The Washington herald., 1914-02-16
HISTORY BUILDERS.
An Almost Forgotten Promoter Of
Canals.
By Il. J. EDWARDS.

7 ny y. De EDWAhDS.
twritten ExpresslJ for The w.shinstoo Henid,
I'M AJoR. did you ever hear Of James
AVA Geddess' the late. Commodore
Van Bantvoord asked Of his
warm personal friend, Maj. Frank A.
Bend. one evening in Saratoga. There
were three In the group, the commodore.
the major. and myself. We were sitting
upon the broad piazza OF one Of the large
lating many Incidents associated with his
boyhood experiences just after the Erie
Canal had been opened for navigai ion
With that canal his father and later the
commodore himself were associated In a
business way, and II was there that the
commodore learned the steamboat busi-
ness. which afterward he developed
highly and from which he gained a
fortune OF s10oooooo.
Of James Geddes7" Mai. Bond replied.
Your own good sense should have taught
you that a man as interested as have
been for some years in canal construc-
ton In the United States ought certainly
to have heard Of James Geddes."
1T has always been a matter or won
der to me-" said the commodore. that you
who have been SO prominent as a railroad
manager. and especially with the So
SoiitQ b.stetD. snOul0 nave DtCOTit 81
warm an agitator of canal construction. ="
WELL" returned the major, 1T Is be-
cause I have learned that the day is
surely coming when there will be as gen.
eral canal system throughout the
United States, supplementing the rail-
reads. as there Is in Holland or Belgium. :"
Yes II was on account of the railroad
that Mr.. Geddes withdrew from canal
construction" said the commodore. Il
remember to have seen Mr.. Geddes when
was boy. II was shortly after the
opening OF the Erie Canal. My father
pointed him out TO me at a time when
he was visiting Utica.
Father said to me: There is the man
who first recommended the construction
OF the Erie Canal. and he made that
recommendation after he had thoroughly
surveyed a route for the waterway. He
went through New York State at n cost
OF little less than 1900. made surveys.
took levels, and in that way was able to
report that It was entirely practicable to
construct a canal from Lake Erie to the
Hudson River
Il can add TO that statement" said
Mai. Bond. although I never saw Mr..
Geddes. i was a mere child when he
died. But when was advocating the
construction of a ship canal from Lake
Erie to Lake Michigan, across lower
MlCHlBdH. ! met a gentleman WHO Knew
Mr.. Geddes. He told me that Mr.. Geddes
persisted that a ship canal would be cut
from lower Lake Michigan to the west
end of Lake Erie and that he had come
to that conclusion when he was making
surveys for a canal through the State OF
Ohio from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
Furthermore. he told me that Mr..
Geddes was asked to make the surveys
for a canal which would connect the
Tennessee and Alabama Rivers. but de-
clIned. and that II was always thought
that he refused because just about that
time they were beginning to construct
railroads. have always felt that n
memorial Of some kind should be estab-
lished along the line OF the Eric Canal
In recognition of the work James Geddes
did. learned one thing about him that
always struck me very strange. He was
hot trained as a civil engineer. lie be-
came lawyer and was for a time a
Judge in Western New York. | think a
good deal of my own Inspiration. or. at
least encouragement. for advocating
greatly increased canal systems in the
United States, was due to what l learned
about James Geddes."
CCoryrishi. lsltl