Mr. ELIOT. The 5 Mississippi States to which I have referred are all of them younger than the State of Ohio, a great deal younger, and yet the 1st child born in the State of Ohio is now living in a very serene old age in his native State; and he does not now number so many years as may be counted by our friend, the patriarch of the Pennsylvania delegation. [Mr. Srsvaxs] Now, we on the sea board wanttohave cheapercorn; and the people on the lakes and western rivers want to get more mone for their prod uce. The surplus produce 0t those States in a few years wi I not only feed all the Atlantic States, but there will be enough left to affect the price of food in Europe. I now want to say something in regard to the StClair flats. Let us see if that matter is national and important or not. I have in my hand a valuable report upon these flats, made by Colonel Graham, which will be found involume 5 of Senate Documents of the 3rd session of the 34thCongress, in the year 1858. I read the following extracts: " The immeriseamount of commercebeforealluded to and whichis shown by the accomianying statistics to be dependentu on this channel or its prosperity. ionuggihttsnportactoti cbaelsboenneofltetsd. to so long a delay in secur The States of NewY ork. Pennsylvania. Ohio. Michigan. Indiana. Illinois and Wisconsin and the Territory, of Minnesota. have thoirshoreswashedby the Greatinland seas: whose intercommunication by ship naviation is muchunterrupted by the want of a safe an sure channel over theseflats. The btates of NewYork. Pennsylvania. Ohio and e portioirof Michigan. on the one side. are crippled in their important commercial relations with the remaining state of Michigan and with the Mates of Indiana. Illinois and Wisconsin and the Territory of Minnesota. on the other side.by this intervening obstacle. “Something would seem.then. under the purview of the Constitution. to be necessaryto be done in order to regulate the commerce between these States. Viewed in this light the SUbJBEl becomes one of great public concern.The value of the articles of commerceand iiaVigation which passedover these flats during the 200 an 30 days of open navigation in the year 1805.say between the mi dlo 0t April and the 1st of December.will be presently shown to have amounted to the immense sum of ##072139550. that is to say. 259,721,435 dollars and tift cents, or perday during the now able season61.1.22372. e improvement.then. won undertaken should be executedwith a degreeof permanency and celerity combined commensuratewith its importance and the maglnitndeof the interests involved. 1is making no more than a reasonable allow ancefor the effect of the obstruction to commercenow e xnstingatS t.Clair flatsto saythat had thatobstruction not azisted the value of the merchandise and producothat would have passedin 1855would have been iall 50%. More than it actually was or that it wool have amounted during the navi able seasonof 1855to $376, 751,59558. this would have beenan average value per day of 1.638.05205 or perday more than 3 times the estimated eost of the wor to be done in a germane nb manner and with achannel wuy 600 feet wide and full 12 feet deep. It should be bornein mind that such a channel would udmitas free and safe a navigation at night as during the day. In the present state of the flats no navigator ever thinkso attempting to pass them. exceptby daylight. This causeof detention. addedto that of vesse grounded often for sov cral days beforethey can be got afloat and tugged over actually shortens the navigable seasonto quite 1/2 ofwhat it will be when the improvement Isthoall becompletedin the manner thatshal bestobvi all the difficulties." Now, what are these StClair flats, and where are they? Lake StClair, which connects by rivers the 3 lakes of Huron, Michigan, and Eric, is 18 miles in length, and has a mean width of about 12 miles. The StClair flats. are at the head of the lake. At the point where the river widens itself into a lake and forms the lake. sands brought down by the flow of the river are accumulated. The flats or sand bars are made in that way; and a channelof about one mile in length must be cut through. For the last ten years nothing has been done by the Government; nothing since the date of the report from which I have just read. At that time a channel was cut through 100 feet wide and 13 feet dee. That channel is said to be today about 50 feet wide and ten and a half feet deep. Now, the value of the commerce which during the last ear passed over those flats was more than 146 million dollars. But that is exclusive of the value of the vessels, which amounted to $250, 541 840; making the total value of the property which passed over those flats in one season to be $300, 540, 806. I desire to call the attention of the House to a statement of this commerce over the flats. This statement, prepared by Mr. Edmund TrowbridEea brother, I believe, of in friendfrom Michigan conveys a very full an a very minute idea of the value of this improvement: "At the time the above appropriation wasmade. 