HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1929-04-11, Page 3New Welland
Ship •Canal
.
'A Strategic Link' in the Great-
, er St. Lawrence Water-
ways
• \ Which Will Provide
Ship Navigation Be -
ween. Lakes Erie
and Ontario
Oneof the most inmortant of the
inland waterways in Canada is the.
;Welland Canal. It is one ot the prin-
cipalthe great $t; Lawrence
waterways coneecting the Atlantic
Ocean ,with the Great Lakes. •
The Welland Canal connects Lake
Erie with, Lake Ontario, crossing the
Niagara Peninsula about ten miles
west of Niagara Falls, It overcomes a
differenee in level of 3261/e feet. The
,original canal, Opened in. 1S29, extend -
:ed from Poet Dalhousie on Lake On-
tario to the town of Port Robinson,
where a connection was made with
the Welland River, The Course was
down this river .to . its juaction 'with
the Niagara River and thence to Lake
Erie. This was not found satisfac-
factory, so between the years 1831
and 1833 the canal was extended ,aiong
it route from Port Robinson to 'Port
• Celborne. The present canal, 26%
iiles in teigth, was 'completed In 1S87.
• • Several years ago it was found the
•banal waa 'entirely' inadequate for use
by the moelern, stearnshiper used on
• the Great 'Lakes.' , As is generally
kpown at important part of the busi-
ness ea the Great Lakes is that of
gialu carrying, and the constantly in-
creasing output or the • grain -fields
of Western Canada has resulted in the
developmeut of a particular type of
"Upper Lake Vessel" built to carry
immense cargoes of grain. These ves-
sels of 600 odd feet in length, loading
at the upper lake ports,' while able
easily to navigate Lakes Superior,
Huron and Erie, are leveed to dis-
charge tefr cargoes at the .foot of
Lake Erie. either at Buffalo, 'N.Y., or
Port C,olborne, Ont., because of the.
restricted dimensions of the Welland
Canal. The Canadian Government in
1908 proVided a million bushel eleva-
tor at .?ort Colborneeto facilitate the
transhipment est grain from the upper
lakes vessels to canal sized vessels
bound for Montreal, where it is ship-
ped to Europe: This elevate'', accom-
Medea= was soon found insuMcient
and twine since,' In e.912-13 and again
In 1e23 -e4, additions were built, so
• that the Government has now a 3,000,-
000 bustle modern concrete elevator
the capaelty-of which is already taxed
to the limit.
World's Largest Stock
In order that there may be com-
plete protection CO the canal and ves-
sels in it, there is being buiit in addi-
tion to the seven -lift locks,a guard
• lock near the southern, or Lake Erie
end fu the canal. The lock, known as
No. 8, fee' 1,380 feet'in length between
the inner gates. It is the longest lock
in the world and is approached in size
only by the two United States' locks
at Sault Ste. Marie, which are 1,350
feet long.
A very important feature of modern
canal construction is the manufacture
and erection of the ponderous steel
gales. In the case of ' the Welland
ship canal, as may be imagined even
by the layman, the supplying and erec-
tion of the gates is a matter of no
small dimensions in itself. The ap-
proximate weight 1 mdai iu each
lower gate is 454 tons, and the total
estimated weight of metal in the lock
gates, with their fixed parts and ma-
• chinery, is 23,000 toOt "In addition
there is required no inconsiderable
amount 'of machinery to operate the
lock valve a and .valves in regulating
weirs, the total estimated weight of
metal in these items being 3,800 tons.
The rota( estimated connected motor
load for Operating the canal and the
Port Colborne elevator is 15,300 h.p,
With the very modern equipment be-
teg installed for operating the locks,
including the working of the valves,
opening -and closing of the gates, etc.,
great facility of movement of vessels
is expected. The time required to fill
one ot these immense locks is only
• eight minutes andthe estimated time
for a vessel to pass through the ship
canal froth end to end is eight hours.
To Be Completed Next Year
Concurrently with the increased
grain production in Western Canada
and the development of the large up-
per laked vessels came the demand
for a stili larger Welland Canal. In
• 1912 government surveys demon-
strated that a shorter and better route
could be had via Ten -Mile Creek flow-
ing into Lake Ontario. It was then
decided. that the time had come to
begin the construction of au enlarged
Welland: Canal,
In 1913 the construction of the ship
banal was commenced, and with little
interruption has been proceeded with
until the present time. It is .expected
the new canal will be completed some-
time met mite The total- cost is sti-
mated at abont $115,000,000. The ship
canal is being built to modem stand-
• ards ender 'the most up-to-date meth-
'pds and. rigid supervision and will,
when finlehed, be ce 'monument to
,Canadiati engineering skill..
