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COMMERCE. • 119
The canals and rail roads of Canada terminating upon our frontiers are intimately connected
with the commercial prosperity of this State; and a notice of their extent and . capacity is necessary
to a full understanding of our commercial possibilities.1
custom Houses have been erected by the General Government at New York, Plattsburgh,
Oswego, and Buffalo; and a site has been purchased at Ogdensburgh. These edifices are built of
stone, fireproof, and are generally fine specimens of architecture. Efforts have been made to
secure the erection of similar buildings at Rochester, Sackets Harbor, Albany, Brooklyn, and
Sag Harbor, but so far without success.2
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1. The, Wettand Canal extends from Port Colborne, on Lake
Erie, to Port Dalhousie, on Lake Ontario. It has a feeder branch
to Dunnsville, on Grand River, and another from the feeder to
Port Maitland. It passes sloops, schooners, and propellers of a
capacity Df 400 tons. In 1856 its tolls amounted to $261,568.13;
in 1857 to $232,437.38; and in 1858 to $207,771.52.
The Rideau Canal was built as a military work by the Home
Government and transferred some years since to the Province.
It extends from Kingston to Ottawa, most of the way along the
channel of rivers. Its total length is 126 miles. It rises from
Kingston to the summit 165 feet by 13 locks, and descends to
the Ottawa 292 feet by 34 locks. Its total cost was $3,860,000.
The Galoppe, Point Iroquois,, Rapid Plat, Farrans Point, Corn¬
wall, Beauhamois, and Lachine Canals extend around the rapids
on the St. Lawrence. Steamers usually pass down the rapids, but
must return by the canals and pay toll both ways. Sail vessels
Statistics of the Business of the |
pass both up and down by canal. These canals afford naviga¬
tion down to Montreal, to which point ships come up from the
sea. The total fall by river'without locks is 204f feet to Montreal
and 13£ feet thence to tide water at Three Rivers. The rapids
of the St. Lawrence have been surveyed with the design of
deepening them to afford a channel 200 feet wide and 10 feet
deep, but nothing further has been done. These surveys make
Lake Erie 534$ feet above tide.
Chambly Canal extends from the foot of navigation on Lake
Champlain to Chambly Basin, and with a lock at St. Ours, upon
Richlieu River, completes the fine of navigation from the lake
to the St. Lawrence. A ship canal has recently been proposed
between these important navigable veaters.
The amount of tonnage on these canals, in which this State
is interested, is very large; and in the Welland Canal more than
half the duties are paid by American vessels.
Canadian Canals for two years. |
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Welland Canal. |
St. Lawrence Canal. |
Chambly Canal. |
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1856. |
1857. |
1856. |
1857. |
1856. |
1857. |
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Total tons passing up..............................
“ “ “ down..........................
Canadian to American ports, up...............
“ “ “ down...........
American to Canadian ports, up...............
“ “ “ down...........
American to American ports, up...............
“ “ “ down........... |
276,919
699,637
31,334
52,100
34,716
116,582
200,373
341,225 |
245,256
655,816
67,476
29,128
137,574
163,217
280.546
245^256 |
131,430
503,106
5,274
33,888
6,380
15,612
213
306 |
134,382
459,270
4,493
30,366
9,328
3,765
17
30 |
107,878
21,788
96,868
16,741
725 |
112,634
21,053
107,925
18,272
156 |
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Revenues from tolls on property...............
“ “ vessels............................
“ “ passengers.......................
“ “ fines ...........................
“ “ rents............................... |
£ s. d.
59,408 10 7
6,108 3 11
88 7 6
440 1 3
1,967 4 4 |
£ s. d.
52,239 16 5
5,919 9 7
82 3 2
155 0 0
1,504 5 7 |
£ s. d.
16,813 13 5
1,978 6 5
688 16 4
910 7 10
1,042 10 0 |
£ s. d.
13,741 10 3
1,898 8 11
579 10 4
203 10 4
1,503 19 10 |
£ s. d.
2,467 9 9
432 16 1
6 18 4 |
£ s. d.
