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A FEW HISTORICAL FACTS LAKE ONTARIO Smallest of the five Great .Lakes; area, 7,240 square miles; nearly 500 miles of coast; greatest length, 190 miles; greatest breadth, 55 miles; greatest, depth, 738 feet; 246 feet above the sea; lighted by 30 lighthouses; has 8 fog signal stations; 9 life saving stations; 20 storm signal stations. LAKE ST. CLAIR Area 396 square miles; 100 miles of coast; greatest length. 27 miles; greatest breadth, 25 miles; depth, 24 feet; 576 feet above the sea; 3 feet above Lake Erie; 6 feet below Lake Huron. Previous to 1858 the channel entering Lake St. Clair was only 9% feet deep. By 1871 it had been deepened to 13 feet, and by 1874 there was a channel 16 feet deep. It remained at this depth until 1887 when the work of deepening began again and it was completed to a depth of 21 feet. ST. MARY'S RIVER Length, from Point Detour to Toint Iroquois, 65 miles; length. from Point Detour to canal, 50 miles; length, from canal to Point Iroquois, 15 miles. With the present prevailing stage of water the least depth is 19 feet. By the old Lake George route the distance from Point Detour to Point Iroquois is 75 miles, and the depth, 15 feet. The present Hay lake channel was opened in 1894 and shortened the route from Detour to the Soo, 10 miles. The new route, known as the Neebish channel, was opened in 1908. This route leads to the westward, of Neebish island and the plan is to use this channel for down bound boats and the present channel for up bound boats. Both channels will be the same from the canal down to Hay lake. They then branch off, one going on each side of Neebish island, and coming together again in Mud lake. The new west channel will not shorten the route from Detour to the Soo. The St. Joseph channel branches off from the Hay lake channel at the foot of Sugar island, just below the dike. This channel leads into the North channel. The navigation of the St. Mary's river is governed by a strict set of rules and regulations. The St. Mary's falls have a drop of 20 feet and are overcome THE CANALS--Continued by the locks at the canal. These rapids are about a half mile wide and three-fourths of a mile long. THE ST. CLAIR RIVER Length, Fort Gratiot to ship canal, 40 miles. The current in the rapids at Fort. Gratiot is five miles an hour. The current entering the canal is about l1^ miles an hour; abreast of Port Huron, St. Clair and Marine City the current averages two miles an hour. DETROIT RIVER Length, Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie, 28 miles. The current at the Limekiln Crossing averages about 2 \/2 miles an hour while for the balance of the river the average current is about l1^ miles an hour. NIAGARA RIVER Length, Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. 33 miles. Current at Buffalo, 4 to 7 miles an hour; current in whirlpool rapids. 30 miles an hour. The lower portion of the river, from Lake Ontario to Lewiston (7 miles') is from 30 to 70 feet deep. 280.000 cubic feet of water enters Niagara river from Lake Erie every second. The fall in Niagara river from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is 326 feet. ST. LAWRENCE RIVER Length, from Lake Ontario to the Straits of Belle Isle, nearly 1,200 miles. There are many dangerous rapids in the St. Lawrence, all overcome by Canadian canals. From Lake Ontario to Quebec the drop is 249 feet. A boat passing through the SJ Lawrence river, from Lake Ontario to the sea, would go throng six canals with a total length of 45 miles. There are 21 locW in these canals and the total lift is 207% feet. These canals an all between Lake Ontario and Montreal. From Montreal easi ward to the Gulf of St.. Lawrence, there is a channel for deep draft ocean going vessels. From Lake Ontario to Montreal draft water is limited to 14 feet. Tidewater is reached aDO midway between Montreal and Quebec. Spring tide rises «j feet at Quebec. Salt water becomes noticeable about 30 m below Quebec. NIAGARA FALLS , ,,- Height of American falls, 167 feet; height of Horseshoe I