The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 47
Public Works of Dominion
Public Works of Dominion.
Canals.
River St. Lawrence and Lakes.
The St. Lawrence navigation extends from the Straits of Belle-Isle to the head of Lake Superior, 2, 84 miles This lake is 60 feet above the highest tidal flow of the St Lawrence. The first interruption in the navigation occurs at Montreal, 386 miles from Belle-Isle, in the St. Louis Rapids. The Lachine Canal around these rapids is 8½ miles long. Very extensive new works are rapidly approaching completion on this canal These form new entrances at Montreal and Lachine duplicating the locks, give a channel between the harbour of Montreal and Point st. Charles, for vessels drawing 18 feet of water, and all the way to Lachine for vessels drawing 12 feet. The navigation was only once interrupted during the season of 1877, and then only for 24 hours. 15¼ miles from the head of the Lachine Canal, on the south side of the river, the Beauharnois Canal avoids the three rapids of the "Cascades,' "Cedars" and "Cotean" The navigable season on this canal in 1877 was 209 days, and no interruption of any kind occurred, though a great main repairs were made. Above the Beauharnois Canal, lake st. Francis, a widening of the St. Lawrence, is navigable for 32¼ miles. Here the Cornwall Canal, 11½ miles long is constructed around the Long Sault Rapids. This Canal is being enlarged and improved. There was no interruption to navigation, five miles from the head of the Cornwall Canal commence 3 short canals known as the Williamsburg Canals. Two of these Farran's Point, ¾ of a mile long, and the Rapid Flat, 4 miles long, are only used by vessels ascending the river, the rapids offering no difficulties to vessels in the descent of the river. The distance between the two is 10½ miles; 4½ miles further up is the third of the Williamsburg Canals, 7? miles long. Beyond this the navigation is uninterrupted to Port Dalhousie at the head of Lake Ontario, 229 miles Here the Welland Canal, over 27 miles long, passes between Lakes Erie and Ontario. When the new works on this Canal are completed, a navigation will be established 26 27 miles long, 25 feet deep, with a breadth of 100 feet at bottom, with 24 locks 270 feet long, 45 wide and 14 feet deep on the sills The mean difference of level between the two lakes has been determined at 326¾ feet. The basin at the harbour of Port Dalhousie will extend over 10 acres, with a depth of 16 or 17 feet. At Sault St. Marie, between Lakes Huron and Superior, 623 miles from the Lake Erie entrance of the Welland Canal, the United States Government have constructed a canal, a mile in length, 18 feet lockage and 16 feet on the sills, to avoid the St. Mary Rapid. The distance from this point to the head of Lake Superior is 397 miles, giving, in the total St. Lawrence navigation 2,312¼ miles open navigation, and 7131 miles canal: 2,234 statute miles. At the western end of Lake Ontario, a small anal, half a mile long is cut through the sand bar separating Burlington Bay from the Lake, and gives access to the Port of Hamilton.
Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston.
This route extends from Montreal to Kingston by the Lachine Canal, the Lower Ottawa River and Canals, and the Rideau River and Canals. Its total distance is 246¼ miles. From Lachine to St. Annes, at the outlet of Lake of Two Mountains, a widening of the Ottawa River, is 5 miles. Here a single lock, ? of a mile long, surmounts the St. Anne's Rapids Beyond this there is a navigable stretch for 27 miles to Carilton. The Carillon Canal is 2? miles long, followed by another navigable stretch of 4 miles to Chute a Blondeau. Here there is a short canal of ? of a mile, used only in ascending the river. Improvements are in course of being made, to replace, by an enlarged navigation, these two Canals, by damming the River Ottawa near Carillon, and i constructing a short canal with two locks on the north bank. About a mile and a half from Chute a Blondeau commences the Grenville Canal around the Long Sault Rapids. This is 5¾ miles long, it is being much enlarged, and when completed will have a depth of 10 feet, and bottom width 40 feet, with locks 200 by 45 feet, and 9 feet, water on the sills. From the head of this canal to the City of Ottawa is 56 miles; 107 miles above the City the Culbute Canal has been constructed to overcome the Culbute and L'Islet Rapids. It consists of two locks 200 by 45 feet, with six feet of water on the; sills, and dams 20 feet long, and opens a navigable reach of 80 miles on the Upper Ottawa. The Rideau Navigation is 126¼ miles long connecting the eastern end of Lake Ontario with the River Ottawa. The Ottawa part of the route passes by the Rideau River; the Kingston by the River Cataraqui. There are 47 locks, 134 by 32 feet, with 5 feet of water; 28 dams, in all 15,472 feet long, and 16½ miles of Canal, the longest being 4¼ miles, and the shortest only the 20th part of a mile. Vessels 110 feet long by 31½ broad and 250 tonnage may be used on this navigation.
