DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: Pursuant to section 10 of Public Law 358, 83d Congress, I hereby submit the Annual Report of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation covering its activities for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1955, together with a review of the progress of the project to date.

Respectfully yours,

LEWIS G. CASTLE, Administrator.

III

REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON THE STATUS AND PROGRESS OF THE SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY

THE SEAWAY

The St. Lawrence seaway, which is being undertaken jointly by the Governments of the United States and Canada for their mutual security and economic benefit, will constitute a modernized waterway system with canals, seven locks, and appurtenant facilities between Montreal and Lake Ontario, a distance of about 185 miles. Also involved is channel enlargement in open-river portions of this reach, as well as channel deepening in the existing 27-mile Welland Canal, connecting Lakes Ontario and Erie.

With these new facilities, modern oceangoing freighters can operate between the upper reaches of the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean through the Welland Canal and the improved connecting channels above Lake Erie. Normal water surface of Lake Superior is 602 feet above sea level.

Authorization of a project for deepening the connecting channels above Lake Erie in the Detroit, St. Clair, and St. Marys Rivers, and in Lake St. Clair and the Straits of Mackinac is now pending in Congress. With such deepening, the controlling channel depth over the full inland route between Montreal and the head of the lakes will be increased to 27 feet.

The eastern frontier of the Great Lakes shipping fleet will be extended from Ogdensburg, N. Y., 600 miles to Seven Islands, Quebec, and to other points in the St. Lawrence Gulf. Sailing distance from the ocean to the head of the lakes is some 2,300 miles. attached.)

(See map

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (generally referred to herein as the Corporation) is constructing the navigational improvements in United States territory within the 114-mile International section of the St. Lawrence River, extending from Lake Ontario downstream to St. Regis, N. Y. The International section is generally divided into the Thousand Islands section and the International Rapids section.

These navigational improvements include (1) the 10-mile Long Sault Canal with two locks and appurtenant facilities which include highway and railway relocation, bridge construction, and a highway tunnel under one of the locks in the International Rapids section of the river near Massena, N. Y.; (2) channel enlargement in the eastern approach to the Long Sault Canal adjacent to Cornwall Island; (3) lowering of scattered obstructive rock shoals in the Thousand Islands section, chiefly in the vicinity of Alexandria Bay, N. Y.; and (4) navigation channel markings.

These works, together with the concurrent navigational improvements being provided by Canada between Lake Erie and Montreal, and the related power development in the 46-mile International Rapids section, Ogdensburg to St. Regis, N. Y., being performed by the

2 REPORT OF SAINT LAWRENCE -EAWAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Power Aufhorty of the state of New York nonmetion with the „bydro-electrie Porer Commission of Intario. vill for a mannel Lake Ere to Jontreal with controuing tenth of 27 per Cannet, anal, Mid gek mensions and orner features of the Caited States Jortion are is "OLLOWS:

rom

This modernization will hange he controlling channel tenth over this waterway. Lake Ene to Montreal, Tom 14 50 27 feer, reduce the number of lift locks to be transite or ships from 25 to 14. and add 7 new locka with controlling dimensions 1 76% or so by 30 feet as compared to existing controlling dimensions of 252 by 44 by 14 feet. The scheduled completion date for the new United States seaway works for initial navigation service is Juv 1958. This is the target date for the creation of the power pool in the International Rapids section, which pooi will also serve the seaway Full-scale navigation service of these new deep-water seaway facilities being constructed by both countries is expected to begin with the 1959 shipping season.

ORGANIZATION

The saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation was established by Public Law 358. Sad Congress (68 Stat. 92, approved May 13, 1954. It is subject to the direction and supervision of the President, or the head of such agency as he may designate. By Executive Order 16534, dated June 9, 1954, this responsibility was given to the Secretary of Defense.

During the month of August 1955, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert B. Anderson, who had been exercising this supervisory authority on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, resigned from his post, and Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker was chosen by Secretary of Defense Wilson to succeed to the responsibilities of executive supervision of the Corporation.

The Corporation is charged with the responsibility of constructing, operating, and maintaining the United States share of the St. Lawrence shaway works located in the Thousand Islands section (68 miles) and International Rapids section (46 miles) of the St. Lawrence River, in the interest of national security and economic development.

The Corporation is authorized (1) to consummate certain arrangements with The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority of Canada relative to construction of the seaway between Lake Erie and Montreal; (2) to finance the United States share of the seaway costs on a selfdating basis by the issuance of revenue bonds to the United States

(8) to establish with the Canadian authority mutually ry arrangements for the coordinated control and operation away; (4) to negotiate with Canada on agreements for tolls