Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com

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18^
Point Iroquois, Rapid Plat, and Farren's Point in the natural state of the river;
but to enable trade vessels generally to ascend the Galoppes, improvements are
in progress, which consist of one guard lock, one lock with a lift of between
seven and eight feet, and a lateral cut or canal two miles in length. The Point
Iroquois Rapids occur at about twelve miles below Prescott; to enable vessels to
ascend them, a canal has been constructed about three miles in length, with a
lock having a lift of about six feet. This work is not quite finished, but will
be completed during the present year. The Rapide Plat Rapids are about nineteen
miles below Prescott, and to overcome them, a canal has been made about
four miles in length, with a guard lock, and a lift lock having about eleven and a
half feet rise. The Fan-en's Point Kapids are about thirty-three miles below
Prescott. The improvements here consist of a canal about one mile in length,
with a lock having about four feet lift. The next rapids are those of the Long
Sault ; these are serious, and may indeed be called insurmountable obstacles to
ascending the river; they have been avoided by the construction of the Cornwall
Canal, which is about twelve miles in length, and commences at the village of
Dickenson's Landing, eleven miles above the town of Cornwall. The next work
connected with the St. Lawrence is the Beauharnois Canal, the object of which
is to open a communication from Lake St. Francis to Lake St. Louis, avoiding
all the rapids of the Coteau, the Cedars, and the Cascades, which occur in the
portion of the St. Lawrence between those lakes.
During the season of 1844 it was stated, and generally believed, that a new
channel had been discovered through the Cedars Rapids, with a considerable depth
of water; and it was supposed, therefore, that no obstruction existed to the passage
of vessels, drawing from eight to nine feet water, down all the rapids tO'
ilontreal. However, it appeared that this was a mistake; for as the proprietor
of the steamboat St. Gtorge was endeavouring to take his boat (drawing six
feet water) through the newly discovered cliannel, she struck so heavily iu
several parts of the Coteau and Cascades Rapids as to luake it necessary to run
her into the entrance of the Beauharnois Canal, to prevent her from sinking.
Tile several works of the enlargement of the Lachine Canal are nearly completed,
and are expected to be suilicieutly so to allow of the passage of first classvessels,
wliich then will be enabled to run up from Montreal to Toronto and
Hamilton; and, through the W'ell-.uid Canal, to Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huroru
Below Montreal, the St. Lawrence is navigable for first class vessels from the ocean..
There are many islands in the St. Lawrence, some of large size, and others
mere rocks. Of these, the largest above I>ake St. Francis, are Gore Island,
opposite the townships of Leeds and Landsdowne; and Sheek's Island and
CoiTiwall Island, opposite the townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck. Belo^v
Lake St. Francis, there are many islands,, the principal of which is the
Island of Montreal; but as these are all in the Lower Province, to which the
present work does not extend, it is necessary to omit a description of them.
The base of the islands in the St. Lawrence is limestone, and they are mostly
covered with cedars, and other trees of the pine tribe
There have been expended on the improvements of the St. Lawrence up to
the 1st of July, 1844, the latest date to which the returns have been published
Prescott to Dickenson's Landing.. ^.... i;i3,4i90 19 4
Cornwall, to the time of opening the canal in June, 1843... 57,110 4 2
Do. to repair breaks in the banks, since the above
period 9,'.l2o 16 4
Beauharnois 162,1281 1!) 5
Laehine 45,410 11 2
Expenditure on dredge, outfit, &c., applicable to the foregoing
in common 4,462 16 S
Lake St. Peter 32,803 19 »
Total..... „£325,p';;C. 5, 111