Delaware journal. [volume] (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832, 1827-08-10
THE GREAT ERIE CANAL.

JNy, 1891, communicated yOr PN0tttdtioh IN "te
Baltimore Patriot. in
Notwithstanding the time which this stupendous tr
work bias been in operation, the people OF Mary e'
land and the middle states have formed but very OF
imperfect Idea OF It's magnitude or OF the lnenSity IL
Of the benefits derived from it, The writer Of THIS II
had been familiar with its published character from II
the commencement, had read all the newspaper de-
crpons and reports, and had been III io respect u
restricted in crba information the subject, yet, .
when thc magnificent work lay before him in all lis
reality, all lis grandeur, in all its utility, he was
compelled to confess, that he had previously COM
parutlvey, known nothing about II. NOT Goes he !
hope iii the briet space TO which lac Is necessarily
restricted, to he able to impart even atoierae IDEA
of it to those who may favor this al.icle win a
perusal. We may indeed, describe the canal, with
its stupendous locks, deep excavations through I'M
mensc rocks its terraces on the sides OF lofty ciilis
its cqueducs over rivers and marshes, ana It's pas
ses through the glooms of dark and gloomy swanps
But in an attempt to give view OF It Us W.oie,
with its thousand deep laden boats softly gliding
along its extensive llne nothing hut utter failure
need be expected.
The Canal is forty feet vide, except at the locks
and ncoueducts, where it is contracted to width
barely sufficient to admit OF the passage Of "a boat,
about ii feet. The SIDE banks are sooping, and
generally walled, r lcr paved, a. least where
tins earth O! which they are iofned Is OF Il soit or
sa.d, quality. On one side, path is formed about
six feet widl upon which the horses thal ORA" the
beats travel This is called the to1c-puh, IRON the
drawing Of the boat by the horses belng called tgr
iag, and from which the canal men have ridi-
ctiousy enough drawn the inference, that the op-
posite bank should be called tue hec-path, and
. gwen it tlit name accordingly. Inc water s gene
ral!y about 3 IL TO ~ feet deep but IN many
places much deeper, especially where Il valley Is
s i,-. ID over or til. earth 10 ior the bank l. brought
from d!stunce, Is often the case IN swainps
The locks between Schenectady and Albany
particularly aose near Troy, are grand specimens
OF lnason work. equally we'll ca.culated u daei.'-
ness and durability They are built oil htSn stone.
IN blocks Of about ~ inches thickness and OF 8 TO 4
and often feet in length, wei fitted and cemented
OF this material and in this manner, two walls are
constructed at the place where an ascent or de
scent is required about II feet apart, and IS feet
long ON each side of the canal, <or rather the CANA
is contracted 10 this width in the lock-. and heavy
strong double gate, meeting at IN obluse angie, l.
place., al each end. When boat comes up the Ca
, nal the gate at the lower end opens, and 1t enter
"o the lock, when the gate closes and sila siuce
az! gate opens beneath the upper gate, and the ioc era
-. duay ills with water. As soon ~ the !ocA Is iui
iho upper o.tto opens and the boat moves out upo
- the canal having been raised by this operation from
,er. to 6 feet according 10 the height required 1t IN
age place to he scended Descending, boats pass thro
. mach the same process the emily diiiarchce BEN
w tins the lock is first filled. the boat enters, the w
per gate is shut, and the water Is gradually lei O.
by sluice gate, under the lower principal gate
~, when the boat dcscends TO the level OF the Cana
below, and moves out. TO one who had never OF
served this operation, it is highly interesting
% There are several places the canal where
1n great elevation is attained by this process by pas
sing through number OF locks suc@essively, Ike a;
ccnding a stairway. Every boat is provided wit
r. bugie, with which notice is gwen the lock tende
~ Of its approach who thus enabled to prepare &c
:. lt,,,i data nj
AL. merous are the boats continually passing to and ir'
- that there is scarcely any cessation, night or day,
The aausic which is often udicrously dIscordant. al
made more so to travelling Oh the canal by
sid continual Earring upon the ear, from which even Iii
II Of plough-boys whistle, or the urcnins Je"shiil
fboh common on the borders OF the canal,) IS quit
Il relief. The above description of the locks al
plies TO all of then of which there are on the who
line about one hundred and twenty oil IRON
to Is feet lit each.
There are about eighty locks between Abar
and Utica, the formation OF the earth IN mat III
trict being very uneven and rising as we pass west
After reaching within nine miles ct Utica, we eille
upon what the Canalmen call p" the long Level
being line Of canal sixty miles in length, so ncarl
level that no lock is required on the whole cxten
For this exemption from the trouble and loss OF TIM
experienced in passing locks, however, the pasSei
ger pays pretty nearly an equivalent IN the circu
tous route necessarily adopted to ensure a level su
face, and the gloons and inhospitable appearance
Of the most dismal swamps. We occasionally 1t
true glide out Of the swamps, and are presente
with high, well cultivated, aud cheerful FARMS
thickly growing forestry, the timber, the most con
mon of which is oak, sugar maple, beach, elm, an
hcmlocl, growing to a height and SIZE unkno"
to US in the southern and middle states
The boats are drawn generally by two horses, o
ten by one, and frequently by three. The drive
belonging to Lne-boats, which have relays OF no
ses stationed at intervals of from 10 to 20 miles,
rtic MIR hn:t hut remain at Il