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........................................./'?/3./}x
6896-1BUFFALO
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLICATIONS
VOLUME THIRTEEN
Edited by Frank H. SeveranceUnion and ®imca IJreaa
UtiffalnOFFICERS OF THE
BUFFALO	HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1909
President			 ANDREW LANGDON
Vice-President.............. HON. HENRY W. HILL
Secretary-Treasurer......... FRANK H. SEVERANCE
BOARD OF MANAGERS
Hon. Henry W. Hill, J. N. Larned,	Term expiring January, 1910. Henry R. Howland, Charles R. Wilson, J. J. McWilliams.
Andrew Langdon, Frank H. Severance,	Term expiring January, 1911. James Sweeney, George A. Stringer, Ogden P. Letchworth.
Term expiring January, 1912.
Albert H. Briggs, M. D.,	Lee H. Smith, M. D.,
R. R. Hefford,	Willis O. Chapin,
Robert W. Day, Hugh Kennedy,	Loran L. Lewis, Jr. Term expiring January, 1913. Henry A. Richmond, Charles W. Goodyear, G. Barrett Rich.
The Mayor of Buffalo, the Corporation Counsel, the Comptroller, Superin-
tendent of Education, President of the Board of Park Commissioners, and
President of the Common Council, are also ex-officio members of the Board of
Managers of the Buffalo Historical Society.LIST OF THE
PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY
FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO THE PRESENT TIME.
*Millard Fillmore,........................... 1862 to 1867
*Henry W. Rogers,.....................................I868
*Rev. Albert T. Chester, D. D.,..................... • • x869
*Orsamus H. Marshall,.................................*870
*Hon. Nathan K. Hall, . ..............................1871
* William	H. Greene,.................................*^72
*Orlando	Allen,.....................................*^73
^Oliver G. Steele,................................... r^74
*Hon. James Sheldon,.........................1875 and 1886
*William	C. Bryant,...............................  *^76
*Capt. E.	P. Dorr,.................................  *^77
Hon. William P. Letch worth,.............••*••• 1878
William H. H. Newman,.......................1879 and 1885
*Hon. Elias S. Hawley,............................... T^8o
*Hon. James M. Smith,.................................*88*
*William Hodge,........................................I^2
^William Dana Fobes,.........................x883 and 1884
*Emmor Haines,.........................................J^7
*James Tillinghast,...................................
*William K. Allen,....................................*^89
*George S. Hazard,...........................1890 and 1892
^Joseph C. Greene, M. D.,.............................1^91
*Julius H. Dawes,...................................  1893
Andrew Langdon,..............................*^94 to 1909
Deceased.HON. GEORGE CLINTON.
SEE INTRODUCTION, P. XII.CANAL ENLARGEMENT
IN NEW YORK STATE
PAPERS ON THE
BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN
AND RELATED TOPICS
BUFFALO, NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY THE
BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1909
-S'>INTRODUCTION
The principal group of papers in the following pages, dealing
with the various phases of New York State's undertaking to recon-
struct and enlarge her artificial waterways, are printed in fulfilment
of the pledge made in the previous volume of this series. (Buf.
Hist. Soc. Publications, XII, xii.) While in a sense these papers
supplement Senator Hill's history of canal construction, they are
in themselves a most valuable collection of monographs by experts
in various phases of the transportation and construction problems.
The Buffalo Historical Society appreciates the distinction given to
its publications, by the generous cooperation of such capable and
practical economists and engineers as Mr. Frank S. Gardner, Mr.
Gustav H. Schwab, Mr. Henry B. Hebert, Major General Francis
V. Greene, Colonel Thomas W. Symons, and others whose con-
tributions give peculiar value to this volume.
In printing (pp. 197-208) the second report of the Western
Inland Lock Navigation Company, we add a document of the
highest value, in relation to the pioneer canal projects of our State,
to others bearing on the same subject already included in this
series. For the first report of this company, the reader is referred
to Vol. II, Buffalo Historical Society Publications. In Vol. XII,
Senator Hill has sketched the history of the early inland navigation
companies. When a full history of their enterprises is. written, the
historian will find much useful data in the unpublished Schuyler
papers in the Lenox Library. This source of early material for
New York's canal history, was pointed out, with some detail, in
the Introduction of the preceding volume of this series. A few
documents, bearing on the subject, are in the possession of the
Buffalo Historical Society.
For example, one aspect of the difficulties encountered by the
first canal builders of our State is shown by the following, the
original of which is among the Porteous papers in the archives of
this society:
viiviii
INTRODUCTION.
The President and Directors of the W. I. L. L}N. Compy in the
State of New York>
To John Porteous....................... Dr.
1793- To 312 Rods of Log & Worm fence entirely burnt up
and destroyed by the Companys men cost 40 cents
a rod, is ....;..................................$124.80
To damage in laying the ground open & useless as a
pasture during the work thro’ this inclosure 3
years ........................................... 37*5®
To damage of another inclosure broke down & ex-
posed to cattle & sheep 1 year which destroyed a
number of young imported fruit trees............	40.00
$202.30
To firewood used by the men during the last two
years ........................................... 15.00
$217.30
Worthy of preservation in this connection is the following letter
from Philip Schuyler, president of the Western Inland Lock Navi-
gation Company, to George Huntington, contractor, at Rome. It
is here printed from the original in the collections of this society:
New York Friday May 20th, 1803
Dear Sir Yesterday, a meeting of the board of directors, of
the Western canal company, was convened. I believe, the Gentle-
men who compose the present board, are convinced, from the ex-
planations made to them, that it would have better comported with
the interest of the company, if our operations in the present year
had been directed to the locking of Wood Creek, in all its extent,
instead of renewing two of the locks, at the falls.
The board of directors, has authorized me to request of you,
to be so' good, as to compleat the intended improvements in Wood
Creek, between the third lock, erected last year, and the lock at
Rome. Whether the deepening of the creek, in all the intermediate
distance, or laying the lock which was prepared last year, and only
removing the sand, collected in the creek, at the tail of the lock
at Rome, will be the most eligible, I beg leave to submit to your
discretion, and decision, and if you will, as I hope you will, take
charge of, superintend, and direct this improvement, then to do it
in either mode, which you shall judge most advantageous, to fa-
cilitate the navigation of that part of the Creek—to engage such
carpenters, other mechanics and labourers, as you may deem requis-
ite, to stipulate the compensation to be made to the workmen of
every discription, to purchase all the requisite materials for the
work, to apply to Mr, Bleecker for such articles as cannot be pro-
cured at Rome, or in its vicinity, and to draw on him for what
money you may want for these operations.
1. This additional " L ” frequently occurs in the old accounts and letters, and
sometimes the form “Western Inland Lock and Lake Navigation Co.’’INTRODUCTION.
IX
You are well aware how indispensable I deem it that an agent,
superintending a work, and in whose ability, integrity, exertions
and judgment full reliance can be placed, should not be embar-
rassed in his operations by restricted and detailed directions, I
therefore close the subject with entreating you to pursue such
measures as you shall deem most conducive to accomplish the ob-
ject now solicited of you and without applying for directions on
any incidents which may arise in the prosecution.
If the house, at the Oak Orchard, should be uninhabited, I ap-
prehend it may be much injured and perhaps exposed to conflagra-
tion, if fire be left in it by careless or malignant boatmen. I beg
you therefore to place some discreet person in it, if none is already
there, and if none can be obtained without a moderate pecuniary
compensation, to agree for that.
The board of directors have also determined that the committee
at Albany should cause a survey of the Mohawk river to be made
and the levels taken, to ascertain the rise of every rapid between
Schenectady and Rome, and as Mr. Wright has executed what was
enjoined him in the last year with such perfect propriety as to
afford great satisfaction, an application will probably be made to
him by the Committee, to perform the required survey, as soon as
the paucity of the water in the Mohawk shall render it proper to
commence the surveys; be pleased to mention this to Mr. Wright
and if he thinks he can then attend to it I wish him to advise the
committee thereof.
If proper stone and lime for the construction of locks in Wood
Creek could be obtained from Fish Creek, either by land or water
conveyance, unless at a very extra expense, I should if I had any
agency in the business decide in favor of stone in preference to
wood. Will you be so good as to make the necessary enquiries
relative to this subject and advise me of their result, and be pleased
to extend your enquiries to learn if proper stone is to be found
on the banks of the Oneida lake, or at a moderate distance from
its shores or on the islands, should any be there, the expence of
transportation would be greatly reduced, as vessels of extensive
burthen might be constructed for its conveyance.
Intreat Mrs. Huntington and Mrs. Moore to participate with
you in my respects and best wishes.
I am Dear Sir with great regard and esteem,
Your Obedient Servant
PHI [LIP] SCHUYLER
President of the board of Directors of the W. L L. L. N.
Company in the State of New York.
To George Huntington Esq. [at Rome].
Among the papers in the possession of the Buffalo Historical
Society, relating to this subject, are account books, with record
of corn, bran, peas, flour, etc., supplied “for the Western canal,
I793>” apparently by Phyn & Ellice, merchants of Schenectady; also
a toll book of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Co., with
record of cash receipts for tolls, in passing the locks at Little Falls,X
INTRODUCTION.
Nov. 17, 1795, to Apr. 16, 1796. It is worthy of note that accord-
ing to this record, boats passed to and fro during December. Des-
tinations are indicated in entries like the following;
£ s d.
Boat to Geneva with full load ................,...... — 18 —
“ from Kingston, Upper Canada, &	1	load.. —	9	—
Large boat to Ft. Stanwix & 4^2 ton	of	goods on board 2	8	6
Boat to Niagara, got dam [aged] in the lock on Sunday
last, free ....................................     o	o	o
Three empty boats from Geneva............................ —	13	6
Most of the boats hailed from or passed to Mohawk-valley
points, but the frequent entries of boats from Geneva, Niagara and
Kingston, Upper Canada, enables one to realize the wide reach of
this primitive canal traffic. Miscellaneous minor data like the
above might be multiplied; but the most valuable—and for most
students, no doubt, the entirely adequate—history of the inland lock
enterprise, is embodied in the Reports of 1796 and 1798.
The Canal Memorial of 1816, referred to in Vol. XII, is here
printed in full. Its importance in the canal history of the State
makes its inclusion in our series desirable; especially as in con-
nection with it was begun in Buffalo, the first canal movement of
Western New York, as set forth on pp. 211-213.
In connection with the historical sketch of the Buffalo Board
of Trade, the editor regrets that data were not at hand for a more
adequate sketch of its founder, Russell H. Hey wood, than is pre-
sented in the following pages. The facts there given may be sup-
plemented by the following correspondence, preserved by this so-
ciety :
Office of the Buffalo & New York City Rail Road
Buffalo, August 18th, 1852.
Dear Sir—You are invited to attend the Celebration of the com^
pletion of the High Bridge across the Genesee River at Portage,
and opening of the Road from Attica to Hornellsville, on Wednes-
day, the 25th inst., at Portage.
Yours, Respectfully,
Russell H. Heywood, President.
[To R. M. Magraw, President,
Baltimore & Susquehannah Railroad Co., Baltimore.]INTRODUCTION.
XI
Office Baltimore & Susquehannah Co.,
Baltimore, August 23rd, 1852.
Russell H. Heywood, Esq,,
Pres. B. & N. Y. C. Co.,
Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your most esteemed favor of the
18th inst., being an invitation to attend the celebration of the comple-
tion of the High Bridge across the Genesee river at Portage, and the
opening of your road from Attica to Homellsville on the 25th inst.
I have watched with interest the progress of your work, particu-
larly the erection of the bridge over the Genesee river at Portage,
which may truly be regarded as a work of the age and one which,
in an eminent degree, reflects credit on the minds that conceived
as well as the hand which executed the work. The completion
of your road will give the New York and Erie Railroad a proper
terminus on the lake. Buffalo has been, is now, and always will be,
the “City of the Lakes,” and it is therefore in my opinion essential
to the future success of that great work that it should have an un-
broken connection with that city and which is now secured through
the completion of your road. But permit me to say that this is not
the only important feature in the location of your road. A glance
at the map will exhibit it as the northern link in the chain of rail-
way connecting the National Capital with Buffalo, the Northwest
and the British Possessions, a work essentially national in its char-
acter. Commencing at the seat of Government, dividing by a direct
line the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, and ter-
minating at the Canadas, covering a distance that can easily be over-
come in a single day. To perfect this great work only 150 miles
remain to be finished—that section is between Harrisburgh and a
connection with your road. The friends of this Southern link of
this chain, between Baltimore and Harrisburgh, are taking steps
to have the line between Harrisburgh and Williamsport put under
contract. The section between Williamsport and the New York &
Erie Railroad remaining unprovided with the means requisite for
its construction.
I regret that an official engagement previously made will pre-
vent me from being present on so interesting an occasion as the
celebration of the opening of your road. Tendering my thanks
for your polite invitation
I am yours most respectfully,
R. M. MAGRAW.
As often happens to public-spirited promoters of enterprises,
ultimately of great benefit to the region in which they operate,
Mr. Heywood profited nothing by his share in this railroad build-
ing. On the contrary, he lost a fortune in it. The corporate title
of the “Buffalo & Homellsville,” as it was locally known, was the
Buffalo & New York City Railroad. It included the “Buffalo &
Rochester” line, from Buffalo to Attica, 32 miles, and from Attica
to Homellsville, about 59 miles. These lines, after various changes,
were merged in the Erie system. The bridge, the opening of whichXll
INTRODUCTION.
occasioned the above correspondence, was the famous wooden trestle,
a network of bents and trusses begun July I, 1851, and crossed by
a train for the first time Aug. 14, 1852. It was 800 feet long, 234
feet high, and was destroyed by fire in 1875.
In the “Reminiscences of Erie Canal Surveys in 1816-17,” by
Wm. C. Young, and the group of papers that follow, are presented
many facts bearing on the general subject of this volume; and
although some of them are of minor importance, it is believed that
their variety will add interest, as their facts add value, to our col-
lection.
It is matter of regret that the Hon. George Clinton has been
unable to prepare for the present collection a paper dealing with
his own participation in canal matters. For many years he was
foremost among the citizens of Buffalo as an advocate of canal
enlargement. Elected to the State Assembly in 1883, he was made
chairman of the Assembly canal committee. He introduced and
secured the passage of the bill providing for the doubling in length
of lock 51 of the Erie canal, allowing two boats to pass at once.
This work, experimental in nature, proved satisfactory and led to
the subsequent similar improvement of locks throughout the canal
system of the State ; securing, it is stated, a gain to commerce of
a reduction in the cost of canal freightage by about 40 per cent.
This legislation also led to the forming of the organization for
canal improvement, of which the Hon. Horatio Seymour was the
first president, and Mr. Clinton his successor in 1885. For ex-
tended notice of Mr. Clinton’s participation in many phases of work
for the betterment and preservation of New York’s canals, the
reader is referred to Senator Hill’s narrative, Vol. XII of this series;
and to numerous passages in the present volume, as shown by the
index.
In presenting Mr. Clinton’s portrait as frontispiece for this
volume, the Historical Society merely indicates in slight measure
the distinction which is his, among many and varied public services,
for his long and successful advocacy of canal and harbor improve-
ment. His illustrious grandfather, DeWitt Clinton, more than any
other one man, virtually created New York’s canal system; and
no man in his day has done more to promote the welfare of that
system, and thereby, in the view of canal advocates, to promote the
well-being of the State, than the Honorable George Clinton.INTRODUCTION.
Xlll
It is obviously impossible, in these volumes, to present in ex-
tenso, every aspect of our canal history; nor is that our under-
taking. The present purpose is to supplement Senator Hiirs com-
prehensive history (Vol. XII) with relevant material, deemed use-
ful to the student, worthy of preservation, and for the most part
heretofore unpublished. It is also the desire of the Historical So-
ciety to make proper recognition of the services of the many men
of Western New York, who have aided, especially in the Legis-
lature, to promote measures in the interest of the canals. This
recognition, to a large extent, has been admirably made in the
preceding volume. One friend of the canals, whose services should
always be gratefully remembered, and appreciatively recorded, is the
Hon. Robert C. Titus. His speech in the State Senate, March 29,
1882, in favor of the free canal amendment to the Constitution, may
fairly be regarded as marking a new epoch in the policy of the
State. So, too, the labors of the Hon. Israel T. Hatch, in Congress,
and elsewhere, soon after the Civil War, won distinction for him
at the time, and entitle him to a place by no means obscure in the
history of this subject. So large is this field that the limits of the
present volume are reached before many phases of our general sub-
ject have been presented. A succeeding volume will, therefore, be
devoted, at least in part, to papers and documents relating to New
York State’s waterways.
That volume—No. XIV of our series—is now in press. It will
open with the correspondence that passed between Joseph Ellicott,
agent for the Holland Land Company in Western New York, and
Paul Busti, the company’s general agent for America; Governor
DeWitt Clinton, Simeon DeWitt, State surveyor, and others, rela-
tive to canal construction in Western New York. These letters are
drawn chiefly from the large collection of Holland Land Co. papers
owned by the Buffalo Historical^Society. As yet unpublished, they
will be found to contain a wealth of interesting material, of first-
rate importance in Western New York history. To them will be
added journals of early travel, by canal and otherwise, and miscel-
laneous data of undoubted value.
Volumes XII, XIII and XIV of our series, taken together, will
be found to constitute an unequaled collection of historical material,
relating to New York State waterways and allied topics.
F. H. S.CONTENTS
PAGE
Officers of the Society...................................  iii
List of Presidents of the Society........................... iv
Introduction................................................ vii
PAPERS RELATING TO CANAL ENLARGEMENT:
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION..............
Frank S. Gardner i
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS OF 1899, 1900
AND 1901............................. 12
NEW YORK CITY’S PART IN THE RECONSTRUCTION
OF THE STATE’S WATERWAYS.............
Gustav H. Schwab 35
ACTION OF THE NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
RELATIVE TO RAILROAD DIFFERENTIALS
AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT . Henry B. Hebert 77
THE INCEPTION OF THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT
................Gen. Francis Vinton Greene 109
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THE
NEW YORK STATE CANALS............
Col. Thomas W. Symons 121
THE FUNCTION OF NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS IN
CONTROLLING FREIGHT RATES............
Hon. John D. Kernan 135
NEW YORK STATE CANALS, 1895 TO 1903 ...... .
George H. Raymond 157
REMINISCENCES OF THE BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN
.........................Howard J. Smith 181
THE NEW YORK STATE PRESS IN THE CAMPAIGN
FOR ENLARGEMENT OF CANALS . M. M. Wilner 187
SECOND REPORT OF THE WESTERN INLAND LOCK
NAVIGATION COMPANY, 1798 ......... .
THE CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816 ............
XVXVI
CONTENTS.
PAGE
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE BOARD OF TRADE,
THE MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE AND THE CHAM-
BER OF COMMERCE OF BUFFALO...................
Frank H. Severance
I.	Beginnings of Commercial Union in Buffalo 237
II.	Birth of the Board of Trade..............242
III.	The Business Situation in the ’40’s......252
IV.	An Early Triumph — The St. Clair Flats
Canal ................................ . 258
V.	Incorporation — A New Beginning..........262
VI. On Central Wharf..........................266
VII. The Board of Trade Adopts a Regiment ... 271
VIII. The Financial Side.......................279
IX. The Move Up-Town — The Merchants' Ex-
change .......................................285
X. Miscellaneous Work — Some of the Workers 295
XI. Buffalo and the Canal................... . 303
XII.	The Grade Crossings Campaign............ . 308
XIII.	Relations with other Organizations ..... 311
XIV.	The Chamber of Commerce..................324
REMINISCENCES OF ERIE CANAL SURVEYS IN 1816-
1817..........................William C. Young 331
Secret History of Incipient Legislation for the Erie
Canal........................F. C. White 349
CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES . . . /. Pierrepont White 353
The White Memorial Tablet . . .........* . . 364
AN APPRECIATION OF THE WORK OF ELMORE H.
WALKER...................George Alfred Stringer 367
GEORGE S. HAZARD: A TRIBUTE....................
George Alfred Stringer 373
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE EARLY FORWARDING
TRADE....................Hon. Lewis F. Allen 377
NOTES ON THE CANAL FORWARDING TRADE ...
L. Porter Smith 381
MEMENTOS OF THE OPENING OF THE CANAL:
Black Rock Invited to Buffalo.............385
A Celebration Contract....................386
How Buffalo Dug the Canal . . . . William Hodge 387
A Lost Work of Art . ..........R. W. Haskins 390
The Erie Canal Gun-Telegraph . . . Orlando Allen 392INTRODUCTION.
XVII
APPENDIX.
PAGE
PROCEEDINGS, BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY:
“Bronze Work in Art and History” : Presentation of
antique candelabra......Andrew Langdon 397
Forty-sixth annual meeting, Jan. 14, 1908...403
INDEX............................................415
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Portrait, George Clinton...........................Frontispiece
Portrait, Gustav H. Schwab.........................Op. p. 35
Portrait, Henry B. Hebert............................  “	77
Portrait, Maj.-Gen. Francis Y. Greene................. “	109
Portrait, Russell H. Heywood.......................... “	243
Central Wharf, Buffalo................................ “	267
Portrait, William C. Young............................ “	333
Model, “Chief Engineer of Rome”....................... “	345
Portrait, Canvass White............................... “	353
Tablet to Wm. C. Young and Canvass White ....	“	365
Portrait, Elmore H. Walker............................ “	367
Portrait, George S. Hazard............................ “	373
The Harbor of Buffalo in 1827......................... “	377
Invitation Card, Opening of the Erie Canal ....	“	385
North Entrance, Buffalo Historical Society Building	“	397PAPERS RELATING TO
CANAL ENLARGEMENT
IN NEW YORK STATETHE
CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION
THE CANAL WORK OF THE NEW YORK BOARD
OF TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION, AND
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVEN-
TIONS OF 1899, 1900 AND 1901
By HON. FRANK S. GARDNER
Secretary of the Canal Improvement Union; Secretary New York Board
of Trade and Transportation; etc., etc.
The period when the competition of rival routes and
ports, and the improvement of railroad transportation forced
upon the people of New York the conviction that the tolls
upon the canals would have to be reduced, was from 1870
to 1879. The tolls had theretofore produced a revenue of
many millions of dollars in excess of the cost of construc-
tion and maintenance.
The pressure of the competition of rival ports and the
hostile rivalry of the railroads paralleling the canal caused
the low toll movement irresistibly to become a movement for
free canals. West bound tolls were abolished and on Janu-
ary 1, 1883, all tolls were abolished by a vote of the people
of the State, the expenses of maintenance and repairs there-
after to be paid by taxation. The interesting and instructive
story of the years of agitation in which the free canal idea
gathered strength and finally conquered over sectional oppo-
sition and jealousy cannot be narrated here.
Freedom from tolls saved the canals, and preserved them
as the chief reliance against the diversion of our trade. But
it soon became apparent that the physical structures of the2
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
canals were antiquated and dilapidated, and the methods of
transportation thereon such that unless radically improved
water transportation within the State would soon cease to
be a factor of any consequence in our commerce.
In 1884, therefore, the New York Board of Trade and
Transportation, apprehending with deep concern the decay
of the canals, called a State convention which was held in
the city of Utica in July, 1885, to consider what steps should
be taken to secure the permanent improvement of the State's
waterways.
At this convention “The Union for the Improvement of
the Canals of the State of New York" was organized, with
former Governor Horatio Seymour of Utica as the presi-
dent; Hon. Orlando B. Potter of New York as chairman of
the permanent executive committee; William H. Webb of
New York as treasurer; and Frank S. Gardner of New
York as the permanent secretary. Governor Seymour died
within the year after his election as president and' was suc-
ceeded by Hon. George Clinton of Buffalo, who was elected
the president at the second convention of the Union, held in
Syracuse in 1886.
At the time the Canal Union was organized, the water-
ways had come to be generally regarded as of little conse-
quence and as having a rapidly diminishing influence upon
transportation. Hence, they had comparatively few friends
and many open enemies. The influence of the latter, sup-
plemented by that of the railroads, was felt in the com-
mercial bodies of the State. Even the chairman of the
canal committee of one of the largest of these organizations
was openly hostile to making any effort to secure improve-
ments, declaring that the canals were things of the past
and that the merchants would better make their peace with
the railroads.
Wiser counsel prevailed, however, and the Canal Im-
provement Union gathered great strength, while its agita-
tion in behalf of the canals enlightened the public mind as
to their true importance and increased their popularity.
In 1887 the New York Tribune, in an article relating to
the progress which the canal improvement idea had made inTHE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
3
public favor, declared that “the Union for the Improvement
of the Canals of the State of New York is the most power-
ful and influential aggregation of commercial and manu-
facturing interests within the State of New York.”
For ten years the Canal Improvement Union continued
its persistent and effective agitation against the forces of
destruction, including the trunk lines of railroads which had
organized a bureau from which millions of printed anti-
canal documents flowed in unceasing streams to all parts of
the State.
Nevertheless, such progress was made that the Legisla-
ture passed laws each year carrying appropriations until 38
of the 74 dilapidated locks were rebuilt and lengthened and
many other repairs and improvements effected, the total
State expenditure during the ten years being about two
millions of dollars for extraordinary repairs over the cost
of maintenance and ordinary repairs.
The Canal Improvement Union having gathered such
strength, its members were encouraged to make a final
effort for what was then considered an improvement ade-
quate to meet competition, and they sought through legisla-
tion and the vote of the people what was thought to be an
appropriation large enough to carry such measures into
effect. This resulted in the passage of the law of 1895,
known as the Nine Million Dollar Canal Act.
The unfortunate mistakes which were made in connec-
tion with the expenditure of the nine-million dollar canal
improvement fund, which proved to be wholly inadequate to
pay for the actual work under the plans which had been
adopted, were most disastrous to the cause of canal im-
provement. A revulsion of public sentiment caused by the
seeming waste of a sum so large resulted in the abandon-
ment of the improvements and threatened the total abandon-
ment of the canals.
Upon the passage of the Act of 1894 the Canal Improve-
ment Union, believing its work accomplished, discontinued
its annual conventions, and trusting too much in the capacity
and wisdom of the State officials in charge of the work, was
practically disbanded. About three years later, when it4
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
became known that the nine millions of dollars had been
exhausted and the improvement had failed, there was no
central organized exponent body in this State to consider
the situation and act in the emergency.
In the fall of 1898, the New York Board of Trade and
Transportation being impressed with the very great danger
which threatened the perpetuity of the State canals, ap-
pointed a special committee for the purpose of conferring
with other organizations and with the friends of the canals
throughout the State, with the object of reviving the canal
improvement movement and, if deemed advisable, calling a
State Canal Improvement Convention.
During the winter of 1898-99 Mr. Wm. F. McConnell,
representing the New York Board of Trade and Transpor-
tation, was sent upon several tours through the State for
the purpose of conferring with friends of the canals and
again enlisting their active support and to secure their coop-
eration in holding the proposed canal convention. This
effort proved to be a total failure. Not a single man or
organization could be found willing to again put forth any
effort for the canals, and the general sentiment expressed
was that they were doomed to early decay and abandonment.
Referring to this subject the Committee on Canals of the
Board of Trade and Transportation in a report to the Board
June 13, 1900, said:
“Emphatic opposition and discouragement was found everywhere.
The old friends of the canal had lost heart, and many of them were
openly opposed to any further attempt to save the canals. We were
unable to secure a single promise from any organization or indi-
vidual for cooperation in an attempt to revive the canal movement.
“At that time the secretary of the Board suggested the calling
of a state convention on the broader grounds of State commerce.
He contended that State commerce embraced canal commerce; that
the canal question would necessarily become prominent in any dis-
cussion of State commerce and he predicted that the canal question
would thereby be revived and possibly become the overshadowing
topic in any representative gathering of the business men of this
State. It was conceded everywhere that something must be done
for our commerce, but no plan or policy had been formed, no meas-
ure outlined. ...THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
5
“Having in mind this suggestion on the 8th of February, 1899,
this Board addressed a communication on the subject of canal im-
provement to Governor Roosevelt, declaring that ‘the time has come
for radical measures if New York is to preserve her proper com-
mercial question/ ”
On the same day, February 8, 1899, the Board of Trade
and Transportation adopted the following resolutions
which were sent to Governor Roosevelt with the letter re-
ferred to, viz.:
Resolved, That the New York Board of Trade and Transporta-
tion respectfully directs the attention of the Governor and State
Legislature, now in session, to the dangers that threaten the com-
merce and supremacy of New York. Rival seaport cities and the
Dominion of Canada are making herculean efforts to wrest from us
our trade and commerce by providing water and rail outlets from
the great granaries of the west and northwest to the seaboard
cheaper than those provided by New York's canals and railroads.
This State has not kept pace with the gigantic strides of sister
states, the Dominion of Canada and competing ports in the way of
improving or enlarging our canals to meet the requirements upon
them; neither has she provided cheapened terminal facilities to en-
courage the exporting and importing business of the nation to seek
our city for distribution on its way to and from the Old World and
the interior of this vast country.
Resolved, That the New York Board of Trade and Transporta-
tion believes that the time has come for radical measures if New
York is to preserve her proper commercial position. Railroad dis-
criminations should be abolished; elevator charges, wharfage ex-
actions, port charges, and taxes on commerce of all kinds must be
reduced immediately to a minimum. Unless these abuses on com-
merce are corrected at once and our canals properly enlarged or
improved without delay, it is certain that New York will soon be
compelled to surrender her commercial supremacy to more active
and far-sighted competitors.
On the 8th day of March, 1899, one month after the
Board had suggested to Governor Roosevelt that the time
had come for taking “radical measures,” he appointed “The
Committee on Canals of New York State,” otherwise known
as “The Governor’s Advisory Canal Committee,” of which
General Francis V. Greene was the chairman.6
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
On the same day that Governor Roosevelt appointed the
Advisory Canal Committee, the New York Board of Trade
and Transportation adopted the following resolution on the
motion of Mr. G. Waldo Smith, viz.:
Resolved, That the President be requested to appoint a special
committee of the members of this Board, with power to cooperate
with committees of other organizations, and that the committee be
directed to call a convention of representatives of organizations,
cities, towns, etc., interested in preserving and promoting the com-
merce of this State. That such convention be called to meet at such
place and time during the current year as will best serve the ends
in view, viz., that means be devised and steps taken to prevent the
further diversion of our commerce and to secure the united influence
of all interests in this State in behalf of such plans as may be de-
cided upon as practicable.
The late Wm. H. Parsons, then the president of the
Board of Trade and Transportation, pursuant to these
resolutions, appointed a committee of ten, the following
nine of whom accepted and served, viz.: G. Waldo Smith,
of Smith & Sills, grocers; Ludwig Nissen, of Ludwig
Nissen & Co., jewelers; John H. Washburn, vice-president
Home Insurance Co.; George E. Armstrong, secretary H.
B. Claflin Co.; F. B. Thurber, president U. S. Export
Association; Dr. Samuel Adams Robinson; Wm. E.
Cleary, president Erie Boatmen’s Transportation Co.;
Patrick Farrelly, manager American News Co.; J. Edgar
Leaycraft, real estate. This committee after due delibera-
tion formulated plans and issued the following “Preliminary
Call”:
New York, May, 1899.
The New York Board of Trade and Transportation has ap-
pointed a special committee with instructions to prepare for and call
a “State Commerce Convention” to be held at some convenient city
in the State during the present year. The time and place have not
been definitely decided upon, but the present purpose is to call it
about September 1st.
The object of the convention is to consider deliberately all mat-
ters relating to commerce and manufactures, and incidentally theTHE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
7
laws and usages of business which now make for progress or hin-
der it.
In this category may be classed many practically distinct subjects
which in their relation to commerce and manufactures have a most
important influence upon our material prosperity.
There are questions having a truly general interest for all sec-
tions of the State, such as taxation, the laws of business corpora-
tions, railroad transportation, canal transportation and forest preser-
vation.
There are other questions which while in a sense local are so
closely related to our commerce and industries as to be classed as
general. Among these are terminal facilities and terminal charges,
including elevation at Buffalo and New York, wharf charges, and
other port charges which are a tax upon commerce; the improve-
ment of the Staten Island and Port Morris water fronts, and the
channels connected therewith, the improvement of the water front
of the city of New York on Manhattan Island, the setting apart
irrevocably of adequate accommodation for the boats that travel the
State canals, and the needed improvements at lake ports in this
State.
Of these questions some are overshadowing, but all are of great
importance not only to the principal cities, but to all the people of
the State.
Commerce was mainly the incentive that first peopled Manhattan
Island with white men. Commerce has been the upbuilding of the
city and State of New York, and commerce today maintains their
supremacy in population and wealth. Commerce and manufactures,
twin industries, give employment to capital and a livelihood to the
industrious masses. Where they are brought, buildings increase in
number, lands and buildings become valuable, and cities are made
with their teaming population.
Where cities exist and are prosperous, there are the markets for
the products of garden and farm and the benefits of commercial and
manufacturing activity are spread abroad.
Commerce and manufactures should, therefore, be encouraged
for the well-being of all the people.
How may commerce and manufactures be increased within the
State of New York is $he question for the State Commerce Conven-
tion to consider. What means may be employed for the advance-
ment of these great primary interests?
The first practical step in that direction is to get together. No
part of the State but is deeply interested in this question. Every
part of the State should be represented.8
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
The second practical step follows, viz., discussion, the presenta-
tion of needs, the statement of propositions, the suggestion of and
agreement upon measures for a betterment of conditions.
The third practical step is to unite the influence of all sections
represented to secure from the Legislature the enactment of the
measures which may be agreed upon.
Such in essence is the object of the State Commerce Convention
for which your support is solicited.
The great and important results to the State of New York of
such a gathering of the business men of the State cannot be over-
estimated.
It means much labor and persistent effort. It also means that a
permanent State organization should be effected to carry forward
and promote the measures agreed upon. It means the continued
cooperation of every local organization until this movement has
made itself felt in the Legislative halls of the State, and until the
business men of the State have made their impress upon the political
parties by non-partisan action, or, if necessary, by independent or
partisan action, and until the ends in view have been attained.
Every city and village in the State should have a local Board of
Trade or Business Men's Association. Such bodies lead to enter-
prise and a betterment of local conditions and we urge the business
men in all places that have no such association to organize at once.
