"'THE SUN,' NEW YORK, _Aug. 28, 1885_.
"MY DEAR MR. GREEN,--If Mr. Tilden would add to the
papers you gave me, the other day, some memoranda on the following
questions, it would help me out a great deal.
"1. Would not the expense of deepening the canal, so as to add two
feet to the depth of water, be very great? I understand that now,
for a great part of its course, the bottom of the canal is composed,
for about a foot depth, of clay and hydraulic cement packed closely,
so as to prevent leakage; and would not the expense of taking this
up and replacing it, after the bottom was dug up, be more serious
than any calculation has yet allowed?
"2. How far does the fact that the lake transportation has almost
entirely passed into the hands of railroad people, affect the
probability of increasing the business of the canal, in case it
should be deepened?
"3. Can the canal be maintained in the face of the increasing
railroad competition?
"I do not want to trouble Mr. Tilden for any elaborate answers
to these questions, but only for hints, such as his knowledge
and experience can easily supply, and that I can make useful in
discussing the points.
"Yours sincerely,
"C. A. DANA."