2,577 6 8
443 19 10
10 11 0
60 10 4
28 5 0 |
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Statistics of the Canadian Canals. |
Welland....
Feeder.......
Broad Creek
Branch..
Rideau.......
Galoppe.....
Point Iroquois
Rapid Plat......
Parrans
Point.....
Cornwall...
Beauharnois...
Lachine....
f Chambly..
| St. Ours (lock)
21
li
126$
2
3
4
$
lii
Hi
8f
Hi
It has been proposed to build a ship canal from Lake Huron
to Lake Ontario at Toronto, by way of Lake Simcoe, 80 mi. A
cutting to allow Lake Simcoe to pass southward would not ex¬
ceed 175 ft. in depth; and in the 8 mi. surveyed the principal
obstacles would not average over 40 ft. It has been estimated
that the cost for a canal 120 ft, wide at bottom, and 136 ft. at
surface, 12 ft. deep, with 64 double locks 50 ft. wide, and 250 ft-
long, would lie $20,051,000, and that it could be constructed in
5 years.
Great Western Railway of Canada, from Suspension Bridge to
Windsor, 229 mi., and thence by ferry to Detroit, was opened
Jan. 27,1854. Branches extend from Hamilton to Toronto, 38‘
mi.; from Harrisburgb to Guelph, 23$ mi.; from Preston to
Berlin, 10$ mi,; and from Kamoka, near London, to Port Sar¬
nia, 60 mi'.
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Size of Locks. ^™l°p |
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R'S
13301
457 |
|
•o e
S’ 1 |
[ Width of
| Channels. |
§1
<5 *>
SI |
At bottom. |
At surface. |
|
150
200
150 |
26$
45
26$ |
85
9
8$ |
]■ 45
35 |
j 81
171
85 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
45 |
75 |
|
134 |
33 |
5 |
|
90 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
50 |
90 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
50 |
90 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
50 |
90 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
50 |
90 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
100 |
150 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
80 |
120 |
|
200 |
45 |
9 |
80 |
120 |
|
120 |
24 |
6 |
36 |
60 |
|
200 |
45 |
6 |
|
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<£ Lake Huron Railway extends from Fort Erie, op¬
posite Buffalo, to Goderich Harbor, on Lake Huron, 165 mi.
Erie <£ Ontario Railway extends from Chippewa to Niagara,
17 miles.'
Welland Railway, from Fort Dalhousie to Port Colborne, 27
mi., is on the eve of completion.
Grand Trunk Railway of Canada extends from Portland, Me.,
and Quebec to Richmond, and thence to Montreal, Toronto, and
Port Sarnia, at the foot of Lake Huron. More than 700 mi. of
this road are finished. A branch extends from Belleville to
Peterborough, 50 mi., and others are proposed.
Ontario, Simcoe (I: Huron Railway extends from Toronto to
Collingwood, on Georgian Bay, 95 mi.
Coburg <£■ Peterborough Railway is 284 mi. long, with privi¬
lege of extending to Marmora Iron Works.
Ottawa ds Prescott Railway extends from Prescott to Ottawa
City, 54 mi.
Montreal <6 New York R. R. extends from Montreal to Lar
chine, 8 mi., and thence by ferry, 2 mi., always open, to Caugh-
nawaga, the terminus of a road leading to Plattsburgh, 52 mi.
This line is now united with the Champlain <& St. Lawrence R.
R., froip St. Lambert, opposite Montreal, to Rouses Point, 44 .
mi.; and the consolidated company is known as the Montreal <£•
Champlain Rail Road Co.
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2 Custom Houses of New York. |
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Place. |
Total appro¬
priation. |
Cost |
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Of site. |
Toted. |
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New York............
Plattsburgh.........
Ogdensburgh.......
Oswego...............
Buffalo...............
Total New York...
Total U. States..... |
$1,068,743
99,900
118,000
131,100
290,000 |
$270,000
5.000
8.000
12,000
40,000 |
$1,105,313.57
86,443.73
121,092.89
191,680.08 |
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$1,707,743 |
$335,000 |
$1,504,530.27 |
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$24,104,799 |
$3,388,827 |
$10,529,951.72 |
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