The Newtown bee., 1879-09-17

ana q payment as low us SioO WAS titktli
ON them Now, however, the business
scarcely paid for before another is re-
quired; so that large first payment is
demanded. When canalboat becomes
too old for the canal, it is sold for about
one-tenth its original cost, and is used
for carrying goods around the city.
This is why so many accidents from
leakage occur to these boats in the
vicinity of New York.
Canal navigation opened this year on
the 9Th of May, when the carrying of
freight Immediately commenced. The
procuring of. freight for canalboats is
done altogether by "a class of men called
scalpers. They procure the freight from
| the various forwarders, and the boatmen
pay them n commission on it. These
scalpers are located at both ends of the
line and all along the route. There are
about fifty of them ut Buffalo, but fewer
in New York, as the bulk OF freight is
shipped from the West. Indeed, canal
boats are only allowed to carry UP the
canal one hundred tons, while they may
bring down two hundred and fifty tons.
Some boatmen prefer to run up what is
called "light," that is, without a load,
as they are able thereby to reach Buff
falo in seven or eight days, instead of
the ten or twelve days it would take
with a load. They thus secure more
down trips, which are more profitable.
Running up 50 light" it is possible to
make ten trips in the season, which gen.
orally extends from May to December
l. Taking upa load they can make but
seven. They take up general merchan-
disc and carry back grain. The capacity
of canalboat is $3.50 bushels of grain.
The canalboat lies at the pier in New
York from three days to week, during
which time the captain has nothing to
do but check off his freight as it leaves
the boat, The canal people have little
time to make purchases, and they have
reputation for being free with their
money, so that they are overrun with
peddlers. The round and rosy bumboat
woman, with her inexhaustible basket,
makes difficult way from boat to boat;
all kinds of youths, with fascinating dis
plays of red suspenders and cheap
iewelry, thrust their heads into the
cabins; John Chipaman, in his blouse,
with IL bunch of cigars in his hand; the
man with fashionable romances-all find
good customers here. At last, the freight
is all discharged, the up-load is taken on,
and the " canaler" is ready to go up in
the tow. He pays his wharfage bill
canalboats are charged fifty cents wharf
age day along the pier and thirty cents
in the .slip-he takes leave of the cap
tains remaining; their boats may cross
and recross and not again make part of
the same floating city this summer. The
tugboat comes alongside, and his boat is
taken ont where they are making up the
tow.
The towing of canalhoats up the
Hudson to Albany is large business
which now seems to be pretty much in
the hands of one company, who have
five steamboats, thus engaged. Two
lows of fifty to scventy-live boats each
start out from New York and Albany
each evening, thus making four lows
constantly on the river. The traveller
by the river steamboats, has passed these
immense floating cities, that seemed
scarcely to move through the water,
and eagerly scanned them, perhaps won
dering how long n time they took going
from Albany to New York. These
boats actually travel from three to four
miles an hour, and make the journey in
thirty-siX hours, or very little more.
The steamboats, for towing arc peculiar ly
constructed for the purpose, having but
one aft deck, very long, low and pointed,
provided with II low, solid rail pierced
with holes for the securing of tOwlines.
! The boats are arranged four or five
abreast, the forward line Of boats being
connected to the steamboat by ropes at
the distance of 200 or 800 feet; the re-
mainder are tailed on" each boat being
provided with appliances for the proper
fastening of others at the stern. Fifty
boats are thus easily towed by one of
these tow steamers, which are in size
about midway between u tugboat and
excursion boat. But tows If 100 boats
and over are no uncommon affairs. The
fee for towing from New 7 DIRK to Albany
is twenty-six dollars, and twenty-eio hit
dollars for returning. During this time
in the boatman's life he has nothing to
do. AS the tow steadily sails along the
various families come together. the
women gossip, the men smoke and play
cards, while the drivers and steersmen
lay at length on the forward deck, with
no care and no work.
When Dickens was in this country the
canalboats still took passengers, and the
great novelist journeyed in one from
Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. The canal
boats have long since lost all their pas
senger traffic, the recent excursion Of
the Tile club being the only instance in
years. Dickens describes, in his g Amer
lean Notes." how much he relished his
short experience of canalboat life; how
he enjoyed &" the lazy motion of the boat
when one lay languidly on the deck
looking at the deep blue sky; the Gid
ing on at night. so noiselesS past frown
ing hills sullen with dark trees, the
shining out of the bright stars, undis
, turbed by noise OF wheels or steam Of
any other SOUND than the liquid ripping
of the water as the boats went on.
, Dickens describes the canalboat as /;
barge with little house on it, viewed
, from the outside. and a caravan at fail
! viewed from the inside; the gentlemen
being accommodated as the spectator
, usually are in one of those locomotive
museums of penny wonders, and tn
: ladies being partitioned off by a red cur
j. tain, after the manner of giants ant
! dwarfs in the same establishments, who's
> private lives are passed in rather clos
! exclusiveness.
2 At last the tow reaches Albany ant
/ the boats enter the canal, and now tn
S hard work of the ''eanaler" and hi
4 horses and his men begins. The bridge
s which has lain for a week or more un
e disturbed on the deck, is shifted around
t thrown across the space between th
e boat and The towing path, the first hors
y is driven across, the tow is fastened, th
a steersman takes his place, the rudde
e creaks complainingly, the driver crack
s his whip and they are off. The
e have now commenced the journe
+ of the canal. which, from TIL
e place where it strikes the Hudson
], to Buffalo, is set down in the record