Historic Highways of America Volume XIV Part 6

1835 $31,810.70 1844 $418,692.06 1836 53,218.83 1845 155,130.43 1837 636,312.17 1846 70,012.35 1838 1,163,196.12 1847 62,331.30 1839 2,237,785.74 1848 634,573.08 1840 3,234,749.66 1849 1,000,323.97 1841 2,518,309.72 1850 1,365,695.00 1842 1,521,152.51 ------------ 1843 530,801.54 Total $15,634,095.18[64]

This enlargement was completed in 1862 and is legally known as the "enlargement of 1862." When completed the ca.n.a.l was 350-1/2 miles long; it had seventy-two locks, measuring 11018 feet, of which fifty-seven were double and fifteen single. The building of double locks did not cease until 1875.

Further enlargement of the Erie Ca.n.a.l has been almost constantly under discussion. In 1863 State Engineer Taylor suggested gunboat locks twenty-six feet wide and two hundred and twenty-five feet long, with a depth of seven feet. What was known as the "Seymour Plan" was brought forward by State Engineer Seymour in 1878, which called for a deepening of the ca.n.a.l to eight feet by lowering the bottom in some places and raising the banks in others. State Engineer Sweet proposed a ship ca.n.a.l across New York, eighteen feet in depth, in 1884. In 1892 the subject of enlarging the ca.n.a.l was considered by Congress,[65] but nothing was done until 1895 when the "Nine Million" act was pa.s.sed by the New York legislature, granting about half the sum asked for by the state engineer for improvement.

The work was begun in 1897 and consisted of deepening the ca.n.a.l to nine feet in the waterway and eight feet over structures. The work went on through 1898 when the appropriation gave out and it was suspended.

But before the pa.s.sage of this act an effort was being made to secure recognition at Albany in order that the subject of enlargement might be more thoroughly studied before the state should be committed to any policy; and even after the general a.s.sembly had voted for the expenditure of nine millions of dollars, yet the men behind the scenes were not dismayed, but with greater determination their work was carried on.

The story of initiative work, of the arousing of public sentiment, the obtaining of recognition of those in power at Albany, the years of work expended and of thousands of dollars obtained by voluntary subscription for the carrying on of the work can never be told in detail and could only be told by such men as Mr. George H. Raymond of Buffalo and his a.s.sociates. But that their work was efficient time has already proved.

The first official recognition of the necessity for radical enlargement or total abandonment (this latter being a natural deduction from the former) was the pa.s.sage of an act by the general a.s.sembly of the state[66] authorizing the governor to appoint a commission "to examine into the commerce of New York, the cause of its decline and the means for its revival."

Governor Black appointed Charles A. Schieren, Andrew H. Green, C. C.

Shayne, Hugh Kelly, and Alexander R. Smith to const.i.tute what was officially known as the New York Commerce Commission but was usually called the "Black Commission." This body of men submitted a preliminary report to the legislature of 1899[67] and continued its investigations under authority of an amendment[68] making, in 1900, a most exhaustive report thereon.

Long before the final report of the "Black Commission"[69] was submitted Theodore Roosevelt was governor and taking active steps to a.s.sist in the solution of the "ca.n.a.l question." A "Committee on Ca.n.a.ls of the State of New York" was appointed. The following quotations from Governor Roosevelt's letter of appointment written to Francis V. Greene on March 8, 1899, are self-explanatory:

"I am very desirous of seeing the ca.n.a.l policy of the state definitely formulated. As you know, the nine million dollars designated to deepen the ca.n.a.l to the depth of nine feet has been practically expended, and it is reported that sixteen millions additional will be needed to carry this scheme through, while at the same time, certain experts have said that the scheme, when carried through, will not be satisfactory....

"I desire the opinion of a body of experts, ... I have decided to ask five of the citizens of New York, whose reputation in these respects stands highest, to act with the Superintendent of Public Works, Col.

Partridge, and the State Engineer and Surveyor, Mr. Bond, to make the necessary investigations.... The other four gentlemen will be Major T.