1857the avers. e carrying capacity of the vesselson the lakes was from ten to 12,000 bushels of grain. but the rapid and enormousincreasein the commerceof the lakes has made it necessaryto build much larger vessels and now it would besafeto say the averagecapacity of each is double that amount. Then the cutest emount of waterthat vesselse ould draw was from 9 to ten feet.but now from 12 to 13 and a half feet. ”Itis no uncommon thing to see several of our means of the Detroit and StClair. argostpro ellers aground on the flats at onetime. working a l the powersof their on ines to extricate themselves. The water being shal ow. the notionof their wheelsdigs up. as it were.thesand underthein and deposits it in small hills or ridgesin the chiinncl. on which the next passing vessel is likely to stick fast. “The navigation of the rivers connectin Lukas Erie and Huron hasalways beenattendedwit much risk and often with serious loss. owing to shoals. sunken rocks and swift currents. evenbefore the vesselswere anything like lhbllle they noware. This has made it necessary to bringto the aidof sailing vessels tow boats to tow them through these rivers. These boats take in tow from 2 to 7 vessels and in passingoverthe flats the tug. orsome of the vesselsin tow. are very apt to stick fest on somepfthese ridges.formed by the propeller wheels. memo to the narrownessoft e channel.theystrike on one enk or the other and not having room to work thesevessels.t he consequence s. those asteru are sure to come in collision with those aground ouusing, m the aggregate an immense amount of damage.all of which would be avaided by having a sufficient breadth and de pthofchannel throughwhich to do the business. The channel is now so crooked that it requires an expert pilot to take any ordinary sizederiiftover. “The extent of the bar or flat is very insignificant and the amounto! moneyrequiredirom the Government is a mere triflle. when compared with the importanceof the work soughtto be accomplished. The entire lengththatwonld be required tocutthe channel would not exceedone mile. Your committee are informed by competent engineersin the Gov eminent employ that the small sum of $fl0.000 would ve a channel 300 feet Wide and 15 feet water. i ly“iWndhoilreseyaolul rtchoemsmchitetemeefsupllryoapgorsed wbiyth and heart and Boards of Trade to enlar conventions e o uc arnals.build new ones and open u greater agilities for getting the vast produceof the West to tide water.t ey cannot but think that this work of enlarging the channel overthe StClair flats isofquite as great importance as any tl int has been or can be to posed. As it is one icsse l can entire yc ese the chennelb strikin on onehaul rand swinging across the chiinne. thus e ectually sealing it up.so far as the pass e of of the rveeselsis concerned, and your committee have known within the last 2 years a large propeller closing entirely the channel or 4 days, making it impossible for any loadederaft to passor repaes and detaining at one time more than 200 loaded vessels for that length of time. our committee would recommendthat an appropriation o f 8200.000 be asked from Congress to accomplish this much needed work. Your committee would also recommendthat an appropriation be asked from Congress of a sufficient amount of moneyto build 3 range lights on the flats. in accordancewith the recommendation of colonel William F. Runolds madeto the Lighthouse Board. which would enable vessels to passover the flats iiswcll a tnight as in the day. The necessityfor these range lights is proven from the tact that tem porary ones have been kept there by rivnte subscription since the chsanc was opene. If not for them there Would be large accumulation of vessels aboveand bolow thef lats duriii the hight and at the earliest daylight each ivoul try to e the 1st over. They would met ton the flatsin such numbers and to such an extent that there would be an almost interminable jam and the damagefrom lossof time an“d collision would beincalciilable. Hereafter your committeewill show thenumber of vessels.with their eiirgloes. that have passed the flats during the seasonof Bib.With the va nation of the sameas near as possible. In someinstanceswe have been obliged to estimatethe value of cargoes. but feel assures that our figures are below rather th“an abovethe actual value. When we think that there are up lessthan 15 Statesof our Union directly or indirectly interested in the commerceof the bikes. it seems as though they could, by a united cffort. demand of our government that this barrier or obstruction should be removed and that demand should not go unheeded. "With the foregoingremarks your committeebeg leave to offertheir statistical report and would ear nestly recommendthat the report. orso muchof it as is necessary.me be laid before Ithe different Boards of Trade arena the lakes. asking their coti eration in bringing this important subicct before congress with it recommendation that the appropriation O 00.000be made to removethis barrier and a further appropriation of 8113000 peryear be made to keep the channel open an clear for all times. NUMBERor sriisilnus AlllgfigESSRLS(is run LAKESn: Valuation Gold. 3teamers. $2, 105,000 proellers. 