The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-15
RECALLS DAYS WHEN
NORTHAMPTON CANAL RAN
THROUGH NEW HAVEN

days pe1Ore.
For the next eight years the bust
ness Of the canal increased. Old
New Haven papers loaned me by John
Cowles Of your club gives the names
of eight boats which arrived in New
Haven In June, 1929, Of IL which arriv
ed in two days of June, 1880, and So
which arrived in 10 days of June, 1881.
For three days only it gives their lad
ing. The shipments from Farming
ton were wood, cider and cider bran
dy From Northington (now Avon(.
rails, cheese, wood and shocks, South
ington, wood. One boat was named
Southington. No boats were owned
by the Canal company, their income
on their investment accruing from
tolls paid by the owners of boats
which navigate the ca,.-.l. The tolls
were only sufficient to pay the ordin-
airy expenses of the company, while
its heavy debt and very heavy dam
ages to the canal from a freshet in
1886 made it necessary that some re-
ally adopted was the formation of a
new company, the New Haven &c
Northampton Co. That company was
organized June %, 1896. 1t consisted
of the consolidation of the Pennington
Canal Co. and the Hampshire and
those two companies was surrendered
the creditors subscribed the debts due
them and a cash subscription gave
them net capital of $120.1S492. In
1912 a business communication was OPP
ened through the canal between New
York city and the upper part of Mas
sachusetts, Vermont and New Hamp-
shire. Many tons of merchandise
were transported upon the canal for
those regions In 1912 the canal was
operated through the entire season OF
eight months and the business was ex-
tended by the establishment of a line
of boats to run from Northampton to
Brattleboro, VT. In 1s43 the canal
was damaged by floods to the amount
Of $4,000 and the whole fall trade
lost, the repairs not being finished till
November 9Th. In 1874 the canal was
worked through it's entire length the
whole season without a single days in
terruption. That was the rosiest year
in the history of the canal. In 1916
a large majority of the stock was own
ed by parties in New York who refus-
ed to make any further advances. A
charter was obtained for a railroad
which was opened from New Haven
to Plainvtlle January 18th. 1848.
Navigation of the canal was gus
pended when the railroad was ready
to take its place.
1t is now In order to sum up the
final results of the enterprise. How
much the stockholders suffered cannot
idea can be gained however, from the
experience of the Mechanics bank,
which put in $200,00 dollars in clean
cash. The cashier informs me that it
was q total loss and in 1s43 was charg-
ed off, reducing the stock from 100000
to $500, 900.
The owners of boats must also have
lost money in the f1nal-wind-up. So
far as we can learn, the only gain
was to those who received freight in
that way.
One, who was a boy when the ca
nal was in it's glory however, will re-
member how valuable an asset the
canal was to boys. The canal was
full of reaches ginning in the sun
and cells and bullheads lay in deep
holes and fell easy victims TO bobs
and hooks In the warm evenings 1t
was a model place for skating. A
tradition of my boyhood was that Ell
bert Matthews skated from South End
to New Haven and back one moonlit
evening. Every boy near the canal
learned to swim. An ordinary sized
boy of IL could by standing on tip
toe easily keep his head above water.
and reach the shore by wading 20
feet. But the most fascinating pleas
ure was to drop from bridge to the
deck Of a boat and take free ride.
If the helmsman tried to bother him
by steering SO near the center Of the
canal that he could not jump out onto
the towpath, he would grab the first
bridge they came under and climb
I'D on it,