Statement of commerce through both American and Canadian canals at Sault Ste. Marie,
Mich. and Ontario, etc.—Continued.

St. Marys Falls Canal, Michigan, State lock, 1855 to 1887.

St. Marys Falls Canal, Michigan, Weitzel lock, since September 1, 1881.

St. Marys Falls Canal, Michigan, Poe lock, since August 3, 1896.

Sault Ste. Marie Canal, Ontario, Canadian lock, since September 9, 1895.

GROWTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR COMMERCE.

The movement of freight to and from Lake Superior previous to the opening of the State canal in 1855 was entirely by boat to Sault Ste. Marie, where the cargoes were unloaded, then taken across the portage 1 mile long, and reloaded aboard boats.

In 1851 about 12,600 tons passed over the tramway portage; the transshipments to Lake Superior ports comprised the articles hay, oats, dry goods, groceries, and mining machinery to the value of $1,000,000, and those to lower lake ports included copper, iron blooms, and fish, valued at $675,000.

During the fifty years the canal has been in commission the yearly traffic has increased from a minimum of 14,503 tons to a maximum of 35,961,146 tons.

The increase in tonnage of each year's traffic over that of the preceding year has averaged about 20 per cent. For each decade the average percentage of yearly increase and the total tonnage are as follows:

The St. Marys Rapids are about half a mile wide and three-fourths of a mile long. The fall ranges from 16 to 20 feet with the varying stages of water.

The first canal was built on the Canadian side of the river by the Northwest Fur Company in 1797-98. The lock was 38 feet long, 8 feet 9 inches wide, with a lift of 9 feet. A towpath was made along the shore for oxen to track the batteaux and canoes through the upper part of the rapids. The lock, excepting its timber floor and miter sills, was destroyed in 1814 by United States troops from Mackinac Island under command of Major Holmes.

The first ship canal, known as the State Canal, was built on the American side of the river in 1853 to 1855, some 750,000 acres of land in Michigan having been granted by the United States Congress for the construction thereof. The canal was 17 miles long, 64 feet wide at bottom, 100 feet wide at water surface, and 13 feet deep. There were two tandem locks of masonry, each 350 by 70 feet, having 114 feet of water on the miter sills and a lift of about 9 feet each. Capt. A. Canfield, topographical engineers, United States Army, made the original surveys. Charles T. Harvey was superintendent of construction, and the St. Marys Falls Ship Canal Company was the contractor. The locks were destroyed in 1888 by excavations for the present Poe lock.

The Weitzel lock, 515 feet long, 80 feet wide in chamber, narrowing to 60 feet at the gates, with 17 feet depth of water on the miter sills when the upper pool is 601.9 feet and the lower pool 584.4 feet above mean tide at New York, was built by the United States in the years 1870 to 1881. During the same period the depth of the canal was increased to 16 feet, the mean width to 160 feet, and the stone slope walls were replaced with timber piers having a vertical face. Gen. Orlando M. Poe was the engineer officer in charge of the district from 1870 to 1873, and Gen. Godfrey Weitzel from 1873 to 1882. Alfred Noble was the assistant engineer in local charge from 1870 to 1882. Boyle & Roach were the principal contractors.

The Canadian Canal, 14 miles long, 150 feet wide, and 22 feet deep, with lock 900 feet long, 60 feet wide, having 22 feet of water on the miter sills, was built on the north side of the river in the years 1888 to 1895. Hon. Collingwood Schreiber was chief engineer of Dominion canals, etc., and W. G. McNeill Thompson was the goyernment engineer in local charge of construction work. Ryan & Haney were the

contractors.

The Poe lock, 800 feet long, 100 feet wide, and having 22 feet of water on the sills, was built by the United States in the years 1887 to 1896. Gen. Orlando M. Poe was the engineer officer in charge of the district from 1883 to 1895, and E. S. Wheeler the assistant engineer in local charge of construction work from 1882 to 1897. Hughes Bros. & Bangs were the principal contractors.

