GREAT LAKES. A series of inland seas comprising lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Saint Clair, Erie, and Ontario. They lie on the frontier of the United States and Canada and are drained by the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic. Their aggregate area is over 90,000 square miles, exceeding that of any. other series of fresh-water lakes in the world. Lake Superior, the largest, has an area of about 31,000 square miles. The Great Lakes occupy depressions that are only slightly defined from the drainage sys tem of the Mississippi and from the depression of Hudson Bay. Their elevation ranges from about 600 feet in Lake Superior to 250 feet in Lake Ontario, but from Lake Superior to Lake Erie the fall is less than 30 feet, so that almost the entire descent is accomplished in the Niagara and Saint Lawrence rivers. The Great Lakes exercise a very beneficial influence upon the climate of the country, particularly by moderat ing the temperature. This explains the ex tensive development of fruit culture in parts of the Great Lake region, notably in the vicinity of Lake Erie.
The magnitude and importance of transporta tion upon the Great Lakes are not generally realized. More than one-half of the number of vessels registered in the United States are found upon the Great Lakes, and excepting the vessels belonging to one particular ocean steamship line, the average tonnage of the Lake vessels exceeds that of all other American craft. A greater tonnage annually passes through the Detroit River than that which enters and clears in the foreign trade of the Atlantic and Pacific coast ports. No other artificial channel equals the canal at Saint Mary's Falls in the amount of traffic which annually goes through it. the ton nage even exceeding that of the Suez Canal. With respect to rapidity, economy, and efficiency, the lake traffic excels that of the ocean. The coastal line of the Great Likes touches eight of our States. Their aggregate population is over one third that of the Union. The sailing distance from Duluth to Buffalo is 997 miles, from Chi cago to Buffalo, 929 miles. and from Duluth to Ogdensburg. 1233 miles. The vast region tribu tary to the Great Lakes is the richest part of the country in the products of farm, forest, and mine. The bulkiness of these products is such that a water route becomes of especial value in their transportation. The greatest significance of the lakes is due to their relation to the mining of iron ore and the manufacture of iron products.
Viewed in this light, lake transportation is found to be the key to the modern industrial progress and supremacy of the United States. It is gen erally admitted that but for the cheapness of the lake transportation the iron ore resources of the Lake Superior region would have been scarcely exploited. Without the supply of iron ore many vast industries could not have tbrived.
The nature of shipping and its development have been closely dependent upon the depth of the channels connecting the different lakes, particu larly the passages between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and between the latter and Lake Erie. Prior to 1858 the channel entering Lake Saint Clair was only feet in depth, but by means of appropriations of the United States Government one of the entering channels was deepened to 13 feet by 1871, and to 16 feet by 1874, in which state it remained until 1887, when the work of deepening began anew and it was completed to a depth of 20 feet. The Detroit River was not originally so shallow, and with the improvements given it during the period from 1874 to 1890 a channel 20 feet deep was secured for a breadth of 440 feet. The Canadian Govern ment is now constructing a canal from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Erie which will greatly shorten the route. The construction of the first canal at Saint Mary's Falls was begun under a land grant of the State of Michigan by a private corporation in 1853., and was opened with a depth of 12 feet in 1855. Under an appropriation of the United States Government the canal was deepened between 1870 and 1881 to a depth of 16 feet, and has since been excavated to a depth of 20 feet. Canada has also constructed a canal around these falls, but it is much less used than the United States Canal. The Welland Canal, connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, has been completed by the Canadian Government to a depth which admits the passage of vessels with a draught of 14 feet. The United States canals are free. With each successive deepening of the channels the size and draught of the vessels constructed have been increased with a resulting cheapening of the rates, which in turn has tended to increase the traffic and stimulate the tributary industries. A num ber of vessels now in use have a draught of 17 feet. Some of them have a length of 500 feet and carry 8000 tons of cargo.