Documents Accompanying the Journal ...

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF CONTROL OF THE SAINT MARYS FALLS SHIP CANAL.

To the Honorable the Senate:

The undersigned, the Board of Control of the Saint Marys Falls Ship Canal, in pursuance of certain resolutions passed by your honorable body on the 15th day of January instant, have the honor of submitting to you the following:

Your first resolution calls for a detailed statement of the amount of money received from, and the amount expended, and for what purposes, for said Canal, since its opening, until and including the last report of the Canal Superin tendent. This information will be by us laid before you as soon as the same can be prepared. The second resolution is as follows:

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Resolved, That the Board of Control of the Sault Ste. Marie Falls Ship Canal be requested to inform this House what additions, repairs, improvements or alterations are needed, in the opinion of said Board, for the preservation and safety of said Canal."

The undersigned have no personal knowledge of the precise condition of said Canal, or of what improvements, alterations, additions or repairs, or of what sum of money is necessary to be expended for the preservation and safety of the same; but from the best information we can obtain from the reports of the several Superintendents of said Canal, and from information derived from the several members of the late Board of Control, and from others who have personal knowledge upon the subject, we are

unanimously of the opinion that quite a large appropriation should be made by the Legislature, at its present session, towards putting the Canal in such condition as to effectually guard against accidents.

A portion of this Canal directly above the upper lock, for a space of about one thousand feet, is in imminent danger of being washed away by a sudden rise of water. Throughout nearly this whole distance, the banks of the Canal are composed of loose sand, and elevated but four or five feet above an ordinary stage of water. The sides are faced with stone receding back from the bottom towards the top, at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and should the water at any time break over the top of the embankment at this point, the entire embankment, for a distance of nearly a thousand feet, would be liable to be swept into the river. The fluctuation of the waters of Lake Superior at its outlet, has a tendency to put this Canal in a very precarious situation. The water of the Lake, at its outlet, without any apparent cause, frequently rises to the height of from three to five) feet, in the space of a half hour, and as suddenly subsides; and as the water, from its sudden rise, washes into the Canal, there is great danger of its overflowing the embankment directly above the upper lock, for upon several occasions the water has risen within a few inches of its top.

The frost of winter also has a tendency to increase the danger. It penetrates the earth, forming the embankments of the Canal to a depth of from five to seven feet, and as it disappears in the spring, the water more readily penetrates the embankment. This Canal is of too much importance, not only to Michigan, but to the entire commerce of the Northwest, to allow it to remain in a precarious condition.

In order thoroughly to protect the work against all contingencies, the undersigned are of opinion that a substantial wall should be built upon either side of the canal

along the entire distance above mentioned, commencing at the upper lock. This wall should be built upon the outside of the embankment, and resting upon the solid rock that underlies the canal, and of sufficient strength and height to confine the water, under all circumstances, within the canal. Such a wall should be built of rough stone, and, by building it upon the outer side of the canal, would not in the least retard the navigation. We are also of the opinion that guard locks should be built a short distance above the upper lock, so as to more effectually secure uninterrupted navigation.

There are other improvements that it would be well to make, such as building an open pier at the upper end of the canal, and removing a crib of stone now sunk near the east end. The former Superintendent, John Burt, Esq., who is a practical engineer, and familiar with such work, has, at our request, furnished us with an estimate of the expense of the many improvements necessary to be made upon said canal, with a view of effectually securing the same against all accidents, and at the same time facilitating the navigation. A copy of the estimate made by Mr. Burt is hereto annexed, marked "A," to which you are respectfully referred. There is now in the treasury and in the hands of the Superintendent, belonging to the canal fund, the sum of ten thousand one hundred and fifty-seven dollars and eighty-three cents. All which is respectfully submitted.

Lansing, January 27, 1859.

M. WISNER,

JOHN MCKINNEY,
DAN'L L. CASE.

ESTIMATES FOR IMPROVEMENTS OF SAINT MARYS FALLS SHIP CANAL.

To the Honorable the Board of Control of the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal, Lansing, Mich. :

In compliance with the request of your honorable body, I submit the following estimates for proposed improvements of said canal:

Estimates for Wall.

6,000 cubic yards coarse or rubble stone wall for strength

ening embankments, at $5 ....

16,000 feet timber fender work, at 20c...........

Iron work and spikes for same.

$30,000 00