The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-07-27

paraphernalia of war, and numbers 60 men, Off
GERS and crew. The model Of the vessel and
machinery is in good and substantial order and
taste, and reflects great credit on the builders
Upwards of 1900 visiters were attracted towards
her yesterday, and the gentemanly officers were
polite and eourteonsto ail-especally the ladies.
noticed at the dock the new propeller Genesee
Chief lately built by MIR. Geo. Steers, formerly of
your city, for an enterprising company, who have
just laid the keel for another boat; success attend
them ; this being the first effort of boat building
for the lakes in our city.
Travelling ON the Erie Canal-Packets and
m LIN ~. In the Big Ditch,
Mr.. EDITOR did you ever travel on the
raging canal!" Ifnot do by all means. When
you get tired of the cares and perplextes of the
city, and wish for change of scene and employ.
ment, take trip from Albany out to Rochester
or Buffalo. Don't take packet, but find some
good !" Inc boat, with gentle manly captain,
and pleasant company, (and there are always
enough OF such to be found,) and my word for it,
you VIII ENJOY the journey, even should it not be
SO fashionable as hurrying along AT the rate of
twenty miles per hour in the cars, with all their
attendant evils-such as getting ashes in your
eyes-a hole burnt in the bosom of your best
Sunday SHIRT by spark, and tit of indigestion,
feeding places" on the road Ali these are
avoided by taking the canal. There you have
plenty OF time to eat, an excellent opportunity for
seeing the country; and when tired Of riding you
can jump ashore, and walk, and not the least
danger ofehe boat running away from you. Hav-
ing just returned by this route from trip West,
perhaps description of it may not be unnter-
esting to some of your readers. To commence,
then, at the beginning Of my story. twas about
eight A. NJ, when found boat in Albany,
which was told would start in fifteen minutes.
accordingly | sat down, and very patiently wait
time is provokingly slow; and the fifteen
minutes were just eight hours by the clock
While we are thus waiting for our locomotive
alias two horse team, to be attached, let me nti-
ipfO he 0f and how
orable ong-up-browngreen- horns-and- passen-
gers-tor-canal boats-obtaining-s Or in 9TH
or words the Albany runners. These a set of
harpies who are constantly to be found hanging
round the steamboats,, railroads and docks,
ready to pOunce on any poor mortal who happens
to have green look about him, and wo to him if
to obtain bis name and money, for which ticket
given him, purporung to be receipt for his
passage. Sometimes this proves good, and some
times not, and the poor fellow finds when too late,
Of the church, he will perhaps utter curses both
loud and deep against those who have thus "suck-
ed him in" do not wish to be understood that
all the passenger agents are OF this class, but as
genera thing it is the best way to apply directly
to the Captain OF the boat, and make bargain
with him. THAR rates are very reasonable, being
IL cents per mile and .'ate YER or one cent per
OF the line boats-as they are called.) The pack
cts charge three cents per mile. The runners
receive 10 per cent on all moneys received from
the .pertinactfy with which they urge the claims
OF their respective boats to your favor, is unsur-
passabe. There are five kinds of boats employ
ed on the canal list. The packets which run
in very good style and carry passengers emily
They are drawn by three horses at the rate of
four miles per hour They pay double toll, and
as an offset are entitled to precedence of all
boats, which carry both freight and passengers
They have cabin at each end, and are drawn
by two horses, at the speed or sowness rather Of
only two miles per hour. If there not too
many passengers they are more comfortable than
the packets 8d. Lakers, as they are called
which take freight only. 4th. Bull heads, these
have a stable in the forward end in which they
carry the horses employed in towing. 9Th and
last. Scows which are fiat bottomed, and square
AT tbs ends, without decks, and are mostly used
in carrying lumber The cost of line boat is
about $3.50, lakers $3.50, scows from $500 to
$500. There are nearly 5000 boats in actual en-
ployment on the canal. To navigate these, four
men each are necessary, making 1900; besides
5000 boys as drivers. Each boat has female
cook, Thus giving employment to 5000 women
and requires two horses to draw it, giving the
total number of persons employed in boating
alone, $1,000 or 10000, and 6,0O0 horses.-Be-
sides these, there are hundreds of others who
are employed in keeping the canal in repair and
building and repairing boats. All these, of
course, must be fed, and thus a good market is
found for all the surplus produce of the farmers
along the route. So we see that an immense
number of persons are, directly and indirectly,
depending on the canal for their livelihood. The
effects OF the locofoco policy, in suspending the
work work. o. In enlargement to be seen along the
thousands of dollars have been expended in build
ing locks and excavatng the earth, which, for the
want OF few days labor, is rendered entirely
useless. Ii the stories told of some of the con-
tractors are true, they at least cannot find any
fault with the suspension OF the works. One man
received from the State some 8 Is 900 for damages,
in not being allowed to 10 on with his contract,
he ba oh do II fh Dr,co he
took 1t at, It would have ruined him. Another
worthy, after having recovered $780, damages,
had the modesty to ask for $4,000 more. The
boarnen are wings to a man; they have a prac-
tical argument against locotocosm constantly be-
fore their eyes. The enlargement is not, as many
suppose, merely widening and deepening the
Old canal, but in many places, an entirely new
canal Is built, sometimes at a distance of
half mile from the old Many
crooks thus avoided, and when the
whole shall be completed on the plan proposed,
the time occupied in the passage from Albany to
Buffalo be lessened by about one day. The old
canals four feet deep by forty wide, with single
locks. The new or enlarged is seven feet deep
and seventy wide. The wider and deeper the
water the greater the speed Of the boats. There
i. no place on the old canal in its whole length,
1884 miles where person can see two miles in
a straight line. In some places it describes nearly
three fourrhs of crcle-for instance, at a point
this sid of Rochester it is sixteen miles to that
city by canal, and only eight by land. From Al
bany 10 Scnenectaoy Is tnirty miles by canal,
however, said to be unavoidable, but there
are many others which can be easily straighten-
ed. the locks on the enlargement are massive
structures, 100 feet long by fifteen broad in
the clear, and are built double. They are built
rhinestone, of which here is an abundance in
the nelghborhood of Lockport. An immense
number Of blocks, some dressed, others not, are
now lying by the side of the canal in various
places, waiting for the resumption of the works.
They were intended for the new locks, and every
year the marks and numbers on them are grow
ing more iIlegble, and unless renewed will soon