Published: May 09, 2008 03:27 pm            

ERIE CANAL DISCOVERY: Railroads along the canal — Part 2

By 1860, with passenger travel settled in favor of the railroads, the next course of business lay in the transportation of freight. New York State had a vested interest in protecting its state owned Erie Canal. As such, railroads, which were chartered by the state, were not originally permitted to carry freight, except during the winter months when the canal was closed. Even so, the business of carrying freight actually increased during this period for both railroads and the Erie Canal and tonnage on the Erie Canal reached its zenith in 1880 at 4,608,651 tons. As a further stimulus to the canal, tariffs were eliminated in 1882. The Erie Canal had paid back the state many times over and the canal became a free waterway. The canal was then nicknamed, “Everyman's Highway.”

The railroad interests became increasingly arrogant and they wanted to have the canal filled in and the right of way given to them for their tracks. They combined this idea with the preposterous notion that New York State should amend its Constitution to eliminate both the Executive and Legislative branches of state government and replace them with the board of directors of the New York Central Railroad. As ludicrous as the whole idea may sound, the state lawmakers, not wishing to offend the railroad interests, agreed to submit the proposal as a referendum during the next state election. In a reflection of the power achieved by the railroads, the proposition was only defeated by a margin of 6,360 New York state voters.

By eliminating tolls on the Erie Canal in 1882, New York lawmakers had hoped to give the Erie Canal an advantage that would propel it into the 20th century. The principal drawback was that the canal was actually working pretty much up to its capacity, given its limitations of width and depth. The first expansion, which was not finished until 1862, was then a case of too little, too late. The coming of the Civil War also did much to bolster Erie Canal usage. The closing of the Mississippi River during the early days of the Civil War sent tremendous freight traffic into the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal. In 1862, the Erie Canal recorded peak annual revenue of over $4,800,000 from over 5,000 boats. Congestion on the canal was worse than ever, even with railroad competition and the recently completed canal enlargement. Correspondingly, traffic on the Hudson River from the canal terminus at Albany to New York City, was at an all time high. The canal boats were lashed together and towed by steamship along the Hudson. A record tow of canal boats in a single trip was attributed to the steamship Connecticut as she pulled 108 canal boats behind her from New York City to Albany.

Doug Farley is director of the Erie Canal Discovery Center. Contact him at 434-7433. The Discovery Center is closed for the season and will reopen May 1.

        

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