The American Canal since 1892 has been deepened to 25 feet, and its entrance piers have been extended so that its total length at the falls is now 1 miles. Its

width is variable, being 500 feet at the upper entrance, 108 feet at the canal gate, 270 feet at the basin above locks, and 1,000 feet at the lower entrance. Dunbar & Sullivan and J. B. Donnelly were the principal contractors

The canal also practically includes that part of the channels through St. Marys River which have been improved through shoals of sand, clay, bowlders, sandstone, and limestone rock. The United States Government made the first appropriation for improving the river channels in 1856. The Lake George route was improved for 12 feet draft, 1857 to 1860 and 1866 to 1869. The depth was increased to 16 feet, 1879 to 1883. The Hay Lake route was improved for a depth of 20 feet at mean stage of water, years 1882 to 1894. Betterment of the channels has been continued every year since, so that the dredged areas now total. 34 miles in length with least width of 300 feet, increasing at angles and other critical places up to 1,000 feet. Last year excavation of channels was begun for 21 feet at lowest stage of water.

The engineer officers in past charge of the river improvements were Capt. A. W. Whipple, 1858-1861; Col. T. J. Cram, 1866-1870; Maj. O. M. Poe, 1870-1873; Col. G. Weitzel, 1873-1882; Maj. F. U. Farquhar, 1882-83; Col. O. M. Poe, 1883–1895; Col. G. J. Lydecker, 1896-1902, and Maj. W. H. Bixby, 1902-1904. J. Hickler & Sons, C. F. & H. T. Dunbar, and Carkin, Stickney & Cram were the principal

contractors.

The cost of the several improvements, stated in round numbers, is as follows: Locks and canal of 1855..

Weitzel lock

Poe lock...

Widening and deepening canal.
Improving channel through river
Canadian lock, canal, and approaches.

$1,000,000

1,000,000

3,000,000

3, 000, 000 4,000,000

4,000,000

Hydraulic power is used for operating the American locks, a pressure of 115 pounds per square inch being used for the Weitzel lock machinery and a pressure of 200 pounds for the Poe lock machinery. Electricity generated by water power is used for operating the Canadian lock.

The Poe lock can be filled or emptied in about seven minutes, and the gates opened or closed in two minutes. The Weitzel lock can be operated in about the same time as the Poe lock. The Canadian lock can be operated in about eight minutes. An up-lockage of a single boat 350 feet long has been made through the Poe lock in eleven minutes, but the average time spent in making a lockage last season was nearly twenty-nine minutes, most of which was due to the slow movement of boats while entering and leaving locks. Frequently as many as five boats were included in a single lockage. The average time of lockage through the Canadian lock was sixteen minutes.

From 1855 to 1881 the canal was controlled by the State of Michigan and tolls were charged to cover operating and repair expenses, the rate at first being 64 cents per registered ton, which was gradually reduced to 24 cents. Similarly the minimum charge for lockage of a boat was reduced from $5 to $3. Since control was transferred to the United States in 1881 the American canal has been free for public use by all nations. Likewise the Canadian Canal has not collected tolls for either foreign or domestic commerce.

The lock force under State control consisted of about twenty men, having one watch only, as night navigation of the river was then impossible. Under United States control two watches, of twelve hours each, were established in 1881, and same continued to 1891, when three watches of eight hours each were organized. The force engaged in passing boats has been increased with the growth of commerce, the number now aggregating 74; in addition, there are 19 others employed as clerks, watchmen, and janitors.

Expenses for operating and care of St. Marys Falls Canal, Michigan.

REPORT OF MR. JOSEPH RIPLEY, GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

OFFICE OF ST. MARYS FALLS CANAL,
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., July 1, 1905.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report relative to operating and care of St. Marys Falls Canal, Michigan, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1905:

ORGANIZATION.

The regular force of 93 persons, viz, 1 general superintendent, 1 superintendent, 4 clerks, 1 chief engineman, 3 assistant superintendents, 1 overseer, 6 lock masters, 6 enginemen, 7 watchmen, 1 storekeeper, 2 recorders, 3 messengers, 9 first-grade lockmen, 9 second-grade lockmen, 15 third-grade lockmen, and 24 linemen were severally employed from nine to twelve months in locking boats, office work, and care of property. There were 16 laborers employed eight months in repairing piers, grading, and care of grounds. A carpenter, painter, stonecutter, and calker were occasionally employed.

