Page 14 - 2009 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

For savings Shipping Canal Proposed between Lake Erie have
of time and an av-

money, and and Lake St. Clair to Save Fuel and Time erage
to eliminate speed

the danger to Lake Erie, the water level changes of ten

of freight- miles
ers going aground in the Detroit River four feet or less, so no locks would be / hour. Allowing a speed of only six
while navigating around the many is- required.
miles / hour passing thru the canal

lands, a project was brought forward would still give a savings of 7 hours
to shorten the route from Lake Huron The cost of the canal is estimated at on each trip, versus going up the De-
to Lake Erie. From the “cut” depicted $4.5 million, which does not include troit River.
in the map, this canal would shorten the price of the land. This cost cov-

the route through This new

the Great Lakes by channel

78 miles. Lake St. Canal would, how-
Detroit Clair Cut ever, need to
The plan, proposed Proposal charge a fee
by the Dominion to recuper-
Parliament of On- ate its costs

tario, would be to and main-

cut a canal 26 miles tenance. A

east from Point payment of

Pelee on Lake Erie, 3 cents per

to near the Thames ton to pass

River on Lake St. Lake Erie through
Clair. would be

charged,

The necessary sur- Toledo which still
veys and costs were allows cal-

completed by well Cleveland culated sav-
known local Detroit ings of $1.3

engineer, Daniel Sandusky million for

Farrand Henry. His freight.

conclusions report

that the land con- Backing
sists entirely of clay and no rock for- ers the cutting of the channel, with a from investors has not yet been found.
mations. The dense clay would form minimum depth of 21 feet.
These studies were made and proposed

an excellent material for the bed and in 1895. Yes, that was 1895.
banks of a canal. From Lake St. Clair Fast freight boats on the great lakes

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