. To over 001116 the 3261/2 feet differeace in. level of Lakes Erie and On-
tario the new canal will have seven
locks of emitoem lift, eaoh 46V3 feet,
vvhereain the present canal has 25
lock$ of -Varying lift, The-difeereace
between the old and the new becomes'
Very apparent 'When this comparison
Is made, the other dimensions of the
Ship caktal Making the comparison of
The Lighter Side of Europee Freeze UR
Manchus Lose Out
in Modern China
,Proud Race Bows to 'flexor
able Elimination of Drones
EUROPEAN COLD NOT ENTIRELY UNAPPRECIATED
While many loud complaints are voiced about the recent cold in Europe, enthusiasts such as these skaters on Wimbledon Common, London, don't
care how hong; It continues.
further interest. The useable lezigth
of the locks. ie 820 feet as compared
.with 255 feet 1 the present canal,
the ship canal having locks of 80
feet width, as compared with 45 feet
in• the present canal. The width of
the canal proper it to be 310 feet at
the water line and 200 feet at the
bottom. The immense locks are built
to take 30 feet of water on the sills;
the canal reaches are to have 25 feet
depth, which may be increased to 30
feet when the need' arises.
Terminal at Prescott, Ont.
It is planned to erect twenty-one
movable bridges of the .most modern
type across the canal, as in such a
populous area there are many high-
ways and a considerable number of
railway lines. Each bridge is designed
to carry the particular kind and vol-
ume. of traffic offering at its particular
location. In all cases the needs of
navigation have been remembered,
and the type of bridgeand modern
machinery provided for their operation
have demonstrated in the cases of
those bridges that are already In oper-
ation, that delays are reduced to a
negligible quantity.
At both ends of the ship canal large
harbor wprks are located. At Port
Weller, the Lake Ontario entrance, a.
new and artificial harbor has been
formed by the construction of two
embankments extending into the lake
fOr a distance of nearly one and one-
half miles. The entrance is 400 feet
wide and widens out to a bottom width
of 800 feet in the harbor. The harbor
is a little more than a mile long and
covers an area of about 150 acres.
With the completion of the Welland
ship canal the upper lakes freighters
drawing up to 25 feet will be enabled
to proceed all the way down to the
foot of Lake Ontario. This will mean
that there will have to be established
a terminal for these vessels for the
purpose of traus-shipping grain cargo
the smaller vessels navigating the St.
Lawrence canals. At the last.session
of the Canadian Federal Parliament
the sum of $1,500,000 was voted for
the purpose of commencing the con-
struction of the necessary terminals
at Prescott on the St. Lawrence River,
between Lake Ontario and Montreal.
It is proposed to have these terminals
ready, including dockage space and an
adequate elevator, by the time the
Welland ship canal Is completed, prob-
ably in the spring of 1930.
King's Son Heads
Church Assembly
Duke of York Named Lord
High Commissioner of
Scotland
CHOICE IS POPULAR
Announcement is Received
With Pleasure and
Surprise
London.—The announcement that
Mental Balance
Is Off in Spring
Suicides and Crimes of Pas-
• sion are Numerous Dur-
ing April and May
Cologne, Germany—That people are
apt to be a little crazier in the spring
than at other seasons is the conclusion
of Dr. R. Hopmann, of the University
of Cologne, who has collected statistics
of the fluctuations of many kinds of
human disease during the months of
the year.
There is a popular belief, world-
wide in the temperate zone, Dr. Hop-
i/Ann reports, that spring is a season
of special danger to health. This is
why our grandparents swallowed such
"spring cleaning" mixtures as sulphur
and molasses and used so many
"spring tonics" compounded of var-
ious roots and seeds.
For some diseases,
Dr. Hopmann
Ends, the statistics do not support
this idea that springtime is unhealthy.
They' do support it notably, however,
for diseases of the nervous system.
There is evidence, he concludes, that
mental ecmilibruim is less stable in
the spring than at other seasons.
