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TT AG Tae 5 ee ON, ae A FEW HISTORICAL FACTS AND THE CANALS--Continued 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. North Canal--Davis and Fourth Locks.--The width of the north canal between the northwest pier and west center pier is 300 feet at the west end, 282 feet at the bascule bridge 310 feet in the basin above the locks, and 520 feet in the lower entrance at the outer ends of the east center pier and northeast pier. The least depth of water in this canal, including the locks, is 23.1 feet. The Davis Lock, which is parallel to and 240 feet north of the Poe Lock, is 1,350 feet long between gates, giving a usable length of not less than 1,300 feet, 80 feet wide, and has a least depth of 23.1 feet. The Fourth Lock parallels the Davis Lock on its north side, has the same dimensions, and is connected with the same canal. Both are operated by electric power. The Canadian Lock.--A masonry lock is located near the east or lower end of the canal, 900 feet long (available length about 860 feet) by 60 feet wide, with depth on sills at low-water datum of 17 feet; the lift is about 17 to 21 feet, dependent upon the stage of water; the gates and culvert valves are operated by electricity. 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 un- loaded 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. The first year 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 45,000,000 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 lift and 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 Havana 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 river work gave it a 23-foot channel from the Erie basin to Tona- wanda. 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 au 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, 2614 feet wide with 10 feet of water on sills. It is now being used prac- tically exclusively for water power purposes, and is not being navi- gated 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. 328