THE ERIE CANAL

[Music] [Music] The Grand Western Canal, the Big Ditch, Clinton's Folly. Names and nicknames. It opened with great ceremony in 1825 and was hailed as the engineering marvel of its time. [Music] 363 mi long, the Eerie Canal connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie and in so doing connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. [Music] Today only portions of the old eerie remain. There is silence and decay. [Music] In 1825, however, things were different. Its importance to a new nation was summed up by a newspaper columnist who wrote, "They have built the longest canal in the world, in the least time, with the least experience for the least money and to the greatest public benefit. I've got a mule. Her name is S. 15 miles on the Eerie Canal. She's a good old worker and a good old pal. 15 miles on the Eerie Canal. We follow some bares in our day filled with lumber, coal, and hay. We know every inch of the way from Albany to Buffalo. Low bridge, everybody down. Low bridge, cuz we're going through a town. And you'll always know your neighbor. You'll always know your pal if you ever navigated on the Eerie Canal. We better get along our way, old gal. 15 miles on the Eerie Canal, cuz you bet your life and never part with S. 15 miles on the Eerie Canal. Get up there, mule. Here comes a lock. We'll make room about 6:00. One more trip and back we'll go right back home to Buffalo. In the year 1800, there were only about 100 miles of canals in America. Canals were an alternative to bad roads. Roads that were little more than improved trails. Most towns and cities were confined to the Atlantic coast or to big rivers that emptied into the ocean. New roads were being constructed and old ones improved. But travel was slow, uncertain, and expensive. Canals had been successful in Europe. Why not America? But the first canals could only go so far. They were stopped by the Appalachian Mountains, a tall barrier stretching north and south from Alabama into Canada. In New York State, however, there was a low spot, the Valley of the Mohawk River. A canal there would provide inland transportation between the Hudson River and Lake Erie, but it would need to be at least 350 mi long. Who would build it? Who would pay for it? President Thomas Jefferson agreed that it was a splendid idea, but little short of madness to consider it at this time. But as Jefferson was saying no, Dit Clinton was saying yes. As mayor of New York, he saw the advantage to the city. Later on, as a state canal commissioner, he rallied public support. And finally, as governor of New York, he got the state legislature to finance it. With money in hand, he hired the men to build it. Talented men, gifted men, but men with little or no canal building experience. The 4th of July, 1817. Rome, New York. A groundbreaking ceremony. Construction begins. Construction did not start at one end or at both ends. It started with sections, the easiest sections to build. And when these sections were completed, canal boats began operating. [Music] 40 ft wide at the top, 28 ft at the bottom, 4t deep with a 10-ft wide toe path. The amount of earth and rock that had to be removed was staggering, and most of it had to be removed by the muscle power of men and animals. Although the Mohawk Valley was a low spot, it was not without hills, canyons, forests, and swamps. Year two of construction, Montazuma swamp. As workers labored in waste deep water, they became ill. The sickness spread until nearly 10,000 men were afflicted. And many of those who were afflicted died. [Music] Lake Erie nearly 700 ft higher than the Hudson River. To overcome this difference in elevation, 83 locks were built. Woodlocks or stone locks. Stone stronger and longerlasting. But stone required cement that would harden underwater. And this hydraulic cement required a rare type of limestone. When deposits of this limestone were unexpectedly discovered nearby, it solved the problem of wood or stone. [Music] Of the 83 locks, the most impressive were at Lockport. Five double locks, five up and five down. Cut through solid rock, they carried the canal up the east side of the Niagara Escarment. For engineers to construct a level canal, it was also necessary to build a series of aqueducts. 