Persons apt to lose their mental bal-
ance anyway are more likely to suc-
cumb in April or May.
Those also are the months, Dr, Hop-
mann points out, in which the police
departments report the highest num-
ber of suicides and of passion.
Dr. Hopmann considers plausible
the idea that spring disorders may be
due in part to lack of ultra -violet rays
during the long winter, but he feels
that other weathez changes may be
of importance also, and advocates fur-
ther studies of disease statistics both
by physicians and by weather experts.
the Duke of 'York had been appointed
Lord High Conneissioned of the Gen-
eral Assembly of the Church of Scot-
land was received with pleaanre and
surprise throughout Scotland, where
it is believed to indicate the King's
approval of a union between the
Church of Scotland and the United
Free Church of Scotland.
The long-drawn-out negotiations
between the two Churches are drawing
to a close, and final approval will be
given in May to the incorporation of
the two churches as a united body.
The appointment of the Duke of
York also puts an end to agitation to
have the meetings of the General As-
sembly postponed until after the elec-
tion.
Meanwhile, there appears to be
some doubt as to whether the appoint-
ment of a member of the Royal Fam-
ily to such a post creates a precedent.
It will be the first occasion, however,
that a member of the Royal House has
attended in an official capacity since
James the Sixth removed the courts
to London after the union of the
Crowns in 1603. In 1597 James the
Sixth occupied a position as Lord
High Commissioner and was else pre-
sent at General Assemblies in 1598,
1600 and 1602.
League of Nations
to Have New Home
Agreement Signed at Geneva
by Sir Eric Drummond
and Swiss Gov-
ment
Geneva.—On Friday afternoon Sir
Eric Drununond, on behalf of the
League of Nations Secretariat and
M. Boissonnas on behalf of the City
of Geneva, signed an agreemznt for
the erection ofa new I elate of nations
in the Park Arlene. The occasion was
marked by the exchange of compli-
ments in which Guisoppe Matta, chief
of the political department of the Fed-
eral Government, took part, and de-
clared that the Swiss Government was
at ad. times anxi,,us to extend its
sympathetic collab ation to the Lea-
gue of Nations.
• The league ern now congratulate
itself on possessing an admirable site
for the new palu.s., the foundation
stone of which will be laid next Sep-
tember when the Assembly meets. The
league will have ample scope for the
library so generously endowed by John
DaRockefeller Jr. and to extend the
buildings as occasion demands.
Albany River o Ontario
,A recent report of the Geographic
Board of Canada stetes that the Al -
batty River, rising in Lake St .Joseph
and flowing into /antes Bay, Ontario,
was nettled by the Hudsoe's Bay Com
patty' in 1083 after Tame, Duke of Black Is to play the game of the
York and Albany (1633-1701), later enelriles of both, whether in Moscow
Kills James 11. oreleewhere.
HELD BY PEER.
Since then the position has been
generally held by a member of the
Scottish peerage, though when Ram-
say MacDonald was in power, James
Brown, Ayrshire miners' leader, acted
as Lord High Commissioner.
Church leaders in all parts of Scot-
land express pleasure at the appoint-
ment of the Duke, and the Lord Pro-
vost of Edinburgh, Sir Alexander
Stevenson, says: "It is. one of the
most popular appointments that have
ever been made, especially as this is
the last divided meeting of the As-
sembly. The presence of the Duke of
York, coupled with the fact that a
union of the Scottish churches will be
an accomplished thing, will make even
more memorable a mentorabli. event.
The Duke is already a freeman of the
city, and the corporation will con-
sider what steps should be taken to
commemorate his visit."
The appointment of the Duke also
shows how the increasing responsi-
gilities of monarchy are being distri-
buted among the King's sons.
General approval is given here to
the news that the links between the
Motherland and the various dominions
will be graced in time by the appoint-
ment of members of the Royal House
to governor-generalships.
