The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-08
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

bershp OF the Chamber, and they unanimously
elected by balot-Brdsey Brakeman, John Crosby
Brown, Bowles Colgate, James B. Colgate, Frederick
II. Cosstt, Jacob u. T. Hersey James b. Horner John
NJ. Jones, James y. Mccall, Henry Nordlinger, Percy
r. Pyne and Benjamin S. Wacott.
The gentleman reported that the subject of
proposed amendments to the bylaws was sti under
consideration.
The list Of members in read, and, after
some discussion ordered be LAID upon the table
until the next meeting
letter submitted from NJ. Goodert, OF the
French Society asking for relief and referred to
the Executive Committee
Letters from the Board of Trade of London and tho
Chambers Of Commerce of Southampton Dover, Hun,
Falmouth Sheffield Bristol Yokohama Dundee Car
din Sunderland and Huddersned, rendering thanks to
the Chamber for its last report were received
and ordered to be put file
STEAM CANAL NAVIGATION
preliminary report steam navigation on the Eric
Canal was then read IL was as folows:-
New YORK Oct Z 1875
To SAMUEL D BABcocK, President of the Chamber of
Commerce OF the State of New York;
was appointed by the Chamber of Commerce on
the 30th of July TO collect information respect the
speed OF canal boats on the Erie Canal and Hudson
Rivers also TO note the depth OF water in the canal
request your attention.
First-To the delays in canal navigation
uniform width Of 81 u feet, II is in
many places not thirty feet which compels boats
to keep in the middle of the canal 70 avoid running
aground they often do, when meeting another boat
ThtrdTo the advantage Of having at least eight feet
depth instead Of TO increase the speed, cheaper
transportation and carry more cargo Seven feet might
have suced for and half miles per hour when only
horse boats used eight feet at least wanted
steamboats, making four and four and a half miles
Mr.. IL. H. Van Dyck President of tho Baxter Steam
Canal Transportation Company, kindly gave me the
privilege Of trip of the company's canal
l...at 1nf NpkuN nrk AttQtR hale
NJ, arrived in Buffalo August Is at ten minutes past
two A. NJ. left same day on our return at quarter
nine L. NJ, and arrived in New York August 20 ut
twenty-five minutes past one p NJ. We detained
by break in the canal six days. nine hours and twenty
minutes Our total time was twenty-one days. four
teen hours and hityfve minutes; deductng the break
fifteen days, five hours and thlrty-iiv minutes We
struck rock in the bottom at Hoey found some low
soundngs between Fairport and Pamyra and near
Port Gibson These rocks and low soundings are the
same which found in my survey and reported to the
Canal Commissioners in 1861. On the marshes between
Clyde and Montezuma, seventeen miles, the level was
full of eel grass cloggng the and retardng the
boat so that we made only one and half miles per
hour There were low soundings at Chittenango Len
nox Basin and Durhamville The slowest time on the
canal coming east was from Macedon to Utica Leaving
the centre of the canal the depth in many places
six feet three inches by the washing in
of the earth from the slopes These washngs should be
removed that boats will be delayed in passing
each other
Your attention is invited to the tables of time made
on different sections of the route, and especially to
show you the increased efficiency Of the canal with in
and against tide, our time from New York Troy was
500 miles per hour; from Troy to New York.
524 miles per hour. On the canal, with q depth of
Of about feet from Buffalo to Albion we made
coming east 4. 43 miles per hour Our average from
Buffalo to New York was 80 miles per hour; from
Buffalo to Troy, miles. | satisfied that with the
existing locks and aqueducts boat carrying 200 tons
drawing feet OF water, could, with feet depth of
water average miles instead Of 1.3 miles per
hour. On the Erie Canal with the present depth OF
eet the boats have increased their cargoes from $50
$40 tons.
half al =
tons the trip TO Buffalo and back TO New York Re-
specially yours, THOMAS GOLDEN RUGGLES,
Civil Engineer
Mr. F. B. Thurber called attention to the Importance
of the subject and on motion it was ordered to be
printed
letter was submitted from the Municipal Reform
Association. 1t addressed 'To the People Of the
United States and the Boards of Trade Chambers of
Commerce and other bodies interested in the subject
of sound currency and financial REFORM" and was
signed by Agernon s. Sullivan temporary chairman
and d. Skinner secretary. 1t referred to the
Executive Committee.
Mr. Elliott F. Shepard read the following address on
the objects and influences of
COURT OF ARBITRATION
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN THE CHAMBER OF
CoSNRRcE-In response to your invitation TO address
the merchants and business of this city relation
to the Cou Of Arbitration and the methods by which
disputed questions be brought before the Court for
adjudication, have the honor 10 submit few words
The Court the offspring of the commerce of this port
and It's facilities for summary settlement of disputes
may be availed of by every merchant and, indeed by
every resident OF the great cities of New York. Brook
lyn Jersey City, Newburg and Albany, as well as of
any other part of tho collection district Of this port,
upon all commercial and mercantile questions. The
members of this Chamber may cite another before
this Court upon notice of less than DAYS nor
moro than FIVE days. and both they and all other par
ties have the right to additional arbitrator to sit
with the Official arbitrator If they elect The pro
vision for the correction of any errors which may creep
into the decisions is ample and simple The parties
may have rehearing before the same a Board
of Arbitration. The case Of Becker General Insur-
ance Company of Dresden is an illustration Of this
principle. In that case, owing TO good shown,
new trial had before the arbitrator and the first
judgment reversed To the correctness of tho
second judgment even the defeated party
felicity of carrying the convictions of both parties
These new trials may be had upon the grounds of
of a deficiency Of evidence, for any reason that
would commend itself TO any intelligent merchant;
but TINS Court possesses greater guarantee against
the commission OF errors than any other court in
the State growing out Of its being endowed with
tho wlse comprehensive and safe power, upon its
own notion and notice TO both the adverse parties,
OF taking additional testimony when may be ncces.
sary to enable justice TO be done Especially is this
valuable in cases where expert and scientific testi-
mony is required Such complaints that in the
case ofSchenckvs Andrews, SO New York Reports 14S
cannot arise in the Court of Arbitration In that
case the court Of last resort find themselves embar-
raised by the fact that ian inspection OF the record
shows that it had been very loosely tried" The
Court of Arbitraton the other hand, is bound to
acquire all the facts, and to bring in OF its own
motion all the evidence if any should inadvertently
be omitted by the parties themselves. The merchant
may
FEARLEssLY COME INTO THIS COURT
without lawyer for the upright, able and experienced
jurist who presides in Il will not allow any advantage
TO be taken OF him. His ignorance of his own rights
will him to fail Of justice The ingenuity of
his adversary cannot defeat him If the right be on his
side The Judge Is TO do equity between the parties,
and not merely to decide as the parties leave IL
IL it evident that either Of them has fallen into error
or mistake which ought TO be avoided or Collected
The case of Macfarlane Co. r. c. Degencr is in
point There the plaintiff and defendant together
before the arbitrator and orally submitted their
The plaintiff said the defendant owed him 1902 81
The defendant denied his liability but said he should
pay at once IL the went against him. This he had
the pleasure OF doing the arbitrator clearly perceived
and decided that he liable. The practice in the
courts Of makes such impossible OF occurrence
in them. Such a case seems to carry the adminstra-
ton Of justice back its pristine glory in the patri
nrcha times when the head OF the tribe sat IN the gate
Of the city and dispensed JUSTICE himself protecting the
weak and defending the ignorant The submission OF
causes may be made orally by the parties II they