4.339.000 Bar entices“ 1.965.200 irigantinee 418.4(X1 3chooners. 5, 521.90) Total 314.347.5011 Add 4op 5.738.000 Total. 8.500 InAverngcvaluation ofenchvesse l.811.292. the class "sehooners" isinrluded schooners.seows sloops, barges.itc. These 1.778vesselsare manned by 7.780seamen. at a daily cost to the owners I o and cost for the season. Aedtauyal numberof vesselspassedtbeflats from the 1st of Aprilto the 14thday of December. as reportedto CommodoreWilliam 11.Gardner by the ight housekeeper during the day time. is. 16.705 To which may safely be added 1/3rd for l!l nlllllin night. which said keeperdid not include. 5. Making entire numberpassingfor these ason. 2.374 Which is anaverageof those passingdaily of 86. At the abovevaluation in vessels, for each veesel we have the daily valuation in vesselswithout cargo passing. 8!) 112 and forthesease e vesselsthat pass the flats. It. $250.546.806 is estimatedth reout oneof 2 vessels detained on the flats eachday. at an actualloss to the ownersin time and expenseof gettingoff. each 8150.making 830oper(luv and for the seasonof Thtiwsionhuandddriteionantdo ftihftey deaigmhat gdeaydso.n. e. to. vessel 7a7n.4do0 cargo. which damage can safely be put down at $50,000for the season.making on the aggregatea lIotssto the ownersof the propertyof. 127.400 is estimatedthat 40,000 passengersare transportedover the flats eachyear. Your committeecan form no definite idea of the loss to the passengerswho from time to time are detained there. but think such lossmay safely be put down at many 1,000sof dollars poriinnum. all of which lesswould be avoided by having a sufficient channel through which this enormous amount of propertycould passin safety. The followingis the amount of propertytransported over the flats during the seasonof 1860: Articles. Amount. Price. Totalvalue. Flour. bbls. host. bus. 16.834.883 1 50 2?.g52.32540 Corn. bus. 68, 905 66 10, 753, 47370 Oats.bus. Rye. bus. 809.038 75 6115.71580 Barley. bus 747.447 1 0:14.30875 Bacon. lbs. 2.908.520 19 552.018so Beef.bbls. 41.951 1400 587.3141!) Pork. bblsButter. lbs"oords. 3.517 8 00 28, 136 HMaeyrc. htaonnds.i.s.e. t.ons. Plaster. tons. 13.054 5 00 05.2701X) Coal.tons. 356.379 1000 3.563.010oo Cednrposts.number.000 10 5.40000 Telegraph poles.No. 24.206 1 00 24.200(11 Pig iron. tons. 2loop. Squaretimber, cubic eet. 1.700.00019500 331.500(I) Iron ore.tons. 247.932 9 00 2.141.88080 Copperore.tons. 13.842 4.974.01020 Stone. cords. 1.522 8 00 12.17600 Wood. cords. 56.0w 4 00 224.000(I) Saw lo.feo Cattle. numb 3.5 7500 234.60011) Wuterlime bbl 18.018 1 80 30.43240 Plaster bbis. 3, 059 1 a 3.82;75 rie.ili. Bar iron. ton 7.099 10011) 700.00)(17 Wool. lbs. 484.1!) 35 169.470(X1 Highwhies. gallons. 2 25 1.201.2451 Powder tonse hccse, lhs. 60.707 121 sen31 Candles.lbs 132.786 25 33.19050 Soap. lbs.000 06 32, 001(I) Apples. bbls. 6.402 4 00 25, 608(I) Dried a ples.lbs. Sum“, 340.014 10 54.4012!4 Coflee.lbs. (1) Tea. 5. 69.540 1 25 86.01"OD Vegetables, bus. 10.652 1 00 16.07200 Vinegar. galls. Window glass.boxes. Horsesandmnles.No. Seed. usOil eake.lhs. 3.3451100 1} 50.11500 Broumeorn.ibs Hogs. numberPig leud.lbs. 1.968.000 10 190.80000 Sheep.nnmber 436 3.48800 Railroad iron. tons Marble. tons. 3.114 1304.820(I) Fire brick. numberTotal. "8145.39.6140 E. TROWBRIDGE. (1.W. lllSSELL. P. J. RALPH. Estimated. Now, Mr. Speaker, it seemed right to say thus much it is only the beginning of what might be said concerning these imrovements in the Mississmpi and upon Stluir flats to enable the naval and commercial vessels of the U.S. to navigate safely the lakes and the rivers of the West, and to enable the great a icultural interests of the country to add to the national wealth their heavy contributions and to find a market. The harbors named in this bill are all national, and their imirovement is a matter of national concern. I therefore, in behalf of the committee invoke the common voicevof this House in ever of this legislation. There is no party question involved in it. but in giving to it our support we both rowde for the common defense and promote the general welfare.