FlertzOg and the Empire
Leo Meese in the National Review
(London): We have never entertain-
ed any illusions concerning General
Hertzog's towards the British
'Empire or doubted his desire to break
It up. But we had hitherto supposed
that his Separatism was animated by
some perverted form of local patriot-
ism. His latest manoeuvre indicates,
however, that be is nothing but a
party politician of that debased . type
which will sacrifice every national la-
terest In order to pick up a few extra
votes. Happily each men are rarely
good judges of 'albite opinion, and it
is permissible to hope that there is
.sufficient common sense in the elector-
ate to whom he is appealing to realize
that b raise the cry of White versus
Prince Henry Off
on Trip to Japan
Peking. --The proud race of Man-
chus, who ruled the Chinese Empire
for more than two centuries, are a
vanishing race, and are likely to dis-
appear almost altogether within the
next two or three decades,
in the opin-
ion of Dr. Jerznyn Lynn, Chinese pro-
fessor of law at Chaoyang University
here, who has map a study of the
Mutants for years,
The Manchus are like the famous
Jewish colony in Iclonan pmvince, Dr,
Lynn believes, which managed to
maintain a distinct existence for 400
years, but eventually was overwhelm-
ed, being absorbed by the Chinese,
At present, Dr. Lynn estimates, the
Manchus in Peping number about
850,000, a full third of the population.
As long as their emperors ruled in the
Forbidden City, they kept somewhat
to themselves, living in separate parts
of the city from the Chinese, and not
intermarrying so often as they do
now. In those days, Peking, like many
cities in Europe and America, had Is
i`Chinese Quarter," even though it
was the capit Al. of China.
A SHELTERED RACE
But since the Manchu emperors
abdicated in 1911, the plight of the
Manchua has become steadily worse.
They had become somt through cen-
turies of easy and protected life, and
were not fitted to ine•et the competition
of hardier. Chinese.
Dr. Lynn estimates that the largest
single group of Manchus in Peping to-
day earns a living by pulling rick -
shows, a very severe occupation.
Many others are domestic servants,
working for Chinese or foreigners. A•
late group is connected with the the-
atre, of which the Manchu aristocracy
was so fond.
But if the Manchus are treated
rather badly by the Chinese today,
they are merely reaping the sins sow-
ed by their fathers, Dr. Lynn points
out. When the Manchus conquered
China in 1644, and set up their em-
perors o nthe Dragon Throne, Dr.
Lynn declares the Manchus became an
arrogant race, treating the humble
Chinese with undue severity. en
VERY ANCIENT RACE.,
The Manchu bannermen, or soldiers,
were so undisciplined in their attitude
toward the Chinese that the Manchu
emperors tried to divert their atten-
tion by persuading them to train birds
and roll walnuts in their hands, di-
versions still common among the Man-
chus.
The Mane' us are a very ancient
race, Dr. Lynn points out. They first
appear in Chinese chronicles as early
as 2330 B.C. when they sent tribute
to the Chinese emperor. They were
vassals, but always very independent,
becoming stronger as the Chinese
weakened, until their conquered Pe-
king in 1644.
Lloyd George
Again Declares
He Will Aid Labor
Liberal Leader Scores Tri-
umph in Huge Meeting
at the Albert Hall
London.—Mr. Lloyd George had a
well -staged triumph, recalling the
post-war ovations in his meteoric car-
eer, at the Albert Hall on Tuesday
night, where he repeated to a crowded
Liberal audience (his speech being
also relayed to 14 other halls) his
much-discussed claim tc be able to re-
duce .unemployment to flannel in a
year without cost to the taxpayer.
Fifty thousand people who heard him
were also thrilled by his plea for a
reduction of armaments, his closing
words, "Let's take some risks for
peace," being cheered even more ener-
getically than the adroitly arranged
presentation of two Liberals who have
won seats from the Government in re-
cent by-elections.
Regarding unemployment, Mr. Lloyd
George declared emphatically, "Of one
thing I have no doubt—we shall be in
the position to compel the fulfillment
of our pledge." This was in reference
to the f act even if the Liberals f ail
to obtain a majority in the next Par-
liament, there is now a generally rec-
ognized probability of their being in
sufficient strength toeswing the bal-
ance of the other two parties. An-
other striking point was, "Mr. Bald-
win is paying 05,000,000 a year and
getting nothing in return. We propose
paying two or three times that amount
for honest, good, valuable work,"
In the audience was Lord Rother-
mere, the newspaper proinietor, whose
usually Conservative organs are now
telling their readers, "The 'way to
make a vote tell against Soci
Duke of Gloucester to Invest
Emperor With Order of
Garter
London.—The Duke of Gloucester
left recently for Tale where he will
invest the Emperor of Japan with
the insignia of the Order of the
Garter.
