Saturday, March 25, 2023

1825+1862+1918 Erie Canal Overview

"Built between 1817 and 1825, the original Erie Canal traversed 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It was the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America. The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength. It transformed New York City into the nation's principal seaport and opened the interior of North America to settlement." [ErieCanalway-history]


Another interactive map   This is the old Erie Canal, not the New York State Barge Canal. They have very different routes around Oneida Lake because the NYSBC uses Oneida Lake. They are also different around Rochester because the old Erie Canal went through downtown Rochester, but the new canal is south of town.

Google Search Results

Features for which I have written some notes, from east to west:
A map that includes the branches.
Map via SchenectadyHistory via Dennis DeBruler
Finch, p2 via NYcanals

This is a display in the Erie Canal Museum.
patricia Mitchell, Jan 2021

This graphic has been moved to "1800's, and newer, Canals Overview."

Almost any of the links referenced will explain the economic impact of this canal on New York and the Midwest. So I'm not going to repeat it here. The fact that it moved the "big city" of the country from Philadelphia to New York is a nice illustration of the impact. And that the canal motivated Pennsylvania and Washington DC to build their own canals and Baltimore to build the B&O Railroad.
  • Stagecoach: two weeks
  • 1817-25    40' (12m) x 4', 90' (27.4m) long locks    83 lift locks    5 days   [EC-history]
  • 1836-62    70' (21m) x 7', 110' (33.5m) long locks    72 locks   [EC-facts, ErieCanal]
  • 1903-18    12-13' x 120-200', 310' (94.4) long locks    36 locks   [EC-facts, ErieCanal]  locks are 44.5' (13.5m) wide and clearance of 5.5' (1.6m) [Finch, p25 via NYcanals]
The St. Lawrence Seaway killed most of the commercial traffic when it opened in 1959. But today the New York State Canal System has an important economic impact on the towns along the canal because of tourist traffic. [NYcanals]

The 40' width in 1825 was at the surface. Barges passing each other really had only 28' (8.5m).
ErieCanal

Darren Baun posted
Found this in 1912-13 NYS Engineering report on progress of the barge canal.

Before the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened, this canal did see some serious commercial traffic.
Association for Great Lakes Maritime History posted via Dennis DeBruler
The freighter Edgewater returning to the Ford River Rouge complex at Dearborn, Mich., circa Nov. 27. 1936 (Source: The Henry Ford – Digital Collections). The name of the photographer is not included in the notes for the image.
Additional Historical Information
Launched in 1931, the freighter Edgewater was built at River Rouge, Mich. by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Ford Motor Co. The 300-foot [91m] vessel (LOA) was designed to transport auto parts from the Dearborn, Mich. to assembly plants in Chester, Pa. and Edgewater, N.J.
To reach those plants, the ship sailed on Lake Erie, the New York State Barge Canal and the Hudson River. To allow it to pass under bridges over the Barge Canal, the vessel had a retractable pilothouse canalErie and folding masts and funnels.
In addition to parts, the freighter was occasionally used to transport new Ford automobiles from Dearborn to East Coast ports for export. In 1942, the vessel was requisitioned by the U.S. War Shipping Administration for off-lakes service during World War II. 
In 1947, the ship was sold to Cleveland Tankers Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio. for Great Lakes service. It was then converted into a tanker at Staten Island, N.Y. by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co. The conversion work was delayed by a two-month shipyard strike.
Once completed, the tanker sailed back to the Great Lakes via the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River. During the voyage, it took on a cargo of oil at Baton Rouge, La. On March 19, 1948, the vessel went aground near Grand Lakes, Ark. 
After its cargo was lightered, the ship was towed to Greenville, Miss. for repairs. An inspection determined the damage was too great to be repaired at Greenville. The vessel was then towed to Lockport, Ill. by the Federal Barge Line. 
From there, the Great Lakes Towing Co. towed the tanker to the American Ship Building Co. yard in Chicago, Ill. for repairs. On May 15, 1948, the vessel finally entered service just as Cleveland Tankers experienced a maritime union strike. 
On July 8, 1948, the ship suffered two explosions and a fire. It was carrying a cargo of 31,000 gallons of gasoline at the time. Nine crew members were injured. Seven were severely burned and two would later die because of their injuries.
After being repaired at the American Ship Building yard in Chicago, the tanker re-entered service on July 21, 1948. In 1949, it was renamed the Orion. The vessel was permanently laid up at Cleveland at the end of the 1957 sailing season.
In 1964, the ship was sold for scrap and towed to Ashtabula, Ohio for dismantling. The forward section was converted into a 120-foot derrick barge. While under tow, the barge sank in Lake Erie off Lorain, Ohio on July 23, 1968. It was later raised, beached and dismantled.
Information Sources:
William Lafferty

Since I found this photo, I have researched this elevator. So this photo has been copied to "Lost Wood Grain Elevator with Marine Leg on Erie Canal."
SmithsonianMag, Library of Congress
"In Little Falls, New York (pictured c. 1890), locks lifted boats more than 40 feet at the canal’s most difficult impasse."

I have needed an overview of the Erie Canal for a while. This 24:00 video (source) is what motivated me to write it. I think that what he calls the Potowmack Canal became the C&O Canal. He implies that it was built before the Erie Canal. His own dates indicate that is wrong because he puts the start date as 1828. The Erie Canal started in 1817 and was done in 1825. When he started talking about debtor prisons, I quit watching.

When the canal opened, New York City was smaller than Boston, Philadelphia or New Orleans. [15:14 video @ 11:10] "By 1853, 63% of all US trade was flowing along the Erie Canal. [@ 14:15]

Random History of the Day posted
July 4, 1817: In Rome, New York, construction on the Erie Canal began. Built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, it was the second longest canal in the world when it was completed in 1825 and greatly enhanced the development and economy of New York, New York City, and the United States.
 https://www.history.com/topics/landmarks/erie-canal 

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site posted
The challenge of building the Erie Canal's locks and aqueducts was overcome with the discovery of local natural hydraulic cement. Traditional lime mortar was unsuitable for underwater construction, and importing hydraulic cement from England was too costly for a project of the canal's scope. Wooden locks were also considered and dismissed due to their short lifespan.
The solution came from engineer Canvass White. After a trip to England to study canal construction in 1817, White was inspired to search for a local source of hydraulic cement. In 1818, his experiments with New York limestone led to the discovery of a suitable deposit near Chittenango, in Madison County. This rock could be processed into a durable, waterproof cement.
White patented the process in 1820, and production soon began at a factory near the Chittenango site. This domestic hydraulic cement was used extensively in the canal's locks, arches, and aqueducts, creating structures that were both cheaper and more durable than any alternative. The success of this local material was a breakthrough for American infrastructure and paved the way for a domestic natural cement industry, which later grew significantly with the discovery of more extensive deposits in the Rosendale region.
Jim DeNearing: But it wasn't just the limestone. It was also the discovery of a specific species of fresh water clams that when baked and powdered were added to the mix. That was the secret ingredient that has, until then, been missing.
John Mapguy: Jim DeNearing I wonder if Solite would work as well as clams and/or ash? [So what is Solite?}

Erik Nordberg posted
Detailed illustrated article on Erie Canal history.
The Erie Canal built New York. But it came with a cost.
It had a negative impact on the native americans.

7:49 video

29:32 video, a tour of the canal

21:13 video, a history of the canal
23:24 video, I didn't watch because it seems to be similar to the above
15:14 video, mostly why it was needed

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