Evening star., 1925-10-04
New Workers Observe Centenary
of Completion of the Erie Canal
Was Originally Celebrated With Pageant Which Travelled Buffalo
New York City, Following Course of New Waterway

set down as one or the great
est in the commercial progress
OF the New World. Remarkabl,
enough it seems to have been ade
auately esteemed by those who par
ticipated in it.
Some authorities. 1T Is true. have at
tributed the extensive celebration
which inaugurated New Yorks grea,
inland waterway to political motive.
rNther than exceptional historical
foresight on the part of the populace
But whatever may have been the
cause, the fact. remains that there
was celebration of unprecedented
proportions: that Dewitt Clinton the
moving genius behind the canal. re
ceived all honor and credit for hi.
accomplishment; and that the achieve
ment was almost universally hailed
as epochal.
For years certain canal enthusiasts
headed by Dewitt Clinton and Robert
Fulton. had labored against consider
able odds for the construction of a
canal to connect the Hudson River
with the Great Lakes. 1t was diff
cult to convince many of the feast
bility Of the plan to link river with
a lake when the surface Of one
was $50 feet above that of the other.
Finally, after much debate, the New
York State Legislature authorized the
construction of the Grand Canal by
an act of April Is, 1917 The act then
went before the council of revision,
which. after a stormy session, passed
II by the narroWest possible margin
one vote.
preliminary work. such as survey
ing, started Immediately. but the ac-
1ual excavation did not begin until
after formal inaugural celebration
which, according to the custom of the
lines, was held on Independence day.
Rome, New York, was the scene of the
ceremony. and Gov. Clinton, who
turned the first shoyelful of earth.
was the chief actor
EVen after the gigantic task was
well under way it met with opposition
from numerous quarters. \ large
percentage OF the people We're frankly
skeptical as to its ultimate success.
ana even its most optimistic sup
porters joined in the common say
Ing, We shall never live to sect 1t
finished. but our children may"
perseverance won. however in the
surprisingly short time of eight years.
'CHnton's Big Ditch" as it was de
risively called by its opponents. was
completed zone section at a time. and
AS unit after unit became finished.
the attacks upon the scheme Wilted
away. October, 1919. saw the first
part. that between Rome and Utica,
opened for traffic
The first boat to travel between
those two towns bore the canal COM
lnlsstoners and was drawn by one
horse. No speed laws were broken.
BY June of the next year, 90 miles
OF the canal were completed and in
use. In 1923. water was let into the
stretch between Rochester and Sche-
nectady. and few months later the
first boat passed from the canal into
the Hudson at Albany. BY this time,
the tolls on the partially finished
thoroughfare exceeded the interest
charges and augured we'll for the
future financial success of the project.
X X X x
EARLY in 1926 1t was learned that
the Grand Canal would be COM
pleted from end TO end by October.
The corporation of New York City felt
that there should be come fitting cere.
mony to mark the event, and accord
ingly sent two aldermen to Buffalo to
arrange a triumphant procession
which should journey between the two
cities by way of the canal. That these
two men and other hackers of the
plan were entirely successful in their
enterprise is attested by the fact that
the details of the festivities which
d
several books
The inaugural functions began in
Buffalo on October 20. 1925. Gov
Clinton and his staff, after a parade
and several speeches, embarked on
the packet-boat Seneca Chief, ,>drawn
by four gray horses. All accounts Of
the Seneca take care to mention two
paintings: "One presented the scene
which was at the moment being en-
acted-Buffalo Creek and the harbor.
with the canal in the foreground and
the Seneca Chief moving away. The
other presented Gov. Clinton as
Hercules in Roman costume resting
from hard labor
Or greater interest to present -day
readers are the two kegs of a Iiuuid
that had no acholic content, but which
nevertheless was regarded as the most
valuable freight on board the ship.
Unbelievable as it may sound it was
water-plain water-from Lake Erie
that was so highly priced. Its value
can be appreciated when 1t is ex.
planned that it was to be used in the
forthcoming commingling ceremony
with the waves of the Atlantic in the
harbor of New York.
Several other boats followed the
Seneca-the Chief. the Superior. the
Comdr. Perry and the Buffalo In
ADDITION, there was a ship called
Noah's Ark which carried the UNIQUE
cargo of "a bear. two eagles, two
lawns, several fish. and two Indian
boys, all travelling under the title OF
Products of the West"
The departure of the boats was the
signal for.the discharge of q long line
of cannon which had been placed at
intervals of about 10 miles along the
canal and down the Hudson from AL
bany to New York. The successive
firing of these guns flashed the news
to New York City in what was then
regarded as the sensational time of so
minutes. When Manhattan had thus
heard the echo of Buffalo's cannon,
she sent her acknowledgement back in
similar fashion. Several of the
pieces of artillery used in this stunt"
were trophies of war. having been cap
sured by Commodore Perry 1T the bat
tie of Lake Erie.
AS Clinton and his colleagues were
drawn eastward across the State they
were met and feted at practically