The Duke will proceed to Marseilles.
He will embark there on the SS.
Morea of the P. & 0. Line for Yoko-
hama, where he is scheduled to arrive
May 2.
It was said that the sole purpose of
the trip was the investing of Emperor
Hirohito with the insignia which was
awarded him at the time of his cor-
onetion .at Kyoto last November. The
trip will serve, however, as a return
of Prince .Chichibu's recent visit to
England.
Numerous official ceremonies and
reeeptions have been arranged in Ja-
pan to keep the Duke and his party
busy for two or three weeks. The
trip will mark, the third time the
Order of the Garter has been awarded
to an Emperor of Japan. On the
two previous occasions Prince Arthur
of Connaught officiated.
In accordance with custom, the in-
signia is returned to Ertglatd tpon
the death of its reeipient, but it is aot
known whether the badge which the
Duke of Gamester carries to Tokio
is the same as that wort by the pro -
sent Emperor's father, No record is
kept of the individurl badges, most
of which date back to near the time
of Henry VIM
The trip was planned for early this
year but delayed because of King
George's, illness.
In Mexico parents are to be allowed
to attend school with their children.
Which is going -to raid to the complica-
tions Of playing hookey.
A shorthand expert says that Cana.
ttrtn talk muck more rapidly than
they did twenty years ago. It may he
added, they have more to talk about.
a m sis
to give it to the Liberals." Just before
the Albert Hall eaemonstration Mr.
Lloyd George strolled into the House
of Commons, where he was greeted
with ironical cheering, from the Con-
servative benches and cries of "Why
weren't you here last night," this hav-
ing reference to the fact that he did
not attend to defend his proposals
when they were under debate.
Canada and the League
Ottawa Journal Cons.): Canada
joined the League of Nations as a
separate entity. This, as a Nor-
wegian jurist pointed out, is in the
World Court statutes and in the Lea.
gue Covenant. More than that, Can-
ada and Australia and the other Do-
minions have never recognized the
right of British delegates to vote for
them or to speak for them. They are
to use a homely phrase, on their own.
But states like Greece cannot grasp
that. To them the British Empire
suggests an Empire With all that the
term has implied and meant in the
story of the past. It is .something
that will prove difficult to •overcome,
but which must be. If Canada Is go -
big to pay her shot of the expenses
of the World Court and the League.
and be responsible for their decrees,
then Canada cannot accept any pos.
ition of inferiority or leave the decd.
sion of matters vital to her to those.
English or otherwise, who may not
know the circumstances of her ease.
eee •
Immigration
Chicoutimi Progres du Saguenay
(Ind.): Our policy at immigration
has not given the results which have
been expected of it. Exact statistics
show that, for many years, we have'
been losing by emigration more hte
man capital than is brought to us by
ships from Europe. And to this loss
must be added the millions which have
been spent in the enterprise.
Toronto Growipg
An expenditure of $13,000,000 fot
the Carrying out (1 plans designed to
'relieve traflc congestion in the city
and to develop propsed beauitfication
schemes has been recommended to the
Toronto City Council by the Advisory
City Planning Commission. Torono,
the eapital of the province of Ontari".
hes grown rapidly in recent years. It
has a population f about 600.000 aroi
i the second largest laity in Canada.
THAT'S CERTAIN
"What are you going to get along
with your new Easter hat?"
"One grand big argument from the
old man."
Nobel Prizes
What the Nobel Prizes are? Allred
liernhard Nobel, a Swedish pliilan-
thropist and inventor, who died in
1896 set aside by his will a sum of
money to provide live prizes every
year for such persons as had done
most for the benefit of the world in
chemistry, medicine, physics, litera-
ture and peace. These are the Nobel
prizes, which constitute a very high
honor indeed. •
Riad yard la' ipl leg for 1 Hera bre, Sir
William Ramsay tor chemiatry, Lord
Rayleigh for physics are some dis-
tinguished Englishmen who have
been awarded Nobel Prizes.
Beauty in the flesh will continue to
rule the world, and ne better way
THEY'RE LIKE THAT
Tillie Turtle: How do you find Me
will ever be found to glorify beauty snake? .
than the stage,—Ploreliza Ziegfeld. Tessie Turtle: Charming,