With this presentation, therefore, we invite your cooperation.
We ask that you take into consideration at once the question of
participating in this movement, and that you kindly inform the un-
dersigned at the earliest day practicable if you will attend or send
delegates to the State Commerce Convention.
Each constituent body having 20 members and less than 100 may
send one delegate.
Having 100 and less than 200—two delegates
“	200	“	350—three	“
“	350	“	500—four	“
“ more than 500	—five	“
Mayors of all cities are invited to attend and where no organiza-
tion exists or where the existing organization fails to send dele-
gates may name three delegates from such city.
Presidents of incorporated villages are invited to attend or ap-
point one delegate.
Boards of Supervisors in the counties in the State may appoint
two delegates.THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
9
All delegates must be provided with credentials from the organi-
zation, Mayor, President, or Board appointing them.
Requesting a reply at early date,
Very respectfully,
[Signed by the Committee.]
All the important and many of the smaller newspapers of
the State immediately published this preliminary call and the
great interest in the convention was made apparent by the
fact that seven different cities through their commercial
bodies or officials, and in some instances both, sent invita-
tions to the committee accompanied by arguments and ear-
nest appeals to have the convention held in their places.
Preliminaries having been determined, the committee
finally issued the “official call.,,1
Having in special view the main object for which the
convention was called, viz., to renew the discussion of the
canal improvement question, the committee arranged the
“Official Programme” so that this subject would have special
prominence, and also secured in advance prominent men to
make addresses on its various phases.
The first State Commerce Convention met at Utica, and
organized a permanent State Association, with Hon. John
D. Kernan of Utica as president and Frank S. Gardner of
New York as secretary.1 2
The influential bodies which were represented at these
several conventions were located in every important section
of the State.
On September 5, 1899, the date on which the official call
for the first convention was issued, and three and a half
months after the issue of the preliminary call, the committee
had been promised delegates from sixty-eight cities and
incorporated villages, from seventy-eight commercial or-
ganizations, and forty-one mayors and presidents of villages
had promised to attend the convention.
1.	An abstract of the official call follows Mr. Gardner’s paper.
2.	Abstracts of the proceedings of this convention, and of the second and
third State Commerce Conventions, and of the action of the adjourned meeting
of the convention, are appended to this paper. These abstracts give the reso-
lutions adopted, and also the names of the officers and committees elected at
each convention.10
THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
A special invitation was sent to the Poughkeepsie Board
of Trade because it was believed that the Hon. John I. Platt
of that organization would be the delegate. Mr. Platt wrote
that he had been appointed a delegate but, said he, “you do
not want me because I will make trouble if I go.” He was
assured that he would be welcome, and furthermore was
invited to make an address expressing his views in opposi-
tion to the improvement of the canals. This invitation Mr.
Platt accepted, and he addressed the convention for over an
hour. The abstract of the proceedings of this convention
states that the report of the canal committee presented by
Hon. George B. Sloan of Oswego “was adopted by the con-
vention with one dissenting vote.”
This result, attained in a large gathering of men from
all parts of the State, brought together at such a time and
without reference to their views, including several anti-
canal sections, notably the city of Binghamton, which was
represented by its Mayor and four delegates from the Board
of Trade, was most gratifying.
Upon a viva voce vote one single voice was heard in the
negative on the adoption of the canal resolutions. When
the chairman put the question a second time by a standing
vote, the single dissenter did not rise, and Mr. John I. Platt
did not vote.
The greatest enthusiasm over the canal question was im-
mediately aroused throughout the State, and as had been
anticipated it again became the most prominent State issue.
So strongly was the influence felt at once that both of the
great political parties were easily induced to place planks in
their platforms which endorsed the improvement.
The resolutions of the conventions as printed in the
abstracts of the proceedings expressed the policy and wishes
of the commercial interests of the State but they can give no
conception of the labor involved in presenting them to the
Legislature, in spreading them abroad among the people
and in meeting and finally defeating the forces of the oppo-
sition. The State Commerce Convention served the purpose
for which it was called into existence, to revive the discus-
sion of the canal improvement question at a time when itTHE CANAL IMPROVEMENT UNION.
11
appeared to be a lost cause. It not only revived the discus-
sion, but it brought to the support of the canals thousands
of the most influential business men and politicians in the
State.
It is not practicable in this brief sketch to narrate in
detail the interesting and important events which were at
critical periods determining factors in the fight to preserve
the canals.
The names of the men who were most active in the work
of the State Commerce Convention will be found in the
abstracts of proceedings among the officers and especially
on the State Committee and the Executive Committee.THE
STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS
OF 1899, 1900, AND 1901
The New York Board of Trade and Transportation issued the
official call for a State Commerce convention, to be held at Utica,
October io to 12, 1899. It set forth that the object of the conven-
tion “is to consider deliberately all matters relating to commerce and
manufactures in New York State and incidentally the laws and
usages of business which now make for progress or hinder it.” It
provided for representation by delegates of all chambers of com-
merce, boards of trade, business men’s associations, and manufac-
turers’ associations, and all others whose members were interested
in promoting commerce and manufacture in the State. The mayors
of all cities were invited to attend and asked to appoint three dele-
gates, each, in addition to such as were to be appointed by local or-
ganizations ; also presidents of villages and the board of supervisors
in every county of the State were invited to appoint delegates.
The first day’s programme was chiefly devoted to the great prob-
lem “The State Canals, what shall be done with them?” taking up
such questions as the need of canal terminal facilities, wharf charges,
grain elevation, forest preservation as related to commerce, etc. The
second day was devoted to railroad questions, and the third day to
taxation as affecting commerce and manufactures.
The preliminary arrangements were strikingly well worked out,
specifying the character of the debate, length of speeches, etc., in
order that as much might be accomplished as possible within the
specified time.
This circular was signed by G. Waldo Smith, chairman of the
committee of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation,
and eight other members, with Mr. Frank S. Gardner as Secretary.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
13
THE UTICA CONVENTION OF 1899.
Hon. George B. Sloan of Oswego was elected the temporary
chairman; Hon. John D. Keman of Utica was elected the per-
manent chairman. Mr. Frank S. Gardner of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation, Hon. John Cunneen of Buffalo, and Dr.
A. H. Bayard of Cornwall were elected secretaries, and Mr. Russell
H. Wicks of Utica was elected treasurer.
The committee on credentials reported a roll of delegates duly
appointed by and representing the following organizations, boards
of supervisors, mayors of cities, and presidents of villages:
Organizations.
New York Board of Trade and Transportation.
New York Produce Exchange.
Chamber of Commerce, Utica.
Chamber of Commerce, Syracuse.
Chamber of Commerce, Rochester.
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange.
Manufacturers* Association of New York (Brooklyn Borough).
Merchants* Association of Catskill.
New York Retail Grocers* Union.
New York State Hardware Jobbers* Association.
Binghamton Board of Trade.
Oswego Board of Trade.
Coxsackie Board of Trade.
Retail Lumber Dealers* Association of the State of New York.
Chamber of Commerce, Little Falls.
Business Men*s Association, Canastota.
Business Men’s Association, Cohoes.
Business Men’s Association, Auburn.
Board of Trade, Cornwall.
Business Men’s Central Council, Buffalo.
Lumber Trade Association, New York.
New York State Canned Goods Packers’ Association.
Stationers’ Board of Trade, New York.
Maritime Association of the Port of New York.
Paint, Oil and Varnish Club, New York.
New York State Wholesale Grocers* Association.
Wholesale Grocers of New York City and Vicinity.
Canal Boat Owners’ Association of the State of New York.
Merchants and Manufacturers’ Board of Trade, New York.
New York Tax Reform Association.14
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
Board of Trade, Frankfort.
Canal and Harbor Union, New York.
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.
Wallabout Market Merchants’ Association, Brooklyn.
Business Men’s Association, Lockport.
Oswego Lumbermen’s Exchange, Oswego.
Black Rock Business Men’s Association, Buffalo.
United Retail Grocers’ Association of Brooklyn.
Board of Trade of Saugerties.
Board of Trade, Poughkeepsie.
Ilion Board of Trade, Ilion.
Tonawanda Lumberman’s Association.
Hay and Straw Dealers’ Association of the State of New York.
New Rochelle Board of Trade.
Cold Spring Business Men’s Association, Buffalo.
New York Furniture Warehousemen’s Association, New York.
St. Lawrence County Dairymen’s Board of Trade.
Oneida Chamber of Commerce, Oneida.
Board of Trade of the City of Kingston.
Herkimer Board of Trade.
Boonville Board of Trade.
Canal Enlargement Association, Buffalo.
Utica Dairy Board of Trade.
Boards of Supervisors of Oneida, Warren, Cortland and Monroe
counties.
The Mayors of Buffalo, Schenectady, Little Falls, North Tona-
wanda, Troy, Cohoes, Oswego, Utica, Rome, Binghamton and Syra-
cuse.
The village presidents of Ilion, Coxsackie, Herkimer, Frankfort,
Oneida, Canastota, Whitesboro, Camden, Weedsport, Bronxville,
Oriskany Falls, Sherburne, Canajoharie, Cattaraugus, Monroe, St.
Johnsville, Cleveland, Fort Plain and Cortland.
The committee on permanent organization reported in addition
to the names of the president, secretaries and treasurer, the names
of vice-presidents and suggested the appointment of four committees
of seventeen members each, viz., a Committee on Canals, a Commit-
tee on Railroads, a Committee on Taxation and a Committee on
Miscellaneous Resolutions. They also recommended that the presi-
dent, vice-presidents, secretaries and treasurer with the chairmen
of the four committees be created a permanent State Committee to
continue after the adjournment of the convention for the purpose of
carrying out the objects of the convention. The report was adopted.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
15
Hon. George B. Sloan of Oswego for the Committee on Canals,
reported the following resolutions, and they were adopted by the
convention with one dissenting vote:
Whereas, The commercial supremacy and the prosperity of the
State of New York were created by conditions of traffic which were
developed by the Erie, Oswego and Champlain canals and that from
their inception these water ways have been efficient factors in pre-
serving such prosperity and supremacy.
Whereas, The neglect in maintaining these canals in suitable
condition, and the inefficient methods of transportation employed
thereon have resulted in the decline of their efficiency and relative
usefulness, so that they have become less important factors in con-
trolling freight rates from the West to the Atlantic seaboard than
formerly, principally because the same intelligence that has brought
about the great development of the railroad systems, thereby in-
creasing their efficiency and cheapness of service, has not been
brought to the canal system.
Whereas, The Dominion of Canada, recognizing the power and
influence of sufficient waterways in determining the course of traffic,
has enlarged the canal connecting the Great Lakes with Montreal,
and is contemplating the construction of a canal connecting Lake
Huron directly with the St. Lawrence river, and thereby has in-
creased the importance of Montreal and other Canadian seaports in
such a way as to seriously threaten the trade of American ports.
Resolved, That the Erie, Oswego and Champlain canals ought to
be materially improved to maintain the commercial supremacy of the
State, thereby promoting the prosperity of its people.
Resolved, That the outlay in making such improvement would
be a wise investment of money for the people of the State. With
due regard, however, to public economy, we believe that the policy
of the State should be on the line of improving the canals to secure
the greatest benefit from the disbursement made in the shortest time.
The improvements must be progressive and calculated to attain a
definite object, and so made that each step will be complete in itself
and give immediate benefits to commerce.
Mr. Sloan also reported the following resolution which was
unanimously adopted by the convention:
Resolved, That we heartily approve of the application of Civil
Service rules to the conduct of the canal system of this State.
Mr. Sloan also reported the following, which was adopted:
Whereas, Upon the preservation of our State forests depend the
watersheds and natural water courses of the State, and upon these
depends the water supply for our rivers and canals, and16
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
Whereas, Our canals and rivers depend upon the preservation of
our forests and our commerce depends upon the competition and
cheap transportation afforded by our canals and rivers it is of vital
importance that our forests shall be guarded from destruction, and
that the spirit and letter of the provisions of the state constitution
relating thereto shall be enforced; be it, therefore,
Resolved, That this convention is of the opinion that individual
responsibility and individual accountability in all executive depart-
ments of the State government is productive of the best results, and
believing that no reason exists why that principle might not be
applied with advantage in the administrative work of the forests of
the State, this convention respectfully requests the Legislature to
consider the propriety of taking the necessary steps by the enact-
ment of new laws or by amending existing laws to the attainment
of that end.
Mr. Sloan also reported the following which were adopted :
Resolved, That the people of the State of New York, having pro-
vided a free waterway across the State connecting the great chain
of lakes and all the vast regions tributary thereto with the Atlantic
at its greatest harbor, the bay of New York, are entitled to the pro-
vision of the most ample terminals therefor.
Resolved, That the Dock Department of the City of New York
be requested to encourage in every way the most ample accommo-
dation for package and other freight for transmission by canal.
Resolved, That the Superintendent of Public Works and the
Canal Board be requested to facilitate the creation of canal terminals
in the Erie Basin at Buffalo, in which location the State owns prop-
erty admirably adapted for the same, and thereby encourage the ex-
penditure of private capital to make a point of free contract, or free
transfer storage, between the vast lake marine on the one hand and
canal craft on the other; all of which this convention believes to be
absolutely essential to a restoration of prosperity to the canals of
the State.
Other resolutions adopted dealt with other than canal interests.
THE SYRACUSE CONVENTION OF 1900.
The second annual State Commerce convention met at Syracuse,
June 6 and 7, 1900. Hon. John D. Kernan presided, and the other
officers were as follows:
Vice-Presidents: Wm. Bayard Van Rensselaer, Albany; Isaac
Clark, Amsterdam; Albert W. Lawton, Auburn; Frederick C. M.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
17
Lautz, Buffalo; Frank B. Baird, Buffalo; Knowlton Mixer, Buf-
falo; Alfred S. Targett, Cohoes; J. M. Diven, Elmira; John H.
Morse, Fort Edward; E. R. Redhead, Fulton; James W. Green,
Gloversville; A. B. Steele, Herkimer; Clarence W. Wyckoff,
Ithaca; Henry E. Tremain, Lake George; P. H. McEvoy, Little
Falls; George W. Knowles, Lyons; John T. Darrison, Lockport;
Charles A. Gorman, Medina; R. P. Carpenter, New Rochelle; Wm.
G. Smythe, New York; Franklin Edson, New York; Gustav H.
Schwab, New York; Thomas W. Ormiston, New York; C. C.
Shayne, New York; John V. Barnes, New York; Charles L.
Adams, New York; George H. Tiemeyer, New York; Cornelius
G.	Kolff, Staten Island, N. Y.; S. V. V. Huntington, New York;
A. M. Hall, Oswego; Thomas M. Costello, Altmar; Herbert H.
Douglas, Oneida; Horace McGuire, Rochester; Henry C. Brewster,
Rochester; Douglas N. Green, Syracuse; Edward Nottingham,
Syracuse; Wm. H. Freer, Troy; W. Pierrepont White, Utica.
Secretaries:	Frank S. Gardner, New York; John Cunneen,
Buffalo; Correl Humphrey, Utica.
Treasurer: Harvey W. Brown, Rochester.
State Committee:	John D. Kernan, Utica; Jerome DeWitt,
Binghamton; Conrad Diehl, Buffalo; M. M. Drake, Buffalo; Jos.
W. Cummin, Cornwall-on-Hudson; James Arkell, Canajoharie;
Frank S. Oakes, Cattaraugus; James H. Mitchell, Cohoes; Charles
A. Wardle, Catskill; E. M. Tierney, Elmira; Thomas D. Lewis,
Fulton; W. M. Haskell, Glens Falls; H. C. Munger, Herkimer;
Seth G. Heacock, Ilion; Frank Brainard, New York; A. Abraham,
Brooklyn; G. Waldo Smith, New York; J. H. Gregory, Kingston;
Timothy Deasey, Little Falls; R. B. Downing, Oneida; John T.
Mott, Oswego; John R. Myers, Rouse’s Point; A. C. Kessinger,
Rome; Charles E. Angle, Rochester; F. E. Bacon, Syracuse; Theo-
dore S. Fassett, Tonawanda; Wm. F. Gurley, Troy ; John C. Hoxie
Utica; Edw. P. Newcomb, Whitehall; Frank S. Gardner, New
York; John Cunneen, Buffalo; Geo. B. Sloan, Oswego; H. S. Rey-
nolds, Poughkeepsie; E. N. Trump, Syracuse; Richard Humphrey,
Black Rock, Buffalo; Ludwig Nissen, Brooklyn; S. D. Coykendall,
Rondout; George Clinton, Buffalo; George H. Raymond, Buffalo;
Henry B. Hebert, New York; Willis H. Tennant, Mayville; C. P.
H.	Vary, Newark; Wm. A. Rogers, North Tonawanda; H. H.
Brown, Spencerport; Charles P. Corbit, New York.
Executive Committee: John D. Kernan, Utica; G. Waldo Smith,
New York; Frank Brainard, New York; Ludwig Nissen, Brook-
lyn; Conrad Diehl, Buffalo; Richard Humphrey, Black Rock, Buf-
falo; J. H. Mitchell, Cohoes; Charles A. Wardle, Catskill; John18
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
C. Hoxie, Utica; Henry B. Hebert, New York; A. C. Kessinger,
Rome; Frank S. Gardner, New York; F. E. Bacon, Syracuse;
Harvey W. Brown, Rochester.
The Canal Committee presented the following report and reso-
lution :
“We recognize that for three-quarters of a century the canal
system of the State has been the principal factor in securing and
promoting our commercial prosperity. The chief results have been
the upbuilding of industrial and commercial centers along the lines
.of the canals and the making of New York City the commercial
metropolis of the western hemisphere.
"These great centers of population have furnished markets for
the agricultural products of the State. The continued growth and
prosperity of these industrial centers are, therefore, vitally important
to our agricultural interests.
"While affording cheap transportation for products raised and
consumed by our people, the canals have kept down railway freight
rates on local traffic in all parts of the State. While the railroads
have minimized their operating expenses and laid out vast sums of
money in multiplying their carrying capacity, no improvements have
been made in canal facilities for nearly forty years. They have be-
come inadequate to the requirements of our State’s commerce. The
vast canal tonnage that gave New York its supremacy is largely di-
verted to rival routes. One of these is a fourteen-foot canal com-
pleted this year from the Great Lakes to the seaboard, via the St.
Lawrence river to Montreal. The interests of the great trunk lines
prevent their protecting the commerce of this State. By agree-
ments between them, establishing differential rates, a large portion
of the commerce naturally tributary to New York has been taken
from us. An improved canal will be an effective remedy.
"The experience of the world has shown that natural or adequate
artificial water routes furnish today the cheapest possible transpor-
tation.
"The greatest centers of manufacturing prosperity are found
where raw materials and manufactured articles can be moved to and
from the factory at the lowest rates.
"An increase of manufacturing industries within the borders of
the State of New York will, of necessity, benefit the farmer, the
wage earner and the merchant, as well as the manufacturer.
"Your committee, therefore, recommends the adoption of the
following:
“Resolved, That the future prosperity of the entire State requires
the improvement and enlargement of its canals in a manner com-THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
19
mensurate with the demands of commerce and to a capacity suffi-
cient to compete with all rival routes.”
The Committee on Taxation reported; and the resolution of 1899
regarding forest preservation was again adopted.
Before adjournment, the president of the convention was in-
structed to appoint a committee not exceeding ten to attend the State
conventions of all the political parties in this State, "to urge upon
such conventions respectively the adoption of declarations in their
platforms in favor of the improvement of the canal system of the
State in accordance with the resolutions already adopted by this con-
vention.”
At the regular monthly meeting of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation next following this Syracuse convention
the following report was submitted and read by the President, Mr.
W. H. Parsons:
"New York, June 13, 1900.
“To the New York Board of Trade and Transportation:
"The second annual State Commerce Convention was held in
the city of Syracuse on the 6th and 7th of June, instant. There
were more than 250 accredited delegates present, about 100 more
than attended the first State Commerce convention at Utica last
October. The subject of canal improvement was again the center
of greatest interest. The convention, with but one dissenting vote,
adopted the following on that subject, viz.:
“'Resolved, That the future prosperity of the entire State re-
quires the improvement and enlargement of its canals in a manner
commensurate with the demands of commerce and to a capacity suf-
ficient to compete with all rival routes/
"The convention also adopted a report upon the subject of taxa-
tion which we suggest shall be referred to our Committee on Legis-
lation.
"The important influence of the State Commerce conventions and
the work done in that connection cannot be easily overestimated.
"On the 1st day of January, 1899, the canal improvement move-
ment seemed dead beyond hope of resurrection. The temper of the
people and the Legislature forbade any attempt at legislation look-
ing to a continuance of the improvements. The policy of the Gov-
ernor was undefined. With a view to revive interest, this board sent
Mr. Wm. F. McConnell to visit representative men and organiza-
tions in the interior of the State. Emphatic opposition and discour-
agement were found everywhere. The old friends of the canal had20
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
lost heart, and many of them were openly opposed to any further
attempt to save the canals. We were unable to secure a single prom-
ise from any organization or individual for cooperation in an at-
tempt to revive the canal movement. At that time the secretary of
the board suggested the calling of a State convention on the broader
ground of State commerce. He contended that State commerce em-
braced canal commerce; that the canal question would necessarily
become prominent in any discussion of state commerce, and he pre-
dicted that the canal question would thereby be revived and possibly
become the overshadowing topic in any representative gathering of
the business men of this State. It was conceded everywhere that
something must be done for our commerce, but no plan or policy
had been formed, no measures outlined. Having in mind the State
commerce movement, on the 8th of February, 1899, this board ad-
dressed a communication on the subject of canal improvement to
Governor Roosevelt, declaring that ‘the time has come for radical
measures if New York is to preserve her proper commercial posi-
tion/
“On the 8th of March, 1899, this board appointed a special com-
mittee with instructions to call a state convention of representatives
of organizations, cities, towns, etc., interested in preserving and
promoting the commerce of this State.
“On the same day Governor Roosevelt appointed ‘The Committee
on Canals of New York State/ otherwise known as ‘The Governor's
Advisory Canal Committee/
“The recommendations of the Governor's committee have been
endorsed by the business men of the State, and the last Legislature
passed the bill drawn by the secretary of this board appropriating
$200,000 for the making of surveys in line with such recommenda-
tions.
“The question of canal improvement has, therefore, been raised
from the point of despair to the position which makes it today the
greatest State issue before the people. But there still remains much
hostility in some parts of the State. It is, however, one of the ques-
tions that will grow in popularity with full investigation. The op-
position is based upon misrepresentation and ignorance of the facts.
The subject demands discussion and agitation. The welfare of the
State demands the fullest consideration of the subject, for wherever
the facts are made known there the cause gains enthusiastic advo-
cates.
“From the first effort to reestablish and enhance the efficiency of
the canals down to the present time, covering a period of twenty-
seven years, this board has been the leader in every movement, and21
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
during most of that time a larger part of the labor, the drawing of
the canal bills that have passed the Legislature, and the general man-
agement and conduct of the work has devolved1 upon the faithful
and efficient secretary of this board, Frank S. Gardner.”
At an adjourned meeting of the State Commerce convention, held
in Syracuse, March 26, 1901, the Committee on Resolutions pre-
sented the following report, which, after full discussion, was adopted,
viz.:
“The canal system of the State was the first great factor in the
growth of the State of New York. During its seventy-five years of
operation, it has been the means largely of building up throughout
this State the greatest line of prosperous cities and villages that can
be found anywhere on this continent. It made New York City one
of the greatest seaports; it made Buffalo one of the greatest lake
ports. By this growth of population throughout the State it has
brought great benefits to all classes of our citizens: to the laboring
man, to the farmer and to the merchant in all lines of commercial
industry.
“In addition to its direct influence upon the prosperity of the
State, it has been such a factor in controlling rates of freight that
nowhere on this continent were rates of transportation by railroad
and by water so moderate as in this State. The condition of the
canal system of the State is most critical. The present and future
commercial prosperity of the State is in great danger. Adequate
improvement of the canals must be undertaken. Largely increased
facilities for water transportation must be secured if the State’s
commercial supremacy is to be maintained; therefore,
“ ‘Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that the com-
mercial interests of the State will be best fostered, promoted and
protected by the construction of the one thousand ton barge canal.
“ ‘Resolved, That a committee of nine, together with the president
and secretary, be appointed by the president of this convention,
which committee shall prepare and present to the Governor and Leg-
islature the further reasons for its conclusions.’ ”
THE BUFFALO CONVENTION OF 1901.
The preliminary call for the third annual State Commerce con-
vention was issued from the rooms of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation, July 29, 1901. The official call, fixing
Buffalo as the place of meeting, appeared September 16th; and the
convention opened at the Merchants’ Exchange, Buffalo, October22
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
16th. “The object of the convention,” said the official call, “is to
consider deliberately all matters relating to commerce and manufac-
tures, and incidentally the laws and usages of business which now
make for progress or hinder it. The convention will devote its
labors to State questions only; but questions relating to the policy
of this State dependent upon action by the General Government will
also be admitted to discussion.”
Representation was substantially as at former conventions. The
official call said: “In order to secure the fullest consideration and
debate practicable, every organization, city and village, submitting a
proposition or resolution, is requested to appoint one of its delegates
to make a leading address thereon, not to exceed thirty minutes, and
to forward the name of such speaker and the title of his address to
the secretary, in New York City, before October 5th, for printing in
the official programme, stating the time he desires to occupy. .
The aim now is, by creation of active associations in all important
places where none exists, to so thoroughly and effectively organize
the entire State in the interest of commerce and manufactures that
hereafter the compact and irresistible influence of those interests
shall no longer wait upon the will of others but exercise practical
control of all actions affecting them. No locality in the State can
afford not to be represented in the convention where questions of
great importance to the State and all of its people are to be acted
upon. Business men and manufacturers in cities and places having
no active commercial body and urged to organize at once and ap-
point delegates to attend the convention, and submit for considera-
tion such subjects of State and local importance as interest them.”
Official organization at Buffalo was as follows:
President: Hon. John D. Kernan, Utica.
Vice-Presidents: Edward A. Durant, Albany; Thomas F. Ken-
nedy, Amsterdam; Albert W. Lawton, Auburn; Ogden P. Letch-
worth, Buffalo; Fred. C. M. Lautz, Buffalo; George P. Sawyer,
Buffalo; Alfred S. Targett, Cohoes; Seymour Dexter, Elmira; E
R. Redhead, Fulton; James W. Green, Gloversville; A. B. Steele,
Herkimer; Clarence W. Wyckoff, Ithaca; John McCausland; Tim-
othy Deasey, Little Falls; Geo. W. Knowles, Lyons; John T. Dar-
rison, Lockport; Stanley E. Filkins, Medina; Henry Scherp, New
Rochelle; Franklin Edson, New York; Chas. A. Schieren, Brook-
lyn; Wm. G. Smythe, New York; Gustav H. Schwab, New York;
Thos. W. Ormiston, New York; John V. Barnes, New York; D.
LeRoy Dresser, New York; Albert Kinkel, New York; S. V. V.
Huntington, New York; Cornelius G. Kolff, Staten Island; A. M.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
23
Hall, Oswego; Thos. M. Costello, Altmar; Robert J. Fish, Oneida;
Henry C. Main, Rochester; Henry C. Brewster, Rochester; Wilbur
S. Peck, Syracuse; Wm. H. Freer, Troy; Henry D. Pixley, Utica;
Geo. S. Dana, Utica; George A. Fuller, Watertown.
Secretaries: Frank S. Gardner, New York; John Cunneen, Buf-
falo; Correl Humphrey, Utica.
Treasurer: Harvey W. Brown, Rochester.
State Committee:	John D. Kernan, Chairman, Utica; Jerome
DeWitt, Binghamton; Alfred Haines, Buffalo; Henry B. Hebert,
New York; Jas. Arkell, Canajoharie; Frank S. Oakes, Cattaraugus;
Jas. H. Mitchell, Cohoes; Chas. A. Wardle, Catskill; E. M. Buck-
lin, Ithaca; Thos. D. Lewis, Fulton; M. M. Drake, Buffalo; Thos.
S. Coolidge, Glens Falls; H. G. Munger, Herkimer; Seth G. Hea-
cock, Ilion; Frank Brainard, New York; G. Waldo Smith, New
York; Edward H. Kingsbury, Little Falls; Chas. N. Chadwick,
Brooklyn; John T. Mott, Oswego; John R. Myers, Rouse’s Point;
A. R. Kessinger, Rome; Chas. E. Angle, Rochester; Francis E.
Bacon, Syracuse; Theo. S. Fassett, Tonawanda; Fred M. Orr,
Troy; John C. Hoxie, Utica; Edward P. Newcomb, Whitehall;
Frank S. Gardner, New York; Geo. B. Sloan, Oswego; John Cun-
neen, Buffalo; H. S. Reynolds, Poughkeepsie; Richard Humphrey,
Black Rock, Buffalo; Ludwig Nissen, Brooklyn; S. D. Coykendall,
Rondout; Geo. Clinton, Buffalo; Albert L. Swett, Medina; S. H.
Beach, Rome; George H. Raymond, Buffalo; Willis H. Tennant,
Mayville; Wm. R. Corwine, New York; C. P. H. Vary, Newark;
Wm. A. Rogers, North Tonawanda; Chas. A. Lux, Clyde; H. H.
Brown, Spencerport; Chas. P. Corbit, New York.
Among the resolutions adopted were the following:
As reported by the Committee on Miscellaneous Resolutions:
"Resolved, That it be recommended to each trade to organize an
association for the improvement of trade conditions, and
“Resolved, That a central organization, composed of delegates
from the various trade associations be maintained for cooperation in
measures to promote interests common to all the trades.”
Also the following:
“Resolved, That while it is impracticable that this body shall sug-
gest or recommend specific or detailed propositions for improving
the methods of legislation in this State, we believe the subject to be
of great importance to the welfare of the Commonwealth. In 1895,
an expert commission appointed by Governor Morton investigated
the subject and reported its conclusions with bills which were de-24
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
signed to remedy the evils of ‘over legislation/ to check the passage
of ‘slip-shod and ill-considered measures/ and to reduce the influence
of the lobby to a legitimate sphere. The necessity for some reforms
in this direction is patent to all observers of legislative methods, and
especially to those whose interests are so often assailed by the intro-
duction and passage of bills of which no previous notice is given,
and the knowledge of which is obtained only by accident or by main-
taining at great expense a system of constant vigilance.
“Resolved, That we respectfully request His Excellency, the
Governor, and the members of the Legislature to give the subject of
methodizing legislation their most careful consideration.”
“Whereas, A portion of the Cob Dock maintained by the United
States is an obstruction to navigation in the East River, and a bill
has been introduced in Congress for its removal.
“Resolved, That this convention approves the object, and recom-
mends suitable action by the United States, the State and city to
thus improve this channel.”
“Resolved, That this convention most earnestly favors the estab-
lishment of a Department of Commerce, urges action by Congress in
that regard and recommends individual solicitation of our Repre-
sentatives, and that the secretary of this convention transmits this
resolution to similar bodies for like action.”
Adopted as reported by the Committee on Taxation:
“Resolved, That the State Commerce convention reiterates its
resolution: ‘That the best way to reform the system of local taxa-
tion is to grant local option in taxation to the cities and counties of
the State/ and to carry this resolution into effect, recommends the
passage of the Bill for the Apportionment of State Taxes and for
Local Option in Taxation, prepared by the New York Tax Reform
Association, and unanimously endorsed by many organizations, some
of which are members of this convention.
“Resolved, That this convention endorses the following resolu-
tion on taxation unanimously adopted by the National Tax Confer-
ence:
“ ‘This conference recommends to the States the recognition and
enforcement of the principles of inter-state comity in taxation.
These principles require that the same property should not be taxed
at the same time by two State jurisdictions and that if the title
deeds or other paper evidences of the ownership of property or of
an interest in property are taxed, they shall be taxed at the situs ofTHE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
25
the property and not elsewhere. These principles should also be
applied to any tax upon the transfer of property in expectation of
death, or by will, or under the laws regulating the distribution of
property in case of intestacy/ ”
This was adopted as reported by the Committee on Canals. The
official minutes further say:
“Our canal system was the first great factor in the growth of our
State. During its seventy-five years of operation it has made New
York City one of the greatest seaports in the world. It has made
Buffalo one of the greatest lake ports. It has built up a line of the
richest and most populous cities and villages connecting the two that
can be found anywhere on this continent.
“The consequent increase of population and industry has brought
untold benefits to all classes of our citizens; to the laboring man, to
the mechanic, to the farmer and to the merchant in all lines of com-
mercial industry.
“In addition to its direct influence upon the prosperity of the
State, it has been the chief factor in controlling and regulating
freight rates. Its influence in this particular has rapidly declined
during recent years.
“Through failure to adequately improve its waterways, the State
has experienced a marked falling off in its proportion of the com-
merce of the country. There is every prospect of still further de-
cline in the future, with consequent increasing injury to all the ma-
terial interests of the State, unless checked by proper canal enlarge-
ment. The condition of our canal system is most critical. The pres-
/ ent and future prosperity of the State is in great danger. Continued
neglect of our waterways is encouraging Canadian and other com-
petition.
“Vast combinations of railroad interests have destroyed all rail-
way competition. The produce of the western farmer is carried by
rail at lower rates than are given to the farmers of New York. The
manufacturers of adjacent states receive like advantages over our
own manufacturers. These discriminations are injurious.
“Largely increased facilities for water transportation must be
secured under State control if our commercial supremacy is to be
maintained. The result will be a marked increase in local traffic on
the canals, with cheaper freight rates on all our merchandise to and
from the seaboard.
“An adequate improvement of these waterways will also promote
a large growth in the manufacture of iron and steel, and will stimu-
late the development of other manufacturing enterprises throughout26
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
the State. This means a vast increase in our population to meet
the new demands for labor, which will furnish the farmer a larger
and better home market for his products. It means great benefits to
all classes within our State, whether merchants, manufacturers,
farmers, mechanics or laboring men.
“In the improvement of the canals the development of industry
on the State’s inland lakes now connected with the canal system
should be encouraged, and adequate facilities for their commerce
should be provided.