W. Symons, Hon. John N. Scatcherd, Hon. George E. Green and Hon. Frank S. Witherbee....

"The broad question of the proper policy which the State should pursue in ca.n.a.l matters remains unsolved, and I ask you to help me reach the proper solution."

This committee submitted a report to the governor, under date of January 15, 1900, stating "That the ca.n.a.ls connecting the Hudson River with Lake Erie, Ontario and Champlain should not be abandoned, but should be maintained and enlarged." The report contained many maps, doc.u.ments and tables, and offered convincing arguments. The consideration of the two reports, viz., the Black Commission and the Roosevelt Committee, by the next general a.s.sembly resulted in the pa.s.sage of "an act directing the State Engineer and Surveyor to cause surveys, plans and estimates to be made for improving the Erie ca.n.a.l, the Champlain ca.n.a.l, and the Oswego ca.n.a.l and making an appropriation therefor."[70]

The work thus authorized was carried out and a report, comprising a thousand pages of printed matter and thirty-four plates in atlas form, was submitted to the general a.s.sembly the following year.

One of the clearest statements of the conditions which led New York to face the great work of enlarging her ca.n.a.l is contained in a letter written to Governor Odell by William F. King, President of the Merchants' a.s.sociation of New York, as follows:

"I wish to call your attention to what, to my mind, is one of the most important public improvements that can be made for the benefit of the people of this State, namely, the improvement of the Erie Ca.n.a.l. It must not be forgotten that formerly the minerals, the products of the farm, the production of cotton, lumber, coal; in fact, all raw materials, were brought Eastward to be turned into manufactured goods, and shipped West.

Today what are the conditions? The goods are manufactured ready for market right in the States where the raw material is found. The consequence is that these self-same States have grown so rapidly and so much in wealth that it behooves our people to realize the importance of the Erie Ca.n.a.l to the manufacturing industries, and the farming element of the State.

"The widening and deepening of the Erie Ca.n.a.l means continued prosperity to the manufacturing industries of this State. It means that the raw material will come to our different towns, villages, and cities at an extremely low cost, and that we will then be able to compete with the manufacturing industries of the great Middle West. Unless this is done, there is but one alternative, that this great State lose its commercial supremacy, which would also mean a great loss in population. People must be employed. If they cannot secure work they will go to that market where their services can be utilized at good wages.

"The farmers of this State must remember that conditions have changed in regard to the products of the farm. Eastern farmers cannot, because of natural conditions, produce grain and meat products as well as Western farmers can. Therefore, Eastern farmers cannot profitably compete in these products. They think that cheap grain and provision freights from the West to the seaboard give Western farm products a still greater advantage, and therefore are opposed to them. That may be true; but will choking the Erie Ca.n.a.l, so that the New York Central Railroad Company can maintain high local freight rates on manufactured products and high-cla.s.s traffic, keep Western farm products from reaching the seaboard as cheaply as now? We can prevent Western grain and provisions from pa.s.sing across the State of New York, and the present railroad policy is rapidly doing it; but the only effect will be to send the traffic through Canada and by rail routes to Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newport News, Charleston, and especially New Orleans and Galveston. That will greatly harm this city, but what good will it do to the New York State farmer?

"The true market for a large part of this State's farm products must be local and the demand must come from the creation, development, and prosperity of local industries throughout the State, and these, in turn, depend upon cheap freight rates such as the Erie Ca.n.a.l will insure.

Those cheap rates will enable the important cities of central New York to obtain iron ore, and coal as cheaply as the lake ports and the Pennsylvania towns now obtain those raw materials, and will give the manufacturers of those cities a considerable advantage in freight charges upon products intended for export. Factories in the midst of farms, with cheap freight outlets, is the ideal condition for industrial prosperity. This condition will reach its highest point by development of the Erie Ca.n.a.l.

