New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-28
CANAL MISM4NAGENENT.
1T HAS COST THE BOATMEN THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS
LATE OPENING WITHOUT ADEQUATE NOTICE OH


PREPARATIoN-TIIE ELECTRIC CONTRACT
Buffalo. May q (speclaD.-The canal men Of the
State. with headquarters In Buna.o. believe they
have evidence Of canal mlsmanagement sufficient 10
justify them In demanding the retirement from office
Of Edward Hannah superintendent OF Pubic
Works. AMI they are getting ready to take action.
although the plan OF campaign has not yet
been decided upon. and they have hope OF Gov
ernor Flowers cooperation The causes OF COM
plant have been pillng up rapidly since Mr.. Hannah
took office. and the full capacity Of the canal mems
endurance was reached after the opening OF
the present season. May half a month later
than the canal should have been opened. The FIRST
canal fleet from NewYork has reached Buffalo after
spending nearly two weeks on the way from Troy,
when the trip should have been made In six days.
The delay cost in loss Of freights and extra ex-
penses about $4,000. and the bow came at a time
when the canal men n-preparod TO bear II.
One reason for the delay was that when the boats
reached point nile above Schen,ctady a leak
was found that ought to have been discovered days
before The water had to be drawn of until the
leak could be mcnded That cost a delay Of sixty
two hours. Fifteen miles above. AZ Philips Lock
the lock-tender had gone to steep and had per
mltted the water to break over the hce.path wash
ing II away for some distance. That resulted In
further delay Of tweniy-four hours to the boats
that were the first ID reach the place. There were
other serious decays due TO the fact that the canal
opened with ;ow water In the eastern par, OF H.
the boats dragging bottom In several PAGES. This
permitted to crrm5.e away. destroying ihe useful
ness Of the creek AZ feeder.
This hinGrance ana consequent oss 70 TIE boat
men were 50 much gain % the railroads. The delay
Of two weeks In opening tn cana was siii greater
take 10 New-York tho grain brought t. Buna.o by
the opening OF navigation. 100000 bushels % which
been ready for Il.
Superintendent Humans excuses for these delays
ID. 80. tho tH4n
pair work could NOT fash earlier. There b. the NorI
OF ZOO cana. men f'r Il that me Work could have
have contained the prpy!so ihat TIE work mIst De-
finished ny Apr. l. or, at The very .at"st by APf
have been done But this IS only Oh" CONTINUATION
OF a series OF similar actions on tnr part - super
rec;ion of injury ~ ;he cana. Interests 'hat tae
canal men say u a deliberate attempt has ro' D ~
made {, destroy competition between PIE Erie cana.
and the ranrJlls. 20. only cNpantii'n j. erD-f In-
difference q tho cAna.s on the part ~ .'in i"'
ernor.
The Indignation against Superintendent Hannah IS
recently. about as many Democrat "a Kcpublicnns
among the canal men; one OF ne most prominent
dent I'm Democrat. ana have been always
GT, BUT snail n vote nS Eepc55n na 'He ' or S
people directly OF indirectly interested ia ihe chais
nearly unanimous than any one oiiside oi the
These charges against State officers are TOO s"-
rious 10 be made without clIdD noe % back o. in
and the evidence f. now being formulated IeaIy
for public pr.senation. liore j. a9me OF IT. ,..
delayed until the railroads hal secured the whole
Ing to between 5cJl,o0 and ecio0n bushci- at a
rate Of g. 81. ana 81 cents a Diah'l Ihfi was
dead loss 10 The canal mon The ncSi ycAT The loss
nearly as large for tn same reason. Last year
the railroads got nearly aW01 bushels "Hi'h
opened IN time This year the loss was 3ypoal
bushels OF grain consigned FOR shipment b. cana!
at rate OF from ~ TO o. cents hushrl Rather
than run the risk by losing III" sale Of II boz Nov
York by waiting for the opening - ID. canal ms
grain was sent by rail- at a freight charge OF -
Instead OF advertising The opening Of the canal
three or four weeks ~ advance. as 'tn'I sul"i-
intcndcnts have done. Superintendent Ii1nran waits
Western shippers no time 10 arraner i'I 'rn'ins
grain by canal. ana throwing much business 70 the
In addition TO these delays. others have been
caused In exactly the same way hS those "hl'h
Not canal man can be found Who Goes u"t aHIr'
that these hndrances were wholly without rXcusr'
end Of the d.ich TO tho other, said to-1ay. lt you
we're 70 publish my name in this connection would
nately know from experience that this would b" the
case. / complained against iianhanH outrhs,ous
boldly Within "A week my boats Wy" Hooded over
the lock and the cargo badly daWHt 'd II OIL
very easy thing 10 do when you know how 70 hoat
them up Just right against the hrelpath wal.
redress. We have laid COMPLAINTS WIN plenty 81
evidence before Governor Flowoi ana vs. cond
mention the fact to Hannah. We have meyer bren
able to get the least comfort out 81 me Governor.
have been connected with the canal Tor more
than a quarter Of century, and have never sen
It go mismanaged "a II has been me nst tnt mr.,
wears Not only have canal appropriations pecn
s Ssa ~, sasted Eyory shovclf OF Garth dug
has cost a dollar II is a fact that the canal would
nToneiler wheels Of the. steam canalboats throw
the mud to either side and scoop out channel
I'm the middle Of the canal" mn.
George clinton grandson Of Gorernor De WIZ
Clinton, who was the father OF the Erie Canal ana
broke grounl for It with his own hand on july
president OF the Buffalo Merchants Exchange. lie
mas no boats on the canal ana Is tne r go
in speaking openly. lie said TO The Tribune CORE
spondent ~ know Of reason why the canal
should not have been opened by thc iniIdIe OF
rageons management OF the canal ever since Han
ard Governor Flower have been ~ o'i n@
but complaints have done very little good. because
Governor Flower backs the Superintendent ,,.,,,
Governor Flowers attitude ~ shown pihlniy
enough by his action In regard to the Cataract
General Electric Comppny's contract. re was a
responsible for the second section Of the law which
made the contract possible; Ihs svytULh. WILL
10 make contracts devotng public lands TO p5,V@ o
uses without compensation Is VOCATION o, a.I
proper principles that should govern me mam ,
nen Of the canals That part Of the contract re-
atng to cheap electric towing on the w Ss"i iha wht
gave the company practical mon9poy, o. Va W.
rbutpg light and poweT to the ro ceS T TTs was
what the company was after, anu ~ ny Upinii0'
II does not care q rap about the TOWING PIN..cSr,
which depends wholly upon experiments YET 10 DO
tried. 49,, go. u.
''If the Governor had not vetoed the Gerst re
peal bill. the contract with the company won ~,
could have proved II unconstitutional ana eou ii
have thrown IL OUT The veto OF the reprai , D,,i
leaves the Superintendent with power TO ei I'm me
new contracts with the company which shdn so
alter the technical objections TO me cohttac' VA b.
IL WILL be harder throw Il out In the courts but
! can assure you that the matter VII, YET pe
brought into the courts. and possibly before INC
year Is out. . IT,, ,o,o,ol,,
THE corporation having the trolley momop Joy
would have control OF transportation, no indtteI
what regulations imposed. The proviso IN tne
contract for buying out the company Whent.ei
utter nonsense. unless the COM
many Is bought out to-day. In the hrst place we
would have TO meet them In the Legislature WheIS
they are powerful in the second place. We would
have TO encounter in the Legislature the SAM oP-
noslion that we now meet in trying to get appr,o-
ppria,ions FOR the canals. A bill 10 buy out the
Y.-I,Sni,, covid MAYER no through the Leg