Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-11-24
Commencement of Navigation ON the
Erie Canal.

commencement of Navigation ON the
Erie Canal.
From an Albany, IN. W Gazette
and Daily advertiser of Oct, Goth,
1910, handed us ny our townsman
s. III. Packard, we clip the following
account of the opening fthe Erie
Canal. II will be read with interest
especially by natives of New York !:
On Saturday, the 23a of October,
1919, his exeeilency Gov. clinton,
Gen, Van Renslaer, and Messrs
Holly aud Seymour, Canal Commits.
sioners. MIR. Wright, engineer OF the
middle section OF the Erie Canal.
Messers. White. Bates and Jarvis,
assistant engineers, and MIR. agent
Barrow. together with the Rev. DR.
Blatchford of Lansingburgh, and
Mr.. StAnsbury OF Albany, Mr.. Bon-
ner of New York, Judge Miller, Mes
sers. Williams, Clark, Van Rens.
selaer. Bloodgo,d, Lansing, Childs,
Walker, aud many other gentlemen
of the village of Utica and It's vlcin-
ity, the sheriff of Oneida county,
Col. Westcott, and the Hon. r..
Hart. and Perry q. Childs, senators
OF the western district, started, i'm u
canal beat, from the eastern extrem-
ity OF the middle section, on an ex
cursion Of curiosity aud experiment,
for Rome.
The dam at Orlskany creek having
beerL finished, and the bars of earth
adjoining it ha ing been removed, so
as to admit the passage of boat,
n depth of two aud half feet of was
tars been let into the canal, on
the Thursday preceding.
The first admission of water into q
canal is always attended with great
solicitude. It Is the ultimate test OF
the accuracy of the levels, and af-
fords most important inferences, as to
the solidity and fidelity, with which
the banks have been constructed,
and the suillciency of the feeders
One OF the jobs, east of the Oneida
creek, not being entirely completed,
Ii was deemed expedient to prevent
the water from extending further
west, on the Rome summit than
the Wood creek aqueduct, a distance
OF eighteen miles, aud IL was known
that the quick.sand at OTlskany
hill, presented more cause OF alarm
than are any where else to be found
OH the section. A number of men
had been stationed on the bank, nj
that place, to watch the motion and
effect of the waters, as they aecumu-
lated, and TO arrest, as quick as pos.
sible. the progress of any evil that
might arise.
The waters moved gently on, from
Oriskany creek. the great feeder OF
the eastern end of the level, toward.
Utica--swelled round Oriskany hill
to the intended depth, and were not
observed to produce any threatening
Indications into the banks, for sever
al hours, when, at about one O'Clock
on the morning Of Friday, q breach
was suddenly effected at place
where drain had been very recently
filled up. a
At the place of this drain, the nat
ural surface of the ground was tive
feet below the bottom OF the canal
of course, when the water was two
feet and half deep, along the line
i'm general, there was here a press
ure of four and q half feet head. Bu
this pressure would have produced
no injury, IL due care had been Tn.
ken In raising the bottom of the
canal, and breaking In the sides o
the drains, aud pudding the earth
required i'm closing ID.
BY the activity aud energy of Mr.,
Brown, assistant engineer. anc
Messers. Brainard, Miller, Chaplin
and Simpson contractors, the breecl
was soon repaired. sd that, by moor
on Friday, the waters were agalt
allowed to enter the canal. And be
fore daylight, on Saturday. they fill.
ed IL for eighteen miles. .to the deptl
of near three feet; on the morning
of this day, therefore the party abov,
mentioned commenced their excur
sion. m
The scene was novel aud most In.
teresting. Considering the circum'
stances of our Countrywide grea
benefits sure To result 30 NJ from In
ternal trade-the Intelligence of ou
citizens Ito perceive 4ani appreciat
these bepefits their virtue and pub
Tic spirit to make the .necessar,
permanent appropriations before
hnnd-the influence upon all sou
best sympathies. which cannot fai
to he most extensively produced. B.,
such easy, pleasing aud economics
means OF general intercourse as ar
furnished by navigable canals-an,
the construction of our great work
not only In the light of It's own cx
ceeding utility. but as introducing
throughout the ample territories O
our national empire, spirit of activ
and perseysring internal improve
ment-it Ia believed the records O
social life do not afford scene norv
interesting.
Amidst the cheers aud shouts O
almost the whole neighboring pop
nlations the ringing OF the churcl
bells in Utica, and the patrioti,
tunes OF band of music on board
the boat was put in melton. 1t wal
drawn by one horse by means OF
rope eighty feet long, OF which on
end was connected with the whip
pletree, aud the other with hool
secured othe boat, at a little distanc
from the bow, on the towing patti
side and every body was surprise,
to see the ease with whichsa singh
horse moved on, at the rate of fou
miles an hour, drawing a boat will
from seventy to an hundred passen
gers continually on board.
The agitation OF the waters In tn,
canal, In consequence of the motion
of tho boat, was not such 10 Undue,
the fear of much injury to the bank X,
aud when the whole depth of waite,
In let In, 1t will be much less.
| At q short distance from the plac,
of starting, on the line of the canal
there 10 an eubankment over Mai
Creek II feet high, above the natu
raj surface of the ground, and 32 rod
long, on which Is constructed larg,
semi~circnlar caivert or stone, fo
passing the water Of the creek, unde
the canal into the Mohawk rive
below. The arch of the culvert ha
span OF Is feet, and the who'll
structure looks stable and wei
adapted to its object. In canal
the triumph Of art Is most apparent
where the navigation Is carried high
over the neighborlng lands; thi
enbankment was therefore regarde,
with great complacency.
In 80 minutes we had passed nea
three miles, and reached tho eas
end OF an enbankment about l3
chains long across the valley of ths
Sedaqueda Creek. The creek 1t
self Is passed by an aqueduct 28
feet long, connected with the en-
bankment. This aqueduct consist
of two abutments with the necessar,
wing walls and seven piers OF soiit
masonry. And this stone work sup
ports q trunk, 10 feet wide, consist
ing Of timber and plank for the wa
ters of the cannal to occupy, and
towing path OF plank eight feet wild
for the horse to travel on. There I
an angle, I'm the embankment, wher
it,onnects with the aqueduct, at eacl
end; but the connection Ii SO con
trived as to admit Of an easy passag
In hOth dfrppffona and tha uvhxJ