"It is the duty of the people of the State to avail themselves of that which nature has provided, the greatest waterway in this country, if not in the world, the Great Lakes. The connection of the Erie Ca.n.a.l with the Hudson River also means a connection with the East River and turns Long Island Sound into an outlet of the Erie Ca.n.a.l, by which freight from the great West can be transported to the Eastern States. With the Erie Ca.n.a.l improved, New York would become the greatest harbor in the world. It would bring about a continuance of the enjoyment by this city of the import trade of the nation. It would also make New York the outlet for the export trade of the United States with other countries, making New York city not only the greatest financial center, but also the greatest commercial city. We have about 110 miles of water front available for shipping. This water front should be made available for additional shipping, so that the export trade could be increased, making New York city the center for export trade the same as Liverpool is in England.

This can only be done by the improvement of the Erie Ca.n.a.l.

"It is for you, if you are reelected Governor of the State, to advocate a referendum to allow the people to vote for the building of a 1,000-ton barge ca.n.a.l. The party ignoring this issue is, to my belief, doomed to defeat. The people throughout the State are aroused to the importance of the question. They are determined to be allowed to vote on this question."

[Ill.u.s.tration: MAP OF THE ERIE Ca.n.a.l, SHOWING IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED; FROM REPORT OF FEBRUARY 12, 1901]

The referendum was discussed, the necessary laws pa.s.sed, the project submitted to the people and by a majority of nearly a quarter of a million the state voted to expend $101,000,000 for the rebuilding of its ca.n.a.ls with a prism 12 feet deep, 75 feet wide on the bottom, and 123 feet at the surface of water, capable of floating economically a barge of 10 feet draft of 1,000 tons capacity; with locks 328 feet long and 28 feet broad, capable of pa.s.sing two boats, 150 feet long, 25 feet wide and 10 feet draft.

Thus, in brief, was inaugurated the largest work of its kind in our history, an artificial waterway to connect an inland lake and river, the entire expense to be borne by a single state.

For the very boldness of its conception and the magnitude of its realization it demands our respect. As the old Erie Ca.n.a.l heralded a new epoch in the commercial history of America, is it not possible that the new Grand Ca.n.a.l will be the beginning of another new epoch in this new century? A study of the map of the new ca.n.a.l appended will show, for one thing, that New York is going back to the old idea of ca.n.a.lizing rivers.

Instead of building a ca.n.a.l beside the Mohawk, for instance, her engineers will ca.n.a.lize that river. This is in direct opposition to the advice sent by Benjamin Franklin from England to the Pennsylvania promoters of inland navigation at the close of the Revolutionary War;[71] it is an indication of the great advances in engineering science since the days of Smeaton, and is made possible by the subst.i.tution of the screw propeller for the mule and tow-path. It is by this means that the Ohio River is to be made a great artery of commerce.[72] With steamers fitted out with low pressure engines it is estimated that freight can be transported profitably on the Ohio at an astonishingly low rate with which no land method of transportation can ever dare hope to compete. The new project of New York, therefore, brings back all the old-time dreams of early American promoters--of Washington's for the Potomac, of Morris's for the Mohawk, and of Robert Morris's for the Susquehanna. If modern engineering can make the ca.n.a.lization of one river a success, it can of hundreds of rivers. No sooner was the Erie Ca.n.a.l a success in 1825 than Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and other states began ca.n.a.l building. No sooner had New York voted in favor of her thousand-ton barge ca.n.a.l than Ohio again followed by pa.s.sing an act looking toward the improvement of her ca.n.a.l from the Ohio to Lake Erie. Does New York again lead the way to a new field of national development by means of ca.n.a.lization of rivers at the beginning of the twentieth century, as she did by means of ca.n.a.l-building at the beginning of the nineteenth?

