New-York tribune., 1895-08-30
FLEET OF STEEL CANALBOATS
FIVE OF THEM WITH PROPELLER AK
RIVE FROM CLEVELAND.
SUCCESS OF THE EXPERIMENT LEADS CANAL
BoArMEN AND RAILROAD MEN TO PRoPHEsY
GREAT CHANGE IN CANAL TRAFFIC
MORE VESSELS TO BE BUILT

A GREAT CHANGE IN CANAL TRAFFIC
MORE VESSELS TO BE BUILT.
A feet of steel cans iboats arrived In New-York
iaet night from Cleveland. ONO. WINCH cana
boatmen and railroad men decare' VIII IN all proo-
ability start a revolution In the canaipoat ana gen
eral freight traffic. The fleet Consists or hVe steer
canaboats and one steel propeller. and their safe
arrival here ends successfully an experiment wnich
has been made by the Cleveland Steel Cana'ooa'
Company The boats were built for the company In
Cleveland and are of steel throughout. They are
each ninety eight feet In lengtn. e'gh'eeh ieet
beam and ten feet moulded depth. Each one IL
capable OF carrying go tons on draft OF SIX ieet
OF water Tho propeller, the Alpha. Is hihety-t"o
feet long and can carry l% tons, exclusive or her
engines etc.
She is fitted with a fore and aft compound con-
densing engine, OF about one hundred and twenty
horsepower and can push a.ong the fleet at about
the rate OF three niles hour. The boats are
constructed OF Onequarer inch steel plates ana AZ
their more vulnerable points the plates are doubled
The fleet brought about one tho usand tons OF steel
rails which are consigned to the Broadway Trac-
ton Company and the Staten Island Rapid Transit
Company.
f. NJ Oxiey, the agent OF the Cleveland Steel
Canalboat Company Invited a number OF canal
boat men. railroad men and newspaper men to 20
I'D the Hudson to meet the fleet upon It's arrival
and the trip made yesterday on the tug De-
nance. In the party were Erastus Wiman, Louis
Nixon naval constructor. formerly with the
Cramps. and now at the head OF the Crescent Ship
ard Elizabeth ~ j.; E. K. Taylor. OF the I.ehigh
Valley Road II. +. Fest. OF the Pennsylvania
Railroad; F. w. CummIskey secretary and treas'
urer OF the Easton Mcmahon Transportation
Company; w. B. Walsh. OF the Utica Canal Com
pany, S. l.. Clark. OF the Anchor Line; Edwin T.
Douglass, Of the Western Transit Company; Alex.
ander r. Smith. Editor OF The Canal Defender
and Charles J. Kircher. OF the A. L. Malcomson
Company, who large shippers OF birthstone and
sulphur The Defiance met the feet few miles
above Yonkers. and there was an exchange Of toots
and concentrations between tug and feet.
The party boarded the canalboats and made O
tour OF inspection under the direction Of Charles
f. Wheeler the general manager Of the Cleveland
the maiden trip to get perfectly familiar with the
situation. The feet was in charge OF captain
Haines. a veteran canal boatman. who said ne
would not be afraid to cross the ocean In his yes,
sells Mr.. Wheeler said that along the Erie Canal
thousands of people had gathered to greet them as
they passed He had met only two misnaps, ana
these had only intensified his belief and confidence
in the boats and confirmed. him IN his opinion o.
the success OF the experiment The meet had lei !
Cleveland two weeks ago last Tuesday. and had
lost 1902 hours because Of the mishaps mentioned ne
had closely watched the vessels. and SAID tnat oniy
a few minor changes would be MADE IN the II
maning vessels TO be built by the company, suci sue
as making the sterns squarer and altering tne Tua &
ders. In all important details, the experiment ""'
a most complete success. -. ,.o r,ora
The company will now have built nineteen i noi :
consorts and five propellers and bid Will be mace
for the trade as far Cleveland. and ater as iat
estei in the Innovation. and said that IT wouid
mean a great deal to tho port OF New" iorn. hs
would perhaps be instrumental In stimuiau"s TIC
movement to deepen and improve the canal