REPAIRS.

The ordinary maintenance and fitting-out repairs included the fixing or renewal of all damaged, worn-out, or broken parts of operating machinery, replacing of broken masonry with concrete, refilling piers, the painting of gates, snubbing posts, electric-light poles, and testing of all machinery.

Sixteen manholes were put in the upper and lower guard gates of the Poe lock to permit easy access and to provide ventilation. The interior of these gates were scraped, thoroughly cleaned, and then repainted for the first time since they were built.

The pressure pipes leading to the west-end valve chests for operating valve engines, were rearranged so as to permit easier access for repairs.

The planking over the miter wall of the upper guard gates was temporarily removed, in order to clean the accumulated sand and gravel from the valve gears, and to repair the intake valves.

New air pipes leading to the lower lock gates were placed in position for pumping out water leakage by compressed air.

The accumulated débris of sand, gravel, stones, etc., was removed from the culverts and lock floor.

Repairs to lock floor were made by replacing 20 broken rods in culverts with new ones. The Weitzel lock repairs consisted of renewing basement floor of pump house, overhauling cellar pump and valve engines; replacing 46 culvert rods, and rethreading truss rods on gates.

Special repairs to canal revetment piers consisted in replacing with concrete 316 feet of worn-out timber superstructure on southwest pier, located about 1 mile west of the office building.

ACCIDENTS.

Charles A. St. Lawrence was drowned in the canal near Magazine street on August 7, 1904, and the body of an unknown man was found floating in the canal August 17. Three sailors had their legs broken by getting caught in bights of lines, and Lockman John Sterling had his hand badly crushed while operating southeast gate engine, Poe lock.

There were 46 minor accidents resulting in damage to property, such as breaking 86 pieces of timber in canal piers, 25 pieces of coping from lock walls, 1 fender strap on gates, bruising timbers of head gates, and in pulling out 3 snubbing posts along canal piers.

DELAYS.

Poe lock.-Navigation through the Poe lock was delayed during the year fifty-five hours and fifteen minutes, as follows: One hour fifty-five minutes due to removing rope fenders lodged against miter sills of gates; one hour thirty minutes putting in two new pressure valves in south intermediate gate engine; five hours fifteen minutes repairing broken cable on southeast gate; twenty-five minutes to jamming of boats in lock; thirty minutes warping steamer out of lock; forty-one hours fifteen minutes pumping out lock to repack valve engines preparatory to substituting oil for water in pressure pipes; and removing about 12 cubic yards broken stone which had spalled off from south lock wall; four hours twenty-five minutes due to canal filling with ice on account of continued northwest winds during April and May.

Weitzel lock.-Delays in this lock amounted to fifty-five hours fifty-three minutes, as follows: Thirty minutes due to fouling of towline; fifty-five minutes to lodgment of pulp wood against miter sill; thirty minutes grounding of steamer on platform; fifteen minutes due to ice in canal; fifty-three hours forty-three minutes pumping out lock, repacking valve engines, filling pressure pipes with oil, and tightening truss rods on gates.

REPORTS.

Of the special reports the most important submitted was that pertaining to statistics of commerce passing the American and Canadian canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. and Ontario, during the calendar year 1904.

Others related to vessels striking obstructions in canal, renewal of experimental section on southwest canal pier with concrete, and special statistical data showing relation of traffic carried by steamers and sailing vessels.

PERMITS.

Under date of July 15, 1904, the Secretary of War granted a revocable license to the State board of fish commissioners of Michigan, to use Island No. 4 for additional ponds, and the building thereon as a place of storage and for housing of extra employees.

Under date of May 8, 1905, the Secretary of War granted a permit to the Edison Sault Electric Company to build a temporary sand bag cofferdam from their dike to Island No. 1, and between Islands Nos. 1 and 2, St. Marys Rapids. Operations under this permit were begun on May 17 and were under progress on June 30. Statistical report of lake commerce through canals at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and Ontario, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1905.

NOTE.-The United States canal was open to navigation two hundred and forty-four days during the fiscal year. The Canadian canal was open to navigation two hundred and sixty-one days during the fiscal year.