Appendixes

APPENDIX A

ACT OF APRIL 17, 1816[73]

I _Be it enacted by the People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and a.s.sembly_, That Stephen Van Rensselaer, De Witt Clinton, Samuel Young, Joseph Ellicott and Myron Holley, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners, to consider, devise and adopt such measures as may or shall be requisite, to facilitate and effect the communication, by means of ca.n.a.ls and locks, between the navigable waters of Hudson's river and lake Erie, and the said navigable waters and lake Champlain; and in case of the resignation or death of any of the said commissioners, the vacancy thereby occasioned, shall be supplied by the legislature, in the manner in which senators of the United States, from this state, are directed to be chosen.

II _And be it further enacted_, That the said commissioners shall choose one of their number, to be president of their board, and shall appoint a fit person for their secretary, who shall be allowed and paid such salary as the said commissioners shall deem proper and reasonable: And the president of the said board of commissioners shall have power to call a meeting of the same whenever in his opinion, the public interests require it; and the said board may adjourn from time to time, to meet at any time and place they may deem most conducive to the public good: _And further_, the said commissioners shall have power to employ such and so many agents, engineers, surveyors, draftsmen and other persons, as in their opinion may be necessary to enable them to fulfil and discharge the duties imposed upon them by this act; and to allow and pay the said agents, engineers, surveyors, draftsmen and other persons, for their respective services, such sum or sums as may be adequate and reasonable.

III _And be it further enacted_, That it shall be the duty of the said commissioners, as soon as may be after the pa.s.sing of this act, to cause those parts of the territory of this state which may lie upon or contiguous to the probable courses and ranges of the said ca.n.a.ls, to be explored and examined for the purpose of fixing and determining the most eligible and proper routes for the same, and to cause all necessary surveys and levels to be taken, and accurate maps, field books and drafts thereof to be made, and further to adopt and recommend proper plans for the construction and formation of the said ca.n.a.ls, and of the locks, dams, embankments, tunnels and aqueducts which may be necessary for the completion of the same, and to cause all necessary plans, drafts and models thereof, to be executed under their direction.

IV _And be it further enacted_, That the said commissioners or a majority of them, shall be, and they are hereby authorized and required to make application in behalf of this state, to the government of the United States, and of such states and territories as may be benefited by the said ca.n.a.ls or either of them, to the proprietors of lands through or near which the said ca.n.a.ls or either of them, may, or may be proposed to, pa.s.s, to all bodies politic and corporate, public or private, and all citizens or inhabitants of this or any other of the United States, for cessions, grants or donations of land or money, for the purpose of aiding in the constructing or completing of both or either of the said ca.n.a.ls, according to the discretion of the several grantors or donors, and to take to the people of this state, such grants and conveyances as may be proper and competent to vest a good and sufficient t.i.tle in the said people to the lands so to be ceded or granted as aforesaid, and for the purposes above-mentioned, it shall be the duty of the said commissioners to open books of subscription in such and so many places as they may think necessary and expedient, and under such rules and regulations as they may from time to time establish: _And further_, it shall be their duty to ascertain whether to any and to what amount, and upon what terms loans of money may or can be procured on the credit of this state, for the purpose aforesaid.

V _And be it further enacted_, That it shall be the duty of the said commissioners to make, or cause to be made, with as much accuracy and minuteness as may be, calculations and estimates of the sum or sums of money which may or will be necessary for completing each of the said ca.n.a.ls, according to the plan or plans which may be adopted and recommended by them, for the construction or formation of the same, and to cause the said calculations and estimates, and all surveys, maps, field books, plans, drafts and models authorised and directed by this act, or so many thereof as may be completed, together with a plain and comprehensive report of all their proceedings under and by virtue of this act, to be presented to the legislature of this state within twenty days after the commencement of the next regular annual session thereof.

VI _And be it further enacted_, That the treasurer shall, on the warrant of the comptroller, pay to the order of a majority of the said commissioners, out of any monies in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated, any sum or sums not exceeding twenty thousand dollars, and for which the said commissioners shall account to the comptroller of this state.

VII _And be it further enacted_, That the act ent.i.tled "an act to provide for the improvement of the internal navigation of this state,"

pa.s.sed the 8th day of April, 1811, and the act, ent.i.tled "an act further to provide for the improvement of the internal navigation of this state," pa.s.sed June 19th 1812, be and the same are hereby repealed.