“A State commission, composed of able engineers and business
men, have, after full investigation, decided that the proper and best
solution of these problems of water transportation requires the con-
struction of a barge canal through the State of New York with a
capacity sufficient for boats carrying one thousand tons.
‘“As representatives of its progressive business organizations, we
believe that the Empire State, both in wealth and population, can
well afford to accept the best plan for insuring its commercial pros-
perity.
“At this the third session of the State Commerce convention
which has considered the subject of adequate canal improvement in
all its phases, we hereby reaffirm our former conclusions; therefore,
be it
.“ ‘Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that the com-
mercial interests of the State will be best fostered, promoted, and
protected by the construction of the one thousand ton barge canal/
“Adopted as reported by the Committee on Canals; with the fol-
lowing supplementary resolution :
“‘Resolved, That the Legislature be requested to provide for a
survey and estimate of the cost of adequately improving Cayuga and
Seneca lakes, and the Cayuga and Seneca canal, in connection with
any improvements which may be made on the Erie canal, that there
may be a free interchange of traffic with that section of the State
served by those waterways/
“The following was referred to the Committee on Railroads.
The committee held no meeting after the reference and was dis-
charged from its consideration. The convention discussed and
adopted it in open session.
“By an Act of Congress passed in 1886 an Interstate Commerce
Commission was appointed to generally consider the railroad ques-
tion of the United States and to prevent unjust discrimination
against its citizens by the railroads.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
27
“For fourteen years the Commission was composed of the most
eminent men of the country, and expending vast sums have endeav-
ored to carry out the provisions of this Act.
“The following quotation from the last report of the Commission
[Dec. 1900] shows the utter failure of the effort of the people to
save themselves from the discrimination and abuses practiced by the
railroads of this country.
“ Tn its late report of December 24, 1900, the Commission says
that railroad managers generally make no attempt to obey the law,
and claim that they are compelled to counteract its aim and evade
its observance; that frequent discriminations occur and endless acts
of injustice are committed in railroad service and charges; that
railroad combinations have been formed and are certain to be
formed, which will be more extensive, more permanent and more
far reaching in their ultimate results than in any other department
of industry ; that no matter whether unity of interest be secured
through consolidations, leases or holdings of each other’s stock, the
aim always is the same, that is, to stop competition, inflate securities,
advance rates and enforce classifications beneficial to the railroads;
that it will soon lie within the power of two or three, or at most
a small group of men, to say what tax shall be imposed upon the
vast traffic moving between the east and the west by rail; that 824
changes were made in the official classification on January 1, 1900,
by carriers using that classification, of which 818 produced advances
in rates and six resulted in reductions. Based on Chicago-New York
rates, of these advances 434 increased the rate 42.8 per cent, and 32
as low as 15.3 per cent. Six of the advances amounted to 100 per
cent, of the old rate. The average advance was 35.5 per cent.
“The Commission finds that these advances are not justified by
need of revenue, or increased cost of operation, as claimed by rail-
roads ; that increase of traffic has made the percentage of operating
expenses to earnings less than the average from 1890 to 1898; that
slight increases make an enormous aggregate; that one cent a bushel
on all the grain passing through the port of Buffalo, 1899, would
amount to $1,500,000 and applied to all grain moved by rail in the
United States for that year it would have aggregated almost
$10,000,000; therefore
“Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that in view of
this unjust discrimination against the people of the State on the
part of railroads, we must preserve, enlarge and improve our State
lakes, rivers and canals, as the only safeguards for our people
against such excessive railroad rates and unjust discrimination, and
as regulators of all through and local railroad rates in our State.28
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
The convention also adopted the following:
“Resolved, That the State Committee be requested to take such
steps as it deems proper to present the action of this convention to
the Governor and the Legislature.”
The programme of the Buffalo convention included the following
papers, addresses, etc.:
SESSIONS OF WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER l6TH.
Address of Welcome, Mr. O. P. Letchworth, President Buffalo
Merchants’ Exchange.
Report of the Roll of the Convention—Executive Committee.
Appointment of Committee on Miscellaneous Resolutions;- on
Taxation; on Railroads; on Canals; on Nominations.
Address, “Taxation,” by Lawson Purdy of the New York Tax
Reform Association.
Address, “Trade Associations and Cooperation,” by Marcus M.
Marks, President, The Clothiers’ Association of New York.
Address, “Contracts Printed on Railroad Tickets,” by Mr. Willis
H. Tennant of Mayville.
Address, “Methodizing of Legislation,” by Mr. William McCar-
roll of New York Board of Trade and Transportation.
Address, “Removal of Cob Dock at Brooklyn Navy Yard,” by
Mr. Charles N. Chadwick of Manufacturers’ Association of New
York.
Address, “The Future Canal System of the State of New York,”
by Capt. M. M. Drake of the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange.
Address, “The Business Interests of Western New York and the
Barge and Ship Canal Propositions,” by Mr. S. E. Filkins of the
Medina Business Men’s Association.
Address, “The Proper Position for Rochester on Water Trans-
portation,” by Mr. Horace G. Pierce of the Rochester Wholesale
Grocers’ Association.
SESSION OF THURSDAY, OCTOBER I7TH.
Address, “The Waterway Question—An Adequate Solution from
Niagara to the Sea,” by Mr. John A. C. Wright of the Rochester
Chamber of Commerce.
Address, “Practical Water Transportation for the State of New
York,” by Mr. Henry C. Main of the Rochester Retail Grocers’ As-
sociation.
Address, “A Comparison of the Barge Canal with Deep Water-
ways,” by Mr. George W. Rafter, C. E., of the Rochester Chamber
of Commerce.THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
29
Address, “Ship versus Barge Canal,” by Capt. Charles Campbell
of the Marine Industrial League of New York.
Address, “Waterborne Freights,” by Mr. Lewis Nixon of the
New York Board of Trade and Transportation.
Address, “The Preservation of our Waterways,” by Mr. Thomas
Dorrity of the Western Waterway Transportation League of North-
western New York.
Address, “The Practical and the Impractical in Water Transpor-
tation for the State of New York,” by Mr. Gordon W. Hall of Lock-
port, Mayor’s delegation.
Address, “The Importance of the Thousand Ton Barge Canal to
Western New York,” by Mr. Edward I. Taylor of the Lockport
Business Men’s Association.
Address, “Importance of the Canal Waterways,” by Mr. John
McCausland of Rondout, Mayor’s delegation.
Address, “The Erie Canal Vital to Best Interests of the State of
New York,” by Dr. J. D. Bonnar of North Main Association, Buf-
falo.
The sessions of Friday, October 18th, were devoted to open dis-
cussion and miscellaneous business.
Proposed by Willis H. Tennant, alternate for president, of May-
ville:
“Resolved, That the Legislature should forthwith enact a law
making it unlawful for any transportation company doing business
in this State, to issue or sell any passenger ticket or coupon de-
signed as evidence of the right of the purchaser or owner thereof to
a ride thereon, or because of the same, within the State of New
York; excepting such tickets or coupons as shall be good‘and valid
until used by the bearer of the same, in the usual course of business
and travel; and making all contract provisions inserted or endorsed
upon any such ticket or coupon, in conflict with the foregoing, abso-
lutely void.”
Proposed by Clothiers’ Association of New York:
“Resolved, That it be recommended to each trade to organize an
association for the improvement of trade conditions; and
“Resolved, That a central organization, under the direction of
this convention, composed of delegates from the various trade asso-
ciations be maintained for cooperation in measures to promote in-
terests common to all the trades.”so
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
Proposed by New York Tax Reform Association:
"Resolved, That the State Commerce convention reiterates its
resolution: That the best way to reform the system of local taxa-
tion is to grant local option in taxation to the cities and counties of
the state1 and to carry this resolution into effect, recommends the
passage of the Bill for the Apportionment of State Taxes and for
Local Option in Taxation, prepared by the New York Tax Reform
Association and unanimously endorsed by many organizations, some
of which are members of this convention.
“Resolved, That this convention endorses the following resolu-
tion on taxation unanimously adopted by the National Tax confer-
ence:
“ This conference recommends to the states the recognition and
enforcement of the principles of inter-State comity in taxation. These
principles require that the same property should not be taxed at the
same time by two state jurisdictions, and that if the title deeds or
other paper evidences of the ownership of property or of an interest
in property are taxed they shall be taxed at the situs of the property
and not elsewhere. These principles should also be applied to any
tax upon the transfer of property in expectation of death, or by will
or under the laws regulating the distribution of property in case of
intestacy/ ”
Proposed by the Rochester Chamber of Commerce:
“All the Great Lakes lying in the continental basin, except On-
tario, having been united by the United States at their proper ex-
pense;
“Resolved, That the State Commerce convention of New York
favors a deep waterway around Niagara this side, extending into
Lake Ontario, and to New York State the commerce and develop-
ment that has followed the opening of adequate channels in the up-
per lakes, and forming a trunk water route in this basin, and
“Resolved, This convention recommends the same to the Federal
Government for action, and requests cooperation on the part of the
State.”
Also the following:
“The Federal Government having surveyed a deep waterway
through the Great Lakes to the seaboard by the Hudson, as recom-
mended by a United States Commission appointed by the President;
“Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that the same
should be considered in connection with State canal improvement,
and cooperation on the part of the State and National GovernmentsTHE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
31
be sought to the end that such Federal way shall serve both uses,
where routes are common, upon satisfactory terms, and our State
canal system be dovetailed with it—insuring most efficient channels
at least expense to the State.”
Proposed by the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange:
“Whereas, Through forty years’ neglect of its waterways the
State of New York has experienced during recent years a marked
falling off in its share of the commerce between the West and the
seaboard, with the prospect of a still further decline in the future,
entailing severe injury to the material interests of the State; and
“Whereas, There is reason to think that in addition to regaining
this loss of traffic and preventing its further loss, an adequate im-
provement of these waterways would also promote a large growth
in manufacturing within the State, and would enable manufacturers
of this State to obtain better access to the mineral and other raw
material produced in the northwest lake region, and give them de-
cided advantages over the manufacturing industries of other States;
and
“Whereas, Such manufacturing growth and such revival and
growth of the export trade from New York City, would necessarily
bring a large increase of population and wealth to the State, and
would be of continued and great benefit to all classes of the corn*
munity, whether merchants, manufacturers, farmers or laboring
men; and
“Whereas, A State commission, composed of able engineers and
business men, have, after full investigation, decided that the proper
and best solution of the problems of water transportation from the
Lakes to the Seaboard requires the building of a barge canal through
the State of New York with a capacity sufficient to float barges
carrying one thousand tons, and have submitted facts and arguments
in support of such a barge canal which have never been controverted
and are unanswerable; therefore,
"Resolved, That we urge the Governor of the State of New York
and upon the Legislature the importance and necessity of providing
for a thousand ton barge canal in the shortest possible time, in order
that the State may retain its present commercial and industrial in-
terests and may obtain in the future the commercial and industrial
supremacy to which its geographical position, its wealth and the
character of its population entitle it.”
Proposed by John McCausland of Kingston, Mayor’s delegate:
"Resolved, That the people of the State of New York, through
their representatives, give more attention, in the future, to the canal32
THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
waterways that are the people’s property and not allow them to be
abandoned or become of secondary importance, through neglecting
to keep them in condition to meet the increased demands of trade.
“All parts of the State, directly or indirectly, are interested.”
Proposed by the Constantia Board of Trade:
[A long set of preambles and resolutions relating to railroad,
grain elevator and wharf charges, favoring State elevators, opposing
use of the canals and other water transportation by railroads, urging
repeal of pilotage laws and urging improvement of the canals on
one thousand ton barge plan and opposing “all seaboard freight dis-
criminations.”]
Proposed by the New York Board of Trade and Transportation:
“Resolved, That while it is impracticable that this body shall sug-
gest or recommend specific or detailed propositions for improving
the methods of legislation in this State, we believe the subject to be
of great importance to the welfare of the commonwealth. In 1895,
an expert commission appointed by Governor Morton, investigated
the subject and reported its conclusions with bills which were de-
signed to remedy the evils of ‘over legislation/ to check the passage
of ‘slip-shod and ill-considered measures/ and to reduce the influx
ence of the lobby to a legitimate sphere. The necessity for some re-
forms in this direction is patent to all observers of legislative meth-
ods, and especially to those whose interests are so often assailed by
the introduction and passage of bills of which no previous notice is
given, and the knowledge of which is obtained only by accident or
by maintaining at great expense a system of constant vigilance.
“Resolved, That we respectfully request His Excellency, the Gov-
ernor, and the members of the Legislature to give the subject of
methodizing legislation their most careful consideration.
Proposed by the Manufacturers’ Association of New York:
“Whereas, The Government of the United States at present
maintains a cob dock opposite the Navy Yard in the East River,
which cob dock is not only of no advantage to the Government, but
is in fact an obstruction to navigation and to the complete utilization
of the Navy Yard property; and,
“Whereas, For the purpose of removing said obstruction and of
improving the navigation of said river, a bill has been prepared and
introduced in the Congress of the United States, which bill is known
and designated as ‘S. 2473/ and which is now before the Committee
on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives; and,THE STATE COMMERCE CONVENTIONS.
“Whereas, Said improvement will be of great permanent advant-
age to the commerce of the State of New York, including the com-
merce of the Erie Canal and the exchange of products of this State
and other States which are brought to the seaboard by the various
railroads centering at this point where vessels from all parts of the
world will find a convenient outlet; and,
“Whereas, It is fair and proper that the expense of such im-
provement should be borne proportionately by the State of New
York and by the city of New York, the total amount of which ex-
pense is estimated to be $1,250,000;
“Resolved, That this convention does approve of the object set
f6rth in this preamble to this resolution and of the bill prepared in
furtherance thereof and now under consideration by Congress, and
does recommend that said bill be passed and that the State of New
York at the next session of the Legislature thereof by proper legis-
lation take the necessary steps and make and authorize the proper
appropriations for carrying into effect the provisions of said bill.”
The convention also adopted and endorsed the resolution drawn
up at the adjourned meeting in Syracuse, March 26, 1901, advocating
the construciion of the one thousand ton barge canal, as printed on
a preceding page.NEW YORK CITY’S PART
IN THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE
STATE’S WATERWAYS
BY GUSTAV H. SCHWAB
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws,
Chamber of Commerce, State of New York; Chairman of the
Canal Improvement State Committee; etc., etc.
The business interests of New York for a number of
years have borne the burden of the fact that their city and
port has steadily been losing the share of the export and
import traffic of the whole country to which it is entitled.
The report made to the Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New York by its Committee on the Harbor and
Shipping in February, 1898, on the diversion of trade from
New York, showed that the “proportion of imports through
New York fell from 69 per cent, in 1877 to 63.3 per cent, in
1897, while the imports of all other ports rose from 31 per
cent, to 36.7 per cent. The percentage of the domestic
exports from New York fell from 43.6 per cent, in 1877 to
41.5 per cent, in 1897, while the exports of all of the United
States ports increased from 56.4 per cent, to 58.5 per cent,
of the whole.” During the twenty years from 1877 to 1897
the same report showed a total decrease of the commerce to
and from New York from 53.7 per cent, to 51 per cent., and
an advance of all other ports from 46.3 per cent, to 49 per
cent. According to the Chamber’s annual report for the
35NEW YORK CITY AND
fiscal year ending June 30, 1902, the total foreign commerce
of New York City, during the year ending June 30, 1902,
suffered a decrease of $43,198,321, as compared with the
same period of the previous year, and $23,756,248 as com-
pared with the period ending June 30, 1900; thus showing
a growing decrease during the period comprised by these
three years.
The report of the Commerce Commission appointed by
Governor Black in the year 1898 to examine into the com-
merce of New York, the cause of its decline, and to suggest
means for its revival, contained testimony proving con-
clusively that the commerce of the State of New York was
at the mercy and under the control of certain railroad com-
binations which, through discrimination, diverted traffic to
other ports and other States as might best suit their con-
venience or their particular interests. The business men of
New York were helpless to meet these combinations and
discriminations, for it was a fact patent to all that the Erie
Canal was in a condition verging on uselessness, utterly
unable to compete with the service given by the railroads
and, therefore, incapable of fulfilling its former vocation of
a regulator of transportation rates.
The conclusions to which the business interests of New
York were forced, were those formulated by the Committee
on Interstate Commerce of the United States Senate, years
before, as follows:
“The evidence before the Committee accords with the experience
of all nations in recognizing water routes as the most efficient cheap-
ened and regulators of railroad charges. Their influence is not con-
fined within the limits of the territory immediately accessible to
water transportation, but extends further, and controls railroad rates
at such remote interior points as have competing lines reaching
means of transportation by water,
“Competition between railroads sooner or later leads to combina-
tion or consolidation, but neither can prevail to force unreasonable
rates in the face of direct competition with free natural or artificial
routes. The conclusion of the Committee is, therefore, that natural
or artificial channels of communication by water when favorably lo-
cated, adequately improved and properly maintained, afford the
cheapest methods of long distance transportation now known, andTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
37
that they must continue to exercise in the future, as they have in-
variably exercised in the past, an absolutely controlling and bene-
ficially regulating influence upon the charges made upon any and all
means of transit.”
The unsatisfactory outcome of the canal improvement
plan of 1895, under which it was proposed to expend
$9,000,000 in the enlargement of the Erie Canal to a depth
of nine feet, created in the minds of the business men of
New York a feeling of great disappointment, and at the
same time gave rise to renewed discussion of the subject of
thorough and extensive canal improvement. This discussion
culminated in the adoption by the Board of Managers of the
New York Produce Exchange on September 21, 1899, of
the following preamble and resolutions, which were drafted
by a sub-committee of the Canal Committee of the Ex-
change, consisting of Messrs. Frank Brainard, Gustav H.
Schwab, and John P. Truesdell:
Whereas, The commercial supremacy and the prosperity of the
City and State of New York were created by conditions of traffic
which were developed by the Erie Canal, and that from its inception
this waterway has been one of the most efficient factors in preserving
such prosperity and supremacy;
Whereas, By reason of the decay in the physical condition of the
Erie Canal, and the antiquated methods of transportation employed
thereon, its efficiency and relative usefulness have greatly declined,
and have in fact shrunken into insignificance in comparison with
other means of transportation; so that the canal has almost ceased
to be a factor in controlling and modifying freight rates from the
West to the Atlantic Seaboard, or in influencing the distribution of
traffic as between the different competitive points upon the seaboard;
principally because the same intelligence that has brought about the
great development of the railroad systems, thereby increasing their
efficiency and cheapness of service, has not been brought to the Canal
System;
Whereas, The combination and consolidation of the interests of
different railroad trunk lines, which have heretofore been competitors
for export traffic, and which are now uniting, and which in future
will probably more and more unite under single systems of manage-
ment, will destroy the motive which has in the past induced certain
great railway systems to protect the Port of New York in the dis-
tribution of traffic;NEW YORK CITY AND
Whereas, The Dominion of Canada, recognizing the power and
influence of sufficient waterways in determining the course of traffic,
has enlarged the canal connecting the Great Lakes with Montreal,
and is contemplating the construction of a canal connecting Lake
Huron directly with the St. Lawrence River, and thereby has in-
creased the importance of Montreal and other Canadian seaports in
such a way as to seriously threaten the trade of American ports;
Whereas, The conviction is growing upon us that the enlarge-
ment and improvement of the Erie Canal to a depth of nine feet,
which has already cost the State nine millions of dollars, and which
will cost many millions more, will at the best afford but temporary
relief, and that the maintenance of the position of the Port of New
York in control of the greater part of the imports and exports of
the United States, can be permanently secured only by an enlarge-
ment of the waterways connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson
River to such an extent as to finally determine such route to be the
cheapest, notwithstanding any possible competition from the railway
systems or other waterways; therefore, be it
Resolved, That in the opinion of your Committee the true policy
of the State of New York should be the construction of a waterway
connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River, of a much greater
carrying capacity than can be afforded by the plan of improvement
which has been begun. That the principal benefits which will be con-
ferred upon the State will be far in excess of any possible cost of
such enlarged waterway; that we favor the construction and main-
tenance of a canal of a depth of not less than fourteen feet with cor-
responding width; that, if it is necessarv. a new alignment of the
canal should be made by canalizing the Mohawk, Seneca and Clyde
rivers;
Resolved, That the Board of Managers of the New York Produce
Exchange be requested to urge the speedy construction of such a
canal, and by official action pledge the Exchange to hearty support
of legislation tending to that end.
Thus at the beginning of the campaign for genuine and
effective canal enlargement the export interests of New
York City, represented by the New York Produce Exchange,
raised the standard of canal improvement which they con-
sidered essential and, as the sequel shows, led the fight for
canal improvement on these lines to ultimate success at the
polls, except that the depth of the canal, as finally adopted,
was twelve feet instead of fourteen feet.THE STATES WATERWAYS.
39
With a view to reviving the movement for canal improve-
ment, the New York Board of Trade and Transportation, in
the fall of 1898, appointed a special committee for the pur-
pose of conferring with other organizations and, if deemed
advisable, to call a State Canal Improvement Convention.
This movement resulted in the calling of a State Commerce
Convention which met in the city of Utica on October 10,
1899, and which adopted resolutions calling for the material
improvement of the Erie, Oswego and Champlain canals as
a wise investment for the people of the State. The conven-
tion at Utica was followed by a second convention held in
Syracuse on June 6, 1900, and by a third held in Buffalo on
October 16, 1901, at which resolutions demanding the im-
provement and enlargement of the State canals were
adopted. Many of the influential commercial bodies of the
State were represented at these conventions and the discus-
sion of the canal question contributed materially towards
rousing the interest of citizens in the improvement of the
State's water-ways.
The New York Board of Trade and Transportation on
February 8, 1899, adopted resolutions drawing the attention
of the Governor and State Legislature to the danger that
threatened the commerce and supremacy of the City of New
York through rival seaboard cities and through Canadian
competition, and demanding the immediate enlargement and
improvement of the State's canals, and the abolition of rail-
road discriminations and of taxes on commerce. This was
followed by the appointment by Governor Roosevelt on
March 8, 1899, of the Committee on Canals of New York
State, of which Gen. Francis V. Greene, U. S. Army, was
chairman. The able report of this committee calling for
the construction between the Great Lakes and the Hudson
River of a canal of a capacity sufficient for the passage of
barges of 1,000 tons burden, became the chief weapon in
the hands of the canal interests in their campaign for canal
improvement.
Looking toward the initiation of an active movement in
favor of the enlargement and improvement of the canals of
the State on the lines of the resolutions adopted by the New40
NEW YORK CITY AND
York Produce Exchange, the commercial organizations of
Greater New York were invited to meet the Canal Com-
mittee of the Exchange for consultation with regard to the
enlargement and improvement of the State canals. The
meeting was held on December 12, 1899, in the managers’
room of the New York Produce Exchange, the following
commercial organizations of Greater New York being rep-
resented :
Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York.
New York Board of Trade and Transportation.
Merchants’ Association of New York.
Maritime Association of the Port of New York.
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.
Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Board of Trade.
New York Manufacturers’ Association.
Canal Boat Owners’ Association.
The members of the Committee on Canals of New York
State appointed by Governor Roosevelt; and
The members of the Committee on Canals of the New
York Produce Exchange.
Mr. Henry B. Hebert, chairman of the Committee on
Canals, presided and addressed the meeting, showing the
diversion to other ports of inland commerce which had so
far been tributary to the Port of New York; tracing the
relation of the railroads to this diversion of traffic, and
finally discussing the practical measures that could be
adopted to restore to New York the commerce of the in-
terior and permanently to reestablish its preeminence in
trade. Mr. Hebert in his address referred to the resolutions
adopted by the Board of Managers of the New York Pro-
duce Exchange on September 21, 1899, stating that these
resolutions reflected the best judgment of the active mem-
bers of the Produce Exchange, who not only had contributed
most largely to the business of the canal, but who were inti-
mately acquainted with the competitive conditions affecting
canal transportation. In his address Mr. Hebert took the
position that a nine-foot canal, such as proposed under the
improvement of 1895, would be the same feeble competitor
that the present canal is as a transportation factor, the onlyTHE STATE'S WATERWAYS.
41
solution being the construction of a modem water-way of
large dimensions, connecting Lake Erie with tide water on
the Hudson River, as an essential condition to the continued
commercial supremacy of the State.
In the discussion that followed, the representatives of the
various commercial organizations present expressed their
approval of the plan for a barge canal contained in the
report of the Committee on Canals of New York State to
the Governor; and General Francis V. Greene, Chairman
of the Committee on Canals of New York State, addressed
the meeting on the various propositions made by his com-
mittee for the improvement of the State’s water-ways.
Further conferences were held between the Canal Com-
mittee of the New York Produce Exchange and the Com-
mittee on Canals of New York State for the discussion of
the question of canal enlargement, and on March 7, 1900, a
conference of representatives of various commercial organi-
zations of Greater New York with the Committee on Canals
of the New York Produce Exchange, and the Committee on
Canals of New York State was held in the Produce Ex-
change. There were present representatives of the
New York Produce Exchange,
Maritime Association of the Port of New York,
New York Board of Trade and Transportation,
The Merchants’ Association of New York, and
The members of the Committee on Canals of New York
State, appointed by Governor Roosevelt.
At this meeting a resolution was adopted endorsing the
proposed expenditure of $200,000 for a thorough survey for
the improvement of the Erie Canal, the Champlain Canal
and the Oswego Canal, also favoring the proposition to re-
move the limitation of $50,000 capitalization on corporations
navigating the canals, and appointing a committee of twenty-
five to prepare proper bills, and to present and urge their
passage before the Legislature.
The bill providing for the survey was drawn by Mr.
Frank S. Gardner, Secretary of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation, and was introduced by the Hon.
Henry W. Hill in the Assembly on March 5, 1900. The42
NEW YORK CITY AND
committee of twenty-five appointed by the chairman of the
Committee on Canals attended the hearing on this bill before
the legislative committees at Albany and urged favorable
action upon it.
The New York Produce Exchange on January 26, 1900,
invited the commercial organizations of the Port of New
York to join it in tendering a banquet to Governor Theodore
Roosevelt, to which were to be invited as guests of honor
the Committee on Canals of New York State, appointed by
Governor Roosevelt, and the New York State Commerce
Commission appointed by Governor Black, as an expression
of the appreciation of the mercantile associations of the City
of New York of the efforts of these two committees in fur-
thering the improvement of the State Canals and the com-
mercial interests of the city and State.
An executive committee of twenty-five was appointed by
the President of the Exchange to arrange with other com-
mercial bodies for this banquet.
The following commercial organizations cooperated with
the Committee on Canals and other members of the New
York Produce Exchange in this banquet:
The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York,
The Newr York Board of Trade and Transportation,
The Merchants’ Association of New York,
The Maritime Association of the Port of New York,
The Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Board of Trade,
The New Yorfc Board of Fire Underwriters,
The New York Board of Marine Underwriters,
The Cotton Exchange,
The Coffee Exchange,
The Real Estate Exchange,
The Canal Boat Owners’ and Commercial Association of
the State of New York,
The Mercantile Exchange,
The Manufacturers’ Association of New York, and
The Lumber Trade Association.
A number of representative gentlemen were selected from
these organizations to act as a General Committee to have
charge of the dinner, from which an Executive CommitteeTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
43
was formed, the following being appointed members of this
Executive Committee to take charge of the details of the
dinner; Gustav H. Schwab, A. B. Hepburn, Franklin
Quinby, Alfred Romer, Vincent Loeser, S. Cristy Mead,
Henry Hentz, J. A. Heckman, Samuel D. Coykendall, Evan
Thomas, E. L. Boas, Darwin R. James, W. E. Cleary, Her-
mann Sielcken, Elliott T. Barrows, Henry A. Hebert, John
P. Truesdell, Oswald Sanderson, William R. Corwine, J.
Montgomery Hare, Lewis H. Spence, F. B. Thurber, Henry
A. McGee, A. H. McKnight, William Brookfield, John V.
Barnes, Julius D. Mahr, S. DeWaltearrs, G. W. Vanderhoef.
Mr. Gustav H. Schwab was elected chairman of the
Executive Committee, appointed to arrange for the dinner,
Mr. Oswald Sanderson, treasurer, and Mr. William R.
Corwine, secretary.
The following guests accepted the invitation to the
banquet tendered to Governor Roosevelt:
The Hon. Timothy L. Woodruff, Lieutenant Governor.
The Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, United States Senator.
The Hon. Andrew H. Green, C. C. Shayne and Alexander
R. Smith, of the New York State Commerce Commission.
Gen. Francis V. Greene, John W. Scatcherd, Major
Thos. W. Symons, Frank S. Witherbee, John W. Partridge
and John A. Fair lie, of the Committee on Canals of New
York State.
The Hon. H. W. Hill, the Hon. Thos. D. Lewis, the Hon.
Gherardi Davis, the Hon. Perez M. Stewart, the Hon.
William E. Wheeler, the Hon. J. P. Allds and the Hon.
John Ford, of the Assembly Committee on Canals.
The Hon. E. A. Bond, State Engineer and Surveyor;
the Hon Fred. S. Nixon, Speaker of the Assembly; and
Frank S. Gardner, Secretary of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation.
The dinner was held at the Waldorf-Astoria on March
10, 1900, Mr. William E. Dodge, of the firm of Phelps,
Dodge & Co., acting as chairman.
In his address Mr. Dodge called attention to the courage
and skill with which Governor Roosevelt, the guest of the
evening, had taken hold of the large questions which most44
NEW YORK CITY AND
deeply touch the interests of the State, and how he had
appointed a commission to study the great question of inter-
nal navigation, on which the commercial supremacy of New
York depended. Mr. Dodge referred to the proud position
of the Empire State in population, in wealth and in influence,
and urged that this supremacy should be upheld.
Governor Roosevelt in his address pointed to the fact that
the wealth and unrivalled geographical advantages of New
York had made its citizens feel secure against possible com-
petitors ; that while these competitors had combined against
New York, New York had sunk back, content to rely upon
the belief that so long a lead could never be cut down. The
Governor called attention to the one great advantage enjoyed
by the State of New York over all other ports, save the
winterbound ports of Canada, namely, the break in the great
mountain system which stretches from the St. Lawrence to
Georgia. New York alone can have direct communication
by water with the vast grain-fields and the deep beds of coal
and iron in the interior. A really adequate water-way from
Lake Erie to the mouth of the Hudson would make Buffalo
a possible rival of Chicago, and would put her far beyond
the chances of rivalry with any other city on the Great
Lakes. It would make her in all human probability the
center of the iron industry of the country. It would remove
that fear of Montreal's rivalry which now haunts her fore-
most merchants.
Governor Roosevelt then gave utterance in his address
to the obligations under which the citizens of New York
were to the gentlemen composing the Committee on Canals
of New York State, appointed by him, and the New York
State Commerce Commission appointed by his predecessor,
Governor Black. He urged that New Yorkers must in the
first place keep steadily before their minds the all-important
fact that the canal is not . an outworn method of transpor-
tation. During the lifetime of the present generation the
canal system has received a greater degree of development
than the railroad system in every European country, where
the topographical conditions permit of its existence at all.THE STATES WATERWAYS.
45
In the second place, the Governor urged that there should
be no party division on what is primarily and purely an
economic question, and that the one chance of so building
this canal that every dollar expended will represent a gain
of one dollar to the State, lay in building it on the strictest
business basis, and this necessarily implied that it must not
be made the football of partisan, factional or personal poli-
tics. In other words, those who build and administer it must
do their duty solely as administrators and engineers, and not
as politicians.
General Francis V. Greene, chairman of the Committee
on Canals of New York State, spoke on “The Improved
Canal and its Results,” stating the reasons why a ship-canal
of the length of the Erie Canal would not be economically
possible, and giving the details of the plan proposed by his
committee for a one thousand ton barge canal.
General Greene read an interesting letter from Mr.
Andrew Carnegie in support of his views, in which Mr.
Carnegie congratulated the Canal Committee in going far
enough and not too far. Mr. Carnegie made the following
pertinent statement in his letter:
“To spend money upon the present plans for a canal would be a
mere waste, while to spend the sum you name for a thousand-ton
barge canal, is, in my opinion, essential if New York is to maintain
her relative position. The recent purchase of railway stocks of the
trunk lines by the two more prominent lines, thus insuring mutuality
of interest, must inevitably work against New York and in favor of
the shorter rail line to tide water at Newport News, Baltimore and
Philadelphia. More than ever New York needs water transport to
attract her share.”
The Hon. Henry W. Hill, Member of the Assembly from
Erie County, eloquently described the origin of the Erie
Canal and the growth of Buffalo as well as other cities in
the interior of New York State. He pointed to the decline
of commerce of New York City and State plainly shown
during the last ten years, and referred to the bill providing
for an appropriation of $200,000 for a survey of the pro-
posed routes of the new Erie Canal, which he had intro-
duced in the Assembly.46
NEW YORK CITY AND
The Hon. John D. Kernan of Utica, and Mr. Frank S.
Baird of Buffalo, followed, urging the importance of the
improvement of canal transportation to the industries and
future commercial supremacy of New York State.
The discussion of Hie canal question at this .dinner stimu-
lated widespread interest in the proposed improvement and
contributed materially to the passage of the Canal Survey
Bill.
On April 12, 1900, the Committee on Canals of the New
York Produce Exchange requested the president to address
letters of thanks to the Hon. Henry W. Hill, Buffalo; the
Hon. Henry Marshall, Brooklyn ; and the Hon. Perez M.
