The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-19
From the N. Y. Tribune, i4th.
81 1AM ON THE CANALS.


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A review Of the Competition for the Rloo,ooo
State Prize Superiority Of Boats Propelled
by Steam to Observation-Disclosures Advantages
to be obtained In the Transport Of Grain.
The enlarged Erie and Oswego Canals
carry boats that, with their cargoes, weigh
from $50 TO 295 tons each, the boats when
not loaded weighing from SIS to 65 tons.
Many Of the advocates of the enlargement
of these canals expected that steam would,
be the principal power used in their navl-
CATION, and from time to time various at
tempts were made 10 introduce steam and
make It more economical than animal pow
err. These attempts proved failures, ex-
cept when applied to some specific service,
as running packet from Syracuse to Full
ton, partly in canal and partly in the slack
water navigation of the Oswego river.
The general result was to lead the best
friends Of the canals nearly to despair of
any successful use of steam on boats car
rying cargoes so small, against the compe-
tition of the fast moving railroad car on
the one hand, and on the other the cheap
ly-managed horse boat, on which lived the
owner and his family-making captain,
cook, and all hands interested in the eco
nomical, though slow movement OF heavy
property that did not require great dis
patch. Any goods that could pay largely
went by rail, for the advantages of speed !;
while property that must be sent at very
small price, or not go, went by the slowly
moving horse boat.
Let us inquire into the causes of the
failure of steam, having the advantages
of the facts determined by the late trials,
made under the authority of the State, to
guide our investigation.
CAUSE OF FAILURES OF STEAM.
The idea of using one powerful steam
boat to tow barges, and thus by passing
over the canal but once convey eight or
nine hundred tons of cargo, using but one
engine, and thereby reducing the expense
Of engineers TO the lowest point-this idea
made so strong an impression that it was
got abandoned until fully tested by years
Of trial, and it has been found that the
time consumed in passing the barge:
through the locks was too great a deten
ton, and that too little was little was saved
by employing but few men to make up TO
the loss of time.
A strange error was very general in the
public mind in regard to injuries tina
might result to the banks of the canals By
giving boats a speed Of three miles al
hour. This false notion probably had it
origin in the observations made on tn
packets that carried passengers befor
railroads became general. The long, mar
row, light packet moving ON top Of the wa
ter at the rate of four or FIVE miles pc
hour, in the small canals of the days be
fore enlargement, did produce considerable
swell, that looked as though it was doin,
much more injury than it really did Thi
entirely imaginary difficulty led inventor
TO spend large sums and much time in de
vising some new thing to drive the boats
A tsh's tail, bats wing, or perhaps
goose's foot, in the imaginations. of mer
inventors, would furnish the propelling in
strument, to which, steam once applied
success, they finally imagined, would b.
certain. Other and more rational mel
lacked capital or sufficient inducement t
make the trials and experiments that thei
sound Judgment said would be necessar
before the highest success could be reached
SO the effort TO use steam as motive pow
er on the canals had nearly been abandon
ed and hope hardly remained, when i
1871 the Legislature passed a law offerin
100000 to whomever should make stear
a success on the canals, and appointed tie
Commissioners to test any devise offere
and to make the award, if it should b
earned. On this Commission was place
the then State Engineer and three Cana
nal Commissioners, together with ex-GoV
Seymour (who, however, declined to ACT
and Gen. George B. Mcclellan who ha
never attended meeting of the Commits
sion. With these officials and dignitarie
were associated four other men-Gov
SEYMOUR place having been filled by tn
Governor. The acting Commissioner
were Van r. Richmond George w. Char
man, John D. Fay, William W. Wrigh
David BOWS, Erastus S. Prosser, Georp
Geddes, Willis s. Nelson, and DAME
Grouse.
These Commissioners took the oath {
Office and entered upon the discharge
their duties, and, to enable them to lear
all the facts, and to carry out their plan
for full test of steam on the canals, the
appointed David NJ. Greene, civil and me
chanical engineer He had seen muc
service in the Navy of the United State
during the war as naval engineer. Thre
seasons of navigation were taken for tn
work, and in October last the final test
trial exhibition" provided for by the Law
was made between Utica and Syracus
The Tribune then proceeds, in an e.
hausGve way, to compare the Baxetr sy!
TEN, and the Newman system-two me
of these names having built boats an
competed for the prize, which was n,
awarded to either, though the Baxter boz
performed all the law required-and NOR
The question was referred to the n.
legislation to compensate Baxter-whiC
will probably be done.
ADVANTAGES TO THE STATE.
What advantage does the State deri'
from the successful introduction of stea
on the canals? Steam drives the boa
twice as fast as animals can draw then
and passes boats through the locks in la
the time horse boats can be passed. TIL,
the capacity of the canals is doubled, al
their present power to transport the GRO
Of the West which on the Erie Canal M
be 100000 tons in season, is raised
100000 without cost to the State al
many less boats will do the business. TIL
vast amount Of private capital will I
ceive the reward before paid to the lar
capital employed.
Can steam canal boats do the work
less cost than horse boats? This quest
being answered in the affirmative, it CT
tainly follows that more business will Sc
the canals. For the time being lessen
one-half, and the cost considerably Il
seneu' the gam would appear to be &C
cain.
Mr.. Baxter, on his boat Baxtsr md
his own personal supervision, consum
less than Is pounds of coal per mile on 4
oil eel P,,aI ~