Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-08-29

usually last about ten years. Those OF
oak are more expensive, and have gen
orally proved the least durable. The
captain of the boat commonly owns it,
but in some few cases a number of boats
are owned by one man, and the captains
are hired to run them. Canalboats now
cost about SO, 500, and are sold on pay
ment of $1,000; the purchaser giving
what is called cutthroat mortgage. y
Formerly, when the business was better
than it is now, canalbOats cost $5, 900,
and a payment as low as 800 was taken
on them. Now, however, the business
has fallen off so greatly that one boat is
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 class of men called
scalpers. They procure the freight from
the various forwarders, and the boatmen
pay them commission on it. These
scalpers are located at both ends of the
line and all along the route. There are
about fifty of them at 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, whi,e they may
bring down two hundred and fifty tons.
Some boatmen prefer to run up what is
called "light," that is, without 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 load. They thus secure more
down trips, which are more profitable.
Running up light" it is possible to
make ten trips in the season, which gen.
orally extends from May to December
|. Taking up 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 a
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
jewelry, thrust their heads into the
cabins; John Chinaman, in his blouse,
with bunch of cigars in his hand; the
man with fashionable romances-all find
good customers here. At last, the freight
is I'LL 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 q 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 out where they are making up the
tow.
The towing of canalboats up the
Hudson to Albany is a large business
which now seems to be pretty much in
five steamboats, thus engaged. Two
tows of fifty to seventy-iive boats each
start out from New York and Albany
each evening, thus making four tows
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 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 are peculiar ly
constructed for the purpose, having but
one aft deck, very long, low and pointed,
provided with a 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 300 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 tugboat and
excursion boat. But tows of 100 boats
and over are no uncommon affairs. The
fee for towing from New Y ork to Albany
is twenty-six dollars, and twenty-eight
dollars for returning. During this time
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 o
the Tile club being the only instance in
years. Dickens describes, in his Amer.
lean Notes." how much he relished hi.
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 glid
ing on at night. so noiseless past frown
ing hills sullen with dark trees, thu
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 caravan at a fai
viewed from the inside; the gentlemen
being accommodated as the spectator
usually are in one of those locomotiv
museums of penny wonders, and th
ladies being partitioned off by red cur
tain, after the manner of giants an,
dwarfs in the same establishments, who's
private lives are passed in rather clos
exclusiveness.
At last the tow reaches Albany an
he boats enter the canal, and now th
hard work of the "canaler" and hi
horses and his men begins. The bridge
which has lain for week or more un
disturbed on the deck, is shifted arounC
thrown across the space between til
boat and the towing path, the first hors