Stewart, New York, for their valuable aid in the passage of
the Canal Survey Bill, and at a conference of the represen-
tatives of commercial organizations of Greater New York,
consisting of
The New York Produce Exchange,
The New York Board of Trade and Transportation,
The Merchants’ Association of New York, ' v
The Maritime Association of the Port of New York,
The Cotton Exchange,
The Canal Boat Owners’ and Commercial Association of
the State of New York,
The Canal Forwarders’ Association,
The Mercantile Exchange,
The Manufacturers’ Association of New York, and
The Italian Chamber of Commerce,
resolutions were adopted, organizing a permanent associa-
tion, to be known as “The Canal Association of Greater
New York,” of which all delegates present at the conference
from commercial bodies of the city were constituted mem-
bers. An invitation was also addressed to all other com-
mercial bodies of the city to join this association, and to
appoint one or more delegates to represent them at future
meetings. An Executive Committee was also appointed with
instructions to appoint sub-committees, and with full power
to organize and prosecute the work of impressing upon the
people of the State of New York the commercial necessity
of an improved canal.THE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
47
At a subsequent meeting of the Executive Committee of
the Canal Association of Greater New York a Finance Com-
mittee was appointed, of which Mr. Emil L. Boas was ap-
pointed chairman, consisting of the following members:
John P. Truesdell, New York Produce Exchange;
Henry Hentz, of Henry Hentz & Co.;
Franklin Quinby, of Rice, Quinby & Co.;
C. L. x\dams, New York Lumber Trade Association;
John C. Eames, of H. B. Claflin & Co. ;
S. D. Coykendall, Maritime Association;
W. L. Strong, ex-Mayor ;
Oswald Sanderson, of Sanderson & Son;
Stuart G. Nelson, Vice-President Seaboard National
Bank;
W. A. Nash, President Corn Exchange Bank;
Forrest H. Parker, President Produce Exchange Bank;
Edwin Langdon, President Central National Bank;
Geo. L. Putnam, of Sweetser, Pembroke & Co.;
Anderson Fowler, New York Produce Exchange ;
A. B. Hepburn, Vice-President Chase National Bank;
and
Gardiner K. Clark, Jr., New York Produce Exchange.
The Executive Committee appointed a sub-executive
committee for the conduct of the business of the Associa-
tion, consisting of Henry B. Hebert, chairman; Gustav H.
Schwab, Emil L. Boas, Wm. R. Corwine, Frank S. Gardner,
S. C. Mead, Franklin Quinby, and John J. D. Trenor; and
also appointed committees on State Agitation and on Meet-
ings and Speakers.
It appeared very desirable to secure the support of the
two political parties for canal improvement; and with this
end in view it was determined at a meeting of the Committee
on Canals of the New York Produce Exchange, held on
August 30, 1900, with a delegation of the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange and Mr. John D. Kernan of the New
York State Commerce Commission, to call upon the leaders
of both parties and to urge upon them the importance of
securing a plank in the platforms of both parties favoring48
NEW YORK CITY AND
the enlargement and improvement of the canals of the
State.
After the election of Governor Odell in the fall of 1900,
the Sub-Executive Committee of the Canal Association of
Greater New York called1 upon the Governor-elect at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel for the purpose of laying before him
their views on the subject of the improvement and enlarge-
ment of the Erie Canal, and at this meeting there followed
an exchange of views between the Governor-elect and the
committee on the general subject.
The Canal Association of Greater New York continued
the agitation in favor of canal enlargement and improvement
through the distribution of literature and press articles, it
being considered of the greatest importance to keep the sub-
ject of canal improvement before the public.
A recommendation having been made by Governor Odell
of some improvement in the Erie Canal which did not meet
with the approval of the friends of canal enlargement, as it
appeared inadequate, a meeting of the Canal Association of
Greater New York was held on April 8, 1901, at which the
following resolutions were adopted:
Whereas, The commercial organizations within the limits of
Greater New York represented in the Canal Association of Greater
New York, as the result of the study of the transportation facilities
of this State, so far as they bear upon Atlantic ports, have unani-
mously reached the conclusion that something must be done as
speedily as possible to enable this port to compete successfully with
its rival ports in the exporting of grain and other raw materials as
well as manufactured products; and ,
Whereas, As the result of this study, and the practical experi-
ence of shippers doing business here, they are convinced that the
best solution of the transportation problem confronting this port is
the development of the canal system of the State up to the require-
ments of modern commerce; and
Whereas, It has been and is the conclusion of this organization
that the one thousand-ton barge canal is the minimum improvement
that will answer the needs of the State and Port of New York; and
Whereas, This same conclusion was reached by what is known
as the Greene Commission, the members of which without dissent-
ing voice, used the following language in its report:49
THE STATES WATERWAYS.
“In our judgment, arrived at after long consideration, and with
some reluctance, the State should undertake the larger [meaning the
i,ooo-ton] project on the ground that the smaller one is at best a
temporary makeshift, and that the larger project will permanently
secure the commercial supremacy of New York, and that this can be
assured by no other means”; and again [page 28] :
“We confine ourselves solely to advising you what in our judg-
ment is the proper policy for the State to pursue in regard to its
canals, leaving to those on whom the responsibility rests to decide
whether these views should be carried into effect.
“We feel sure that on mature reflection the Legislature and the
people of the State will ultimately adopt these views. We have
hesitated to recommend the expenditure of a sum of money which,
although small in proportion to the resources of the State, is still a
very great sum, but after much deliberation we are unwilling to
recommend any temporary or partial settlement of the canal ques-
tion. We do not believe that the adoption of the smaller plan will
result in permanent benefit to the State of New York, and as the
money expended on the smaller project would be almost entirely
wasted in case a larger project should be determind upon later on,
we do not feel justified in recommending the expenditure of so large
a sum as $21,000,000 for a temporary purpose.” And
Whereas, The present Governor of the State has recommended
an improvement which, in our judgment, does not meet the present
necessities and will not answer future requirements; and
Whereas, A bill has been introduced in the Legislature, and is
now pending therein, shaped upon the recommendations made by the
Governor with some further improvements, but which does not in-
clude the improvements we believe are required; now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That we, the Canal Association of Greater New York,
representing the following organizations within the City of New
York:
New York Produce Exchange,
Maritime Association of the Port of New York,
New York Board of Trade and Transportation,
Merchants’ Association of New York,
Manufacturers’ Association of New York,
Cotton Exchange,
Mercantile Exchange,
Canal Boat Owners’ and Commercial Association of the State of
New York,
National Wholesale Lumber Dealers’ Association,
New York Lumber Trade Association,
North Side Board of Trade,
Real Estate Exchange,50
NEW YORK CITY AND
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce,
Italian Chamber of Commerce,
Wholesale Grocers5 Association,
Association of Dealers in Building Materials; and
Paint, Oil and Varnish Club,
do hereby assert most positively our belief, based upon most careful
study, that the so-called i,ooo-ton barge canal is the minimum of
improvement that should be undertaken, and that the expenditure
of the money of the State on any less improvement would, there-
fore, be an unwise expenditure of the public funds; and, be it
further
Resolved, That thus believing, we should be stultifying ourselves
in accepting or recommending acceptance of any improvement that
failed to meet the requirements; and, further, we make the above
assertion of our position not from any capricious or unreasonable
criticism of the recommendations recently made by the Governor,
but in the full consciousness that the gravity of the situation re-
quires a larger rather than a smaller development, and that it is our
duty not only to ourselves, but to those whom we represent, that
this position be made known to the Governor, members of the Legis-
lature, and the commercial bodies throughout the State, and to the
public at large;
Resolved, That the chairman of this meeting be directed to tele-
graph the Senators and Assemblymen from Greater New York that
the pending Canal Improvement Bill is not satisfactory and we urge
them to vote against its passage.
A committee was appointed by the Sub-Executive Com-
mittee to urge upon the members of the Legislature from the
City of New York that they oppose the pending canal bill
referred to in these resolutions.
The work of agitation in favor of the improvement of the
canal system of the State on the one thousand ton barge plan
was continued, and the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange was
requested to send a committee to New York to confer with a
view to securing harmony of action in support of the plan.
This joint meeting was held on September 3, 1901, the
Executive Committee of the Canal Association of Greater
New York, and Messrs. Alfred W. Haines, W. A. Rogers,
T. S. Fassett, John Cunneen and G. H. Raymond, repre-
senting the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, being present.THE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
51
At this meeting the subject of canal enlargement was fully
discussed and the following resolutions were adopted:
Whereas, It appears from the action taken by the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange, and the statements of the Buffalo delegation, here
present, that the said Exchange and the Canal Association of Greater
New York are in entire harmony as to the method of improving the
canals of this State;
Resolved, That this Association renew its support of the one
thousand ton barge plan, and direct the sub-executive committee to
cooperate with a like committee of the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange
on such plans of campaign as they may agree upon, to secure the
adoption of the necessary legislation and approval by the people of
the State of New York.”
The necessity for close cooperation with the Buffalo in-
terests was so convincing that on October 15, 1901, a com-
mittee of the Canal Association of Greater New York, at
the request of the Buffalo Merchants' Exchange, visited
Buffalo for a conference with the Canal Enlargement Com-
mittee of that body. At this meeting Mr. Hebert and Mr.
Corwine, members of the New York Committee, addressed
the gentlemen present, explaining what action had been
taken in New York towards the education of the people on
the subject of the one thousand ton barge canal, and an
advisory committee, consisting of three from Buffalo and
three from New York, with power to appoint two or more
from outside cities, was appointed to confer regarding the
best course to be pursued in furtherance of the movement
to build a one thousand ton barge canal. Mr. Henry B.
Hebert, Mr. Wm. R. Corwine, and Mr. Frank S. Gardner
were appointed to represent the Canal Association of
Greater New York on the advisory committee.
The Maritime Association of the Port of New York at
this time discontinued its membership in the Canal Associa-
tion of Greater New York. As it was considered by the
New York canal interests to be of the greatest importance
to keep in close touch with the higher State officials, and to
afford an opportunity for the exchange of views, Mr.
Gardiner K. Clark, Jr., a prominent and public-spirited
member of the Canal Association, on December 6, 1901,52
NEW YORK CITY AND
invited Governor Odell, the members of the Sub-Executive
Committee of the Canal Association of Greater New York,
and a number of notable men of the city and State, to dinner
at his house, on which occasion the canal question was fully
discussed in all its phases. Mr. Andrew Carnegie, one of
the guests at the dinner, made a most interesting statement
to the effect “that the Carnegie Steel Company had pur-
chased 5,000 acres of land surrounding its port of Conneaut
on Lake Erie, and had the plans ready to begin work at an
estimated cost of $12,000,000, in which he believed products
of steel would have been manufactured at a cost less than
elsewhere. One of the reasons which determined the site
was that New York State was spending money in enlarging
the Erie Canal, and the implicit confidence that he and his
associates had that never would New York State fail to
enlarge that water-way as needed.” Mr. Carnegie continued
as follows:
“On the shores of Lake Erie we had the ironstone of Lake Su-
perior by water, coke from Pittsburg in empty cars over our own
railroad, costing us nothing for transportation, and above all, we
had the facilities for reaching Buffalo and the cities of central and
eastern New York, Albany, Troy, Syracuse and New York City
itself, by water. With an enlarged canal, barges could go to any part
of New England without any transshipment of cargo. On the other
hand, we had those empty barges in which we could bring from
New York City to our works on the lake the ores which must be
imported from South Africa and the Caucasus. The saving over
rail transportation to Philadelphia and Baltimore would be so great
that the western part of New York on the lakes would inevitably
become one of the principal seats of manufacture. Nothing can pre-
vent this if a suitable waterway between Buffalo and the ocean be
kept open. We intended to manufacture pig iron at Conneaut to
supply Rochester, Utica, Syracuse, Troy, and, of course, New York
and the eastern parts, so that the foundries of these cities would
have cheaper pig iron than ever before.
“I am certain that the Empire State can maintain her position
as the Empire State only by developing her manufacturing facilities
through the Erie Canal. ... Before that admirable report of
General Greene’s committee was published, I ventured to write
Governor Roosevelt my views about the canal. It gave me much
pleasure some time later to learn that the conclusions arrived at by53
THE STATES WATERWAYS.
that able committee were those which I ventured to express to the
Governor. These were, briefly, that it would never pay to run big
ships from Buffalo to New York through any canal, not even a ship-
canal. It is much cheaper to transfer from a io,ooo-ton lake vessel
to a i,ooo-ton barge, and send it through the canal at slow speed to
be unloaded alongside into ocean-going ships, than to send an ocean
or lake vessel through the canal. The time required is too long to
justify the enormous cost of the ship's crew, interest on capital in-
volved, etc.”
The dinner was attended by several well-known engineers
who freely stated their views on the subject of canal im-
provement based upon their experience in work of this
character. There was a frank interchange of opinion on
the subject of the falling off of the commerce of New York
and on the means for its rehabilitation through the recon-
struction of the water-ways of the State, thereby placing
them in a position to compete with the railways and to act
as regulators of freight rates. In the course of the discus-
sion Mr. Lewis Nixon, one of the members of the Canal
Association, made the suggestion that, leaving the canal
prism at a depth of nine feet, the proposed locks be enlarged
to accommodate barges of one thousand tons capacity, thus
leaving the enlargement of the canal prism, a comparatively
less expensive matter, to the future.
This proposition met with the favor of the Governor and
was taken up by him and incorporated in a message to the
Legislature in the session of 1902, providing for the exten-
sion and enlargement of the canal locks to the capacity of
one thousand ton barges and the deepening of the Erie
Canal prism to nine feet. The Governor in the same mes-
sage proposed certain improvements in the canal alignment
between Rexford Flats and the Hudson River.
A bill was introduced by Senator Davis in the Senate
carrying out these recommendations of the Governor. The
Canal Association of Greater New York reluctantly ap-
proved of the bill as representing half a loaf, and adopted a
plan for agitation in favor of it through the printing and
mailing of documents to a large number of voters in the
State, but without success, as the bill, known as the “Davis54
NEW YORK CITY AND
Canal Bill,4*5 failed to pass the Legislature in spite of the
efforts made by the Canal Association to impress the mem-
bers with the necessity for an enlarged canal.
Its defeat was not a cause of much regret, however, as
the Canal Association greatly preferred a thorough recon-
struction on modern lines of the water-ways of the State.
This view found expression at a meeting held by the Canal
Association of Greater New York on April 15, 1902, when
the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the Sub-Executive Committee cause to be pre-
pared a proper bill, having in view the construction of a canal such
as is favored by this Association, such bill to be submitted to this
Association at a subsequent meeting, and if approved, to be intro-
duced in the Legislature as the bill of the Canal Association of
Greater New York; and, be it further
Resolved, That the Sub-Committee of this Association be in-
structed to conduct an active and persistent campaign throughout
the State, on such lines and in such manner as may in the judgment
of the Sub-Executive Committee seem wise and desirable.”
At a joint meeting of the Sub-Executive Committee of
the Canal Association and of the Canal Committee of the
Produce Exchange, held on April 30, 1902, a committee was
appointed consisting of Messrs. Gustav H. Schwab, Frank
Brainard, S. C. Mead, Wm. R. Corwine and Frank S.
Gardner, which was instructed to consult with the Buffalo
and Oswego interests and with the State Engineer relative
to the proper route for a canal; and to submit to the Sub-
Executive Committee a plan of campaign for a one thousand
ton barge canal. The committee proceeded to Buffalo where
they met the State Engineer, Mr. Edward A. Bond, and a
number of representatives of the Buffalo Merchants’ Ex-
change for the purpose of consultation with regard to the
future course to be taken by the canal interests.
The discussion of the subject at this meeting showed that
the representatives from New York and Buffalo were
agreed as to the improvement that was essential to give the
best results to the manufacturing and commercial interests
of the State; that a feasible and adequate plan of canalTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
55
improvement should be determined upon by New York and
Buffalo, and that efforts should be made to secure the coop-
eration of all the other canal interests of the State; this
being accomplished it was the unanimous opinion that a
vigorous campaign should be prosecuted to secure favorable
action thereupon at the next session of the Legislature.
After lengthy discussion and consideration the report of
the committee appointed on April 30, I902, on the route of
the canal to be adopted, was presented to the meeting of
the Sub-Executive Committee of the Canal Association on
September 2d. This report advised against the adoption of
the so-called “Ontario route/’ i. e., the route by way of Lake
Ontario to Oswego, and in favor of the so-called “Oneida-
Seneca route,” by way of the present canal to Oswego,
thence to Oneida Lake, and thence by way of the Mohawk
valley. The committee reported that the latter route con-
stitutes the most practicable, the most efficient, and the most
economical route for a one thousand ton barge canal between
the Great Lakes and the Hudson River, and that this route
combines in it the elements that in the opinion of the com-
mittee will reestablish the preeminence of the commercial
position of the State and City of New York, and will enable
the State of New York to build up industries and manufac-
tures rivalling and even exceeding in importance those of
other States.
The report of the committee was adopted by the Canal
Association and a copy sent to the Canal Enlargement Com-
mittee in Buffalo, which committee agreed with the con-
clusions contained in the report.
In order to enlist the interests of the press in canal im-
provement, a dinner was given by the Canal Association of
Greater New York, and the Canal Committee of the New
York Produce Exchange, on September 11, 1902, to the
chief editors of the press of Greater New York. At this
dinner the subject of canal enlargement and its effect upon
the commerce of the State and City of New York was fully
discussed in all its phases.
In view of the approaching fall election, a committee was
appointed by the Sub-Executive Committee of the Canal56
NEW YORK CITY AND
Association of Greater New York to wait upon the conven-
tions of the Republican and Democratic parties of that fall
for the purpose of urging the adoption by both parties of
planks in their platforms, advocating the improvement and
enlargement of the State canals in such manner as to permit
the passage through the Erie and Oswego Canals of barges
of one thousand tons capacity, and the deepening of the
Champlain Canal to seven feet, as recommended by the canal
committee appointed by Governor Roosevelt. As the result
of the efforts of this committee the Republican platform of
that year called for the enlargement and improvement of the
canals of the State to such an extent as will fully and ade-
quately meet all requirements of commerce; and the Demo-
cratic platform pledged the Democratic party to save and
build up and improve the canals, and contained the follow-
ing unequivocal pledge:
“We covenant with the people to prepare and submit to them
immediately for their sanction a plan of canal improvement provid-
ing for a barge capacity of 1,000 tons for the Erie and Oswego
Canals, and adequate and necessary improvement for the other canals
of the State.”
The success of the efforts of the committee in inducing
the political parties to commit themselves to canal improve-
ment was so marked that the Canal Association of Greater
New York on October 6th, adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, That the Canal Association of Greater New York, in
meeting assembled, recognizing the marked advance toward its ideal
of canal improvement as exemplified by the planks adopted by the
recent Republican and Democratic conventions held at Saratoga,
tenders its thanks to the sub-committee attending those conventions,
and hereby pledges its constant support to the efforts necessary to
the successful realization thereof.”
The New York canal interests were impressed with the
necessity for early action in the preparation and introduction
of a canal measure in the Legislature, and the committee,
therefore, availed themselves of the valuable services of Mr.
Abel E. Blackmar, counsel of the New York Produce Ex-
change, in the drafting of a referendum bill for introductionTHE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
57
at the next session of the Legislature, providing for the
construction of a one thousand ton barge canal. The com-
mittee also secured the efficient aid of Major Thomas W.
Symons, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, in the drafting of
the technical and engineering provisions of the proposed
bill.
In order to awaken public opinion to the evident necessity
for some remedial action to arrest the alarming symptoms
of decline in the commerce of New York, a public meeting
of the members of the New York Produce Exchange, Mr.
Edward G. Burgess, President of the Exchange presiding,
was held October 31, 1902, in the managers’ room, which
was addressed by Mayor Low and others, and at which the
following resolutions were adopted:
Whereas, The decline of the commerce of the State and' Port of
New York has become so alarming as to threaten the commercial
supremacy of the State; and
Whereas, This loss of trade is largely due to the elimination of
the canal as a regulator of freight rates from the Great Lakes to the
Hudson; and
Whereas, The loss of the canal as a factor in transportation has
placed the traffic of the State under the control of the railroads,
which have, under a system of differentials in freight rates, diverted
lake and ocean commerce naturally tributary to this State to ports
outside of this State; and
Whereas, This Exchange, through its committee, in cooperation
with the commercial organizations of the State and city, has advo-
cated and supported the proposition for the construction of a one-
thousand-ton barge canal, this being conceded to be the most effica-
cious means of restoring the traffic conditions which gave to this
Commonwealth the preeminence in commerce and the name of Em-
pire State when the Erie Canal dominated the freight rates through
the State; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the members of this Exchange, in meeting assem-
bled, hereby heartily endorse the action of its committee in their
efforts for the immediate improvement of the State waterways on
the basis of a 1,000-ton barge capacity, and earnestly appeal to the
people for their support of this canal project, which is so vital to
every material interest of this Commonwealth.58
NEW YORK CITY AND
Messrs. Blackmar and Symons, who had been charged
with the important duty of drafting the bill for introduction
in the next session of the Legislature, providing for a vote
of the people of the State of New York on the question of
the construction of a one thousand ton barge canal, and who
had received the valuable aid and advice of the Hon. George
Clinton of Buffalo, presented their proposed bill at a joint
meeting of the Committee on Canals of the New York Pro-
duce Exchange and of the Sub-Executive Committee of the
Canal Association of Greater New York on December 1st,
with a lengthy report on the proposed measure, and after
an informal discussion a resolution was finally adopted that
the canal bill and the report thereon should be printed and
considered at another meeting; and in the meantime the
Committee on Agitation was requested to proceed at once
to Albany and to lay before the Governor the advantages of
the inland route as compared with the Oswego-Ontario
lake route. Major Symons was also requested to lay copies
of the bill and report before the Canal Enlargement Com-
mittee of Buffalo for their adoption.
The Committee on Canals of the New York Produce
Exchange, and the Sub-Executive Committee of the Canal
Association of Greater New York on December 18, 1902,
adopted the following report of a Sub-Committee on Canal
Tolls, appointed at a previous meeting:
“Your sub-committee find on careful inquiry among the business
interests of this city, familiar with canals, that there appears to be a
general feeling in these business circles adverse to the re-imposition
of any charge or toll for the use of the canals of this State. As far
as the observation of your sub-committee goes, the general feeling
seems to be that the re-adoption of a toll or similar charge on the
canals would mean a backward step, and a regrettable reversion of
the enlightened policy adopted by the people of the State in freeing
the canals from any toll whatever.
Your sub-committee desires to quote the wise words of a dis-
tinguished friend of the canals, ex-Governor Horatio Seymour, ad-
dressed to the Hon. J. W. Higgins, Chairman of the Assembly Com-
mittee on Canals, on February 27, 1882, at a time when the amend-
ment to the Constitution removing the canal tolls was pending. Gov.
Seymour wrote as follows:THE STATES WATERWAYS.
59
As a citizen and as an official, I have studied all questions bear-
ing upon internal commerce by railroad and by water routes. My
investigations, which have run through many years, have convinced
me that the interests of the State demand a liberal policy with regard
to both of these promoters of its wealth and prosperity. I have,
therefore, not only urged the reduction of toll, but also that the right
to carry freight, which some of them did not originally have, should
be given to the railroads, and that they should be relieved from the
payment of tolls to the canals, to which many of them were subject.
The question now is, Shall the State be as wise and liberal towards
its own canals and boatmen as it has been towards the railroad cor-
porations? Many seem to think that the question involved in the
pending amendment is only to determine if the canals shall be sup-
ported by those who use them, or by taxation upon all parts of the
State. This is very far from being a true view. Tolls are taxes of
the most hurtful kind to the whole community. . . . The object of
the amendment is not only to relieve our boatmen and to save our
canals, but to lighten taxation in every part of the State. That it
will do this can be shown not only by reason, but more clearly by
experience. When our canals were first projected, they were opposed
because it was feared that, while they might benefit some sections,
they would injure others away from their lines. This proved to be
the reverse of the truth. The wise way to lighten taxation is to add
to the wealth and prosperity of the community. Since the com-
pletion of the canals the ratio of taxation upon the extreme northern
and southern sections of New York has been reduced, while the
markets for their products have been improved and enlarged.”
The business interests of this city are apprehensive that the im-
position of a toll will impair the efficiency of the canals as com-
petitors of the railroads. In the letter that we have referred to
Gov. Seymour writes as follows upon the subject of the relations
between the railroads and the canals:
“What the policy of a railroad corporation may be in the future
we cannot foresee; but this we know, while our canals are main-
tained and their traffic is untaxed, the State will always be protected
from hurtful combinations ... So long as they are kept in good
condition, we shall be saved from the evils of combinations or unjust
discriminations against our State. If they do not carry a pound of
freight, it would be wise to keep them in order, so that they would
be ready for use to defeat unjust and hurtful charges against the
business of New York.”
Governor Seymour concludes his letter as follows:
“The chief element in the prosperity of every State or Nation is
the economy of transportation of persons and property. It is the
most marked fact in the difference between civilization and bar-
barism.”
Your committee fully recognize the force of the argument that
the magnitude of the work to be undertaken by the State and the
enormous outlay that it calls for, justifies the imposition of a mod-60
NEW YORK CITY AND
erate charge upon the interests that will directly benefit from the
contemplated improvement of the canals. Against this argument
your committee point to the indisputable advantages that will accrue
to the State at large, and the incalculable accretions that its resources
will receive. The benefits of the proposed improvement will, there-
fore, not merely apply to a few business interests, but will, in the
opinion of your committee, be co-extensive with the limits of the
State itself.
Your committee are well aware of the fact that, as far as they are
informed, all foreign canals are operated under the toll system and
that, therefore, is no reason why the proposed improved waterway,
ranking second only to the proposed Panama Canal, should form an
exception to the rule. But your committee venture to urge that the
Erie Canal plainly occupies a position radically different from that
of any other canal in that it forms the sole possible competitor of
numerous powerful and allied railroad lines leagued together for the
purpose of so directing traffic as to deprive the State and City of
New York of that share of commerce to which they are entitled.
As the chief reason for the existence and improvement of the canal
at present lies in its efficiency as a regulator of freight rates and a
competitor with the railroad, your committee believe that the rules
applicable to other canals cannot obtain here.
After a full consideration of the proposition to re-impose tolls
upon the canals submitted to your sub-committee, your committee
believe that the best interests of the State as a whole would be sub-
served by the continuance of the wise policy of free canals adopted
in 1882 until experience has shown that the traffic of the improved
canal can without peradventure support a moderate charge for the
maintenance of the State's artificial waterways. Your committee,
therefore, desire to recommend the adoption of the resolution sub-
mitted at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Canal As-
sociation on the 15th instant, reading as follows:
Resolved, That the Canal Association of Greater New York is
of the opinion that the question of toll upon the traffic of the pro-
posed improved canal should be deferred until experience has dem-
onstrated what toll may be safely imposed without impairing the ef-
ficiency of the canals."
A copy of this report was sent to the Governor for his
information.
At the end of December, 1902, a committee, consisting of
Messrs. Henry B. Hebert, Gustav H. Schwab and GardinerTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
61
K. Clark, Jr., proceeded to Albany for a conference with
Governor Odell on the subject of canal improvement, at
which the Governor read to the committee extracts from his
forthcoming message upon this subject, and suggested that
the Canal Association follow up the proposed canal legisla-
tion.
On January 13, 1903, the Executive Committee of the
Canal Association formally accepted and adopted the bill
prepared by Mr. Abel E. Blackmar and Major Thomas W.
Symons, Corps of Engineers U. S. Army, with the aid of
Hon. George Clinton, for the proposed one thousand ton
barge canal. It instructed the Sub-Executive Committee to
introduce the bill in the Legislature and to use every honor-
able means to secure its passage. The bill was thereupon
introduced in the Assembly by the Hon. Chas. F. Bostwick
of New York, and in the Senate by the Hon. Geo. A. Davis
of Buffalo. It was entitled “An Act making provision for
issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed one hundred
and one million dollars for the improvement of the Erie
Canal, the Oswego Canal, and the Champlain Canal, and
providing for a submission of the same to the people to be
voted upon at the general election to be held in the year
nineteen hundred and three.”
Section 1 provided that bonds of the State in an amount
not to exceed one hundred and one million dollars shall be
issued and sold for the improvement of the Erie Canal, the
Oswego Canal and the Champlain Canal.
Section 3 directed the Superintendent of Public Works
and the State Engineer to proceed1 to improve the Erie
Canal, the Oswego Canal, and the Champlain Canal on the
route beginning at Troy on the Hudson River, thence to
Waterford, thence Westward to the Mohawk River above
Cohoes Falls, thence in the Mohawk River canalized to a
point about six miles east of Rome, thence to and down the
valley of Wood Creek to Oneida Lake, thence through
Oneida Lake to Oneida River, thence down the Oneida
River to Three River Point, thence up the Seneca River to
the mouth of Crusoe Creek, thence north to the New York
Central Railroad to a junction with the present Erie Canal62
NEW YORK CITY AND
about one and eight-tenths miles east of Clyde, thence fol-
lowing substantially the present route of the canal with
necessary changes and running across the country south of
Rochester to a junction with the Niagara River at Tona-
wanda, thence by Niagara River and Black Rock Harbor to
Buffalo and Lake Erie. The Oswego Canal was to be im-
proved from a junction of the Oswego, Seneca, and Oneida
rivers northward to a junction with Lake Ontario on the
route of the Oswego River canalized and the present
Oswego Canal.
The route of the Champlain Canal as improved was to
begin at the Hudson River at Waterford, thence up the
Hudson River canalized to near Fort Edward, thence fol-
lowing the route of the Champlain Canal to Lake Cham-
plain.
The Erie, Oswego, and Champlain canals were to be
improved so that the canal prism in regular canal sections
shall have a minimum bottom width of 75 feet, and a mini-
mum depth of 12 feet. On the rivers and lakes the canal
was to have a minimum bottom width of 200 feet and a
minimum depth of 12 feet. Full and explicit directions
were contained in this section with regard to the construction
of the locks, bridges, dams, and a harbor in Onondaga Lake
for Syracuse, and connection from the new line of the Erie
Canal south of Rochester into the city of Rochester with a
harbor at the northerly end.
Section 8 authorized the Governor to employ five expert
civil engineers to act as an Advisory and Consulting Board
of Engineers, whose duty it was to be to assist the State
Engineer and Superintendent of Public Works to exercise
a general supervision over the work in progress and to re-
port thereon from time to time to the Governor, the State
Engineer, and the Superintendent of Public Works, as they
might require, or as the Board might deem proper and
advisable.
Section 14 provided that any surplus from the sale of the
bonds, the sale of the abandoned lands over and above the
cost of the entire work of the improvement shall be applied
tc the sinking fund for the payment of the bonds.THE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
The Sub-Executive Committee remained in constant
touch with the friends of the canal improvement in the
Legislature.
At a conference held in Albany on January 26, 1903, with
canal interests from other parts of the State, a Legislative
Committee was appointed consisting of Mr. Gustav H.
Schwab, to represent New York interests, Mr. Alfred W.
Haines to represent Buffalo interests, Mr. Frederick O.
Clarke to represent Oswego interests, and Mr. Frank S.
Witherbee to represent the Champlain interests. Hon.
George Clinton of Buffalo, Mr. Gustav H. Schwab, Mr.
Wm. R. Corwine, Major Thomas W. Symons, Prof. Wm.
H. Burr, Mr. Geo. S. Morison and Mr. A. E. Blackmar
appeared at the joint hearings held by the Canal Committee
of the Senate and Assembly and presented arguments in
favor of the bill.
The plans and estimates upon which was based the cost
of canal improvement proposed in the canal bill presented to
the Legislature were the result of a study of years by a body
of engineers whose operations were characterized (as stated
by Prof. William H. Burr, Professor of Engineering in
Columbia University, and a member of the Isthmian Canal
Commission) by a degree of thoroughness and technical
preparation which has never been excelled in the considera-
tion of any similar engineering question. The Board of
Consulting Engineers and its staff in preparing the estimates
and plans, besides making complete surveys and careful
investigations of all questions connected with the matter,
had before them a great mass of surveys and examinations
made by the United States Deep Waterways Commission
along a large portion of the line of the proposed improved
waterway. The plans and estimates after their development
by the Board of Consulting Engineers and its staff were
also laid before the Advisory Board of Engineers, consisting
of Professor Burr; Mr. George S. Morison,1 Past President
of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member
of the Isthmian Canal Commission; Mr. Elnathan Sweet,
the former State Engineer; Major Kingman, Corps of
x. George Shattuck Morison, the distinguished engineer, died in 1903.64
NEW YORK CITY AND
Engineers U. S. Army; Major Thomas W. Symons, Corps
of Engineers U. S. Army; and Mr. Alfred Noble, President
of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and in charge
of the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad terminal
in New York City. The emphatic opinion expressed by
Mr. Morison, Prof. Burr, Major Symons and Mr. Noble
before the legislative committees of both Houses was that
the estimates, upon which the one thousand ton barge canal
plan was based, would be sufficient and would not be ex-
ceeded. In this connection Prof. Burr made the following
statement before the Joint Canal Committee of both Houses:
“This work cannot be done in a season; it would be spread over
a number of years, and it is as certain as anything human can be
that when so great a work as this shall be undertaken, special plans,
special appliances, efficient organizations, and all those things which
go to make up a businesslike treatment of the work will reduce the
cost materially below these figures, which apply to ordinary quan-
tities of such work performed under ordinary conditions.”
Mr. Morison at the hearing stated as follows:
“I believe that if it is properly handled, with a competent set of
engineers and a competent staff of inspectors, with a perfectly fair
letting and everything handled in the best way in which the best
management handles it, this canal can be built inside the estimate.”
The provisions adopted in the canal bill to guard against
the possibility of fraud and waste in connection with the
construction of the canal were most stringent. Under the
provisions adopted in the bill the work was to be divided
into suitable sections, each of which was to be under the
charge of a resident engineer, with assistant engineers and
inspectors, all to be appointed by the State Engineer. It
was provided that contractors should be under bonds for the
faithful performance of their contracts, and the same guar-
antees were required of these contractors that are demanded
by the United States Government in the construction of
public works. Unbalanced bids, which have been the fruit-
ful source of corruption in the past, were prevented by a
provision in the act prohibiting the award of any contracts
to a bidder whose bid as a whole or in any items varied moreTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
65
than a fixed percentage from the estimate of the State
Engineer, unless the variation could be explained to the
satisfaction of the State Engineer and the Canal Board,
consisting of the Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State,
Comptroller, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Superin-
tendent of Public Works, and the State Engineer and Sur-
veyor. Work before being contracted for had to be adver-
tised once a week for four weeks in newspapers in the cities
of New York, Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse,
also in each county in which the particular piece of work
is located. The bill gave the Canal Board full power to
assume the direction and control of the work when it ap-
peared that the quantity of any item of work was unduly
over-running the Engineer’s estimate, and provided further
for the appointment of a Board of Advisory Engineers to
be named by the Governor, to advise and aid the State
Engineer and Superintendent of Public Works, and to
exercise general supervision over the work.
