Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1898-01-22
ThE rNls CANAL
The Fart nc played I'm New Works Nd
vancement Ira wealth and Population.


Mr.. Ernest Iugersoll writes an arsi-
Gle for st. Nicholas on the Greater
New York. his paper being entitled
Reasoning Out Metz opois." Mr..
Ingersoll says:
The greatest of all the influences
that assisted New York 20 reach first
place was the Erie Canal. The first
quarter of this century was the era OF
canal building No matter how tine
the turnpike may be, horses can haul
in wagons only high-priced merchan-
disc, in comparatively small quantities
and for snort distances, unless the
cargo is TO cost for transpo- tation
more than IL is worth. Men found out
in Europe and Asia long ago that for
moving grain, coal, timber. ore, and
similar bulky or heavy goods. where
/ speed was not especially important, a
F ship or boat was the only practical
method. II a river were not convent
ent. then an artificial waterway, called
a canal-that Is, channel-must be
made. When in any country some
thing OF this kind cannot be done,
that country must remain undeveloped
and thiDly populated, like the Sahara
Why is canal so much better than
n good road for commercial purposes
Because. while two horses and one
man can haul on n hard. level road
perhaps two tons, the same driver VAL
two horses harnessed to canal boat
can move twenty tons nearly as quick
": that is. the same force and EXPENSE
for pay and food Of men and horses
accomplish ten times as much in re
suit. which really makes the goods
ten times cheaper AT the end OF tn
P route.
, Hence. before the invention or rail
\, roads, II was necessary for any grow
$ ing country 70 dig canals 70 serve o.
4 the highways OF commerce; and tin
>. the young United States FASTENED q
!. do. New York, as usual, move
r amonc the foremost. She plaune
c and constructed, besides some Jesse
II ones. that great waterway, four hun
= dred miles long. from Albany 20 Bui
= falo. which was called the Erie Cana
e and connected the Hudson with tn
-e Great Lakes.
20 This canal was finished In 1925, an
be- immensely stimulated the growth, M
he only Of the western part of New Nor
N state. but Of the whole region Of Il
81 Great Lakes: for now farmers IN IL
ia Northwest could send their grain ar
a fruit and cattle. and the miners the
FL ore. and the lumbermen their sh
~ timber, and boards and slaves. 20 q
ld seaboard AZ profitable rates; and
ap return they could obtain the import
En- merchandise and manufactures of sc
re coa7t cities al fair cost. a fleet
n vessels on the lakes came and weI
FL, bringing from farm, mine and fore
as cargoes which were loaded into can
re boats and sent east. often 20 be tran
tin ferred 20 vessels for foreign POI
ei- without ever touching land AZ all. A
CIV back went supplies FOR the interior
an New York State. aud for settlers
OF Ohio. Michigan. Wisconsin, Illino
ar. and beyond, who could never Ina
ro- lived and worked in those dist'
cry parts except for this means of che
zen communication. To them, also, eve
summer. went thousands OF new S
I'm tiers from New England and Old T.
ma land and all Europe. who needed
act, longer 10 spend weeks and weeks
gnt travelling In wagons before reach
ne their new homes.
on