APPENDIX B

ACT OF APRIL 15, 1817[74]

_Whereas_, navigable communications between Lakes Erie and Champlain, and the Atlantic ocean, by means of ca.n.a.ls connected with the Hudson river, will promote agriculture, manufactures and commerce, mitigate the calamities of war, and enhance the blessings of peace, consolidate the union, and advance the prosperity and elevate the character of the United States:

_And whereas_, it is the inc.u.mbent duty of the people of this state, to avail themselves of the means which the Almighty has placed in their hands for the production of such signal, extensive and lasting benefits to the human race: _Now, therefore_, in full confidence that the congress of the United States, and the states equally interested with this state in the commencement, prosecution and completion of those important works, will contribute their full proportion of the expense; and in order that adequate funds may be provided, and properly arranged and managed, for the prosecution and completion of all the navigable communications contemplated by this act:

I _Be it enacted by the people of the state of New York, represented in Senate and a.s.sembly_, That there shall be const.i.tuted a fund to be denominated the ca.n.a.l fund, which shall consist of all such appropriations, grants and donations, as may be made for that purpose by the legislature of this state, by the congress of the United States, by individual states, and by corporations, companies and individuals; which fund shall be superintended and managed by a board of commissioners, to be denominated "the commissioners of the ca.n.a.l fund," consisting of the lieutenant-governor, the comptroller, the attorney-general, the surveyor-general, secretary and treasurer, a majority of whom with the comptroller shall be a quorum for the transaction of business; and that it shall be the duty of the said board to receive, arrange and manage to the best advantage all things belonging to the same fund, to borrow, from time to time, monies on the credit of the people of this state at a rate of interest not exceeding six per centum per annum, and not exceeding in any one year a sum which, together with the net income of the said fund, shall amount to four hundred thousand dollars; for which monies, so to be borrowed, the comptroller shall issue transferable certificates of stock, payable at such time or times as may be determined by said board; out of the said fund to pay to the ca.n.a.l commissioners hereafter mentioned, the monies so to be borrowed and the income of the said fund, reserving at all times sufficient to pay the interest of all monies that shall have been borrowed by the said board; to recommend from time to time to the legislature, the adoption of such measures as may be thought proper by the said board for the improvement of the said fund, and to report to the legislature, at the opening of every session thereof, the state of said fund; and that the comptroller and treasurer shall open separate books, and keep the accounts of the said fund distinct from the other funds of the state.

II _And be it further enacted_, That the commissioners appointed by the act, ent.i.tled "an act to provide for the improvement of the internal navigation of this state" pa.s.sed April 17, 1816, shall continue to possess the powers thereby conferred, and be denominated "the ca.n.a.l commissioners;" and they are hereby authorized and empowered, in behalf of this state, and on the credit of the fund herein pledged, to commence making the said ca.n.a.ls, by opening communications by ca.n.a.ls and locks between the Mohawk and Seneca rivers, and between Lake Champlain and the Hudson river; to receive from time to time from the commissioners of the ca.n.a.l fund, such monies as may be necessary for and applicable to the objects hereby contemplated; to cause the same to be expended in the most prudent and economical manner, in all such works as may be proper to make the said ca.n.a.ls; and on completing any part or parts of the works or ca.n.a.ls contemplated by this act, to establish reasonable tolls and adopt all measures necessary for the collection and payment thereof to the commissioners of the ca.n.a.l fund; that a majority of the said commissioners shall be a board for the transaction of business, each of whom shall take an oath well and faithfully to execute the duties of his office, and shall report to the legislature at each session thereof, the state of said works and expenditures, and recommend such measures as they may think advisable for the accomplishment of the objects intended by this act; and in case of any vacancy in the office of commissioner, during the recess of the legislature, the person administering the government may appoint a person to fill such vacancy until the legislature shall act in the premises.