After a considerable discussion the combined canal in-
terests of the State agreed to amend the canal bill by pro-
viding for the improvement of the Champlain Canal to the
same depth as the Erie Canal, making all the canals of
uniform depth.
The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York
at a meeting held on February 19, 1903, unanimously
adopted the following resolution, and ordered copies sent to
the Governor of the State and to the members of both
Houses of the Legislature:
Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York hereby approves the proposition now pending in the Legislature
of this State for the improvement of the Erie Canal, the Oswego
Canal, and the Champlain Canal by the construction of what is popu-
larly termed the i,ooo-ton barge canal, and we respectfully urge the
Legislature to enact the legislation necessary to enable the same to
be submitted to and voted upon by the people at the general election
to be held in the year 1903.”
Mr. A. Barton Hepburn, Chairman of the Committee on
Internal Trade and Improvements of the Chamber of Com-66
NEW YORK CITY AND
merce, in presenting this resolution made the following
remarks:
“The canals were completed to the depth of seven feet in 1862,
and since then nothing has been done to increase the navigable ca-
pacity of the canals. What have the railroads done in the past forty
years? They have increased the maximum railroad train capacity
from 300 tons or 10,000 bushels of wheat to 2,700 tons or 90,000
bushels of wheat. The capacity of a canal boat plying the Erie Canal
30 years ago was 220 tons, equal to 74 per cent, of a train load; to-
day it is 240 tons, which equal 0.088 per cent, of the maximum train
load of today. Since 1862 the New York Central & Hudson River
Railroad has increased the number of miles of road which it controls
and operates 9,658 miles, capitalized at nearly three-quarters of a bil-
lion dollars, gridironing the East and Central West in its laudable
ambition to reach and control business. The Baltimore & Ohio has
spent for equipment, betterment, and improvements in the past two
years $15,000,000, and has contracted for or determined upon the ex-
penditure of as much more. The Lehigh & Wilkesbarre has ex-
pended $8,000,000 in the past two years for the same purpose; the
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western $10,000,000, the Erie $7,500,000
and now has authorized a bond issue of $50,000,000 % for improve-
ments and equipments. The New York Central has expended
$7,500,000, and is about to expend upon its terminals $40,000,000.
The greatest of all our railroads, the Pennsylvania, has expended
$45,000,000 recently to improve its efficiency, has a $50,000,000 tunnel
on hand and bridge construction and other improvements, the cost
of which I won’t venture to estimate. All this has been done by
railroads terminating in New York, and hence competitors of our
canals. Curves must be straightened and grades reduced, the ca-
pacity and facility of equipment increased, and no one doubts and
no one questions that it is wise economy and good business judgment.
If it is wise economy and good judgment as applied to railroads, is
it not incumbent upon the great State of New York to apply these
principles in the management of our system of canals? . . . In
their present unsatisfactory condition the canal transportation for
the year 1901 amounted to 3,420,613 tons, 1,113,617 tons of which
had for its terminus the city of New York, or about 25 per cent, of
the total. The canals should be maintained primarily as a regulator
of the cost of transportation as fixed by the railroads, and for this
purpose their annual worth to the commercial and business interests
of the State would exceed their annual cost. Secondly, they areTHE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
67
needed to supplement as well as rival the railroad traffic of the
country.
“When the anthracite miners’ strike was declared off and coal
was being mined in abundance, the community still suffered because
of the inability of the railroads to transport and deliver the same.
There has been a terminal congestion of freight in all the larger
cities and business centers of the country. Even the Pennsylvania
Railroad had to lay off its twenty-hour passenger train to Chicago in
order that the trackage might be used in distributing the freight of
the company and relieving the congestion.
“Under these circumstances the great State of New York ought
to conserve the business interests of its citizens and defend its own
primacy by applying the principles and rules of management of the
conduct of its canals which business experience and business fore-
sight have proven to be necessary in order to preserve and promote
the efficiency of private transportation enterprises.”
On March ii, 1903, the Committee on Agitation sub-
mitted a plan for the publication of a “Canal Primer” for
educational purposes in connection with the agitation in
favor of the passage of the proposed canal bill, which was
approved. This canal primer was entitled “The Canal
System of New York State; What it Was; What it is;
What it has dbne for the Commonwealth and the Nation,
and what Benefits the Empire State will derive from the
Proposed Improvements,” and contained in the form of
questions and answers an exhaustive study of the origin,
development, and influence of the canal system of the State.
Upon the passage by the Legislature of the canal bill pro-
viding for the submission of the question of the proposed
canal enlargement to the people at the general election in
the fall of the same year, a carefully considered plan for an
educational campaign was adopted consisting of the follow-
ing principal features:
1.	The publication of canal literature through the news-
papers.
2.	The distribution of canal literature through letters,
pamphlets, leaflets, posters; also agitation of the subject of
canal improvement through speakers.
3.	Public interviews with persons of importance advo-
cating canal improvement.68
NEW YORK CITY AND
4. Mass meetings.
A competent manager with a proper staff was appointed
to carry out this plan of canal agitation; and on conference
with the Buffalo interests the entire campaign of agitation
and education was placed in the hands of a “Canal Improve-
ment State Committee/’ consisting of delegates from New
York, Buffalo, Oswego, and Champlain. Messrs. Henry
B. Hebert, Gustav H. Schwab and Frank Brainard were
appointed the New York representatives on the Canal Im-
provement State Committee, and at the first meeting of this
committee Mr. Gustav H. Schwab was elected chairman,
and Mr. Henry B. Hebert treasurer.
A canal textbook for the use of speakers and editors was
prepared of which a large number of copies were ordered
printed. This book presented in compact form for ready
reference all the facts underlying the demand for the im-
provement and modernization of the waterway system of
New York State. The contents of the canal text-book in-
cluded the substance of the one thousand ton barge canal
bill, the essential portions of the report of the State Engineer
and Surveyor, presenting details of construction and precise
estimates of cost, the opinions of experts on waterway con-
struction in support of the plans and estimates of cost, the
general consensus of opinion of the representative commer-
cial organizations and leading men of the State, giving the
reasons and the justification for the improvement of the
Erie Canal as proposed under the one thousand ton barge
canal plan following the “canalized Mohawk River, Oneida
Lake, Seneca Route.”
A conference of editors from the central part of the State
was arranged at Syracuse in the summer of 1903, at which
the editors were entertained at dinner and the canal improve-
ment plan was discussed in all its bearings.
The detailed plans of the Canal Improvement State Com-
mittee after careful consideration proposed the concentration
of the work of education and agitation along the line of the
canal and at its termini, it being considered useless to at-
tempt any organized work of enlightenment or education in
the counties of the line of the canal and not tributary to it,THE STATES WATERWAYS.
which were conceded to the enemy. Systematic work was
begun among the labor unions and in counties along the
Hudson River and tributary to the Oswego, Champlain and
the Erie Canals. Conferences were also held with represen-
tatives of the Liquor Dealers' Association, to secure the sup-
port of that body.
The newspapers were provided with so-called “boiler
plate” matter and large editions of the canal primer and
text-book were ordered and distributed. A committee was
appointed to confer with the various political organizations
of Greater New York for the purpose of securing their
endorsement of canal improvement. In the autumn of 1903
large public meetings were arranged at Three Rivers, On-
ondaga County, and Sylvanbeach, Oneida County, at which
members of the committee, and representatives of the Canal
Association and of the Canal Improvement State Committee
spoke. The county fairs along the line of the canals were
supplied with pamphlets and leaflets containing a compari-
son of the amounts received and contributed by the counties
towards their support, and a dinner and reception for editors
and business men was arranged at Utica at which the pro-
posed canal improvement was fully discussed. Meetings
were also arranged at various other parts in the interior of
the State near the lines of the canals.
At the solicitation of the Canal Association of Greater
New York the Board of Aldermen of the City of New York
on October 6, 1903, passed resolutions in favor of the one
thousand ton barge canal.
Systematic work was undertaken among the Italians
throughout the State through the efficient aid of Mr. John
J. D. Trenor, a member of the New York Produce Ex-
change, who by reason of his long residence in Italy had
acquired a thorough knowledge of the Italian language.
The New York Produce Exchange Canal League was
formed in the New York Produce Exchange on September
14, 1903, under the chairmanship of Mr. Albert Kinkel, a
prominent member of the Exchange, which League arranged
for a very successful meeting on the floor of the Exchange
on October 20th, Mr. Albert Kinkel presiding, at which70
NEW YORK CITY AND
Mayor Low, Ex-Mayors Chas. A. Schieren and David A.
Boody, Messrs. Wm. F* King, Lewis Nixon, Assemblyman
Bostwick, Henry B. Hebert and Professor Stevenson, of
New York University, made addresses. The League also
distributed a large quantity of campaign buttons*
A suitable press representative was engaged to supply
the metropolitan press with canal matter and a large edition
of small maps was printed, showing the old and the new
canal with explanatory text on the reverse side. The gen-
eral attitude of the press of New York City was, with very
few exceptions, in favor of the improvement. Chief among
the exceptions were the New York Sun and the New York
Herald. The New York Sun was active in its opposition.
Mr. Gustav H. Schwab, chairman of the Canal Improvement
State Committee, cabled Mr. James Gordon Bennett in
Europe, urging him to instruct the New York Herald to
support the movement, but no reply was received.
The Order of Acorns, which was established in New
York City for good government, was approached by the
Canal Association of Greater New York and agreed to
advocate canal improvement at its meetings in Greater New
York. Committees were appointed to confer with the
speakers’ bureaus of the Democratic, Republican, Citizens’
Union and Socialist Labor and Prohibition parties. The
Citizens’ Union agreed to advocate canal improvement
through its campaign speakers.
The number of papers supplied with “boiler-plate” matter
during the last months of the campaign was 750.
A dinner was given by the Canal Association of Greater
New York on October 6, 1903, Mr. Henry B. Hebert pre-
siding, to the editors of the metropolitan press, at which
the canal enlargement was discussed.
General Francis V. Greene, one of the speakers at the
dinner, referred to the question of the ability of the State
to pay one hundred millions of dollars for canal improve-
ment. He pointed to the assessment for the year 1903 for
the State of New York, which was about six billions of
dollars, and drew attention to the fact that the annual in-
terest and sinking fund requirement would amount to butTHE STATE’S WATERWAYS.
71
one tenth of one per cent, on the total valuation of six billion
dollars. As to the question whether the waterway would
benefit the State, General Greene called attention to the fact
that water transportation is cheaper than rail transportation
and that, if a waterway as proposed is established, commerce
will inevitably seek it, just as water runs down hill. He
pointed to the fact that during the ten years from 1889 to
1900 the State of Pennsylvania outside of the city of Phila-
delphia increased in population by several hundred thousand
more than the State of New York outside of the city of
New York, and1 urged that, through cheap transportation,
conditions would be created favorable to the development of
industries throughout the State. A large part of the opposi-
tion to the canal, General Greene said, came from the fact
that here in New York are the owners, to a large extent, of
the railroads that run to Newport News; to other points on
the South Atlantic coast; down the Mississippi River to the
Gulf; to Galveston; and eastward to Boston. The owners
of these roads were quite willing that differentials should
be made injuring the commerce of New York. But, General
Greene proceeded, it was not to the interest of New York
to build up, what he might call, a landlord system of owner-
ship here of roads whose interests are allied with the pros-
perity of other States. What was needed, he said, to keep
prosperity of this State, so to speak, on an even keel, is to
build up the State itself, not by mere ownership of stocks
and bonds, but by manufactories, and by commerce, and by
having through this State the cheapest and best route of
transportation which commerce will then inevitably seek.
Hon. George Clinton, of Buffalo, another guest at the
dinner, referred to the lack of enthusiasm shown by the
press of New York City in the canal plan. He urged the
great advantage accruing to the State of New York through
cheapness in transportation, comparing the rate on the canal
and on the lakes with the railroad rates of freight, and
ended with a plea to rehabilitate the canal as a regulator of
rates.
Col. Symons gave some very interesting details with
regard to the estimates for the one thousand ton barge canal72
NEW YORK CITY AND
and the way in which these estimates had been arrived at.
He referred particularly to the Board of Advisory En-
gineers, who were consulted in the preparation of the esti-
mates and the drafting of the bill, and assured the assem-
bled company that the canal route was properly selected ;
that the estimates were ample, and more than ample; and
that the bill provided such safeguards that the money would,
be honestly, efficiently and economically expended.
Hon. Lewis Nixon addressed himself particularly to the
question of the type of canal and answered the objections
that were made to the barge canal act on the plea that a ship
canal would be more efficient. He drew attention to the fact
that great ships of 10,000 tons and more would be an im-
possibility in the proposed canal and could not be econom-
ically operated in such a waterway, but that freight must
be transferred in Buffalo from the lake steamer to the
barge, and at the seaboard from the barge to the ocean
steamer in order to complete a cheap and economical route
of transportation from the interior to Europe. Mr. Nixon
closed with an appeal to the business interests of New York
to show the voter at the approaching election that every call-
ing, profession and trade in the State of New York was
directly and vitally interested in the great question of canal
improvement. They should approach the leaders of the
two political parties and tell them that the two great parties
should fight hand in hand, as they were forced to do by the
people of this nation when they demanded a mighty navy.
Mr. Blackmar gave some interesting statistics on the dis-
crimination practiced by the railroads against New York
City and the relative growth of the tonnage of the export
trade from other ports as compared with New York. He
did not attempt to cast any blame upon the railroad com-
panies for the decline of commerce in the port of New York,
as they were acting for their own interests, and he had no
doubt but that the railroad companies, whose only interests
are in the port of New York (if there are any such) would
advocate the abrogation of the differentials, but Mr. Black-
mar urged that with the people the question was not the
financial interests of the stockholders of the roads, but the73
THE STATE'S WATERWAYS.
continued commercial supremacy of New York. With the
barge canal in operation the differential agreement (if it
should be maintained) could not seriously affect our com-
merce. Commerce flowing along the line of least resistance
then would pass through the canal. Mr. Blackmar quoted
from the decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission
in the case of the New York Produce Exchange against the
railroad companies forming the Joint Traffic Association
the following words:
“It must be borne in mind that the grain of New York does not
reach that port from the interior exclusively by rail. The canal has
brought in the past a very considerable portion of that traffic and it
is to this water communication between the West and East that
New York has largely owed its predominance in the foreign trade.
Now these differentials have nothing to do with grain moving by
canal. Their purpose is merely to divide fairly between the dif-
ferent competing lines the export business which moves by rail. If
for any reason the canal were to be entirely shut up so that no grain
could be transported by it, it would by no means follow that the
grain which had formerly come to New York by canal ought now
to come there by rail. Quite the contrary. This canal traffic ought
now to be distributed in the same proportions over the various lines
leading to the different ports. New York has no vested right in the
having of so much grain shipped to that port. The canal has been a
most important element in her commercial supremacy. If that ele-
ment drops out, she must expect to lose that portion of her suprem-
acy which was due to it. . . . The great supremacy of New York
in the past has been measurably due to its canal. If it would hold
that supremacy in the future, it must give attention to that same
waterway. The testimony as to the excessive elevator charges upon
canal grain is not material to this investigation, but it is extremely
suggestive in connection with the facts as above referred to. If the
canal were to be restored today to the same position in this carrying
trade that it has occupied in the twenty years past, the commerce of
the port of New York could not suffer.”
Senator Henry W. Hill of Buffalo referred to the con-
vincing words of the previous speakers and urged that the
people of New York should not let slip the golden oppor-
tunity offered to them at the coming election to approve the
referendum bill. He stated that every objection that mortal74
NEW YORK CITY AND
could point to in the referendum bill had been raised against
it, and that the fight that had been waged in the Legislature
during the last ten years had been the fiercest fight that had
ever been waged in any legislature in the history of the
world. He referred to the waterway, not over twenty miles
long, recently constructed by the city of Chicago, which
spent $38,000,000, and asked if in view of this example this
great State of New York should not be willing to spend
$101,000,000 for a canal over 350 miles long. Senator Hill
also drew attention to the expenditures made by the Cana-
dian, the English, the German, and the French Governments
in the improvement of their waterways, and appealed to the
progressive spirit of the age to surmount all obstacles to the
progress and prosperity of New York City.
As the result of this dinner canal articles appeared in
fifteen of the daily papers, averaging one column in length.
A most efficient “cart-tail campaign” was organized by
the Canal Improvement State Committee under the manage-
ment of Mr. Wm. McConnell of the New York Board of
Trade and Transportation. During the last weeks of the
campaign sixty speakers were employed in this cart-tail
campaign, speaking for canal improvement. Literature was
distributed at over 1,000 mass meetings, at all ferries and
many factories.
All of the metropolitan papers, except the New York
Sun, the New York Herald and the New York Telegram,
consented to publish a letter on the eve of the election signed
by prominent men in favor of canal improvement.
Towards the end of October, 1903, Mr. Gustav H.
Schwab was obliged to leave for Europe on the advice of his
physician for a needed rest, and Mr. Chas. A. Schieren took
the chairmanship of the Canal Improvement State Com-
mittee during the last two weeks of the campaign.
On October 30, 1903, a mass-meeting was held in Cooper
Union, Ex-Mayor Schieren presiding, at which General
Stewart L. Woodford, Senator Grady, Messrs. Bird S.
Coler and Wm. F. King, Assemblymen Bostwick and
Homidge, and Mr. Robert Campbell, of the Central Fed-
erated Union, spoke; and other mass-meetings were held inTHE STATES WATERWAYS.
75
Brooklyn and on Staten Island in the last days of the cam-
paign.
The strenuous work undertaken by the canal interests of
the State resulted in the triumph of canal improvement
through the adoption by the people at the general election
on November 3, 1903, of the one thousand ton barge canal
plan.
The majority vote given in favor of canal improvement
was 245,312.
The railroad companies with their combinations are now
powerless to hinder the splendid development of the Empire
State and her supremacy in commerce and manufactures.
Her commerce will be benefited by the assurance for all time
of an independent means of communication between the
seaboard and the Great West which will create prosperity
along its path. Her manufactures will be benefited by the
reduction of freight rates both on raw materials and on
finished products, an advantage that cannot fail to attract
to this favored territory not only those industries dependent
on the metals but countless workers in other materials.
The farmer of the State of New York will be benefited
by the growth of the capacity for consumption of his home
market and by the cheapening of transportation on his pro-
ducts and of everything he buys.
The working man will benefit through the upbuilding of
manufacturing industries throughout the State and by the
reduction in the price of the necessities of life which the
lowering of the rates of freight on the improved canal will
bring about.
Finally, the railroad companies will be the principal bene-
ficiaries of the improved canal system of the State as the
multiplication of industries and the growth of commerce will
insure to them increased business.HENRY B. HEBERTACTION OF THE
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
RELATIVE TO RAILROAD DIFFEREN-
TIALS AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT
BY HENRY B. HEBERT
Chairman of the Canal Association of Greater New York; Chairman, Committee
on Canals, New York Produce Exchange; etc., etc.
Prior to 1882 the railroads terminating at New York,
Philadelphia and Baltimore sharply competed for business
for their respective home ports. This strife led to cutting
of rates to ruinous figures, resulting in great financial losses
to each of the contestants. To stop these freight wars and
to establish a traffic agreement, these corporations met in
joint session and at a conference held in January, 1882,
Messrs. Allen G. Thurman, Elihu B. Washburn and T. M.
Cooley were appointed an advisory committee to inquire
into and report “upon the difference in rates that shall exist
both eastbound and westbound upon all classes of freight
between the several terminal Atlantic ports.” In making a
report July 20, 1882, this railroad commission declared for
a cheaper freight rate from an initial western point of ship-
ment to Baltimore and to Philadelphia than to New York.
Upon this declaration the trunk lines entered into an agree-
ment and established a rate of three cents per 100 pounds
to Baltimore and two cents per 100 pounds to Philadelphia
cheaper than to New York.
This preferential in the rate was not only an offset to the
superior trade conditions enjoyed at New York, but it also
removed to Chicago the control of ocean transportation, this
7778
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
having been one of the chief factors in the commerce of the
metropolis. This change of base gave the trunk lines the
power to make a through rate upon land and sea from
Chicago to any foreign point, the C. I. F. price being equal
no matter through which Atlantic port the goods were
transhipped. Under this traffic arrangement New York was
reduced to the level of its competitors as a seaport, and its
commerce was subject to the designs of a traffic monopoly.
In the winter of 1877-1878, the New York Central &
Hudson River Railroad Company put into commission a
terminal elevator for the storage and transfer of grain at
the foot of Sixtieth Street, New York City. Soon after-
wards the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Erie Railroad
erected similar structures. Grain taken into these elevators
was charged for a term of storage but was subject to free
delivery by lighter to points about the harbor. This lighter-
age service cost the railroads about one-half cent per bushel ;
when vessels loaded at these elevators this expense was
obviously saved for the carriers. No charge other than the
cost of trimming cargo in the vessel was imposed for this
delivery and this charge the vessel paid. This style of
loading export grain became general for “full cargo” ship-
ments ; it was a profitable transaction both for the railroads
and the grain shipper. In the course of a cereal year this
business was very large and it incidentally attracted to New
York the tramp steamer trade, giving employment to a great
number of citizens, and yearly leaving in the city for steamer
repairs and supplies vast sums of money. There apparently
was no reason for disturbing this method of business, as on
a delivery of 200,000 bushels to a vessel loaded at the eleva-
tor, there was a saving to the railroads for lighterage ser-
vice of about $1000; and for the exporter it was an easy
and expeditious mode of shipment. Yet the railroads,
doubtless in accord with the discriminating differentials
established by the Advisory Commission, put a further
handicap upon the commerce of the port in the announce-
ment that on and after July 25, 1882, all grain delivered into
ocean-bound vessels at the railroad elevators would be
charged one cent per bushel extra for such delivery. ThisAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
79
unreasonable tax upon export grain put a stop to this loading
and diverted the business to Baltimore and to Philadelphia,
and later built Newport News. The diversion of this busi-
ness and loss of other business depending upon it, was a
blow to the commerce of the State and city of New York,
York, and hastened the decline that caused Governor Black
in 1898 to appoint a State commission to inquire into its
cause.
No organization suffered more from loss of business
through the operations of the differentials than the New
York Produce Exchange, and no commercial body in the
State has been more active and aggressive in the movement
for their abolition. At different periods since 1882, the
Exchange has energetically protested through various com-
mittees against the enforcement of the differentials. In
18S2 President Forrest H. Parker appointed E. A. Orr,
Franklin Edson, E. R. Livermore, Leonard Hazeltine, Chas.
R. Hickox, Franklin Woodruff, David Bingham, John Sin-
clair, John G. Dale, Anderson Fowler, Asa Stevens and
Isaac H. Reed a special committee “to appear before the
Advisory Commission and urge the necessity and equity of
a uniform rate of freight between the West and Phila-
delphia, Baltimore and New York.” Under a resolution
adopted by the grain trade October 1, 1884, the Exchange
appointed as a special committee, Messrs. Henry T. Knee-
land, O. H. Armour, E. R. Livermore, Herbert Barber and
T. A. McIntyre. The resolution reads as follows:
Whereas, Various efforts have been made by the New York
Produce Exchange to induce the Trunk Lines to rescind their action
taken in July, 1882, whereby a charge of one cent per bushel is im-
posed upon all grain loaded at railroad elevators into ocean-bound
vessels; and
Whereas, This tax prevents any grain except through shipments
from being delivered direct to vessels, and has stopped sales of “free
on board” cargoes loaded at railroad elevators ; and
Whereas, It is a tax that seems under the circumstances to de-
stroy the usefulness of the elevators in the proper handling of grain
in this market and has turned millions of bushels of grain to the
water routes; therefore,80
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Resolved, That the President is hereby requested to appoint a
committee of five to confer with the agents of the Trunk Lines and
endeavor to remove the disabilities which the trade now suffers.
The report of the committee October 23, 1884, begins :
‘The committee . . . beg to present the following as touching
the question at issue: That in January, 1882, by request of W. H.
Vanderbilt, President of the New York Central & Hudson River
Railroad Company; H. J. Jewett, President of the New York, Lake
Erie & Western Railroad Company ; C. B. Roberts, President of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company; and John W. Garrett, President
of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, an Advisory Commis-
sion was appointed upon ‘the differences in rates that should exist,
both easterly and westerly, upon all classes of freight between the
several terminal Atlantic ports.’ That during the first six months
of that year (1882) the said Advisory Commission prosecuted its
investigations, which when completed was given to the public in a
report, dated July 20th, 1882, known as the ‘Report of Messrs. Thur-
man, Washburn, and Cooley, constituting an Advisory Commission
on Differential Rates by Railroads between the West and the Sea-
board.”
The scope of the authority which the appointment con-
ferred is given on page 5 of the Advisory Commission’s
report, in the following language:
“Whether it is right or proper to make any such discrimination
in the charges for transportation of property between the Atlantic
cities and cities of the interior, and if so, to what extent, is the ques-
tion that was referred to us and nothing more.”
In considering the “principles that should control” the
commissioners found three (page 12) :
1.	The distance principle.
2.	The cost principle.
3.	The principle of competition.
After careful analysis of the three they rejected “dis-
tance” and “cost” principles and rested their report on
“competition.” In regarding that governing principle, the
commissioners state (page 37) :
“They (the railroads) will submit to rates which give the busi-
ness to other cities only until the trial proves the prejudicial opera-
tion.”AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
81
On page 41 of the report the commissioners present their
conclusions in the following terms: “Differential rates have
come into existence under the operation of competitive
forces. .	.	. We, therefore, cannot advise their being
disturbed.” The commissioners, however, assume that con-
ditions may arise when the differentials should be modified
or abolished, and referring to it make statement as follows:
“But we do not assume that the rates which are just today will
be just indefinitely. They have become established by the force of
circumstances, and they ought to give way if future circumstances
shall be such as to render it right and proper. They constitute a
temporary arrangement only; equitable, as we think, for the present,
but which may become inequitable before the lapse of any consider-
able time. Whenever they shall be found to operate unfairly, and to
give a forced or unnatural direction to trade, and whenever it shall
appear that they tend to deprive any one of the seaports affected by
them of the proportion of business that would naturally come to it
under the operation of normal competition, the want of equity in
rates will appear, and it will be right to modify, or perhaps abolish
them.”
“In their future dealings with the important question which has
been the occasion for our coming together, the Great Trunk Lines
should be particularly careful to give no occasion for just complaint,
that they subject any one of the seaboard cities to the operation of
arbitrary or unfair regulations or charges, or that they fail to ob-
serve towards any one of them, or towards the people trading or de-
siring to trade with them, the mandate of common law—to deal
justly and distribute fairly the benefits and burdens which are inci-
dent to their occupation.”
With the report of the Advisory Commission before
them, the committee beg to call attention to the following
facts:
1st. That at the time the report above quoted was made the dif-
ferential rates were three cents per 100 lbs. to Baltimore and two
cents per 100 lbs. to Philadelphia less than to New York.
2nd. That at the time the investigation was prosecuted the
charge of one cent per bushel for loading ocean-bound vessels at
New York railroad elevators was not imposed.
3rd, That the “New Rules” of the New York Grain Trade,
whereby the basis of trading was changed from “afloat” to store (orNEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
elevator) deliveries were operative, having gone into effect Octo-
ber i, 1881. The committee deem these facts important, as bearing
upon the report of the Advisory Commission made at the time when
the differential rates were the same as at present, when the tax of one
cent was not imposed, and when the same rules which now govern
the grain trade of New York were in force. Having these facts in
view, and calling to mind the demand made by the New York
Produce Exchange, the Chamber of Commerce and other important
commercial bodies, before the Advisory Commission, for “uniform
rates to the seaboard,!” the committee hold that the Advisory Com-
mission went to the extreme limit of their discretion when they re-
ported, as has been shown, that the existing differential rates should
not be disturbed, or to quote the exact language, “We cannot advise
their being disturbed.” (Page 42 of the report.)
The committee respectfully protest against the action of July 25,
1882, whereby the tax of one cent per bushel was imposed, as it in-
creased the differential rates on grain and disturbed the status af-
firmed by the report. In considering this protest against the tax,
two points arise, to wit :
1st. Why was the tax imposed?
2nd. How does the imposition of the tax disturb the differential
rates?
As to the first point raised, to wit:	“Why was the tax im-
posed?” if the traffic in through shipments of grain from western
points to Europe occasioned it, the committee are of the opinion that
the tax is an arbitrary one, since competition regulated the through
rates, which are of necessity about uniform by all routes and the
differentials should not apply to such through shipments. If the
tax was imposed merely to protect the elevator interests at Balti-
more and Philadelphia it was unfair since its enforcement was
hurtful rather than helpful to the New York elevator interests. If
the tax was levied because of a change made in the rules of the
grain trade of New York in 1881 it was both arbitrary and unfair
as it at once stopped sales of free-on-board cargoes to be loaded at
railroad elevators, a proper and natural traffic which was the out-
growth of the railroad elevator system which was in operation here
for years prior to the investigations of the Advisory Commission.
A large grain trade at Baltimore and Philadelphia has been built up
from almost nothing, all within a few years by the ceaseless energy
of the managers of the Trunk Lines terminating at those cities.
We now come to the second point raised, to wit: “How does the
imposition of the tax disturb the differential rates?” A charge of
one cent per bushel is equivalent to 12/z per 100 lbs. on wheat andAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
83
peas and i 785-1000 cents per 100 pounds on com and rye and
2 08-100 on barley and cents per 100 pounds on oats. On this
basis if, as the committee hold, the one cent per bushel tax was a
disturbance of the differential rates affirmed by the Advisory Com-
mission the effect of the charge was to increase the differentials be-
tween Baltimore and New York from three cents per 100 pounds on
all grain to 42/$ per 100 pounds on wheat and peas, 4 785-1000 per 100
pounds on corn and rye, and 5 08-100 per 100 pounds on barley and
6% on oats. Having in mind that at the time the Advisory Com-
missioners prosecuted their inquiry that the rules governing the
grain trade at New York were precisely as now and that no charge
was then made at railroad elevators here for loading ocean-bound
cargoes either upon local or through shipments; and that it is fair to
suppose that every question at issue was considered by the commis-
sion, it seems to this committee that an addition of one cent per
bushel to elevator charges here without a corresponding increase in
the elevator charges at Baltimore and at Philadelphia, disturb the dif-
ferential rates, particularly when previous to its imposition from 20
per cent, to 35 per cent, of all the grain received by railroad was
loaded direct into ocean-bound vessels. The New York Produce
Exchange believes that the railway companies have not traversed the
special pleadings of the roads insisting upon the tax in the light of
a simple correct understanding of the report on differentials rates,
and that upon a careful review, the companies must adopt the con-
clusions of this committee and remove the tax imposed . '. .in
simple reliance upon their course, which is just, and upon a proper
construction of the decision of the Advisory Commission as to the
differential rates, they respectfully ask that the tax be removed.”
The committee's report constitutes a pamphlet of twelve
pages and only such portions of it are here recorded as bear
directly upon the issue involved. It is needless to state that
the efforts of the committee were unavailing and that the
protest made no impression upon the managers of the trunk
lines. An essential part in the Advisory Commission's re-
port also seems to have been unworthy of consideration, to
wit:
“Whenever they (the differential rates) shall be found to operate
unfairly ... it will be right to modify, or perhaps to abolish
them.” “In their future dealings with the important question which
has been the occasion for our coming together, the great Trunk
Lines should be particularly careful to give no occasion for just84
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
complaint, that they subject any one of the seaboard cities to the
operation of arbitrary or unfair regulations or charges.”
The Joint Traffic Association was organized January i,
1898, and consisted of all the trunk lines of railroads and
their connections which extend eastward from the Missis-
sippi River to the Atlantic seaboard. Under the new rail-
road management the differentials were strictly enforced
resulting in a marked falling off in the receipts of grain,
flour and provisions by rail at New York and a correspond-
ing increase of these articles at rival Atlantic ports. For
the purpose of bringing to the attention of the Joint Traffic
Association this state of New York’s commerce the Com-
mittee on Grain February 28, 1896, requested the Board of
Managers to appoint ten members to act with the Committee
on Grain as a special committee to wait upon the Joint
Traffic Association and seek for the abolishment of the hos-
tile differentials. In accordance with this request, President
Henry D. McCord made appointments as follows: Henry
B. Hebert, chairman; John Valiant, S. S. Marples, Chas. P.
Sumner, O. M. Mitchel, John P. Truesdell. H. B. Day,
Chas. E. Wilmot, Franklin Quinby, E. Pfarrius, James F.
Parker. The committee was authorized “to confer with the
board of managers of the Joint Traffic Association in ref-
erence to the rapid decline in receipts of grain, flour and
provisions by rail and to secure such action on the part of
the Joint Traffic Association as will correct the present dis-
crimination in rail freights against this port.” At a meeting
of this special committee an executive committee was ap-
pointed as follows: Hebert, Truesdell, Valiant, Marples,
Sumner, Mitchel. The committee had a conference with the
Board of Managers of the Joint Traffic Association March
26, 1896, and the following report to the Board of Managers
of the New York Produce Exchange refers to what trans-
pired at that conference:
New York, March 31, 1896.
To the Board of Managers of the New York Produce Exchange:
Gentlemen—Your Special Committee, appointed March 5, 1896, to
secure such action on the part of the Joint Traffic Association as willAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
85
prevent the present discrimination in rail freights against this port,
beg respectfully to report that a joint meeting with the Board of
Managers of the Joint Traffic Association was held on the 26th inst,
at which time the attached protest against the continuance of the
railroad differentials affecting the commerce of New York was pre-
sented.
The committee was very courteously received and heard by the
railroad managers and a general discussion followed the reading of
the protest, and a request was made of the committee for further
information bearing on ocean rates of freight, which will be fur-
nished as soon as collected and compiled.
The railroad managers refuse to place credence in the reliability
of their own freight-rate records of the past, claiming that a prac-
tical test of the effect of the differentials dates only from the or-
ganization of the present Joint Traffic Association, January 1, 1896,
and they are more inclined to await the result of their efforts to
enforce the existing arrangements than to consider at this time the
imperative need of this port of immediate relief from these differ-
entials.
