The labor world., 1898-02-19
THIS: ERIE CANAL.

ticle for St. Nic.olas on the Greater
New York, his paper being entitled
"Reasoning Out Metropolis. Mr..
Ingersoll says: The greatest of all
the influences that assisted New
York to reach first place was the
Erie canal.
The first quarter of this century
was the era of canal building. No
matter how fine the turnpikes may
be, horses can haul in wagons only
high priced merchandise in COM
paratively small quantities and for
short distances, unless the cargo is
to cost for transportation more than
it is worth. Men found out in Eu-
rope and Asia long ago that for
moving grain, coal, timber, ore and
similar bulky or heavy goods, where
speed was not especially important,
ship or boat was the only practi-
cable method. If a river were not
convenient, then an artificial water
way, called a canal-that is, chan
nel-must be made When in any
country something of this kind can
not be done, that country must re-
main undeveloped and thinly popu-
lated, like the Sahara. -.
Why is a canal SO much better
than a good road for commercial
purposes2 Because, while two horses
and one man can haul on hard,
level road perhaps two tons, the
same driver with two horses har-
messed to a canalboat can move 20
tons nearly as quickly-that is, the
same force and expense for pay and
food of men and horses accomplish
ten times as much in result, which
really makes the goods ten times
cheaper at the end of the route !:
Hence before the invention of rail-
roads it was necessary in any grow
ing country to dig canals to serve as
the highways of commerce, and this
the young United States fastened to
do. New York, as usual, moved
along the foremost. She planned and
constructed, besides some lesser
ones, that great waterway, 400 miles
long, from Albany to Buffalo, which
was called the, Erie canal and con-
nected the Hudson with the great
lakes.
This canal was finished in 1926,
and immensely stimulated the
growth not only of the western part
of New York state, but of the whole
region of the great lakes; for now
farmers in the northwest could send
their grain and fruit and cattle, and
the miners their ore, and the ,lum-
bermen their ship timber, and boards
and slaves, to the seaboard at profit
able rates, and in return they could
obtain the imports, merchandise, and
manufactures of seacoast cities at a
fair cost. A fleet of vessels on the
lakes came and went, bringing from
farm, mine and forest cargoes which
were loaded into the canalboats and
sent east, often to be transferred to
vessels for foreign ports without
ever touching land at all. And back
went supplies for the interior of
New York state and for settlers in
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois
and beyond, who could never have
lived and worked in those distant
parts except for this means of cheap
communication. TO them also every
summer went thousands of new set
tiers from New England and old
England and all Europe, who needed
no longer to spend weeks and weeks
in t. Aveling in wagons before reach
ing their new homes.
Come on, glad millennium of times serene
and bright,
And melt to gold the manifold and twinkling
stars of night!
Let every storm rain riches and every ily's
stem
Be bent with gittering dewdrops and every
uIOp ScIu.
Come on, o glad millennium of times unknown
before,
When the sea shall spray its plenty of pearls
along the shore;
When darkest night is kissed to light and in
the morning CLEANS
We front smiling future and realize our
dreams!
Come on, O glad millennium, and kiss to bloom
the dells,
And shake the sweetest music from the tin
Cling, jngling bells!
Let every storm rain riches and every star O.
night
Roll down its golden treasure from happy hills
of light.
Come on, O glad millennium The weary world
awaits
With many a rosy garland of welcome ON her
gates.
Make diamonds of the daisies, while every
lily's stem
fs bent with gl1ttering dewdrops and every
Atlanta Constitution.