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A FEW HISTORICAL FACTS AND THE CANALS--Continued feet at the gates and 80 feet inside, and average depth of 14 feet 10 inches. The Poe lock was built in 1896. This lock is 800 feet long, 100 feet wide, and an average depth of 20 feet. The Canadian lock is 900 feet long, 60 feet wide, 22 feet deep, and was built in 1895. Hydraulic power is used for operating the American locks, and electricity, generated by water power, is used for operating the Canadian locks. Before. the State canal was opened in 1855, cargoes were unloaded at the Soo, below the rapids, then taken across the portage, one mile long, and reloaded aboard boats. In 1851 the total shipment of freight over this tramway portage was 12,600 tons. dhe first yeat the canal was opened at the Soo, 1855, 14,500 tons of freight passed through. Ten years later, 1865, this had increased to 180,000 tons, in 1875 to 833,000 tons, in 1885 to 3,250,000 tons, in 1895 to 15 ,000, 000 tons, in 1905 to almost 45 090,000 tons, and in 1930 reached 73 000,000 tons. Previous to 1881 the canal at the American Soo was under the control of the State of Michigan and tolls were charged to cover operating expenses, the first rate being 6% cents per registered ton, which was gradually reduced to 2% cents. BLACK ROCK SHIP LOCK The contract for the lock was let by the government in 1908 and construction was started the same> year. The lock has a length of 650 feet and a width of 70 feet. It overcomes a five-foot lif tand is one of the greatest engineering feats undertaken by the government on the Great Lakes. It is 24 feet deep and large enough to accommodate the largest of the lake freighters. In preparing for construction of the lock the building of the largest cofferdam ever constructed was necessary. It was consid- erably larger than the one used in raising the Maine from Havanz harbor. It was 947 feet long and 260 feet wide. The lock is in the Black Rock harbor between Squaw island and the mainland. Its completion and the finishing of other harbor and fiver work gave it a 23-foot channel from the Erie basin to Tonawanda. THE WELLAND CANAL The Welland canal connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and overcomes the rapids of the Niagara river and Niagara Falls. The present length of this canal is 25 miles. The total lift is 326 feet and in the old canal there were 25 locks, each 270 feet long and 45 feet wide, with 14 feet of water on the sills. Besides the regular lift locks there were two pairs of guard gates and one guard lock. There are no tolls of any kind. Vessels must not run more than 4 miles an hour through the -canal reaches, except on the summit level, where a greater speed is permitted. The first Welland canal had 40 wooden locks and was not cut through to Lake Erie. This canal led into the Welland river; from there vessels passed into the Niagara river just below Grand island and then came up the Niagara river to Lake Erie. The present Welland canal is the third one built. The Lake Ontario entrance is at Port Dalhousie and the Lake Erie entrance to the second or Old Canal is also at Port Dalhousie. The second or Old Canal connects with the third or Present Canal at Allanburgh, about 9 miles south of Port Dalhousie. It has 26 locks 150 feet long, 26% feet wide with 10 feet of water on sills. It is now being used practically exclusively for water power pur- poses, and is not being navigated owing to the strong current. The "Feeder," which supplied the first and second canals with water from the Grand River above the dam at Dunnville, is 19 miles long and joins with the present canal at Welland and has its Lake Erie entrance at Port Maitland with a branch running to Dunnville. Its locks are 150 feet long, 2614 feet wide and its navigable depth is 6 feet. It is open for navigation from sunrise to sunset. The fourth and new canal, called the Welland Ship Canal, was completed in 1931. Its length is 25 miles. The Lake Ontario entrance is at Port Weller, about 3 miles east of Port Dalhousie. It joins the present canal at Allanburgh and follows the line of the present canal having Port Colborne as its Lake Erie entrance. There are 7 lift locks, each of 46% feet lift. They accommodate vessels 800 feet long, 80 feet wide and drawing 25 feet. The reaches between locks for the present will be made to accommodate vessels drawing 25 feet and will eventually be deepened to 30 feet when required. 369