The following statement, showing the percentage of New York’s
receipts of wheat, corn and flour, during the period of the present
association has been in operation, is an illustration of what we may
expect of the continuance of the new program of the railroad mana-
gers, viz.:
The managers of the Joint Traffic Association claim that the dif-
ferentials have been strictly maintained during the past three months,
and it is during this period that the receipts at this port have been
less than for thirteen years past.
The committee are of the opinion that the agitation now com-
menced should be energetically continued until all discriminations
against New York have been removed, for it is asserted that the
railroad agreement for maintaining grain freights for the coming
season never was stronger, and this means a serious matter for the
merchants of New York.
The Board of Managers of the Joint Traffic Association did not
dispute the fact of the alarming decrease in New York’s trade, as
shown by the exhibits presented at the joint meeting, but they do
not admit that the cause is the differential freight rate against New
York allowed to the railroads terminating in competing outports.
In fact, the New York roads, irrespective of the rights and mercan-
tile interests involved at this port, have agreed to allow on produce
arriving within the limits of our own State a differential of one cent
per bushel in favor of Philadelphia on all grain at Buffalo. After aNEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
thorough investigation of the subject your committee believe this
discrimination against the commerce of this port to be as unjust in
principle as it has proven destructive in its operation, and we would
request that this special committee be continued and empowered to
engage counsel, if necessary, and to appeal to the legislature in case
no immediate relief can be obtained through the Joint Traffic Asso-
ciation.	Respectfully,
Henry B. Hebert,
John P. Truesdell,
John Valiant,
J. F. Parker,
Fred V. Dare,
Franklin Quinby,
E. Pfarrius,
Chas. E. Wilmot,
Grenville Perrin,
Harry B. Day,
Monroe Crane,
Chas. P. Sumner,
S. S. Marples,
O. M. Mitchel.
The conferences and correspondence with the board of
managers of the Joint Traffic Association having failed in
accomplishing desired results, it became evident that other
methods must be taken; thereupon the Special Committee
May ii, 1896, addressed a letter to the Hon. Geo. Blanchard,
Railroad Commissioner, acting in behalf of the Joint Traffic
Association:
“In reply to yours of the 2nd inst. the committee state that after
careful perusal of the contents of said letter they fail to find in it
any assurance or intent on the part of the Joint Traffic Association
to remove the differentials. The committee has submitted to your
Board of Managers carefully prepared statements substantiated by
statistical and other facts demonstrating that the differentials have
since their establishment diverted to ports favored by this railroad
discrimination the commerce of this city. In the absence of any
definite assurance from your association for relief we so urgently
need, we feel constrained to carry our appeal to the Interstate Com-
merce Commission or such other tribunal as may seem advisable in
our further pursuit of this subject.
Yours truly,
Henry B. Hebert,
Chairman Special Committee”
For the purpose of engaging counsel and citing the Joint
Traffic Association before the Interstate Commerce Com-
mission as violators of the Interstate Commerce Law, theAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
87
Special Committee petitioned the Board of Managers for an
appropriation of $5,000, for expenses. At a meeting of the
board held April 30, 1896, “It was unanimously resolved,
that the request of the Special Committee on Railroad Dif-
ferentials for an appropriation be granted and that an ap-
propriation of $5000 or such part thereof that may be neces-
sary be set aside for the use of said committee who are em-
powered to take such action as may be required to protect
the Exchange.” The Special Committee retained Mr. Abel
C. Blackmar, as counsel, who with the assistance of Hon.
John D. Kernan, prepared the complaint citing the railroads
before the Interstate Commerce Commission. The follow-
ing is a copy of the complaint:
COMPLAINT.
“That the said defendants have been guilty of violations of the
provisions of Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the said Act to Regulate Com-
merce, approved February 4, 1887, in that they have long established
and maintained and do establish and maintain rates, charges, dif-
ferentials, rules and regulations for the transportation of grain,
flour, provisions and other produce from interior points to the city
and port of New York and to the other competitive ‘localities' and
certain terminal charges at said seaboard localities, which rates,
charges, differentials, rules and regulations for transportation of
said merchandise to thje city and port of New York, are unjust and
unreasonable in themselves and relatively so as compared with the
rates, charges, differentials, rules and regulations governing the
transportation of like merchandise to the said other competing ‘lo-
calities/ That the said rates, charges, differentials, rules and regula-
tions constitute an undue and unreasonable preference and advant-
age to the ‘localities’ of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newport News,
Norfolk and Boston, and to the shipper and dealers and consignees
doing business therein, and subject the locality of New York and the
shippers, dealers and consignees doing business therein to undue and
unreasonable prejudice and disadvantage, and that said differentials
do thereby unjustly discriminate against the said port of New
York,” etc.
As evidence of the demoralization of the export and
ocean shipping, reference is made to the following letters
addressed to the committee:88	NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Henry B. Hebert, Esq.,
Chairman Committee on Grain, New York Produce Exchange.
Dear Sir: With reference to your today’s meeting, we beg to
call your serious attention to the rapidly increasing loss by New
York City of the export grain trade to Europe. Already years ago
she was deprived practically of the full cargo business, which was
diverted to other cities; and judging from the circumstances that
are now taking place it is evident that New York is also losing the
berth business, which is the sole remaining dependence in the grain
export of this city. To our personal knowledge half a dozen steam-
ers engaged in the regular New York trade to European ports with
which we are accustomed to deal have lately, after their discharge
of passengers and cargo here, been diverted to other Atlantic ports
to load there grain and general cargo. At this moment there is still
another regular line steamer, which it was never contemplated to
load elsewhere, but which is now forced to leave this port at end of
the week in ballast to receive a full cargo at Newport News for
Rotterdam and Hamburg, for the sole reason that her agents were
unable to obtain a cargo of grain here that can be had there in
abundance.
We sincerely trust that your committee will devise some adequate
means to restore to the merchants of this port and the members of
the New York Produce Exchange their just share of the trade to
European ports, which they have solely lost through the excessive
and unjustly discriminating railroad freight rates and terminal
charges in favor of Southern Atlantic ports and of Gulf ports,
which now amount to say, 3^2 cents per bushel. We beg to submit
the following extract of a letter, dated January 25, 1896, and re-
ceived from a valuable correspondent, viz.:
“You are right in supposing that for several months the Gulf
ports have been quite underselling your market in maize, and it may
perhaps interest you if we tell you that up to this date we have
bought from other ports than New York 350,000 quarters maize.
These purchases have all been made for shipment December to April
and four or five big cargoes, bringing in all about 90,000 quarters
have already arrived, and we have found the maize to be of most
splendid quality. On the same day on which New York quoted, we
bought from Gulf ports 7% cents cheaper and you will see thus at
once that your market is quite unable to compete.”
Yours truly,	Hagemeyer & Brunn.
Henry B. Hebert, Esq.,
Chairman Grain Committee, Produce Exchange, N. Y.
Sir : We beg to add our testimony to the very serious condition
of affairs menacing the commerce of this city through the rivalry ofAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
89
other ports, and to express the hope that your committee will take
energetic steps towards remedying it so far as it rests upon undue
discrimination in favor of the outports. It is notorious how the
export trade of the port of New York, chiefly in food products, has
declined relatively to that of its rival ports, and if this decline in our
export trade is suffered to continue a similar decline in our import
trade is sure to follow. The increasing amount of tonnage return-
ing to the outports for outward cargo and offering very low freight
rates to attract inward business is a powerful help to the import
business of our rivals.
The condition of affairs unfavorably affecting New York is
brought forcibly home to us as agents of the North German Lloyd,
Bremen, which also employs a number of its vessels in the trade be-
tween Baltimore and Bremen. It is our interest to draw as much as
possible of the Bremen export trade to this port instead of Balti-
more, and we have constantly urged our company to assist us by
placing large freight carriers at our disposal, and they have re-
sponded to our requests, but the results, especially of late, have not
been encouraging. At the same time that we were obliged to dis-
patch steamers only half full in spite of our offers of the lowest
possible rates, Baltimore has dispatched steamers to Bremen with
full cargo at paying rates and has called for more tonnage, which at
times we have been obliged to supply by sending them a steamer
from here in ballast or partly loaded. As instances we might men-
tion that our steamer Stuttgart was to have sailed from here for
Bremen the 14th inst., but owing to our inability to procure cargo
for her here, we were obliged to dispatch her in ballast to Baltimore,
where she received a full cargo. For the same reason we sent the
H. H. Meier, this week, with part cargo to Baltimore to fill up there.
These are facts which we see, and which affect the interests of
the city of New York just as directly as they do our own indi-
vidually.
We trust you will find and enforce a remedy and are, sir,
Yours respectfully,
Oelrichs & Company.
The initial hearing before the Interstate Commerce Com-
mission was on the 15th December, 1897, in the Board of
Managers' room, New York Produce Exchange. The plain-
tiff was represented by Hon. John D. Kernan and Mr. Abel
C. Blackmar, of Baldwin & Blackmar, and the defendants
as follows:90	NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Hugh L. Bond, Jr., for Baltimore & Ohio System and
Receivers.
James A. Logan, Geo. V. Massey, John G. Johnson and
Evarts, Choat and H. T. Wickham, for C. & O. Ry. Co.
R.	W. De Forest, for Central R. R. of N. J.
Samuel Hoar, for Boston & Albany R. R. Co
S.	E. Williamson, for N. Y., C. & St. L. Ry. Co.
Frank Loomis, for N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. Co.
Ashbel Green, for West Shore R. R. Co.
Francis I. Gowen and F. H. Janvier, for Lehigh Valley
R. R. Co.
George C. Greene, for L. S. & M. S. Ry. Co.
John B. Kerr, for N. Y., O. & W. R. R. Co.
Henry Russell and Ashley Pond, for Michigan Central
R. R. Co.
J. D. Campbell, for Philadelphia & Reading R. R. Co. and
Receivers.
C. M. Cumming, for Erie System.
E. W. Strong, for B. O. S. W. Ry. Co.
T.	J. O’Brien, for Grand Rapids & Indiana R. R. Co.
Silas W. Pettit, for Trades League, Board of Trade and
Commercial Exchange of Philadelphia.
Sherman Hoar, for Boston Chamber of Commerce.
William A. Fisher, for Baltimore Chamber of Commerce.
The hearing at New York was largely devoted to the
presentation of the complaint, which was lucidly and intel-
ligently stated. Subsequent hearings were held at Philadel-
phia and Washington. The New York Produce Exchange
presented testimony that incontrovertibly showed the great
loss of commerce through the operations of the differentials.
This evidently was the view of the Commission in reviewing
the evidence. In its decision, rendered April 30, 1898, it
alludes to this loss by stating: “It seems to be true that
New York is in a measure losing its export grain business.”
The Commission’s Report, a pamphlet of 73 pages, contains
the following:
“Now the primary purpose of these differentials is, not to do jus-
tice to a particular port, nor to recognize the advantages of a par-AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
91
ticular port, but to enable the various competing lines to obtain a
fair proportion of this traffic. In other words, the reason for those
differentials is competition between railways.”
“Upon no other theory could Boston, which is 234 miles farther
from Chicago than New York, be given the same rate with New
York, while Norfolk, which is 72 miles farther from Chicago than
New York, has a rate of three cents per 100 pounds less.”
“New York has no vested right in the having of so much grain
shipped to that port.”
“While there is much in the case to induce a different conclusion,
and while we have arrived at this conclusion with a good deal of
hesitation, we do not think that, upon the present record, the car-
riers have exceeded the limit within which they are free to determine
for themselves. The principle upon which these differentials have
been established is legitimate.”
“We do not think, therefore, that they should be disturbed by us.”
Section 3 of the Interstate Commerce Law states that
“it shall be unlawful for any common carrier subject to the
provisions of this act to make or give any undue or unrea-
sonable preference or advantage to any particular person,
company, or firm, corporation or locality, or any particular
description of traffic in any respect whatsoever, or to subject
any person, company, firm, corporation or locality, or any
particular description of traffic, to any undue or unreason-
able prejudice or disadvantage in any respect whatsoever/’
In passing upon the violation of this section the Commission
state:
“Do these competitive conditions justify the preference
of one locality to another? It is clear under the recent de-
cisions of the U. S. Supreme Court, not that they neces-
sarily do, but that they may. It was held in the Import Rate
Case [Interstate Commerce Commission vs. Texas & P.
K. Co., 162 U. S., 197; 40 Led., 940; 5 Inters. Com. Rep.,
405], that competition might justify a railway line between
New Orleans and San Francisco in carrying merchandise
as a part of a through shipment from Liverpool to San
Francisco at a rate which yielded to the company for its
division less than one-third of what it received for carrying
the same kind of merchandise from New Orleans to San
Francisco.” In the Troy case [Interstate Commerce Com-92
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
mission vs. Alabama Midland B. Co., 168 U. S., 144; 42
Led., 414], it was determined that railway competition did
justify the defendant in making a lower rate to a more
distant point. Railway competition may, therefore, excuse
the giving of a preference to a particular locality or a par-
ticular commodity, provided the interests of the public are
not unduly sacrificed to those of the carrier.” “In the light
of these cases it is difficult to see why it is not perfectly
legitimate for carriers to make differentials like those in
question” (p. 660).
This adverse ruling to New York’s complaint added
impetus to the movement for canal improvement and doubt-
less led to the appointment by Governor Roosevelt of the
New York State Canal Committee. The Interstate Com-
merce Commission in part of its report alludes to the State
canals as follows: “The canal has been a most important
element in her (New York) commercial supremacy; if that
element drops out she must expect to lose that portion of
her supremacy which was due to it” (p. 679). The great
supremacy of New York in part has been measurably due to
its canal. If it would hold that supremacy in the future it
must give attention to the same waterway.” “If the canal
were to be restored today to the same position in this carry-
ing trade that it occupied in the twenty years past the com-
merce of the port of New York could not suffer” (p. 680).
In the summer and fall of 1899 the Committee on Canals
of the New York Produce Exchange held a succession of
meetings discussing the competitive and economic features
of the canal proposition. The result of these deliberations
of the committee was the adoption of the following reso-
lution:
uResolved, That in the opinion of this committee the true policy
of the State of New York should be the construction of a waterway
connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River of a greater capacity
than can be afforded by the plan of which improvement has begun ;
that the principal benefits which will be conferred upon the State
will be far in excess of any possible cost of said enlarged waterway.
That we favor the construction and maintenance of a canal of a
depth of not less than fourteen feet of water with correspondingAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
width, and if necessary a new alignment of canal should be made by
canalizing the Mohawk, Seneca and Clyde rivers.”
This resolution was sent to the Board of Managers for
approval and at a meeting held September 21st it was ap-
proved in its entirety.
While the Committee on Canals was discussing the canal
question the president of the Exchange received the follow-
ing letter from Mr. John A. Frailie, secretary of the New
York State Canal Committee :
New York, Sept. 13, 1899.
Frank Brainard, Esq., President Produce Exchange.
Dear Sir : General Greene has requested me to ask you if it will
be possible for this committee to receive an expression of views from
the Produce Exchange during the month of October, on the subject
of Canal Improvement; or whether it will be preferable to hold a
meeting of the Produce Exchange on this subject at which the Com-
mittee on Canals could be present and hear the views expressed.
Will you kindly let me know your decision on this matter as early
as convenient. The Committee is very desirous of securing an ex-
pression of opinion from your body; and the importance of the sub-
ject is of course fully realized by yourself.
Yours very truly,
John A. Fairlie,
Secretary, Committee on Canals of New York State.
President Barrows sent this reply:
“Your favor of September 13th, addressed to Frank Brainard,
Esq., President Produce Exchange, has been handed to me for reply.
We shall be pleased to have our Committee on Canals, composed of
Messrs. Henry B. Hebert, chairman; Frank Brainard, Franklin
Quinby, Thomas A. McIntyre, Franklin Edson, Gustav H. Schwab,
George Milmine, John P. Truesdell, Alfred Romer and E. L. Boas,
meet your committee in our assembly room at your pleasure, any
time in October, and in addition it will give me great pleasure to
tender your committee the use of our rooms for any public hearing
that you might call, other than those of members of the Exchange.
Our Canal Committee is composed of the leading men of our Ex-
change and are thoroughly familiar with the whole canal question,
i. e., as to the needs of trade and commerce of the port of New
York.	Elliot T. Barrows.”94
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
During October, 1899, Chairman Greene and the entire
State Committee attended several meetings of the Canal
Committee of the Exchange. At the first meeting Chairman
Greene stated that it had been the desire of the State Canal
Committee to confer with business men and to ascertain
their views of canal improvement. Having heard that the
members of the New York Produce Exchange were con-
sidering the matter, he thought it a favorable opportunity
to obtain the desired information. Chairman Hebert, reply-
ing, said that the deliberations of the Committee on Canals
of the New York Produce Exchange had resulted in the
adoption of a resolution which had been approved by the
Board of Managers, recommending the construction of a
barge canal of not less than fourteen feet depth of water
with corresponding width. The statement of the factors
that led to this conclusion brought to view the competitive
and economic features of the project and caused a general
and interesting discussion in which Chairman Greene and
other members of the State Canal Committee participated.
P rom the nature of the report to Governor Roosevelt it :s
only fair to assume that the conferences between the State
Committee and the Canal Committee of the Exchange were
largely instrumental in forming the State Committee’s
recommendation for the construction of a one thousand ton
barge canal. After the publication of the report of the
State Committee, Chairman Hebert received the following
letter:
“Hamburg-American Line,
37 Broadway, New York, Jan. 26, 1900.
Dear Mr. Hebert:
I congratulate you upon your success as Chairman of the Produce
Exchange Committee as it is no doubt due to your efforts that the
State Canal Committee shaped its report as now published.
Yours very truly,
Emil L. Boas."
The New York Produce Exchange has always been a
loyal supporter and defender of the canals of the State,
and foremost in every effort to increase their usefulness as
factors in transportation. In 1893 through its CommitteeAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
95
on Canals of which Mr. Geo. W. Balch was chairman, the
Exchange advocated the deepening of the canals to nine
feet of water; in furtherance of this project the Board of
Managers February 5, 1894, issued a printed letter to the
members of the Legislature urging the passage of a bill for
this improvement. The letter set forth the advantages to
be derived from the proposed deepening of the canals,
stating:
“ . . . when all that is suggested herein shall have been accom-
plished the canal will only mark to a degree the progress that has
been made in the past quarter of a century the world over in in-
creased transportation facilities. Within that period nearly the en-
tire lake marine has been newly constructed on improved lines;
ocean vessels have shared in similar betterments; and on the more
important railway lines of the country every possible contrivance to
conserve economy and increase carrying capacity has been made
available. . , . The Erie canal alone has failed to share in any of
the multitudinous betterments and improvements that a golden age
of invention has wrought in the field of general progress. ... We
undertake to claim that with the Erie canal improved in accordance
with the proposition covered by our proposed enactment, that the
carriage through to tide water can and will be . . . rendered at so
low a rate that . . . the railroads will not assume or undertake to
compete ... at any time during the season of navigation. ...
The ratable proportion of such cost of transportation will be as low
on the Erie canal as on the lakes.”
In the appendix to the letter the Board of Managers
call attention to the cost of construction and carrying capa-
city of the lake and ocean vessels then current in comparison
with the same features of a canal boat that would ply the
improved canal. The statement is as follows:
“The cost of a lake steamer of 2700 net tons, capacity 90,000
bushels wheat, built of wood, with most approved outfit, would be
$125,000. The average cost of a freight steamer of 4000 tons dead-
weight capacity, or 133,000 bushels, built of steel and fitted with
modem appliances, British construction, would be, under favorable
conditions, not less than $165,000. With the Erie canal improved
on the lines suggested, the capacity of this fleet of boats would be
so increased as to require but seven consorts and three steamers,
thus reducing the cost of a fleet of 90,000 bushels’ capacity to three96
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
steamers at $22,500 and seven consorts at $3000 each—$21,000. In
other words the ratable proportion of the canal equipment would
stand for equal tonnage, at only 35 per cent, to that of the lake
equipment. It is thought that, with the canal improved as sug-
gested, the fleet of boats could make 8^4 round trips from Buffalo
to the seaboard, 307,000 bushels; ... the cost of the service would
be reduced to 1 47-100 cents per bushel.”
“With the canal improved as now being urged the Erie canal
could pass 3000 boats without incurring any considerable delay; the
outcome of carrying capacity becomes stupendous. It is fair to as-
sume that the eastbound tonnage capacity of the Erie canal alone
would be 5,500,000 net tons and of grain upwards of 200,000,000
bushels.”
The subsequent enactment of the Canal Improvement
Law, its ratification by the people at the polls and the
exhaustion of the $9,000,000 appropriation, leaving the
canal only partially deepened, are matters that have passed
into history and need no further reference in this article.
As we now view this improvement it seems fortunate that
no further effort was made to complete it. Doubtless the
improvement would have accomplished all its advocates
expected of it had the vessel tonnage on lake and ocean and
the tonnage upon rail always remained the same as in 1894.
The phenomenal increase of vessel and rail tonnage that has
since taken place emphasizes the need, if the commerce of
the State is to be conserved, of the construction of a barge
instead of a boat canal.
For the purpose of obtaining a broader field of influence
in the agitation for canal improvement in accordance with
the views held by the New York Produce Exchange, a plan
of cooperation was suggested by the Committee on Canals,
resulting in President E. T. Barrows issuing the following
form of invitation:
“New York, November 9th, 1899.
For the purpose of discussing the subject of canal improvement,
and securing, if possible, harmony of action on the part of various
organizations of Greater New York, the Board of Managers of the
New York Produce Exchange invites your association to appoint a
committee to attend a meeting of the representatives of other com-
mercial organizations of New York and the Committee on CanalsAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
97
of this Exchange to be held in the managers’ room, New York
Produce Exchange Building, on Tuesday, November 21, 1899, at
3 o’clock p. m. Invitations have also been sent to the Board of
Trade and Transportation, the Merchants’ Association, the Mari-
time Exchange, the Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Board of Trade,
the Manufacturers’ Association of Kings and Queens Counties, the
Mercantile Exchange, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the
Boatmen’s Association and steamship companies.”
The meeting was largely attended and subsequently the
Cotton Exchange and other commercial bodies became iden-
tified with the Canal Association of Greater New York in
its Campaign of Education.
The acceptance by Governor Roosevelt of the State Canal
Committee's recommendation for improving the canals upon
the lines of the one thousand ton barge plan and his advocacy
of it, settled the question as to the character of this
improvement. Yet there was a great deal to be done by the
barge canal advocates before the desired result would ma-
terialize ; it was evident that a vigorous campaign must first
be undertaken. With this in view the representatives of
the commercial organizations meeting with the Committee
on Canals, by resolution created the Canal Association of
Greater New York, electing Henry B. Hebert, chairman,
Emil L. Boas, treasurer, and Frank S. Gardner, secretary.
It is not the purpose of this paper to enter into details of the
important work performed by this Association in its cam-
paign for a one thousand ton barge canal; however, we may
refer to a memorable private dinner, that had something to
do with the educational features of the campaign.
There was a strong sentiment “up the State" favoring
the completion of the improvement already partially done
upon the canals. This proposition was strenuously opposed
by the Canal Association of Greater New York. As it was
the general belief that Governor Odell championed this
project it was therefore desirable that the Governor should
become acquainted with the views held by the commercial
organizations of New York in regard to the matter. In the
furtherance of the plan Mr. G. K. Clarke, Jr., a member of
the Committee on Canals of the New York Produce Ex-98
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
change, offered to entertain the Governor at his city resi-
dence, No. 38 West Fifty-third Street, and in a social way
discuss the canal question from New York’s standpoint.
Invitations were issued “to meet Governor Odell at dinner
Tuesday evening, December 6th, at half past seven o’clock.”
Covers were laid for eighteen. Around a circular table in
the ample dining-room, sat at the right of the genial host,
Governor Odell, and at his left, Lieutenant Governor
Woodruff. Other seats at the table were occupied as fol-
lows: Andrew Carnegie, Gustav H. Schwab, I. N. Selig-
man, A. B. Hepburn, Lyman E. Cooley, Charles F. Clark,
Henry B. Hebert, Samuel D. Coykendall, Chas. A. Schieren,
D. LeBoy Dresser, W. E. Dodge, Gen. Francis V. Greene,
Lewis Nixon, Anderson Fowler, Frank Brainard.
As a result of the after-dinner discussion, Mr. Nixon
suggested the construction of locks upon the one thousand
ton barge plan with a view that if it was found that the
commerce of the State required the enlarged canal, the
locks would be already built for it. This proposition was
favorably received by Governor Odell; he said he would
look into it. A gentleman of large legislative experience at
Albany referring to the Governor’s action relative to this
project wrote Chairman Hebert as follows: “Governor
Odell in his message to the legislature recommended that
the number of locks on the Erie be reduced from seventy-
two to forty-four; that these locks be enlarged to the one
thousand ton capacity and that the deepening of the prism
to nine feet be completed.” Legislation embodying these
features and appropriating twenty-eight million dollars
therefor was introduced by Senator Davis. It applied to
the Erie Canal alone, but subsequently the Governor ac-
cepted an amendment to include the Champlain Canal.
When the bill was being considered in the Assembly it was
further amendled so as to include the Oswego Canal, raising
the amount for the improvement another five million dollars.
The Governor was opposed to the Oswego amendment and
this opposition was doubtless the cause of its defeat.
The defeat of this canal bill cleared the legislative atmos-
phere and renewed efforts were made for canal improvementAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
99
upon the one thousand ton barge plan. The Governor ulti-
mately became convinced of the correctness of this proposi-
tion and not only declared in favor of it in his letter October
8, 1902, in accepting the gubernatorial candidacy; but also
in the summer of 1903, in his speeches delivered at various
county fairs, he advocated the one thousand ton barge im-
provement, and advised the farmer to vote for it. After the
ratification by the people of the referendum, the Canal
Association of Greater New York congratulated the Gov-
ernor upon his efforts in the canal campaign. In reply he
wrote to Chairman Hebert:
Executive Chambers, Albany, November 5, 1903.
My dear Mr. Hebert: I have your favor of the 4th inst. and
thank you very much for it. I need not say that I am glad I was
able to be of service in presenting to the people the proposition for
canal enlargement.
With kind regards, I am,
Very truly yours,
B. B. Odell, Jr.
The barge canal proposition was not undertaken solely in
the interests of business centered at Buffalo and New York
nor with the idea that by the means of the enlarged water-
way the increasing volume of lake commerce could be
shunted through it from Buffalo to the Hudson river with-
out consideration for the welfare of other sections of the
State.
It was contemplated that the benefits arising from im-
proved traffic conditions would be felt generally throughout
the commonwealth, and would serve to check a decline in
population and wealth that had unmistakably taken place in
many counties. The extent of this depopulation is shown
in the U. S. Census for 1900; the names of the counties
affected are as follows:
Allegany,	population in 1900 			 41,501	loss	1,739
Chenango,	u a		 36,568	it	1,208
Columbia,	a a		 43,2H	it	2,961
Cortland,	a a		 27,576	“ ....	1,081
Essex,	tt a	..... 30,707	a	2,345100
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Greene, population in 1900 			• 31.478	loss		 120
Lewis,	tt tt	. 27,427	“	.... 2,379
Livingston,	tt tt	• 37,059	tt	.... 742
Madison,	tt tt	• 40,545	“	.... 2,347
Orleans,	tt tt	. 30,164	it	.... 639
Oswego,	tt tt	. 70,881	tt		1,002
Otsego,	ft tt	. 48,939	“	.... 1,922
Putnam,	tt ft	• 13,787	tt		 1,062
Rensselaer,	tt tt	. 121,697	ft		2,814
Schoharie,	tt tt	. 26,854	“	.... 2,310
Schuyler,	tt tt	. 15,811	tt		 900
Seneca,	u a	. 28,114	tt	.... 113
Tioga,	tt a	. 27,951	tt	.... 1,984
Washington,	a a	• 45,624	tt	.... 66
Wayne,	a tt	. 48,660	tt	.... 1,069
Wyoming,	tt tt	* 30,413	tt		 780
Yates,	tt u	. 20,318	tt	.... 683
Total	depopulation in 22 counties .				30,266
The significance of this depopulation may possibly be
better understood when it is stated that it covers more than
the population of the counties of Schuyler and Putnam
combined and aggregates more than the combined population
of the cities of Hudson, Corning and Olean. Accompany-
ing this depopulation was evidence of a decrease in the value
of property for taxable purposes amounting to millions of
dollars; this feature in the decline of communities was of
the gravest importance, for it was a condition that affected
the entire State. The endeavor to improve the traffic situa-
tion so as to reestablish prosperity to these localities, im-
parted to the canal improvement proposition something of a
patriotic sentiment. The increase of the State’s population
for the decade, 1890-1900, was 1,271,041, of which 929,788
was within the four counties incorporated in the limits of the
city of Greater New York, leaving 341,253 for the remain-
ing fifty-seven counties. Had the accretion to the popula-
tion at the metropolis been no larger than the average in-
crease of those counties it is apparent that the population of
the Empire State would have been in 1900 less than that of
Pennsylvania. Commenting upon this matter Mr. AndrewAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
101
Carnegie under date of February 8, 1902, wrote Chairman
Hebert: “The citizens of New York should take note that
the State of Pennsylvania has gained more rapidly in popu-
lation. . . . Indeed, if it were not for the abnormal
increase of New York and Brooklyn, the State of New York
would have ranked second in population ere this.”
It was estimated that the low rate of freight which the
barge canal would inaugurate would cause the commerce
which the railroads had diverted from New York to return
to its natural channel and in the adjustment of interior rail
rates to correspond with those of the canal, the New York
farmer in raising like products would be able to compete
with the more distant farmer in the far West. It was also
believed that the low rate of transportation by the “all-
water route” of lake and canal would attract an important
percentage of movement of iron ore from the Lake Superior
region to points within the State of New York and would
incite a development of the iron and steel industries. This
would increase the population and wealth in cities and towns
along the line of the canal, and would give to the agricul-
tural sections of the interior enlarged markets and better
prices for farm products.
It seems reasonable that the State should have a larger
share in these prosperous industries. Conditions in New
York are more favorable than in some states that are profit-
ing by an increasing percentage of this traffic. The produc-
tion of iron ore at Lake Superior mines since 1890 has been
very large and has added to the employment and material
wealth of the citizens of states having the advantages of
lake navigation. The citizens of the Empire State have not
participated in the development of this trade, possibly be-
cause of the transportation situation within its domain as
there seems to be no other reason presentable.
The United States census for 1900 exhibits the marvel-
ous increase in the production of iron ore in Michigan and
in Minnesota, and the subsequent growth of the iron and
steel industries in Pennsylvania and in neighboring states.
This official record is substantially as follows: In 1890 the
output of ore from these two states aggregated 8,033,566102
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
long tons; in 1900 the output was 19,761,106, and in 1902
it was 26,272,865 long tons.
Pennsylvania shows the greatest growth in the manu-
factures of iron and steel, during the last decade (1890-
1900) and New York the smallest. Appended is a com-
parative statement of the increase of capital invested and
the value of products.
	Capital invested	Increase over	V alue of Products	Increased Value over
	1900	1890	1900	1890
Penn.	$546,858,260	$147,438,097	$767,033,374	$314,747,560
Ohio	85,528,552	49,355,165	138,935,256	73,728428
111.	43,275,739	9,271,820	60,303,144	21,292,093
Ind.	14,994,210	6,845,115	19,338481	14,595,721
N. J.	19,971,609	8,424,307	24,381,699	13,363,124
Mass.	13,738,593	4,848,038	13491459	2,290,010
New York	12,183,866	Decrease 3,798,569	13,858,553	Decrease 1,989,984
For the purpose of extending agitation for canal im-
provement to “up-State” counties and placing this part of
the campaign under separate management, the Canal Im-
provement Association of Western New York and the Canal
Association of Greater New York in cooperation formed the
Executive Canal Improvement State Committee: Gustav
H. Schwab, New York, chairman ; Henry B. Hebert, New
Y'ork, treasurer; Frank Brainard, New York, John W.
Fisher, Buffalo, Robert R. Hefford, Buffalo, Frederick O.
Clarke, Oswego, Frank S. Witherbee, Port Henry. This
committee appointed George H. Raymond, Buffalo, and
John A. Stewart, New York, secretaries. The main office
was in the New York Produce Exchange buildings
The campaign was carried on with a great deal of vigor
for a period of about four months extending into the fall of
1903. During the month of October, 1903, and until election
day, Buffalo and Greater New York were the storm centers
in the struggle “for and against” the referendum. The
opposition was aggressive and unscrupulous in statement
both in the public press and in other literature. Handbills
requesting the citizens of New York to vote “NO” wereAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
103
distributed at the elevated railroad stations and other points
where people were in masses. A specimen of these bills,
printed in type to attract the attention of the citizen is here
presented (not in facsimile):
VOTE BUT VOTE NO
on Barge Canal Scheme.
BENEFICIARIES:
GRAIN SPECULATORS
THE CONTRACTORS
THE PADRONES
WHO PAYS FOR IT?
YOU.
This means higher taxes direct and indirect. The latter touch Every-
body. Higher rents, higher licenses, heavier expenses,
with no return.
VOTE NO.
If there is any intelligent man who thinks it will benefit the State
or any section therein or any citizen thereof, save only the
beneficiaries of the most stupendous graft ever sug-
gested, let him vote for the Barge Canal.
If he is not a grafter and if he has
any regard for his own
interest let him
VOTE NO
Extravagant estimates were made by the opponents of
the canal as to the cost of the improvement, discrediting the
amout of $101,000,000 named in the law and declaring that
the improvement would cost more than $350,000,000. Every
effort was made to influence the voter to vote “No” in voting
on the referendum.
As an auxiliary to the Canal Association of Greater New
York the Committee on Canals in September organized a104
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Canal Improvement League of fifty members of the Produce
Exchange and, under the energetic leadership of its chair-
man, Mr. Albert Kinkel, most effective work was done. The
League by popular subscription raised enough funds to
carry forward its part of the campaign and a vast amount
of literatuie was printed and distributed. It also put in cir-
culation a great number of campaign buttons and badges on
which was inscribed
“VOTE YES FOR THE CANAL IMPROVEMENT.”
Under its auspices was held, upon the floor of the Ex-
change, a mass meeting at which Hon. Seth Low, the Mayor
of the city, presided. Among those who addressed the
meeting were former mayors of Brooklyn, Hon. Charles A.