The Richelieu and Lake Champlain.
Navigation commences at Sorel, 46 miles below Montreal, at the mouth of the Richelieu, and continues 81 miles to Lake Chainpialn at the boundary line, connect- ing by that Lake and the Cham plain Canal with the Hudson River 331 miles to New York. Fourteen miles from sorel is the St. Ours Lock and Dam ? of a mile long, beyond which the river has a navigable depth of 7 feet to Chambly Basin Here the Chambly Canal, 12 mites long, overcomes the rapids of St. John and Chambly. The smallest locks on this navigation admit vessels of 260 feet tonnage.
The St. Peter's Canal
connects the St Peter's Bay on the south coast of Cape Breton, N S., with the Bras d'Or Lakes, crossing an isthmus half a mile long, and giving access to the Atlantic Ocean. It is being widened to 48 feet at bottom, with a depth of 15 feet below the summer level of the Bras d'Or, and a lock 200 by 45 feet. The canal has been closed since June, 1876, to admit of the completion of this work.
During the fiscal year, 1876-77, 23,526 vessels passed through the Canadian Canals, having a tonnage of 4,193,876 tons. Of these, 20,857 were Canadian, and 5,669 United States. The average tonnage of Canadian vessels was 158 tons, of United States, 123 tons. The expenditure on Canals during the fiscal year was
For construction | $1,131,396 |
Repairs | 139,27 |
Staff and maintenance | 179,58 |
Total | $4,450,111 |
Fort Francis Canal.
is located near the outlet of Rainy Lake, 237 miles from Thunder Bay and 215 miles east of Winnipeg. It is intended to connect the navigable water of Rainy Lake with Rainy Riverand take of the Woods, making an uninterrupted navigation of 164 miles, with 7 feet of water. The canal is to be 800 feet long by 35½ wide at the narrowest part, with a lock 200 by 36 feet with 7 feet of water
Works on Navigable Rivers.
The rivers under the control of the Dominion Government are the St Lawrence, Ottawa, St. Croix, Restigouche, St. John. Tidnish, Missisquash, Fraser and Red. St. Lawrence—A graving dock is being constructed in the Harbour of Quebec, by the Quebec Harbour Commissioners with aid from the Imperial and Dominion Governments The site was established by Order-in-CounciI of May, 1877 to be at Point Levis. Obstructions in the Harbour of Quebec have been removed by the Lifting Barge The channel between Quebec and Montreal is being deepened to 22 feet, 300 feet wide, under the supervision of the Montreal Harbour Commissioners. The channel of the Galops Rapids is being deepened by drilling, by means of a chain tug, specially constructed for the purpose The Neebish Rapids, half way between the Bruce Mines and Sault St., Marie are the most trying and dangerous reach of navigation between the Welland Canal and Lake Superior. A channel is being constructed through them 200 feet wide, and over 14 feet deep at the lowest range. It Is expected this will be nearly completed in 1878.
Harbours and Piers.
On the Atlantic Coast repairs and improvements were made in 16 harbours, and dredging done in eight. Several surveys of other harbours on this coast were made with a view to their improvement. On the River St Lawrence, surveys were made at Matane and Trois Pistoles on the south shore, and repairs made to works at River Blanche, River du Loup (en bas), River Ouelle, St Jean Port Jolt, L'Islet, and Berthier, all on the south shore. Dredging was done in the harbours of Belleville and Trenton on the Bay of Quinte, on Lake Ontario. A new pier was finished at Cobourg, repairs made at Port Hope, dredging done at Toronto and Newcastle harbours, and a survey of that of Oakville made. On Lake Erie, the harbour of Port Burwell was dredged and a shoal at the entrance removed, and surveys made of the harbours of Port Stanley and Rondeau. On Lake St Clair, the north branch of the River Sydenham was surveyed, with a view to deepen it throughout to 8 feet.