18 of these water-filled bridges were built over deep valleys and wide rivers. October 1825. After eight years of struggle and disappointment, after eight years of optimism and anticipation, the canal was finished. I canal. On the Canal [Music] in New York City, there was great celebration, banquetss, parades, fireworks. At the marriage of the waters ceremony, two kegs of Lake Erie water were poured into the Atlantic Ocean. Within 10 years of its completion, the Erie had become a commercial and financial success. From Buffalo to New York City, it took eight days by water instead of 20 by land. Instead of $100 per ton, shipping costs were less than 15. Millions of tons of cargo and thousands of immigrants moved west while grain and produce flowed east. Safe, cheap, and reliable passage made the canal a major thoroughfare. and New York City, a major seapport. [Music] Long flat barges hauled lumber and grain, and the elegant packet boats carried passengers. Using the best horses, it was not uncommon for packets to break the speed limit of four miles per hour. The speed limit was necessary because the wake of fastmoving boats destroyed the banks on both sides of the canal. [Music] Packet boats were cramped and stuffy, but they still offered more comfort than the dusty, bone rattling, and even more cramped stage coaches. [Music] Sometimes crew members, their families, even their animals lived on canal boats. [Music] A little short on room, but a great place to hang the wash. [Music] Canal boats operating day and night were pulled by teams of horses or mules. The teams were driven by men or boys called hogies. They were usually boys, sometimes as young as 12 or 13. At one time there were 100,000 Hogis working on the Eerie Canal. Not all boats were animalpowered. Steam powered boats were introduced as early as 1823. They were more common by the turn of the century, but even then most boats on the canal were pulled by horses or mules. During construction years, small towns came into existence along the canal. Towns with names like Brockport, Lockport, Fairport, Weedsport, Gasport, Middleport, Spencerport, and Port Byron. [Music] As the canal flourished, some towns grew into large cities. cities that we know today as Buffalo, Rochester, [Music] Syracuse, [Music] and Albany. [Music] The Erie got all the attention, but it wasn't the only New York canal. The Champlain Canal, completed in 1823, connected the Erie with Lake Champlain. [Music] As soon as the Erie was finished, other canals were started. The Asiggo connected the Erie with Lake Ontario. The Kauga and Senica connected the Eerie with two of the Fingerlakes. By 1850, the state of New York had 11 operating canals. [Music] It was the eerie, however, that ignited a nationwide canal craze. Investors jumped at the chance to put their money in new canals. Between 1830 and 1850, more than 6,000 miles of new canals were built. Unfortunately, most of them turned out to be financial failures. [Music] The new invention that doomed canals was much faster. It could carry more passengers and more freight, and it could operate year round. At first, railroads supplemented canals, but by the 1850s, they were putting them out of business. [Music] [Music] The Erie, of course, was an exception. Although railroads had ended canal passenger service, freight traffic continued to prosper, and in 1882, tolls were eliminated. [Music] Twice the Erie Canal was enlarged and improved. Twice the people of New York supported it. And their support did not go unrewarded. For the Erie Canal lasted longer and was more profitable than any other 19th century American canal. It was a great idea, a great achievement, but progress made portions of it obsolete. [Music] In some places, the original canal has been maintained as a park or recreational area. In some places, bike paths have replaced toe paths. [Music] At Rome, where the groundbreaking ceremonies took place, a small section of the Eerie Canal has been restored. Here, visitors can relive that time in American history when streamlined packets were breaking the speed limit of 4 mph. [Music] During this second enlargement, the Erie became part of the New York State Barge Canal system. The barge canal either used the old Eerie or ran parallel to it. It used three of the connecting canals and wherever possible it use rivers and lakes [Music] at Lockport. The five double locks were replaced by two large single locks. [Music] Today, both commercial and pleasure craft use the canal, but instead of horses and mules, boats are powered by gasoline and diesel motors. [Music] la. Heat. Heat. [Music] Although some sections are limited to pleasure craft, most of the system can accommodate boats that are large enough to navigate the Great Lakes. [Music] When the people of New York first learned that the official name would be the New York state barge canal. There were cries of protest. Old-timers refused to accept it. Canal buffs still do. The Grand Western canal, the Big Ditch, Clinton's Folly, the New York State Barge Canal. Names and nicknames. But to those who love old stories and cherish old songs, it will always be the eerie canal. [Music] M [Applause] [Music] low bridge. Everybody down. Low bridge cuz we're going through a town. And you'll always know your neighbor. You'll always know your pal. If you ever navigated on the Eerie Canal, [Music] low bridge. Everybody down low bridge cuz we're going through a town and you'll always know your neighbor. You'll always know your pal if you ever navigated on the eerie canal. Mhm. Heat. [Music]