Schieren and David A. Boody. Other speakers were Hon.
Chas. F. Bostwick, Professor Stevenson, Chairman Albert
Kinkel, and Henry B. Hebert. Hon. George B. McClellan
was invited to address the meeting, but owing to a previous
engagement he was unable to attend and sent the following
letter explaining his absence:
Albert Kinkel, Esq.,
Chairman, Produce Exchange.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your invi-
tation to be present at the Produce Exchange meeting of the Canal
League, and to say that before its tender to me I had made an en-
gagement which will preclude my attendance. I cannot, however,
permit the occasion to pass without publicly attesting my sympathy
with the project. The expense of the improvement is inconsiderable
when compared with the obvious advantages which will accrue to the
city from it. In comparison with the wealth and importance of the
State at the time the Erie Canal was projected, its cost was, one
might almost say, infinitely greater than the expense of the proposed
improvement. The State never made a more profitable investment
than that, and it would be shortsightedness now to even question the
cost of the undertaking. In our day we must imitate the providence
of our predecessors and contribute our share to the increase of the
greatness of our city. In this respect I regard your enterprise as
deserving of support of every citizen.
Yours very truly,
George B. McClellan.AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
105
In the morning papers, Monday, November 2, 1903, the
following announcement was published:
The undersigned wish to impress upon the citizens of Greater
New York the paramount importance of an overwhelming majority
from this city at the polls, in favor of the iooo-ton barge canal im-
provement. This is the most important question before the people
of the entire State today. At tomorrow’s election no one should
neglect to cast his ballot and if he has the interests of the city and
State at heart, that ballot should be marked with an “X” opposite
the word “YES.”
Seth Low,
R. Fulton Cutting,
Chas. A. Schieren,
Gustav H. Schwab,
John D. Crimmins,
William F. King,
Robert Campbell,
Thos. J. McGuire,
Frank S. Witherbee,
Lewis Nixon,
George B. McClellan,
Bird S. Coler,
Oscar S. Straus,
David A. Boody,
Fred W. Wurster,
John H. Washburn,
Henry Hentz,
Herman Robinson,
William McCarroll,
Henry B. Hebert.
The large vote in favor of the referendum cast in the
various boroughs of Greater New York is evidence of the
effective campaign work done under the management of the
Canal Association of Greater New York and 6i the Canal
Improvement League of the New York Produce Exchange;
but for this vote the referendum would have been ignomini-
ously defeated. The day after the election Chairman
Hebert received a number of telegrams and letters tendering
congratulations and according to New York credit for the
success of the barge canal project. The following are
among those received:
Buffalo, N. Y., Nov. 4, 1903.
The Buffalo Chamber of Commerce extends congratulations and
hearty appreciation for the generous support given the canal propo-
sition.	Leonard Dodge,
President.
Buffalo, N. Y., Nov. 4, 1903.
Congratulations. New York alone saved the day. Machine
voting here made us trouble.	G. H. Raymond.106
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
Medina, Nov. 5, 1903.
I wish to congratulate you upon the great work done in N. Y.
City. You see we were right in warning you of the heavy vote up
the State. By reason of the baneful influence of the Rochester
papers we had a desperate battle with our rural voters in this county.
Our village which contained only about 6000 people gave a majority
of 1028. ... By reason of the heavy vote here the county was car-
ried and the adverse rural vote wiped out. Again we congratulate
you on the result in Greater New York and in the State at large.
Very respectfully,
John J. Ryan.
Buffalo, Nov. 5, 1903.
Please accept my congratulations upon the results and especially
for the magnificent New York majority. Your name will always
remain connected with this great movement as one of its principal
supporters.	Yours very truly,
George Clinton.
New York, Nov. 5, 1903.
The adoption by the people of the referendum on the Barge Canal
proposition gives me the opportunity to say to you that the city and
State of New York owe you a large debt of gratitude which I hope
some day will be publicly and fittingly acknowledged.
Yours very truly,
R. S. White,
President the New York Lumber Trade Association.
In the final throes of the campaign, expenses were much
larger than contemplated. Before the closing days the
funds of the Canal Association of Greater New York were
nearly exhausted and there was little time in which to can-
vass for public subscriptions. An appeal was made to the
Canal Committee of the Exchange and the situation was
made known to the Board of Managers. The Board was
asked for a subscription of $5,000. This financial aid was
sufficient to carry the campaign to a successful end.
The liberal and staunch support given by the Board of
Managers, financial and otherwise, to the Committee on
Canals of the Exchange during the period for canal im-
provement, made it possible for the barge canal project toAND CANAL ENLARGEMENT.
107
be fostered and brought to a successful issue; but for this
assistance in all probability the canals would have been com-
pleted upon the plan of 1894. It is, therefore, not too much
to say that to the New York Produce Exchange largely
belongs the credit for the improvement of the canals as now
projected. Its Committee on Canals1 was- uncompromisingly
committed to the barge canal plan, having the belief that a
canal of smaller size would be useless as a competitor of the
railroads. The Greene State Canal Committee’s recom-
mendation for a one thousand ton barge canal was endorsed
because the capacity of such a canal approximated the plans
of the committee. It also had the support of Governor
Roosevelt which was an important factor in a prospective
campaign. The wisdom of the committee’s support of the
1. The Committee on Canals of the New York Produce Exchange, 1897 to
1904, was as follows:
1897—1904 Henry B. Hebert, Chairman; 1897—1898
1899—1904 Frank Brainard	1899—1904
1897—1904 Franklin Quinby	1902—1904
1897— 1904 Thos. A. McIntyre	1903—1904
1898— 1904 Franklin Edson	1903—1904
1899— 1904 Gustav H. Schwab	1902—1903
1897—1904 George Milmine	1902—1903
1897— 1904 John P. Truesdell	1900—1904
1898— 1904 Alfred Romer	1902—1904
1897—1898 James M. Martin	1902—1904
E. M. Clarkson
Emil L. Boas
G. K. Clark, Jr.
E. C. Bodman
John J. D. Trenor
John V. Jewell
Josiah M. Favill
D. M. Van Vliet
Frank E. Hagemeyer
Wm. H. Douglas
The officers of the Exchange, 1897-1904, were:
PRESIDENT.
1896—	1897
1897—	1899
1899—1901
1901—	1902
1902—	1904
Henry D. McCord
Frank Brainard
Elliot T. Barrows
John V. Barnes
Edward G. Burgess
VICE-PRESIDENT.
Frank Brainard
F. H. Andrews
Edward G. Burgess
R. E. Annin
TREASURER.
Edward C. Rice
1895—1899
1895—1896
1895—1899
1895—	1899
1896—	1898
1896—	1899
1897—	1899
1898—	1902
1903—1904
1898—1904
1898—	1900
1899—	1901
1899—1901
1903—1904
1899—1901
1902—1904
BOARD OP MANAGERS.
F. H. Andrews	1902—1904
V. B. McMahon	1903—1904
James Doyle	1903—1904
Perry P. Williams	1903—1904
Emilio Pritchard	1899—1901
Frank W. Cominsky	1899—1901
Chas. W. Hogan	1900—1904
John Valiant	1900—
John Valiant	1900—1904
D. D. Allerton	1900—1902
Samuel Taylor, Jr.	1901—1903
F. V. Dare	1901—1904
Vincent Loeser	1901—1903
Vincent Loeser	1901—1903
Wm. Hamilton	1901—1903
James F. Parker	1901—1903
A. C. Fetterolf
Nathaniel Doyle
Charles W. Bowring
George H. Williams
Andrew J. Toomey
R. E. Annin
H. Myers Bogert
Oswald Sanderson
Frank I. McGuire
P. A. S. Franklin
Yale Kneeland
Samuel L. Finlay
Herbert Barber
Benjamin Parr
Wm. H. Douglas
Chas. B. Little108
NEW YORK PRODUCE EXCHANGE
one thousand ton barge project was amply demonstrated by
subsequent events.
It is not too presumptuous to say that the New York
Produce Exchange desires to express its appreciation for the
substantial services rendered by the commercial organiza-
tions of the metropolis and other parts of the State in coop-
eration and support of this great movement, nor for the
writer to here record his great regard for the members of
the Committee on Canals who were associated with him
during the years involved in the study and agitation for
canal improvement.MAJ. GEN. FRANCIS V. GREENE.THE INCEPTION OF
THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT
By FRANCIS VINTON GREENE
Major General U. S. Volunteers, Chairman Committee on Canals of
New York State, 1899.
When Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated as Governor
of New York in January, 1899, the most important and the
most difficult question which he had to solve was that of
the State canals. His party had narrowly escaped defeat—
and but for his own personal popularity probably would
have been defeated—at the election in the previous autumn
on account of their mismanagement of the $9,000,000 im-
provement authorized by the legislation of 1894. Governor
Roosevelt was extremely anxious to retrieve these mistakes
of his party, and equally anxious to find a proper solution
of the canal question the importance of which to the State
of New York was universally acknowledged. After con-
sidering various projects, he finally decided to appoint a
committee of private citizens, to serve without pay, to study
the question in all its bearings and make a report to him as
a basis for his recommendations to the Legislature. He
appointed this committee by letter, dated March 8, 1899. I
was selected as chairman, and the other members were
Major Thomas W. Symons of the Corps of Engineers,
United States Army, then stationed at Buffalo in charge of
river and harbor improvements, Hon. Frank S. Witberbee
of Port Henry in the Champlain district, Hon. George E.
109110
THE INCEPTION OF
Green, State Senator from Binghamton in the southern tier
of counties, Hon. John N. Scatcherd of Buffalo, and the two
State officials most intimately connected with the adminis-
tration of canals, viz., Hon. Edward A. Bond, State Engi-
neer, and Hon. John N. Partridge, Superintendent of Public
Works.
The request of the Governor was simply that we should
study the canal problem and advise him. His own words
were as follows: “The broad question of the proper policy
which the State should pursue in canal matters remains un-
solved, and I ask you to help me reach the proper solution.,,
We devoted the greater part of the year, 1899, to a study
of the subject and made our report to the Governor under
date of January 15, 1900. It is a printed document of 231
pages with 7 maps, 36 charts and 69 tables of statistical in-
formation. The Governor promptly transmitted the report
to the Legislature, adopting the conclusions and recommen-
dations which it contained, and advising that legislation be
enacted to carry them into effect. This was done in' succes-
sive years, and meanwhile, additional surveys and estimates
of cost were prepared under the direction of the State En-
gineer. The State printed an edition of several thousand
copies of our report, and scattered it broadcast throughout
the State for examination and discussion ; and finally the
project was ratified and adopted by an overwhelming vote
of the people in the election of 1903.
It will be noticed that the question on which the Governor
asked our advice was the policy of the State in canal mat-
ters; in other words, should, the canals be abandoned, or
maintained in their present condition, or enlarged, and if so,
to what extent and at what estimated cost? In order to
reach an intelligent conclusion upon these fundamental
questions, and in order to convince others of the soundness
of any such conclusion, we set to work to obtain statistical
information concerning the rates of transportation by rail
and on the ocean, the lakes and the canals, not only of New
York, but of other states and of other countries. The in-
formation thus gathered was unusually full and complete,THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT
111
and had never before been presented in similar compact
form. It formed the basis of the argument in the debates
which followed in the Legislature and before the people on
the adoption of the project.
As to our conclusions and recommendations, the first
question to be decided was whether or not the canals should
be entirely abandoned. It was claimed by many that canal
transportation was antiquated and altogether out of date ;
that “the railroads, with their large capital and scientific
management, their durable roadbeds, powerful locomotives,
larger cars, greater train loads, greater speed, and more
certainty of delivery, will be able now or in the early future
to reduce the cost of transportation below what is possible
on the canals.” If it should seem probable that the railroads
could accomplish this, then it would be manifestly unwise
and improper to expend any more public money upon the
canals. A careful study of the actual facts in regard to
transportation rates led us to form the following opinion:
“In our judgment, water transportation is inherently cheaper
than rail transportation. It varies slightly with the size of
the vessel and the restriction of the waterway. On the
ocean, where the waterway is entirely unrestricted and the
size of the vessel is the maximum, it averages about half a
mill per ton mile; on the lakes, where the vessels are not
so large, and occasional restrictions are encountered on the
waterway, it is about six-tenths of a mill per ton mile; on
the canals of New York, where the boats are very small,
the waterway greatly restricted, and obsolete methods are
employed for handling the business, it is about two mills
per ton mile. By the enlargement of the canal which we
recommend, and the introduction of improved methods of
management, we believe that the canal rate can be reduced
to two-thirds of one mill per ton mile, or very nearly as low
as the lake rates. All of these rates have varied in the past
and will vary in the future to correspond with prosperity or
depression in general business. But there is every reason
to believe that they will maintain a corresponding ratio, the
ocean, lake and canal rates being from one-third to one-112
THE INCEPTION OF
fourth of those by rail. The reductions which may be made
hereafter in the railroad rate can be met by similar reduc-
tions in all three classes of the water rates, provided the
same methods of skilled management are applied to all.”
The phenomenal growth of the enormous tonnage on the
lakes and the prosperity which it has brought to the states
bordering on the lakes convinced us that a proper waterway
across the State of New York would bring similar pros-
perity to this State; and we called attention to the fact that
“New York has certain topographical advantages which it
would be folly not to utilize. Through the valleys of the
Hudson and the Mohawk and the comparatively low and
level lands west of Oneida lake, it is possible to construct a
water route connecting the Great Lakes and the Atlantic
coast, and no such water route can be constructed through
any other State.”
We were also guided in reaching these conclusions by
the action of the principal countries on the continent of Eu-
rope in regard to water transportation. Mr. Witherbee
visited Europe in the summer of 1899, and traveled through
France, Belgium and Germany, collecting a large amount of
valuable reports relating to the economic and engineering
features of the canals in those countries. From the infor-
mation obtained by him, and from other sources, we were
enabled to show the enormous development of inland navi-
gation by means of canals and rivers, which had taken place
during the previous twenty years in France, Belgium, Ger-
many and Russia. In all of these countries the traffic on
internal waters had increased far more rapidly than the
transportation by rail.
From a consideration of all these facts we reached our
first conclusion—which, like all the other portions of our
report, was unanimously adopted—to wit, “That the canals
connecting the Hudson river with Lakes Erie, Ontario and
Champlain should not be abandoned, but should be main-
tained and enlarged.”
The next point to be considered was, to what extent
should they be enlarged, what size of vessel they should beTHE BARGE CANAL PROJECT.
113
adapted to carry, and what would be the estimated cost of
construction.
As to the proper size of the enlarged canal, widely dif-
ferent views were held by engineers and by economists.
Some contended that the nine foot canal authorized in 1894
was sufficiently large; others brought forward the sup-
posed advantages of a ship canal large enough to carry
ocean-going steamers without breaking bulk from Duluth
to Liverpool, or any other port; others contended that a
canal of intermediate size would be found to be the most
economical, would cost the least amount of money for the
results produced, and would, in fact, produce a lower freight
rate than either the small canal on the one hand, or the ship
canal on the other.
To these questions we gave the most careful study. The
ship canal had many glittering attractions, and there was a
large sentiment along the lakes which had found expres-
sion in Deep Waterways conventions, which had been held
in recent years and had advocated a water route of either
21 or 28 feet depth from Lake Erie to the Atlantic ocean.
Congress had appropriated considerable sums for the pur-
pose of making surveys and estimates of cost. It was
argued that there was such a strong sentiment from so large
a section of the country in favor of this project that the
United States would adopt it and thus save the State of
New York from any further expense in the matter. But a
careful examination of the facts led us to the conclusion
that while a ship canal of 21 or 28 feet depth would cost
enormously more than a barge canal of, say, 12 feet depth,
it would not produce as low a freight rate, and we based our
conclusion on the following reasons. The cost of a barge
adequate for transportation on the canals was less than $8
per ton of carrying capacity ; the cost of a vessel to navi-
gate the lakes was about $36 per ton; and the cost of a
vessel to navigate the ocean was about $71 per ton. It was
manifest that a barge suitable for transportation on the
canals was not suitable for lake navigation; and that a
vessel could be built with ample strength for navigating the114
THE INCEPTION OF
lakes which would certainly be destroyed in the first gale it
encountered on the Atlantic. The lake and canal vessels
could, therefore, not be used on the ocean. Moreover, the
ocean vessel, being so much more expensive than the lake or
canal vessel, and being designed for comparatively high
speed, could not economically be used on the canal where
the speed is limited to five or six miles an hour. The only
advantage of a vessel sailing from any part of the lakes
to any part of the ocean was the saving of the rehandling
of the cargo at Buffalo and New York, but we found that
this was less than the loss involved in using an ocean steamer
for canal and lake transportation. We summarized the
argument in these words:
“We have, then, the difference in first cost between $71, $36 and
$8 per ton of carrying capacity for the three types of vessels which,
in the evolution of business, have been produced as the most eco-
nomical for the particular class of work each has to do. We do not
believe that it is possible to combine these three types into one ves-
sel, which will be as economical for the through trip as to use the
three existing types with two changes of cargo, one at Buffalo and
one at New York, or to use the boat of 1,000 tons capacity going
through from the lakes to New York and there transferring its
cargo to the ocean steamer.,,
And this led us to our second conclusion, which, as pre-
viously stated, like all others, was unanimous: “That the
project of a ship canal to enable vessels to pass from the
Upper Lakes to New York City (or beyond) without break-
ing bulk is a proper subject for consideration by the Federal
Government, but not by the State of New York.”
Having rejected the ship canal project, we had then to
consider what size of enlarged canal we should recommend.
In any event, we were satisfied that the route of the canal
should be changed so as to use the waterways of the Seneca
and Oneida rivers, Oneida lake and the Mohawk river in
place of the present route; but the question was whether the
depth of the canal should be 9 feet, capable of carrying
a boat with cargo capacity of 450 tons, or a depth of 12 feet,
carrying a boat with a cargo capacity of about 1,000 tons.THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT.
115
With such data as we could obtain in the short time at our
disposal, and without adequate surveys, we estimated the
cost of the smaller project at a little more than $21,000,000,
and of the larger project at a little less than $59,000,000.
Our conclusion was in these words:
“In our judgment, arrived at after long consideration, and with
some reluctance, the State should undertake the larger project on
the ground that the smaller one is at best a temporary makeshift,
and that the larger project will permanently secure the commercial
supremacy of New York, and that this can be assured by no other
means.”
Major Symons made an exhaustive analysis of the meth-
ods of canal transportation as actually used, and a compari-
son of the ton mile costs of transportation with; boats of
various sizes, and showed conclusively that not only would
the 1,000 ton barge project produce the lowest freight rate,
but also that, taking the comparative estimates of cost, this
project would produce the greatest economic value of the
canal. His memorandum on this subject, which was pub-
lished in the report, was accompanied by diagrams showing
the successive growth of the size of the boat used on the
canals from 1825 to 1862, since which date no improvement
had been made on the canal of any consequence. It also
showed by comparison the dimensions of the proposed barge,
and indicated the manner in which it would be used in
actual practice. While some members of the committee
were at first disposed to recommend the completion, with
certain modifications, of the nine foot project of 1894, yet
after a long study and discussion the committee became
unanimously convinced that the 1,000 ton barge canal
project was the only proper and adequate solution* of the
problem.
We made a fourth recommendation in the following
words:
“That the money for these improvements should be raised by the
issue of eighteen-year bonds in the manner prescribed by the State
Constitution, and that the interest and principal of these bonds
should be paid out of taxes specifically levied, for benefits received,
in the counties bordering in whole or in part on the canals, the Hud-116
THE INCEPTION OF
son river and Lake Champlain; such taxes to be levied in propor-
tion to the assessed valuation of the real and personal estate in such
counties. These taxes will amount to about io cents per $100 of
assessed valuation annually during the period of eighteen years.”
Our object in making this recommendation was to dis-
arm the opposition of the non-canal counties which opposed
the expenditure of State money for a project from which
they claimed they could derive no benefit. In answer to
this, it might be said that the whole State was benefited by
the canal improvement, and that every comity should bear
its share of the expense. We also submitted statistics in
tabular and graphic form showing that the valuation of the
river and canal counties was 90% of the entire valuation of
the State. In any event, they would bear 90% of the ex-
pense, and it was thought wise to suggest that they bear
the entire expense so as to remove every ground of alleged
injustice in taxing the counties which claimed to derive no
benefit.
This recommendation was not adopted by the Legisla-
ture, nor submitted to the people. It was, in fact, some-
what cumbersome, and as we showed conclusively that the
non-canal counties would only have to pay 10% of the cost
of improvement, it was evidently thought not worth while
to introduce a new method of taxation for State improve-
ments.
At the election the non-canal counties voted against the
project by large majorities, St. Lawrence county, for in-
stance, being 12 to I against it, and Steuben county, 10 to 1
against it; but, on the other hand, the canal counties voted
in favor of it by almost equally large majorities, New York
being 9 to 1 in favor of it; Kings, 8 to 1; Queens, 5 to 1,
and Erie, nearly 5 to 1. For some unexplained reason Mon-
roe county, in which Rochester is situated, and Onondaga
county, in which Syracuse is situated:, voted against it. The
overwhelming vote, however, in the counties at the two
terminals, New York and Buffalo, made a majority of 245,-
312 in the entire State in favor of the project, and a total
vote of 1,100,708.THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT.
117
In regard to the term for which the bonds were to run,
this was changed from eighteen to fifty years by an amend-
ment to the Constitution, adopted at the same election of
1903.
Our fifth and final recommendation was as follows:
“That the efficiency of the canals depends upon their management
quite as much as upon their physical size, and that no money should
be spent for further enlargement unless accompanied by measures
which will accomplish the following results:
(a)	The removal of all restrictions as to the amount of capital
of companies engaged in transportation on the canals, and the en-
couragement of large transportation lines for handling canal busi-
ness, in place of hampering them, as has hitherto been the case.
(b)	The use of mechanical means of traction, either steam or
electricity, in place of draft animals; and the use of mechanical
power in place of hand power for operating the gates and valves,
and moving boats in locks.
(c)	The organization of the force engaged on the public works
of the State on a more permanent basis, so as to afford an attractive
career to graduates of scientific institutions, with the assurance that
their entry into the service, their tenure of office, and their promo-
tion will depend solely on their fitness, as determined by proper and
practical tests.
(d)	A revision of the laws in regard to the letting of public
contracts by the State, so as to make impossible a repetition of the
unfortunate results of the $9,000,000 appropriation.”
Legislation has already been adopted to carry into effect
(a) and (c); the adopted plans for the canal are in' ac-
cordance with (b) ; and the specific form of contract which
we recommended in connection with (d) was not adopted,
but another form of contract was adopted which will prac-
tically accomplish the same result.
It only remains to speak of the cost of the project. With
such data as we had available and with such surveys as
were possible during the year, 1899, we estimated the cost
of the project we recommended at $58,894,668 for the
Erie canal and $2,642,120 for the Oswego and Champlain
canals, making a total of $61,536,788. This contemplated
a canal with 12 feet depth and suitable locks for carrying a118
THE INCEPTION OF
barge of approximately 1,000 tons capacity from Buffalo to
the Hudson river, but as to the Oswego and Champlain
canals, it recommended only the completion of the work
already undertaken to provide for boats of six feet draft.
While we believed these estimates to< be adequate, yet we
earnestly recommended an appropriation of $200,000 for
the purpose of making detailed surveys and further esti-
mates. This appropriation was immediately made by the
Legislature and the work entrusted to the State Engineer,
Mr. Bond, who had been a member of the committee, who
promptly and skillfully made, at a cost less than the appro-
priation, an exhaustive series of surveys on which final esti-
mates of cost were made. It was ultimately determined to
enlarge the Champlain and Oswego canals to the same size
as the main canal between Buffalo and the Hudson river,
and also to include the dredging of a 12 foot channel in the
Hudson river, which we had anticipated would be done by
the Federal Government. This enlargement of the project
very materially increased the cost, and in the interval be-
tween the time of our report and the completion of the de-
tailed report of the State Engineer, the prices of labor and
materials had very largely advanced. In order to cover all
possible contingencies, the State Engineer carried his' esti-
mate to $101,000,000, and this was the amount appropriated
by the Legislature and ratified by the people at the election
of 1903.
In our report we figured on bonds running for eighteen
years, and showed that the annual amount of interest and
sinking fund to extinguish the bonds in that period would
amount to a little more than 10 cents per $100 of the then
assessed valuation; that the aggregate State, county and
municipal taxes at that time averaged about $2 per $100
valuation; and that the carrying out of the project would
increase the tax rate from $2 to $2.10, or in other words,
“to the person or corporation paying taxes on $1,000,000 of
assessed valuation it would increase his tax bill from $20,000
to $21,022 per annum ; to the man owning a $50,000 house
in New York City or Buffalo it would increase his taxesTHE BARGE CANAL PROJECT,
119
from $1,000 to $1,051 per annum ; and to the farmer with
a farm valued at $5,000 it would increase his taxes from
$100 to $105.11.” We went on to say that—
“If the enlargement of the Erie canal will restore to New York
its former proportion of the grain trade, and in addition will develop
the iron and steel industry within its own borders; in a word, will
permanently establish the commercial supremacy of New York,
which is now not only threatened but partially lost, the foregoing
sums are a small amount to pay to bring about such results. They
are small as compared with what New York has done in the past
for the same purpose.”
We showed that in the past the canal debt at one time
reached an amount equal to 3.8% of the entire valuation of
the State, whereas what we recommended was less than
1.4% of the valuation. We showed that the taxation for
canal purposes in the past had frequently been as high as
20 cents per $100, whereas what we recommended was
barely one-half that amount. In point of fact, the financial
burden will prove to be very much less than we anticipated,
partly due to the fact that the assessed valuation of the State
has increased much more rapidly than we anticipated!, and
partly to the fact that the cost is spread over fifty years
instead of eighteen years. The assessed valuation of the
State is already much in excess of $8,000,000,000, and the
taxation for canal purposes has not as yet reached $1,000,-
000, or 1%. cents per $100 instead of 10 cents per $100 as
we estimated. It is believed that the total cost will fall sev-
eral million dollars below the estimate of $101,000,000, but
in case that entire amount should be expended, the assessed
valuation of the State will at that time be close upon
$10,000,000,000, and the interest and sinking fund to ex-
tinguish the debt at maturity will be not more than
$2,250,000 per annum, or 2*4 cents per $100 of valuation,
or less than one-fourth of the financial burden we estimated.
In many respects the barge canal project is comparable
in extent, in magnitude, and in results with the Panama
canal project; but in comparison with the immense re-
sources of the imperial State of New York, in comparison120
THE BARGE CANAL PROJECT.
with the vast sums which the city of New York is expend-
ing for public works, in comparison with the equally vast
sums which the great railroad systems have within the last
few years expended and contemplate expending in the im-
mediate future, the expenditures for the barge canal are
small. If, as it is confidently expected, they produce the
desired results and retain the supremacy of the great trade
route through the State of New York between the lakes and
the ocean, then the price to be paid, measured by the results
obtained, is almost insignificant.THE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
AND
THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS
By THOMAS W. SYMONS
Colonel Corps of Engineers, U, S. Army, retired; Member of the New York State
Advisory Board of Consulting Engineers, Albany.
Before the original Erie canal was built by the State of
New York efforts were madie to induce the General Gov-
ernment to build it or to aid in building it. The movement
was unsuccessful and the General Government has never
aided the State in any of its canal work. It has, however,
through its officials, made various examinations, surveys
and reports, some of which have been extensive and of im-
portance in the final settlement of canal questions. It was
as a public officer of the United States that I made my first
official acquaintance with the great canal problems of the
State of New York.
When I first arrived in Buffalo in 1895 to take charge of
the river and harbor works of the vicinity, two canal move-
ments of interest and importance to Buffalo, Erie County
and New York State were under way.
One was the work of improving the present Erie canal
by the State of New York under what is known as the
$9,000,000 act, which act was passed in 1895. The improve-
ment contemplated under this act was the deepening of the
canal and locks to nine feet and doubling the length of the
131122
THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND
locks so as to allow two boats connected up tandem to pass
through at one lockage. It was soon found, however, that
the cost of the work contemplated had been greatly under-
estimated and it was stopped after much money had been
expended, but before anything of importance to navigation
had been accomplished.
The other movement was much more widespread, but
had not reached the era of actual work. It was the agita-
tion and demand throughout all the region of the Great
Lakes and a goodly portion of the Atlantic seaboard for a
ship canal connecting the lakes with the sea. Many letters
were written to the press, favoring the project. The news-
papers of the region had many articles and editorials in the
same line. Numbers of public meetings were held and1 en-
thusiastic speeches made for the ship canal project. Orators
and writers depicted the magnificence of the future when
great ocean ships should leave Liverpool and other foreign
ports and proceed directly to Chicago, Duluth and all the
other chief cities of the lakes bringing the commercial pro-
ductions of the world and exchanging them for the grains,
lumber, ore, etc., of the Northwest, right in the heart of the
continent. Some, more conservative, were content with the
idea of a canal which would permit the ships of the Great
Lakes to reach the seaboard and there deliver their loads
to the people of the coast or exchange their foreign-bound
cargoes with the deeper draft ships engaged in ocean com-
merce. The glamor of the Ship Canal from the Lakes to
the Sea, like a brilliant aurora borealis, shone brightly over
the whole lake region.
Under the inspiration of the movement the Governments
of the United .States and Canada created an international
“Deep Waterways Commission/’ “to examine and report
whether it was feasible to build such canals as shall enable
vessels to pass to and fro from the Great Lakes to the At-
lantic ocean.”
After a year’s investigation and study this Deep Water-
ways Commission reported “that it is entirely feasible to
construct such canals and develop such channels as will be
adequate to any scale of navigation that may be desired be-THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
123
tween the Great Lakes and the seaboard,” and recommended
that complete surveys be made on which to base projects for
ship canals from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and from Lake
Ontario to the Hudson river via the Oswego and Mohawk
rivers, and via the St. Lawrence river and Lake Champlain.
Following the report of this international Deep Water-
ways Commission the United States Government took up the
burden of expenses and created a Board of Engineers to
make surveys for ship canals of various sizes and by vary-
ing routes from the Great Lakes to the sea.
The law authorizing these surveys and creating the board
for making them was passed June 4, 1897, and is as follows:
“For surveys and examinations (including estimates of cost) of
deep waterways and the routes thereof between the Great Lakes and
the Atlantic tidewaters, as recommended by the report of the Deep
Waterways Commission, transmitted by the President to Congress
January 18, 1897, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Such ex-
aminations and surveys shall be made by a board of three engineers
to be designated by the President, one of whom may be detailed
from the Engineer Corps of the army, one from the Coast and
Geodetic Survey, and one shall be appointed from civil life.”
On July 1, 1898, another appropriation of $225,000 was
made and the item making the appropriation contained the
following language: “And the said board shall make a re-
port of the progress of the work to the Secretary of War,
for transmission by him to Congress at the commencement
of its next session, and submit in their report the probable
and relative cost of various depths for said waterway re-
spectively, as follows, twenty-one and thirty feet, with a
statement of the relative advantages thereof.”
On March 3, 1899, a further appropriation of $90,000
was made for the surveys, etc., and in 1900 there was an
additional appropriation of $20,000, making the total amount
expended for the surveys $485,000.
The report of this Board of Engineers was submitted
June 30, 1900. It is a large volume of text with a second
volume of maps, plans, etc., and contains a large amount of
valuable information. In it estimates are made of the prob-124
THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND
able cost of canals 21 feet deep and canals 30 feet deep,
with properly proportioned widths and by various routes,
and the necessary improvements in lake and inter-lake chan-
nels.
The estimated cost of a 21-foot canal from Duluth, Minn.,
to New York, via the upper lakes, the Niagara river, a canal
about the Falls from La Salle to Lewiston, Lake Ontario,
St. Lawrence river, Lake Champlain and the Hudson was
stated at $190,382,436. The same 21-foot canal via Oswego,
Oneida lake and the Mohawk river would cost $206,358,103.
For the 30-foot canal via the same routes the estimated cost
was stated at $320,099,083 for the Champlain route, and
$317,284,348 for the Oswego-Oneida lake route.
These estimates for the 30-foot canals do not include the
cost of deepening lake harbors to accommodate the deeper
draft sea-going vessels. This, of course, would be a tax
on the individual harbors, but its aggregate amount would
be many millions of dollars.
A study of the board’s detailed estimates and recent ex-
periences on the New York State barge canal construction,
the increased cost of labor and materials since the report
was completed, and the infinite complications which would
arise to vested interests and properties in doing such a work,
indicate very clearly to me that these estimates would have
to be largely increased, probably by from 25 to 50 per cent.
The report discusses the advantages and benefits to be
obtained from the different size ship canals, but apparently
favors the 21-foot canal, saying: “The return of direct
benefit from the 21-foot waterway is much greater than the
return1 from the 30-foot waterway.”
This elaborate and expensive report on the ship canal
question on its presentation and publication fell flat and has
scarcely been heard from since except to use some of its
findings and statements for contentious purposes, and its
maps and data for other canal projects. No official effort
to bring it up or to cause its suggestions or recommenda-
tions to be carried into effect was ever made. The apparent
reason for this practical obliteration of the ship canal from
official consideration was the fact that while it was inTHE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
125
progress the question of the relative economy and efficiency
of ship and barge canals was studied and analyzed by the
writer and others and found to be largely in favor of a
barge canal.
During the session of Congress of i895~’6, a bill was in-
troduced appropriating $2,000,000 “to widen the locks of
the Erie canal so as to permit the passage of modem tor-
pedo boats and other vessels of war of similar dimensions
for the protection of the lake cities.” The writer of this
paper, then stationed in Buffalo, was called upon to make a
report on this bill. An examination of the subject was made
and a report submitted, dated December 1, 1890. The re-
port contained a description of the Erie canal and the im-
provements then projected and fairly commenced under the
$9,000,000 act which had been approved by the people of
New York in 1895. ft showed that all the torpedo boats of
the navy then built or under contract with the exception of
two would pass through the canal as it was then being im-
proved. Also that we had no other “vessels of war of sim-
ilar dimensions,” except a few gunboats, which had a draft
of 12 feet and which would not be accommodated in the
canal by the widening of the locks alone.