On Lake Huron, the harbour of Bayfield was dredged to a depth of 10 feet, that of Godcrich improved, repairs and dredging done in Kincardine harbour, extensive works completed at Chantry Island, in the mouth of the River Saugeen, improvements made at Owen Sound and Colpoy's Hay, Georgian Bay, and a survey in Parry Sound On Lake Superior, a survey of Prince Arthur's Landing, Thunder Bay, has been made, and work done at the Kaministiquia, so as to afford a depth of 13 feet up to the Pacific Railway Station
There are belonging to the Public Works Department, on the Atlantic Coast. 2 elevator and three dipper dredges, with 22 scows; on the St. Lawrence CanaIs, 2 dipper dredges, with 3 scows; on the Lakes, 1 dipper dredge, a tug and 3 scows, and in British Columbia, 1 dipper dredge. The total expenditure on the Rivers and Harbours for the fiscal year was
Construction | Repairs. | |
---|---|---|
Ontario | $209,908 | $4,400 |
Quebec | 144,417 | 10,404 |
New Brunswick | 111,110 | 1,054 |
Nova Scotia | 86,734 | 1,838 |
P.E. Island | 21,621 | 500 |
British Columbia | 556 | |
Total | $577,384 | $17,896 |
Dredge vessels | 3,143 | |
$580,527 |
Slides and Booms.
The Government slides were constructed for the passage of timber where impediments to navigation prevent it The booms are artificially closed bays at the two ends of the slide. On the River Saguenay there is a slide 5,840 feet long with a boom of 1,314 feet, and dams, piers and bulkhead. The works extend over a distance of about six miles. On the St. Maurice there are 7 stations, and on the Vermillion, one of its tributaries two, the last 121 miles from the mouth of the St. Maurice at Three Rivers. On the Ottawa River and its branches there are 73 stations, viz: On the Ottawa 12, the last 249 miles from its mouth, and 151 miles above the city of Ottawa; on the Gatineau, 1 station about a mile from its mouth; on the Madawaska, 15; on the Colonge, 2; on the Black, 1; on the Pete-wawa, 31; and on the Du Moine, 12. Of these rivers, the Madawaska and Pete-wawa flow into the Ottawa from the south, the others from the north. The works on these rivers comprise
Canal | 5,071 feet |
Slides | 12,835 feet |
Booms | 67,799 feet |
Dams | 17,791 feet |
Bulkheads | 340 feet |
Bridges | 2,215 feet |
Piers | 141 |
Slide-keepers' Houses | 5 |
Storehouses | 1 |
Work-shops | 1 |
Construction | $120 |
Repairs | 30,477 |
Staff and Maintenance | 37,909 |
Total | $58,506 |
Public Buildings.
Construction | $712,705 |
Repairs | 178,685 |
Stall and maintenance | 75,194 |
Total | $966,584 |
Railways.
The Intercolonial Railway.
This Railway extends from its junction with the Grand Trunk at River du Loup, Que., 462 miles to Halifax, N S, with extensions to John, N.B., and Shediac. Plctou, and Windsor, N S., and local branches of one and two miles to ports in these Provinces, through which it passes. Its total length is 752½ miles. The total cost of the railway up to 30th June, 1877, was $35,682,250. The gross earnings for the year were $1,151,445, and the cost of working, renewals, maintenance, &c., $1,661,673; or deducting $200,000, the cost of steel rails put in place of iron on the older portions of the road, $1,461,673 The line is throughout in good condition. During the season of navigation the ocean steamers receive the Malls at Rimouski, and during the winter at Halifax. The quickest time made between Halifax and Rimouski, 561 miles, was 15¼ hours. The cost per train per mile was 82 cents The average working cost per mile $2,327,25
Prince Edward Island Railway.
Surveys, C. P. R | $754,624 |
Construction C. P. R | 936,525 |
Construction Intercolonial | 1,318,352 |
Staff and maintenance Intercolonial | 1,661,673 |
Staff and maintenance P.E.I.R. | 228,596 |
Construction P.E.I.R. | 200,000 |
Total | $5,099,770 |
Telegraph.
In British Columbia the Telegraph is in operation 632 miles, including 16½ miles of submerged cable. The expenditure during the year was $31,108. The revenue $7,367. Experience shows that this line will always be expensive to maintain. A subsidy of $1,946 was paid to a telegraph Line in P E. Island, making "the expenditure for telegraph lines $33,051.