ERIE, LAKE is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes of North America. Bordering on it are the States of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and the Province of Ontario, Canada. Its dimensions, surface elevations, etc., are as follows : length 24om. ; width, 57m.; maximum depth, 21 of t. ; area in square miles of water surface, 4,990 in United States and 4,950 in Canada; drainage basin in square miles, 23,57o in the United States and I I , I io in Canada ; standard low water, 5 7 of t. above mean sea-level; lowest mean monthly stage (since 186o), 569.9oft., for year 1926, mean monthly stage, 570-98f t. ; highest recorded stage mean surface, 67 years (186o-1926), above mean sea-level, 5 7 f t. ; mean surface below surface of Lake Huron, 8- 54f t. ; mean surface above mean surface of Lake Ontario, 326.33ft.; average season of navigation, from March 27 to Dec. 20; receives water from upper lakes via the Detroit river; discharges water into Lake Ontario via Niagara river.
Lake Erie is comparatively shallow and the storms which sweep over it quickly raise dangerous seas. As a result, the water level in the harbours, particularly those near each end of the lake, fluc tuates markedly under the influence of the winds, varying with their direction, strength and persistence. Navigation from Lake Huron to Lake Erie passes through the St. Clair river, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit river. There are no locks in these rivers as the difference in elevation of the two lakes is small and currents in the connecting channel are moderate. The channels permit vessels of 2of t. to navigate them when the lakes are at standard datum. (See GREAT LAKES.) Navigation from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario passes through the Welland canal, constructed and oper ated by the Dominion of Canada. The present Welland canal affords a depth of 14f t. at normal lake levels. The new Welland ship canal, under construction by Canada, is 25m. in length, with N.Y., on the Niagara river, but also maintains terminals at Buf falo. This canal is planned to accommodate boats with a loaded draught of iolft. and, because of overhead bridges, the super structure of these boats must not extend more than I 5f t. above the water-line.
The cheap transportation afforded by modern bulk freight car riers on the Great Lakes has made it possible to bring the iron ore of the Lake Superior region to Lake Erie ports to meet the coal from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The important steel indus try of the Lake Erie region, including the Pittsburgh district, results. The movement of iron ore to Lake Erie ports averages about 45,000,00o tons per year. Coal, to meet the industrial and domestic needs of the upper lakes region, is brought by rail from the mines of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and furnishes part return cargoes. The total movement of coal on Lake Erie amounts to about 33,000,00o tons yearly. Limestone, used as a flux in ore furnaces, is another bulk commodity moving on Lake Erie in large quantities; some 5,000,00o tons are transported yearly. Practically all of this stone comes from the peninsula of Michi gan on Lake Huron. The quality is excellent and an unlimited supply is available at the water's edge. Wheat and other grain from the prairie provinces of Canada and the great grain belt of the United States furnish enormous cargoes to eastern markets and for export. About 5o% of the Canadian wheat is transhipped to boats suitable for passage through the present Welland and St. Lawrence canals to Montreal and Quebec ; the remainder moves by rail from Canadian and United States ports on Lake Erie. Most of the United States wheat is transhipped via barge line and railroad from Buffalo, or milled at Buffalo or other Lake Erie ports. The maximum movements of wheat occur during the first and last months of the navigation season. With the opening of navigation, there is a rush of grain from the elevators at Duluth, Superior, Ft. William and Port Arthur, where it has been held in winter storage. There is then some movement from July on, but on or about Sept. 1 the tremendous flow of wheat from the Canadian provinces begins. The heaviest flow is usually during November. The traffic in short tons on Lake Erie for the period 1922-26 was as follows: Originally a few harbours were formed by natural bays, but for the most part the harbours were found within the mouths of streams and were obstructed by bars at the entrances. As a seven locks, each having a lift of 461f t., and one guard lock. The portions of this canal first excavated were given a depth of 2 5f t. ; the later contracts provide for a depth of 27 feet. The depth over the sills of the locks is 3oft., to provide for subsequent enlarge ment of the canal reaches. The estimated cost of the new Welland ship canal, when completed, is $115,600,000. The New York State barge canal has one of its Great Lakes connections at Tonawanda, result of Government, municipal and private work, numerous harbours have been improved to accommodate the present large lake vessels. The harbour works have consisted in dredging en trance and inner harbour channels and protecting them by piers and revetments, and in constructing breakwaters in the lake and deepening the enclosed areas in order to afford anchorage and mooring facilities and form commodious harbours outside of the contracted harbours within streams. Nearly all the commerce of the lake centres at the mouth of the Detroit river, from which it radiates to the Welland canal, Niagara river and the various lake ports. The greater portion of traffic proceeds to the north of the island region in the western end of the lake, through Pelee passage between Point Pelee and Pelee island ; this is the most important channel of the lake and is suitably marked by the Canadian Government. The most important ports of the United States on Lake Erie, with the waterborne tonnage of principal commodities in 1926, are shown in the accompanying table. Cleve land, Ashtabula and Conneaut are the most important iron ore ports. Toledo leads all the rest in its water shipments of soft coal and Buffalo is by far the largest grain port.
Lake Erie and its hinterland were the scenes of many conflicts of great importance in the early days of the settlement of the North American continent. Perry's famous victory over the British, at Put-in-bay near Sandusky, O., in Sept. 1813, was of far-reaching importance in securing the north-west for the United States at the Treaty of Ghent. Few naval battles had more mo mentous results. The name of Perry, his heroism and genius, will for ever inspire the American navy. (E. JA.)