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

1t is estimated that there are in the
neighborhood of five thousand canal
boats which do business on the Erie
canal. Each boat is in command of
IL captain, who lives on board with his
family. Besides the captain and his
| family, each of these boats has two
steersmen and two drivers. Here, there
fore, is community by itself-a floating
population of some fifty thousand people.
with their own manners, peculiarities,
characteristics, living their lives amid
| surroundings scarcely dreamed of by the
denizen of the town.
The life of the "canaler" in summer
time easily divides itself into three dis
tinct periods. His boat is either on the
canal or sin the tow to and from AL
bany and New York, OF it is lying up in
New York or Buffalo, the two extrem-
tiles of the line, discharging and receiv-
ing freight. Three hundred of them are
always lying at the piers Immediately
above the South ferry during the sum
mer season. They line these piers, and
still line each other until the space be-
tween is filled with them. To the pas
senger across the South ferry or on the
| Elevated railroad as it sweeps around
the curve at Coenties slip, this floating
city presents very curious and ami
mated appearance. The boats are for
the most part white, touched here and
there with green; valiously colored
clothes are everywhere hung out to dry {;
boat people, inspectors, peddlers with
their wares, and bumboat women with
their gayly-decorated baskets, are con-
stantly passing from boat to boat; while
on the busy pier the trucks are discharg-
ing their loads, and 'longshoremen are
running to and fro.
A modern canalboat is about 100 feet
long, fifteen feet wide and nine feet deep.
The captains cabin is at the stern of the
boat. 1t rises two feet above the level
OF the deck. On three sides are opened
lilliputian windows, and on the side to-
ward the deck is correspondingly ugly
lilliputian door. The floor of the cabin
is four feet below the level of the deck.
The cabin ceiling is thus six feet high.
The cabin is the width of the boat, and
is about twelve feet in the other direc-
tion. This curious little box is fitted up
with berths along the wall nearest the
stern, while the forward part is divided
into q diminutive kitchen and living
room. The aspect of these cabins is
frequently very neat and pleasant. The
tiny windows are prettily curtained and
bright with summer flowers. The floor,
which is reached by very small and
nearly perpendicular stairway, is cov-
cred with cool mating, and the walls
are ornamented with photographs in
cheap but tasteful frames. The roof is
painted a shining white, and is protected
at the height of four or five feet by an
n nxxrt1s thuc or ddsnn NJ hav. f<D hr
canaler's" house. There is always a
rocking-chair or two here, and ham
mock is swung between the awning
the boat lays ut the pier, or is Gin the
tow" the "canaler" and his family live
at their ease
AS you come up out of the tiny cabin
you are confronted by two large barrels
painted white, as nearly everything else
about the boat is. These are the water
barrels. Although the canaler lives
on water, the procuring of drinking
fluid is always a matter of some trouble
and in New York the water for washing
even has to be obtained from the hea6
of the pier. Next to the water barrels
comes the.round tool chest, also painted
white, and then portable bridge. Thi
is used to transfer the horses from th,
boat to the toepath. The horses are KEEP
on board. At the bow of the boat ther
is a second box corresponding exteriorl,
in size and appearance to the cabin il
the rear. But on peering through tn
diminutive window one sees that thi
box is arranged as stable and sees thre
or four horses quietly crunching thei
hay. Mules are sometimes used. TIL
canal business is very hard on horses
and most of them seem to be Athlete,
with chronic sore neck; but they ar
fed abundantly on grain, they have lon
rests between tie times that the boa
leaves the canal at Albany and return
there; and they do not work in the win
ter, so that they manage to hold thei
own very well. 1t is no unusual thin
for canal man to have one set of horse
for eight or ten years. They are worke
on The canal from six to eight hours
day.
These canalboats are built at differer
points along the line of the canal. The
are of two kinds-the ordinary cana
boat described above and the bullhea,
The latter is so built that the roof of Il
cabin is flush with the deck, and Il
miniature windows look out from Il
. side Of the boat. The bullhead,