Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-09-12
THE ERIE CANAL
GREAT SERVICE THIS INiANn
RIVER HAS PERFORMED.

& Was Once known as "De VITA
Clinton's Ditch" and Has Been
Operated for Sixty.
eight Years.
TUST sixty-eight years ago the
famous Erie Canal, or, as it
|c was better known at that time,
"De Witt Clinton's ditch" was
completed, and an inland waterway
opened from Lake Erie to the Hudson
River. When Clinton, who was the
father of the idea, first promulgated il
he was regarded as avisionary schemef
of the worst kind and more ridicule
was heaped upon him than was allotted
to the protector Of the first telegraph
line. But he was persevering, and
lfter years of contention and labor the
canal was built and its navigation com.
menced. It was pigmy affair at best,
narrow and shallow, and only allowing
the passage of vessels of less than a
hundred tons capacity. But from the
very start its advantages were seen.
There were, of course, no railroads in
those days, and the farmers of the in.
terror were absolutely without means
Of shipping their crops to the sea-
board. The canal supplied the want.
and carried not only freight but large
numbers of passengers. 1t was re-
garded as a vast Improvement upon the
stage coach, and Tor years the bulk OF
the passenger traffic from the Eastern
States to the Western passed over the
Erie Canal in packet boats built ex-
pressly for this purpose.
When railroads were introduced one
of the first lines built was from Albany
| to Schenectady and almost paraleled
the canal line Subsequently this road
was extended to Buffalo, and for the
greater portion of the distance it was
within sight of the canal. This natu-
rally broke up the passenger traffic by
water, though not altogether, for at
the present time steam packet boats
| ire run between Rome, Utica, Syra-
cuse and other points, they being pat!
ronized by many people who enjoy the
change from the noise and dust of rail-
| road travel to the quiet, peaceful and
altogether delightful journey by water.
/ So great was the demand upon th1
facilities Of the canal that the original
work was in time entirely reconstruct
ed, and the present grand waterway
was the result. As reconstructed it il
seventy feet wide, seven feet deep and
about $50 miles long. 1t has many
locks, nearly all of which are solidly
built of stone and are made double, So
that there may be no interruption OF
traffic, but a continual succession Of
boats may be 'Iocked through" as il
IS called, from one level to another
Besides the main line there are .
number of "feeders, which are util:
lied both for navigation and for SUP:
plying the principal canal with water:
These feeders take advantage of natura
water courses and lakes to penetrats
into all parts the State.
The bulk of all the traffic, however,
Is between Buffalo and New York City,
and consists mostly of grain, wool and
lumber. The grain is brought in
schooners and steamers to the head Of
Lake Erie, where it is taken into ele:
vators and discharged into canal boatl
for transportation to tide water The
average canal boat will carry 24O tons
of bulk grain, and the load can all be
taken on in half day. These boat,
arc provided with two cabins, one at
the stern for the captain and csew, the
other at the bow for the mules, which
are the favorite motive power, though
steam has been largely introduced OF
late years.
The crew for mule boat" con-
lists of u captain, steersman and
two drivers, with four mules. Al
soon as a load is taken on the boat
starts, and it never ties up for moro
that few minutes at a time until ii
reaches Albany, nearly 400 miles away.
The captain stands his trick at the til,
Ter the same as the steersman, the day
being divided into four tricks of ST,
hours each. A driver, two mules and
steersman are on duty all the whilei
six hours on and six hours Off When
the six hours are up the boat is swung
in toward the bank, ''snugged up"
about ten or a dozen feet from it, and
light but strong bridge of open stats
IS run out to the tow poth. The team
which has been resting on board is
now sent ashore and the other is taken
on board for six hours rest. It does
not usually require five minutes delay
to make the change.
There is slight current setting east
tor about half the way across the
State, and as the cargoes are usually
heaviest going that way, this is dis
tinct advantage. Two mules can draw
an 8000-bushel boat at an average
speed of about three miles an hour,
and it takes five to six days (by this is
always meant the f.il twenty-four
hours) to make the trip to the Hudson
River. Arrived there, tie mules are
put in stable and left IN charge of
,ne of the drivers, while the boat is
made up with others into great fleet
If thirty to forty or more, and is
owed down the river to New York,
vhere the cargoes are discharged.
Return loads are eagerly sought,
and merchants along the line of the
canal all through the interior obtain
much of their supplies in this manner.
Many boats, however, go back eight"
and will not handle way eargoes, de-
7oting their entire time to through
traffic. 1t takes about three weeks to
make the round trip and get back to
Buffalo, and the business is regarded
s moderately profitable one. At
me time it was highly SO, but freight
rates have been gradually reduced, SO
that the large profits once realized ara
40 longer known. To make up for
this in measure the State has made
the canals free of toll. Formerly all
boats were obliged to pay tolls in pro-
portion to the weight carried by them.
At various prominent points were
weigh locks" as they are called,