The Washington herald., 1908-08-16

or a hundred aal-zls 60 move the same
weight along tie ordinary country road
al the same pace
The canal boat laden with coaI has on
~ averase lis tons aboard TIE actual
per diem distance covered a7r-oxira-es
ufty miles Tor rze boats running TWO
shifts 0f mules and probably thirty or
th5rry-rve fe- The boats vE.e1 r-u with
only one SHIFT
Starting from Cumberland. say. fn the
early hours NJ % Monday -lrru.r--eauaI
H1a-ue1 are earlier ---e-s even -lau
fsruers-rE- plglai-- progress ~ the
cumh-0-s craft wlG land the boat al
Ha1coCk 1Id.. late that s-e-.-E Tues
Gay morning az q similarly early hour on
Eiz-- T-- rzl'l-r p-rrt1-5 -E9 ta.l--U-
mules have iEdgIEed 5- up unusual pr
to-l-a-.e-- the historic town ~ ~l7-gS-
I. burg v-I De reached 4 llzzr at this
point and another ea-ly start and tie
reirI ----T IS made somewhere below
iar1e-s Ferry whence the Journey 20
Washington. ur rather 90 Che point
where the canal --a--.-E v.-r the waters
90 Rock Creek has Ir- outlet into the Po-
actual running time
This would he rather a speedy trip IL
is an outline 1f -r-0 that does not dis
clss The probability Of an accident. but
% Is Tie sort OF Trip thar is bv no
means uncommon for the rls---uE. hard
handed. Eard-wor-ilE canal men. who do
not hesitate 90 r-- l- thirteen hours on.
of TIE cWe-ty-faur as r=SlIar tlllE.
and run ~ four or five hours az night
besides. iu order 90 make uQ for any
extraordinary delays incident 90 the
days run
Disaster in Year 1883
The dating point IN the later history OF
the Chesapeake and OHIO Canal is tie
terrible food OF June l. 1Ss9 Everythiu-
in canal lore counts either forward or
back from that catastrophe. Old canal
men viii tell you Of the good old days
when they owned their own boats and
their own teams and things We're boom
ing- II IS like the stories one listens TO
from the old folks Of the happy south
land" whose memories date back to the
days before 1851
The flood Of 1SS9 tore things loose along
the canal from Cumberland &c Washing
ton Great areas Of the canal bank were
bitten out. in some instances miles long.
and in many places Creat chunks of the
retaining wall were destroyed The boats
were stranded in the dry bed Of what had
/
and there along the route boats had been
caught iu the wasd-out Of the banks and
rushed maGIy 20 destruction on the rocks
Of the Potomac
Then came nearly two years Of abso-
lutte Inactivity for the canal men and
when. after much discussion as 70 the
practicabiIity Of ever resuminE the use Of
the canal vast amount Of repair work
was done al killing expense and the
boats started Up again. but not on the
old independent basis
TowsEe Company Carries Coal.
The coaI-carrying business Of the canal
to-day IS done by the Canal Towaee Com
pany. subsidiary company Of the par
ent concern. The Towase Company owns
the boats. It owns the mules. IL owns the
harness and everything else. The men
are paid e tonnage for the transporta-
tion Of coal. amounting to 40 cents per
ton. and the captain Of to-day can earn
about So for each trip, whereas in the
old independent days 500 was a usual re-
turn for the roUnd-trip turn from Wash
ingtOn TO Cumberland
About the only independent owners re-
naming along the canal now are the
grain bOatmen- Some of them are max
ing big money. just as good as they ever
/ did. They buy grain up the canal and
boat It down 20 Washington. where they
sell II 10 the mill people Of this city The
taking Of a certain speculative interest
( in their commitments gives the canal
grain business an element OF risk. but
the actual speculation in the grain is not
a necessary concomitant Of the business
and 1t is stnI optional with the boatman
whether he takes such risk or not
May Pick Up Passengers.
A feature Of the daily life Of the canal
boatman IS the possibility Of picking I'd
passengers along the line. Some OF the
boatmen are a bit brusque with the pros
pective passenger others Of them are
opposed 10 the carrying OF any human
freight at all. but take them BIZ and
large the chap who wants to spend
few hours IN lazy enjoyment Of a jour
ney along the picturesque route Of the
Old-fashioned waterway viii find a hearty
welcome from the captain and his family.
open-handed hospitality Of the good old
fashioned sort. and when at his journeys
end. be IL an hour or a day. an honest
expression OF enjoyment at the chance
OF showing him something worth while
Should you doubt this. just try to pay
one Of the captains FOR your passage