperilled ; therefore
" Hi; it Kksouvkd : That, in the opinion of
this joint meeting of the St Catharines and Thorold
Jloards of Trade, it is very highly desirable that the
Government of Canada should at once proceed with
the enlargement of the entire system, fro- I'ort
Colborne to the Atlantic ocean, to such dimensions
as will permit the passage of the largest lake vessels
from the head of lake navigation to the seaboard, in
order that this intensely important national question
may be safely settled for all time to come ;
"And FiRTiiKK RE^n.\¥.i> : That this joint
meeting heartily endorses the address read by Mr.
Thomas Conlon before the Thorold Hoard of Trade
May 10, 1909, and the statements and arguments
contained therein ; and memorialize the Government
and Parliament on the lines thereof ; the chairman
of this meeting to name a committee to prepare
such memorial."
The resolution was adopted by a unanimous
vote, and the President appointed Mr. S. VV. Secord,
Secretary of the city Board, and Mr. Thomas Conlon
of the Thorold Hoard, to prepare the memorial.