Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-28
GRAIN
on CANAL BOATS.
where Thousands of People spend the
Winter I'm Comparative Comfort.
From the New York Advertiser

Where Thou.ands Of People spend the
Winter I'm Comparative Comfort.
From the New York Advertiser
There are at present some two hundred
canal boats wintering in the various New
York basins ard slips. Several thousand
people-men. women and children-live on
board these boats from November till about
the LIST of April. Many OF these families
spend winter after winter IN the same
spot-when they ara fortunate enough 10
gel out OF the Canals before they freeze.
The Erie canal troze this year the last OF
November, anu a humber OF boats are scat
t=red along It's length, locked up In the ice
until spring. The Erie canal boats which
reached New York. about l,SvO IN number
lie mostly an the basins, wnere berlns are
cheaper Than In the slps, ranging from e.
10 sio Tor the winter. These coats coms
down, as a rule, laden with wheat, They
are owned by Bunaio 'scdIpers."
Ile Sls or nine nunureu boats from The
Northern canal are buiIt on sllgntly differ
ant lines. 1ney bring carsoes OF lumber VI
potatoes, the latter TO be SOLD at reIail from
Inc boat, and therefore they choose the
more accessible and expensive bsrtns In
thu slips, where 1t costs eacn boat 10 cents
d DAY. they are generally owned by their
captains. VINO live Oh board with their
families.
In Coenties slip is a typical assomblaSe
of some sixty OF these Northern canal
boats. They are wadeed IN close sanss
along the wharf. SO that 1t is possible 10
step from one faii to another, and to walk
from Che to the otLer end OF ths slip across
their hat, white decks, except where these
decks are piled with lumber or heapso with
potatoes in process OF unloading. The roofs
OF the cabins. raised two or Ihrcs feet
above the decks. show tiny Hindows al
most Invariably equipped with shades and
Lace curtains. a steep nigh OF nye Six
steps, closed by a wicket gives access 10 a
flp he hrA inv .af x.ytaf .aia
commodate perhs ps hve or six people. In
side the walls Of the cabin are wainscoted.
and the low ceiling, crossed by huge beams,
is painted white. The floor 10 usually COW
cred with a rag carpet OF home manufac-
tuTe. One room, about five feet square.
contains 4 cook stove and provisions. An-
other is a bed room. The main room. which
measures perhaps eight by twelve, holds d
cot-bed, covered by d gay blanket OF Cana
dian homespun; a table, where the meals of
the family are served, a sewing machine.
several chairs and & number of objects In
tended for oraament-photograph OF mem
hers of the family. Autographs and ar
| arrangements OF paper nowers. The whole
place is as neat and clean as possible. 1t is
inevitably overhcated, and smells Of lamp
Oil; all superfluous articles are disposed IN
lockers along the walls. and the principal
room has perhaps line strung across with
freshly ironed clothes. Otherwise its as
pect is that of many farm house sitting
room, and Its occupants have the charac
teristics of the farming class, with the
added advantage of travel
Ninety-fve per cent of these canal people
are American-born. They are intelligent,
often well-to-do. and compare most favor
ably with the same class of people ashore.
One family own two boats, and these, when
they go into winter quarters, lie side by
side, so that the housewife can use one
cabin for cooking and iavatory purposes
and the other for living rooms. The family
also has home in Fort Edwards, where 1t
passes the winter when business does not
bring IL TO this city. There il keeps two
horses, which the man says regretfully are
eating their heads of in the stable I'm the
absence of their owners In the cabin of
this boat is bicycle. to supply the place OF
the quadrupeds unavoidably left in Fort
Edward.
The occupants of the various boats have
a social life OF their own, governed, how
ever, by the same rules which regulate cor
responding affairs ashore. The women
have their chosen acquaintance and
friends. whom th.y visit winter after win
ter. They have the proper wariness of
new people" Their children go to the
grammar school, square away from the
slip, and in cleanliness and intelligence
compare most favorably with their fellow
pupils. After finishing this grammar school
many of these young people go through the
high school, the parents sometimes return
ing to New York for the especial purpose
of giving them the opportunity TO do SO.