The Portland daily press., 1893-06-13

1s1W@<f' i'stN N7NSSMX j.
/ ss cANALBoAT LIFE.
motive power. Next to them in varying
degrees come those engaged in transpor-
tation generally between the east and
west.
Although the canal no longer domi-
mates commerce between the grainfelds
and the seaboard, it is still an impor-
tant factor, and if great econ omy in the
canal service be brought alb out by the
substitution Of the wire and the trolley
for the mule and the towliIae, freight
/, :ates will go down as surely as the prof.
lbs Of the boatmen will go up, and per.
h,sps more surely.->It is likely that low.
or rates will add to the price paid to the
producer for his wheat and at tile same
time reduce the price paid by tile con-
suIner, 80 that the western farm ,er ana
the eastern householder will alike, profit
by the successful introduction Of the
new system. Shippers and comm ission
men will be directly affected in some
measure, besides many others NOR, in.
directl, perhaps, but none the less GER
tail1y. 800
Whiiethe introduction Of electricity
as the mtive power on the Erie canal
will be onward step, it will inevitably
bsring whit retrogression Of certain
sort. Fac boatman is now an indie
pei 1dent bsiness man. He owns. is
boa t and is teams, he masKes s
own bargain with the shipper, and, !,
sspad dies hiswn canoe" OF rather to
his o, vn boat,hrough life the same
any Of her Buses man. It was not
ways 0. Maj persons now living re
membe well 10 time when the bus
ness of The carl was carried on by tow
ing com panic which owned boats Of
their OWL assell as towed the boats Of
individual = @ners at certain mileage
rates. Electric power will Of necessity
be applied in some such manner. A
company will strilg wires and furnish
power at fixed rate.
It is quite possible that the same COM
pany may decide to put on its own boats,
especially if the new method Of towing
be considerably more economical than
the old and the boafmen do not take
kindly to the change. At allevents, the
experiments if successful will lead to a
revolution Of canal life, the usages of
which have undergone no appreciable
change for many years.
Many efforts to substitute steam pow
er for horse and mule power on the ca
nal have been made in tho past without
success. It was nearly a score of years
ago that the state of New York offered
big money prize for steam canalboat
that would do it's work more economic
ally than horses and at the same time
make comparatively high speed without
damaging the banks. There were sew
eral competitors for this prize, and one
inventor submitted a boat with bow
wheel and a channel under and through
the boat to neutralize the wash that was
highly thought of by some of the boat
men.a But some defect was found IN each
of the designs, and the prize was award
ed to no one. Avery small number of
steam carrying and towing boats have
since then been in use on the canal but
horses and mules have remained the
chief dependence of the hardy navigar
tors Of the Erie.
Some years after the failure of the
state to secure a practical steam canal
boat project was mooted for the use Of
cable in the bottom Of the canal along
which the boats could work their way
by means of clutch wheels, the motive
power being supplied by steam engine
on each boat This plan was put into
operation at great expense, and the cable
was used for season or two, but it had
to be taken up. Among other insuper-
able difficulties in the way of it's success
was the fact that the cable would not
remain in it's bed at the curves. The
strain Of the boats pulled it bodily from
the bottom Of the canal at such points
and hauled it out on shore, where it de-
stroyed fences. growing crops and even
apple orchards. 80
However, there seems to be some rea-
son to suppose that the electric expert
ment may be successful, and that it's
success will work for the good of all
concerned. I. D, MARSHALL.