, 1880-01-05

c0lne. hnllahS Is Ecttlna moro thhel lieF snare.
CANAL NAVIGATION. ~
In 1873 the State of Now York offered
prizes tn tho amount of $4,000 fur the !lrst,
second, md third best molcs a1ll Inventions
Of beats ntlaptut to cnnal navigation md prt,-
PEELED BY steam: I'l'o end sought WIS an
economy In time an.l In cost Of transporta-
| ttol,. Tho prizes were awarded to the naxter
bnats, Nlnl VIC believe soine twenty boats of
| tho prize model were lullt by company Or
! ganizcd for that pirlmse; these boats wcrc
used lnr while, and then were lai.l up anil
abandoned.
III tho meantime like experiments were
| male OIL tho Illinois 4 Michigan. Canal,
| which have resulted Iii Il successful atlaptn-
tlon Of stcaul to navigation OIL yact! catlala.
! All the previous Investigations Wero directed
| to tic Use of stuam cuIal-boats. As so much
of tho space of tho bont was taken III with
tho mnchlnrry, aud tho slze OF tho vessel
| bo!ng lllntell to that Of tho locks, the carry
| Ing capacity was ru1uced, rendering the Gust
OF transportation too high for my advantage
| ovor tho old system Of horse-boats. Tho use
of steam caEal-bonts for towing was also II
failure, md we believe this WIS tho matn end
sought III tho experiments Oh Lake Eric,
Tho success on our canal was tho atlaptn-
| tio1t of n steamer which, carrying II loaa It.
self, would ut tho sap'e time propel or push II
barge with little ofts,o ,npro power than
would be expended in rrnpciling tho steamer
| n1rro fThtr f1at.}nn fp1+nntE1 1,t. fSnIIt
Raymond, who subsequently associated with
| himself Capt. Dc Fny-botll veteran ca1taf!osY.
Together they perfected tho system. III use
the barge II placed In front Of the canal-boat
having the steam machinery. The two boats
are attached by MI ingenious but very simple
MEANS whereby tho barge and tic steamer
>aro practically ,na,to ono boat for navigation,
md both nro lnanagctl, controlled, and III.
rectel by the ono engineer and pilot. On
reaching lock, the connecting apparatus IS
thrown otf md ensily reaAIusteh after PISS
Ing tho loeks. This system was 50 perfected
OIL tho Illinois Canal that 1t Inns superseded
horsepower, md reduced tIle freight Oil
grain from tho Illinois River to Chicago In
the proportion Ut from cents per busllnl to
H!G cents per buAhel.
Iii the fall Of 1876 Capt Dc ruy went to
I}udaio, md, though highly commended md
we'll known there, fa!letl to on1ist tho slight
est interest In his Improvement IN ennal
navigation. Steam navigation o1l tho c0,1at WIS
unanimously voted to bo dead fallure,-
utterly ilnpractIcahle. When tic Eric Canal
| was opened In 1877 NIL tho progress he ind
made WIS to obtain tho permission to
tako ono Of tho abandoned prl2o Baxter
boats nlMl to tit 1t up md run 1t llini-
self. THIS lle did, al,l tho result ~ stated
by Mr.. De Pnyln Ills interesting account pub
lisl.e.l III THE TRIBUNE OH jan. 4. was, tl'at
tic wl,olo hect ct the sixteen Baxter boats
waa immediately atlapted to tho now mode Of
propeI1lng by pushing, atM tho Baxter Com
pany, wh1cl, WIS bankrupt, cleared So, Geo
during thu first year, and during tho three
years have cleared more than tho originul
cost Of tho hqats.
Lust year thora woro numerous other boats
pushing bargcs IN ,lse. Capt. Hathaway with
fifsMatand barge ctearettf III Is Inst round trfl
between Duffa!n a1,tl New York 81 600, wlliul'
was more tsan the combined net earnings ri
two horse-boats for tho Whole season. lllA
net earnings from ono boat aild bargo for the
season wero ea,lal to the net earnings Ut soyol
lorse-boats for ti.o salao tfne, As 10 tho cost
OF operating A1r. Do Puy thus writes;
",rho above figures mny seo,n Incredible Il
tho reader. Therefore. thu writer will lnn.,tio,
that, ny pushing tho bArHu With tho steamer
thoru IL but uno break III tho water. Tho stcano
runs In tho suction Ut tho bargo. tho two ont.
being held IN tir1n "a ono gnttr0 bOAt with th(
Do ruy aud lsaylnond couplings, which arc H.
7 ! gtn1tiy detached Mt tho loeka. Thus two bout
| | Asu run bysonG bouts crew.
"It costa hnsse-boAts frnln 2A 10 D5 conta POI
milo to tow with mules 0r horses.
. "Capt. 1inthaway's ontiro oxret,ses for cust,
noGrs, cuA!, oil, wltstc, repairs to aIlxtne, etc,
y wcto only fur ccNts ald two mills per milo po
boat tpight ee.lts and four nl,ls per milo fur th
propeller aild barge) Tho Propeller and hary
noya ID, ,S00 bushels Ut whont t&a5 tons) quicker
i md cholpor than tho horse.boat moves S.l0
. bushels tstO tbns|
"1fost all h0rsu-boats return from New Yorl
to lIutlnla light, ce0unt Df tho Str0,l9 u,lrrpu
' running cast. However, thls depends III whie1
+ Tho Captn!n thinks tho most Ut, his boat or h!
y mplcs; II tho lutter he woes light; II the forno,
hp will put III 100 to,s, which stcatllea tho Mat
Y ana tho wlnds do not blow her OH tho atuno wall
i, OF tho cannl. n,
"All propullcrs ant, barge# curry west from "a
: u &o toss every tisna, aud nevcr return so Hui
|. falu light"
u Mr. Do Puy states TINT OIL lato trip h
0 loft New York with $50 tons Of sugar 0
board his boat all barge. alll un the sum
Il night sixty llona>boats LETT light. Non
. reachetl Buffalo before he did. Aftor pay!n
" tolls mud other expenses, Ills freight was $50
d and none OF the sixty tsorse-boats earned MI,