For this reason, in addition to the estimates submitted
for the widening of the locks alone, additional estimates
were submitted for deepening them.
The cost of enlarging the locks on the Erie canal to a
width of 25 feet, length of 250 feet, and depth of nine feet
was estimated at $4,287,000. If widened to 31 feet the
estimated cost was $4,824,000. If widened to 37 feet the
estimated cost was $5,361,000.
The report concluded1 with an argument for the radical
enlargement of the Erie canal on commercial grounds indi-
cating the advantages to be gained thereby. The bill as in-
troduced in Congress did not pass, and the New York State
work under the $9,000,000 act soon stopped as previously
stated, and New York’s great canal question was “up in the
air” again.
In the meantime, while this investigation as to widened
locks and the $9,000,000 work was going on, an investiga-126	THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND
tion far wider in scope and character and of much greater
consequences to the State and the country was being made
by the writer of this article.
The River and Harbor Act of June 3, 1896, contained the
following provision:
“The Secretary of War is hereby directed to cause to be made
accurate examinations and estimates of cost of construction of a
ship canal by the most practicable route, wholly within the United
States, from the Great Lakes to the navigable waters of the Hudson
river, of sufficient capacity to transport the tonnage of the lakes to
the sea.”
As there was an insufficient amount of money available
to carry out literally the evident requirement of Congress
for a survey, it was resolved by the War Department to
treat this item as an ordinary preliminary examination, and
to have a report prepared giving such information as was
then available, such facts as could be secured regarding the
worthiness of the improvement and an estimate of the cost
of such a survey as must precede the preparation of detailed
plans and estimates of cost.
The work was placed in charge of the writer by letter
from the Chief of Engineers, dated August 13, 1896, and
the report called for was submitted June 23, 1897.
In fixing upon the scope of the investigation the language
of the law had to be interpreted.
The term “navigable waters of the Hudson river” was
taken to mean waters of equal navigable capacity to those
of the canal of which they would form an extension and
part of the contemplated highway to the sea.
The most important interpretation was that of the phrase
“tonnage of the lakes,” for this brought up and made per-
tinent the economical comparison of ship and barge canals.
The item in the law which requires that the canal shall
have “sufficient capacity to transport the tonnage of the
lakes to the sea” was interpreted in two ways.
First. That the canal and all its structures should be of
sufficient size to pass the largest vessels of the lakes, andTHE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
127
to pass enough of these large vessels and smaller ones to
transport all the freight desiring to pass through.
Second. It was considered that the law might be inter-
preted to mean that the canal should have the location and
size which would at the least cost for construction and main-
tenance enable the freight passing between the East and the
West—“the tonnage of the lakes”—to be transported' at the
smallest cost. This latter was regarded as the broader view
of the subject and its study was deemed necessary in order
that a correct conclusion, from a business and economical
standpoint, might be arrived at.
Under the first, or large ship canal, interpretation, three
routes were consideied1: First, the present Erie canal route,
including the Hudson river; second, a route via canal about
Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence river, Lake
Champlain and the Hudson; and, third, another via canal
about Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario, Oswego river, Oneida
lake, the Mohawk river and Hudson river. For reasons
stated in the report the last or Oswego route is the only one
seriously considered, the others “wholly within the United
States” being impracticable for a ship canal.
Under the second, or barge canal, interpretation, but one
route was seriously considered, that by the present Erie
canal entirely within the land boundaries of the State of
New York. Three sizes of canals were considered by this
route: first, the Erie canal as now existing; second, the
Erie canal as it was then being improved by the State to
nine feet depth and with locks doubled in length; and
third, the canal improved to what was then designated as
barge canal size; that is with locks 12 feet deep, 33 feet
wide, and 420 feet long in the clear, with intermediate gates,
and a prism 12 feet deep and a minimum bottom width of
82 feet.
The gist and greatest value of the report consists in the
careful investigation that was made into the cost per ton of
carrying capacity of lake ships and canal barges, and the
cost of operating the same. These costs, with the items of
transfer at Buffalo, insurance on vessels and cargoes, in-
terest on investment and deterioration, all reduced to a128	THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND
single unit of freight, enabled a comparison to be made be-
tween the economy and efficiency of a ship canal and a barge
canal.
It was roughly estimated that the ship canal would cost
$200,000,000 and the barge canal (Erie alone) $50,000,000.
The estimated cost per ton of carrying capacity of steel lake
freighters was determined to be from $35 to $50, while the
cost per ton of carrying capacity of canal* barges, including
a steamer with each fleet, all suitable for navigating the
canal, was $10 to $20.
With everything reduced to the same basis, it was cal-
culated that the cost of transporting a bushel of wheat in
lake freighters of 7000 tons capacity through a suitable
canal from Buffalo to New York was 2.28 cents, while the
cost of transporting the same bushel in a fleet of barges,
each carrying 1500 tons, through a suitable barge canal
from Buffalo to New York, and including the transfer
charges at Buffalo was 2.07 cents, and if the transfer
charges were reduced, as they have since been reduced, was
1.66 cents.
In making this comparison no consideration was given
to the cost of the canal or the cost of operating it, the basis
of comparison being the interest on the cost of carriers, de-
terioration thereof, insurance of carriers and) cargoes, or-
dinary repairs, fuel, oil, and waste and the wages and sub-
sistence of the crews of the vessels. If the first cost of the
canal and the cost of maintenance and operation were taken
into consideration, the showing in favor of the barge canal
over the ship canal would have been still more marked.
The study was convincing that for the highest economy
in transportation, special types of vessels are needed for
use on the ocean, on the lakes, and on the canals, and neither
can replace the other in its proper waters without suffering
loss of economical efficiency. Ocean vessels could not, as a
general rule, engage in the business of passing through a
ship canal and the lakes to the upper lake ports, and lake
vessels aie not fitted for use upon the ocean, and if they
made use of a canal they would have to transfer their car-
goes at the seaboard, ordinarily by means of lighters, float-THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
129
ing elevators, etc., at a higher expense than such transfers
would cost at the lower lake ports. For economical trans-
portation through a canal from the Great Lakes to the sea
special vessels, differing from and1 far less costly than ocean
or lake vessels, are required.
The conclusion was reached by the writer that even if a
ship canal were built, the greater cheapness of barge canal
transportation would prevent its use by large ships, and
cause it to be used almost entirely by fleets of barges which
could be almost equally as well accommodated in a smaller
and cheaper canal.
The report concludes with the statement that the con-
struction of a ship canal from the Great Lakes to the sea
is not a project worthy of being undertaken by the General
Government, as the benefits to be derived therefrom would
not be properly commensurate with its cost.
Also that the enlargement of the Erie canal to a capacity
suitable for 1500-ton barges, with locks long enough to take
in two barges connected up tandem with everything adapted
“to transport the tonnage of the Lakes” is a project worthy
of being undertaken by the General Government, as the
benefits to be derived therefrom would be properly com-
mensurate with the cost.
The report was submitted June 23, 1897, and published
in the Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1897. No ac-
tion was taken on it by the General Government, but it had
an important influence in shaping public opinion in New
York, in killing the ship canal idea, and in furnishing a
standard about which the canal interests of New York could
rally. The $9,000,000 fiasco, the dazzling pictures of the
ship canal advocates, and the dismal pictures of the enemies
of all canals, had produced a state of bewilderment in re-
gard to the canal questions. The report advocating a barge
canal for boats of about 1500 tons capacity cleared things
up and was a solution of the problem which was received
with favor and grew in estimation, until it was finally
adopted by the State and, with modifications, is now being
carried out.130
THE U. S. GOVERNMENT AND
The adoption of the barge canal plan was brought about
largely through the medium of a board or committee ap-
pointed March 8, 1899, by Governor Roosevelt to consider
“the broad question of the proper policy which the State of
New York should pursue in canal matters.”
This committee, of which the writer was a member, con-
sisted of engineers, business men, men familiar with trans-
portation matters both by water and rail, and certain State
officials. It gave about a year of hard work to the problem.
It made a report dated January 5, 1900, which is teeming
with statistics and information and which concludes with
the unanimous recommendation that the Erie canal be im-
proved by making it 12 feet deep, with locks 328 feet long
and 28 feet wide, and that the Oswego and Champlain
canals be improved in accordance with the plan of 1895,
making them nine feet deep and with locks of the size of
the present Erie canal, but doubled in length.
This matter was taken up by the Legislature on the rec-
ommendation of Governor Roosevelt and an appropriation
of $200,000 was made for surveys and preparation of plans
and estimates of cost. It was decided by the Legislature to
include the Oswego and Champlain canals with the Erie for
improvement to barge canal size.
The final estimated cost of the entire work was $101,-
000,000, and this was approved by the Legislature and
finally by the vote of the people.
Subsequently by action of the Legislature and* the Canal
Board, the locks were required to be enlarged to 45 feet in
width, making the capacity of the canal as measured by the
size of the locks almost identical with the capacity recom-
mended by the writer in his report to the General Govern-
ment of 1897.
One of the provisions of the law providing for the con-
struction of the barge canal as it finally passed the Legisla-
ture and the people, was a clause requiring the supervision
of the work by a board of five expert engineers. Because
of his previous connection with the work, the writer was
requested by the Hon. B. B. Odell, then Governor of New
York, to serve on this Advisory Board of Consulting Engi-THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
131
neers. To enable this to be done required a special act of
Congress, which was secured, and on this board the writer
has continued his connection with the barge canal work up
to the present time.
All that which goes before in this article refers to the
work of the General Government or official's thereof during
the present generation. Previous to this it had caused to be
made various studies, surveys, plans and estimates for canals
passing wholly or partially through New York State and
which will be mentioned here as matters of historical in-
terest.
1808.
In the year 1808, pursuant to a resolution of the Senate
of the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury- sub-
mitted to that body a report which included a ship canal
about Niagara Falls, from Schlosser’s to Lewiston via the
Devils Hole. As far as is known this was the initial' ap-
pearance of the General Government on the scene.
i835-’6.
In 1835 the President of the United States ordered sur-
veys to be made ‘Tor a ship canal to connect the waters of
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,” and detailed Capt. W. G.
Williams of the U. S. Topographical Engineers for the
work. In 1836 Capt. Williams reported upon five different
routes, varying in their lengths from 754 miles (from
Schlosser’s to Lewiston) to 32 miles (from Tonawanda, via
Lockport, to Eighteen Mile Creek at Olcott).
The locks for his canal were to be 200 feet long, 50 feet
wide and 10 feet deep. The estimated cost of the canals
as planned by Capt. Williams varied from $2,568,899 to
$5,041,725-
1837.
Under date of February 14, 1837, the House Committee
on Roads and Canals made a favorable report urging the
military and commercial needs for the canal as outlined by
Capt. Williams.132
THE U.	GOVERNMENT AND
1853.
In 1853 a State Commission made surveys for a canal
around the Falls of Niagara of the dimensions of the St.
Mary’s canal, then building, for the passage of the largest
side-wheel steamers then navigating the Western Lakes.
The locks for the canal .estimated for were to be 300 feet
long, 70 feet wide and 14 feet deep.
The estimated cost varied from $10,290,471 to $13,169,-
570, according to the route considered.
1863.
In 1863 President Lincoln appointed an engineer, Mr. C.
B. Stuart, to make a report on proposed canal improvements
designed to pass gunboats from tidewater to the Lakes. The
canal as reported and estimated for by him had locks 275
feet long, 45 feet wide, and 12 feet deep, the same in width
and depth als the barge canal locks now under construction.
Various routes were surveyed and the estimated cost for
the shortest one was from $6,007,011 for single locks to
$7,680,555 for double locks.
1867.
In 1867, in compliance with a joint resolution of the
40th Congress, Lieut.-Col. C. E. Blunt of the U. S. Corps
of Engineers made surveys and estimates for a canal 14 feet
deep and locks 275 feet long and 36 feet wide by various
routes from the upper Niagara to the lower Niagara and
points on Lake Ontario. His estimates of cost varied from
$11,032,000 to $13,993^38.
1888.
In accordance with the provisions of the River and Har-
bor Act of 1888, Capt. Carl F. Palfrey of the Corps of En-
gineers made a revision of the plans of 1867 and for a
larger canal. He considered only the routes by way of
Wilson and Olcott to be suited to conditions then existing.
His estimates were for a canal with locks 400 feet long, 80
feet wide and 20j4 feet depth on mitre sills and his esti-THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
133
mates varied from $23,617,900 for the Olcott line to $29,-
347,900 for the Wilson line.
1889.
In 1889 Representative Sereno E. Payne introduced a
bill in Congress providing for a commission to select one of
these lines and appropriating $1,000,000 for construction
upon it. No action was had upon this bill.
i892-,6.
Congressional reports were made in 1892 and 1896 on
the subject of a canal about Niagara Falls but nothing came
therefrom.
The above historical data refer mainly* to a canal about
Niagara Falls. Other action relative to the general canal
routes through the State has been taken by the United
States.
1863.
During 1863 the State Engineer of New York made
studies and estimates for a series of enlarged locks along-
side the existing locks so as to pass gunboats from tide-
water to Lakes Erie and Ontario. The enlargement con-
templated locks 225 feet long, 26 feet wide and 7 feet deep.
The estimated cost of this enlargement from the Hudson
river to Lake Ontario was $10,350,088 and) from the Hud-
son river to Lake Erie was $11,902,888.
1874.
Under date of June 23, 1874, Congress called for a re-
port and estimate for the enlargement of the locks of the
New York canals to the dimensions last mentioned, i. e., 225
feet long, 26 feet wide and 7 feet deep, and the deepening
of the canal prism to eight feet. This report was made by
Major John M. Wilson of the Corps of Engineers, U. S.
Army.
Major Wilson’s estimate of the cost of lock enlargement
leaving the prism at seven feet depth, from the Hudson to184
THE NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
Lake Erie, was $6,676,231, or with deepening the prism to
eight feet included, it was $8,173,596.
Major Wilson also submitted an estimate for a canal
from the Hudson to Lake Ontario at Oswego, with locks
185 feet long, 29 feet wide and 9 feet deep. The estimated
cost of this work was $25,213,857.
1896.
As stated in another part of this paper the writer sub-
mitted in 1896 a report Required by Congress on the subject
of enlarging the locks of the Erie canal for the passage of
modern torpedo boats and vessels of war of similar dimen-
sions.
Everything subsequent to this in which officials of the
General Government had a hand is given in the previous
portion of this article.THE FUNCTION OF
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
IN CONTROLLING FREIGHT RATES
By JOHN D. KERNAN,1
President of the New York State Commerce Conventions of 1899, 1900, and 1901;
second vice-president the New York State Waterways Association, etc.
In that magnificent memorial to the Legislature which
begot the canal statute of 1816, Governor Clinton wrote
these words :
“Granting, however, that the rivals of New York will command
a considerable portion of the western trade, yet it must be obvious
from these united considerations, that she will engross more than
sufficient to render her the greatest commercial city in the world.
. . . Great manufacturing establishments will spring up; agricul-
ture will establish its granaries, and commerce its warehouses in
all directions. Villages, towns and cities will line the banks of the
canal and the shores of the Hudson from Erie to New York. The
wilderness and the solitary places will become glad and the desert
will rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
1. The Hon. John D. Kernan of Utica has long been prominent among the
more efficient and practical advocates of canal improvement in New York State.
In preceding pages (12-33) of this volume has been noted his participation in the
State Commerce conventions of 1899* 1900, and 1901, of each of which he was presi-
dent. In Senator Henry W. Hill’s “ Historical Review of Waterways and Canal
Construction in New York State” (XII, Pubs. Buffalo Historical Society), frequent
mention is made of Mr. Kernan’s services in behalf of the canals, especially in the
referendum campaign of 1903. The paper here printed is a revision, slightly
amended and extended, of an address made by Mr. Kernan at Troy, shortly before
the election of 1903. It I is an excellent example of the abler kind of arguments
made in that campaign by friends of New York canals, and the Buffalo Historical
Society takes pleasure in including it in the present collection.
X35136
NEW YORICS BARGE CANALS
This prophecy written in the wilderness that lay west of
Albany long since came true, and none can fairly deny that
the Erie canal completed in 1825 and enlarged between 1836
and 1862, contributed more than anything else to make
New York the first State in the Union in wealth and popu-
lation. Its monuments are, the second great port of the
world at New York, the fifth at Buffalo, at the foot of the
Great Lakes, upon which a tonnage floats equal to 40 per
cent, of the railway tonnage of the United States, a continu-
ous line of prosperous1 cities, towns and villages where at
least 70 per cent, of our population live, pay more
than that proportion of our State taxes, and consume
the product of our farms; $360,000,000 earned by boat-
men in freight, fortunes made in handling its com-
merce; the lowest freight rates in the world forced upon
the New York Central and other State railroads by canal
competition; and, according to the latest reports of State
Comptroller Miller, $3,398,004.81 toll money to the credit of
the canals on September 30, 1902, over and above the money
expended upon all State canals since 1817, including the
expenditures of twenty years of no tolls and the $7,000,000
largely wasted out of the $9,000,000 voted by the people for
canal improvement, excluding interest which no one except
canal opponents ever thinks of charging against any class of
public expenditures, because public use is the equivalent of
interest, especially upon highways of all kinds.
Again, so long as the Erie canal was fit, not only did the
cities and their industries grow, but farm values increased
until they averaged the highest in the United States. The
Great Lakes on the west, the ocean near by at Troy on the
east, and the lay of the land and water courses between are
the simple elements that enabled our energetic and far-
sighted ancestors to establish the commercial supremacy of
New York. To get a canal or a railroad elsewhere between
the lakes and the ocean through the Appalachian mountain
range extending from Alabama to Maine, down to such a
grade as we have had provided by nature, would bankrupt
Croesus and all his followers since his day. It would seemAND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
137
as though continued and up-to-date use of our natural ad-
vantages would just as surely sow the seeds of continued
supremacy in the future.
Those who favor a barge canal must not be misled by the
facts of our past history, however, into concluding without
further investigation that because our canals were once of
value they will hereafter be of equal or greater value. A
flail was once a good thing, but there are better ways of
threshing now! Barge canal advocates must fairly answer
those who say that the days of canals is passed, and that of
railroads and government ship canals has come. If they do
not the people will vote against further expenditures of
public money upon canals, especially in view of the danger,
incident to all such public undertakings, that there will be
some waste and theft in its spending, although my firm
belief in popular government and in the people when aroused
leads me to think that the danger is just now being greatly
exaggerated for a purpose not patriotic.
For thirty years past we have virtually abandoned our
canals, so far as improvement is concerned, with the result
that in 1898 Governor Black called attention to the fact that
our commerce was falling away and the State was losing its
position of commercial supremacy. Instead of having 80
per cent, of the imports and 65 per cent, of exports, it was
found that all but 62 per cent, of imports and 37 per cent,
of exports had already gone to our rivals. He appointed a
commission to find out why. This commission reported a
very alarming loss in New York commerce, owing to canal
deterioration and railroad discrimination against the State)
and argued forcibly that adequate improvement of the Erie
canal to nine feet in depth, with proper terminal facilities,
protected by the State from railroad control, would regain
all that the State had lost, increase canal capacity four fold
and decrease the cost of moving freight to 88-100 of a mill
per ton, or 44 cents per ton from Buffalo to New York.
The legislature did nothing. In 1899 Governor Roosevelt
appointed a canal committee of the ablest men he could find
to consider the canal question alone. After investigating all138
NEW YORK'S BARGE CANALS
of its phases, this committee recommended that the Erie
canal be enlarged to iooo-ton barge size as the maximum
carrying capacity at the minimum of cost. This means that
a vessel has not yet been designed for canal navigation that
can carry as cheaply in proportion to the amount necessary
to build and operate it as a boat of 1000 tons capacity.
Ocean vessels cost to build about $71,000 per 1000 tons of
carrying capacity and proportionately to operate; iooo-ton
barges, $7,300, and proportionately to operate. I went up
the lakes to Marquette a year ago on a new 7000-ton
freighter. The captain told me that the boat had cost
$225,000, and had a crew of twenty-five men to pay and
feed; that to pay expenses and a fair profit he had to make
thirteen miles per hour the season through. The ship canal
commission report says that it will take that vessel sixty-
four hours to make the passage of 477 miles from Buffalo
to New York City. That is less than seven and one-half
miles per hour, and will make the ship canal useless to the
captain in his business, if what he told me is true. The
Suez canal is largely open inland water, and yet the average
speed of vessels is less than six miles per hour. The traffic
on the Suez is less than eight million tons per year, or about
one-quarter of that passing the Sault Ste. Marie’s locks and
largely awaiting a suitable waterway into and through New
York State. Hence for inland water the iooo-ton barge is
the cheapest carrying agent that the wit of man has thus
far devised. For this reason it has been adopted as the
standard in Germany. Nothing less than a iooo-ton barge
canal, in the judgment of the committee, is worth while to
attempt, in order to again make our canals railroad rate
regulators, or to regain and hold the lost commercial su-
premacy of the State. Such a canal the committee reports
will reduce canal transportation cost to 52.100 of a mill per
ton mile, or to twenty-five cents per ton from Buffalo to
New York. No railroad economies yet permit their work
to be done at a less average cost than four mills per ton, or
about eight times the iooo-ton barge rate. The Legislature
again cautiously did nothing except to direct the State En-AND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.	139
gineer and Surveyor to prepare complete surveys, plans and
estimates of the cost of enlarging the Erie canal to ten feet,
the Oswego canal to nine feet, and the Champlain canal to
seven feet, of draft. The State Engineer and Surveyor took
a year to do this work and had the assistance of the ablest
engineers in the country. His report is the basis of the
$101,000,000 referendum to be voted upon by the people
this fall. No other State work has ever been preceded by
such careful investigation, or by such a complete and de-
tailed estimate of cost. Under the act of June 4, 1897, the
President of the United States appointed a ship canal com-
mission which reported to Congress on June 30, 1897, that
a twenty-one foot ship canal, permitting navigation by lake
vessels of nineteen-foot draft, could be built by the Oswego
or Champlain routes for about $310,000,000. The report
says, that before this deep waterway can be opened for
business our State canals must be abandoned ; there will be
no water left for them. Governor Black’s commission says,
wisely, I think, that “The construction of a ship canal across
the State should not be permitted to interfere with existing
State canals.” To permit a government ship canal to thus
destroy our State canals would be doing as the dog did
when he dropped his bone in crossing a stream to dive for
the shadow in the water. An advocate of the government
ship canal says in a communication to the Utica Daily Press
that agitation for a ship canal began in the ’70s; that con-
ventions for it were held in the early ’90s; that President
Cleveland appointed a commission to investigate in 1885;
that Congress provided for a survey in 1897, and the same
was submitted in 1900. We might add that Congress has
done nothing about it since! An old canal boat on our
present dilapidated canal can make better time than that!
If it has taken thirty-three years to get as far as a survey
for a ship canal, it baffles the imagination to conceive of
centuries enough to build it; meanwhile our competitors
are despoiling us of our long conceded commercial su-
premacy. Had we not better call a halt on that by improv-
ing our own canals and letting the ship canal come when it140
NEW YORK'S BARGE CANALS
may ? All the ports from Maine to Mississippi are competi-
tors of New York State, for east and west business, and we
will get a ship canal when they and their railroads and
tributaries, territory and customers are ready to commit
commercial hari-kari and turn their business over to New
York State. Shall we wait for our competitors to build a
ship canal more for our benefit than their own? It is not
necessary to feel inhospitable to a government ship canal,
but it is very necessary that we hold on to what we have
got and do not permit a dream to lull us into such fancied
security in our position that we make no effort on our part
to improve our own State waterways. Do not forget either
that New York pays about one-sixth of all national expen-
ditures. A ship canal will be very expensive to us in itself,
and more so in the reciprocation of similar favors that it will
involve to other states.
No citizen who now favors canal abandonment, or a ship
canal, or a nine foot canal, or a State railroad in the canal
bed; or one who deems statutory regulation of railroad raites
sufficient to protect the people, should do himself and the
State the injustice of voting upon this important question
without reading those reports to which I have called atten-
tion and also the reports of the Interstate Commerce Com-
mission, stating, year after year, that all the legislation of
fifty years past designed to regulate and control railroad
rates has utterly failed, and that railroads in spite of them
charge and discriminate as they like unless restrained by
water competition. Whatever a man’s present views are
they cannot fail to be either greatly confirmed, modified, or
totally changed by the flood of facts and information con-
tained in these official reports. Governor Odell stated the
question before the people at Buffalo on September n with
great clearness, with commendable fidelity to his duty as
governor; his warning of the momentous consequences in-
volved in the decision of the question should arrest atten-
tion and compel men to weigh well before voting what
rejection of the barge canal referendum means.
We have had too much reliance for thirty years past uponAND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
141
New York railroads as the kmight-errants of our commer-
cial goddess. Whereas they have been simply and quite
properly occupied in taking care of their stockholders re-
gardless of the goddess. To this end they have for twenty
years past avoided rate wars and money loss by assisting in
the diversion of our canal traffic to rival Atlantic ports, by
means of Chicago and Buffalo differentials in rates in favor
of those ports for the same or greater service, and through
control acquired and exercised over canal terminal storage
and elevator charges. The manipulation of these devices
has skilfully diverted canal traffic only, to rival ports, and
hence New York railroads, having lost nothing themselves,
shed no tears over the situation, and share not our lamenta-
tions. Again, no port or State can longer rely upon the old
fashioned idea that its railroads must or will fight its bat-
tles. Owing to combination, to amicable division of traffic,
to large holdings in each other’s stock, and to the extension
of their lines and connections to different ports, the trunk
lines have ceased to be the special champions of, or depend-
ent upon, any particular port or ports. In this connection
a recent report of the Interstate Commerce Commission
says:
* ‘ It is a matter of common knowledge that vast schemes of rail-
road control are now in process of consummation, and that the com-
petition of rival lines is to be restrained by these combinations.
While this movement has not yet found full expression in the actual
consolidation of railroad corporations, enough has transpired to dis-
close a unification of financial interests which will dominate the
management and harmonize the operation of lines heretofore inde-
pendent and competitive. This is today the most noticeable and im-
portant feature of the railway situation. If the plans already fore-
shadowed are brought to effective results, and others of similar scope
are carried to execution there will be a vast centralization of railroad
properties, with all the power involved in such far-reaching combina-
tions, yet uncontrolled by any public authority which can be efficiently
exerted. The restraints of competition upon excessive and unjust
rates will in this way be avoided, and whatever evils may result will
be remediless under existing laws.”
The remedy to be adopted by the people in view of the
situation so clearly pointed out, the sole remedy, the abund-142
NEW YORK'S BARGE CANALS
ant and all-sufficient remedy according to the judgment of
very many thorough investigators of the question, was well
and briefly expressed by the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion itself in the export rate case in the following language:
4 4 The great supremacy of New York in the past has been meas-
urably due to its canals. If it would hold that supremacy in the
future, it must give attention to that same waterway. If the canal
was to be restored today to the same position in the carrying trade
that it has occupied within the twenty years past, the commerce of
the port of New York could not suffer.’’
Railroads, canals and highways form a trinity and to-
gether cover transportation and travel in every phase. Each
can handle some kind of traffic more advantageously than
the others, and hence all three in their highest state of effi-
ciency are found in the end to be the condition that is best
for the people and for each of the three. Railroads for pas-
sengers and high-class freight; highways for driving and
for the farmer; canals for coarse raw material like sand,
stone, lumber, coal and ores, although canal improvement
abroad has caused package freight to increase to a greater
extent than upon railroads. For instance, a man at my
home at Forestport last fall shipped 400 boat loads of sand
to manufacturers along the Erie canal. He got seventy
cents a yard for it delivered. A boat carried eighty yards
only because we have let the Black River canal fill until
there is but three feet ten inches of draught allowable. The
sand brought $56. The boatman got one-half and the shov-
elers the rest except $5 per load which the shipper got.
Without the canal that sand could not have been moved at
all at such a price by railroad or highway. The transaction
benefited every one and ultimately the railroads more than
any one else, because that cheap sand helped the manufac-
turer to expand his business and produce high-class goods
upon which the railroads got high-class rates for bringing
them to you and1 me. Any business-man can think of hun-
dreds of such instances, showing how waterways serve to
supplement railroads and highways.AND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
143
In one respect there is a radical difference between two
of the three and the third. Highways and canals are free
for public use, and hence cannot be entirely monopolized;
no matter how far this may be attempted, or carried, a man
can still drive his own horse and wagon on a highway, and
paddle his own canoe, or pike-pole, or rtiule-haul, or steam-
drive his boat upon a free waterway; railroads are private
concerns in business for profit. Their opportunities and
position give them a monopolistic character, and hence
unless regulated and controlled by public authority or com-
petition, they may greatly oppress and injure the public to
whose use they are essential, and for whose use their con-
tinual improvement is as necessary as either canal or high-
way development; perhaps more so.
To protect the people against the tendency of railroads to
charge more than the cost of service, or a fair profit, has
been the object of an immense amount of legislation for
fifty years past. The latest attempt in that line has been
railroad commissions. Legislation and commissions, how-
ever, have failed, utterly and ignobly failed; railroad com-
bination has beaten them and competition out. You cannot
regulate complicated railroad rates in that way or by statute
alone. There has to be something else. Older nations than
we have gone through all of our experience, and have
found this something else to be canals and internal high-
ways owned and controlled by the State and kept in the
same condition of modem improvement that railroads are.
I am becoming more and more satisfied that the utmost
perfection to be attained under the Interstate Commerce law
and State statutes will fail to give full relief, remedy and
satisfaction unless supplemented by canals and waterways.
These are found to operate effectively as rate regulators,
particularly on coarse freights, because water transportation
is thus far the cheapest known. Ocean rates average about
one-half mill, lake rates three-quarters of a mill, canal rates
two mills, even on our neglected Erie, and New York Cen-
tral rates on a modern railroad at least six mills per ton
mile, or twelve times the ocean rate. For this reason rail-144
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
roads bring their grain 865 miles by lake to Buffalo from
Chicago instead of hauling 440 miles by rail. The Michigan
ores for Pittsburg furnaces come by lake instead of rail for
the same reason. Coal is carried1 west by lake as low as 25
cents a ton for 1000 miles for a like reason; from the mines
to tidewater, a distance of less than 400 miles, railroads
charge about $1.50 per ton, or six times a paying rate by
water for double the distance.
Homely illustrations of this fact within the observation
of every man are, however, even more convincing than sta-
tistics. A man with a pike-pole can move a boat loaded
with 8000 bushels of grain a certain distance in an hour for
a total cost of not over a dollar probably; with a pair of
mules much further, and with steam further still at small
additional cost. These 8000 bushels moved the same dis-
tance by highway would require many teams, wagons and
men, and by railway, a roadbed, rails, cars, locomotives and
skilled, high-priced employes, and therefore costs very much
more. From the pack basket by land and the canoe by
water, up to the Mogul engine and its forty loaded cars and
the 20,000 ton steamer, this great difference in favor of low
transportation cost by water always has existed and always
will exist. This fact lies at the foundation of our belief that
our canals, deepened and widened with proper locks and ter-
minals for the use of boats up to the practical, profitable
limit of 1000 ton barge capacity by giving us the cheapest
and most advantageous inland water route in the world, will
benefit every citizen of the State, no matter where he lives,
whose business interests will be promoted by either local or
general prosperity throughout the State, or who has any
use for transportation* in what he buys and sells.
The competitive effect of water competition upon rail
rates is seen in the following class rates in both directions
on two great railroads:
New York and Pittsburg—1-45, 2-39, 3-30, 4-21, 5-18,
6-15.
New York and Buffalo—1-39, 2-33, 3-28, 4-19, 5-16,
6-13.AND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
145
This means that because of canal competition we in New
York State pay an average of nearly five cents per ioo
pounds less freight between New York and Buffalo and in-
termediate stations than the people of Pennsylvania pay the
Pennsylvania road for like service. The same comparison
of rates carried out at Baltimore and Newport News proves
that our New York railroad rates average eleven cents per
ioo pounds less; at Norfolk nineteen cents per ioo pounds
less. It will be seen that Senator Depew was right when
he said that the Erie canal once forced upon the New York
Central the lowest freight rates in the world, because of
canal competition. When the canal was comparatively fit
the difference was far greater than it is now. I have never
seen the statement of the Philadelphia Record contradicted
that the loss of her canals cost Pennsylvania $63,000,000
per year in freight discriminations against grain, oil and
flour alone. Because New York has not yet followed the
bad example set by Pennsylvania of turning her canals over
to the railroads to be destroyed, she can buy ail her coal
from Pennsylvania and yet far outrank her in wealth.
Since the days of Clinton the value of the canal as a rate
regulator in their day, has been urged by our statesmen of
all parties, such as Seymour, Tilden, Evarts, Conkling, Fish
and Hewitt. No statesman ever more truthfully held up to
public view the value of the Erie canal than Senator Win-
dom in presenting a report of a committee years ago to the
United States Senate, when he said:
‘ * The wide sweep of competitive influence exerted by the Erie
canal is not generally understood or appreciated. You would doubt-
less be surprised, Mr. President, if I told you that the ‘ little ditch ’
which runs through your State holds in check and regulates nearly
every leading railroad east of the Mississippi river, and that it exerts
a marked influence on the cost of transportation over all the country,
extending from the interior of the Gulf States to the St. Lawrence
river, and from the great plains of the eastern foothills of the Rocky
Mountains to the Atlantic ocean. And yet such is the fact.,,
I might occupy your time for hours with citations to the
same effect from reports of State railroad commissions, the
Interstate Commerce Commission, and committees, such as146
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
the Hepburn committee and Governor Roosevelt's com-
mittee on canals. We find our most convincing proof,
however, of the now nearly lost regulating value of the
Erie canal in the utterances of railroad managers and ex-
perts usually under oath. They are all forced to admit as
stated by Albert Fink, to wit: “The Erie canal regulates
the freight rates on all the railroads east of the Mississippi
river, not only on the roads whose tracks run parallel with
the canal, but upon those which run in an opposite direc-
tion." Mr. Blanchard said before the Hepburn committee:
“The State holds within its grasp the greatest controller of
freight rates within its borders, to wit, the canal. There is
not a town that is not affected more or less by the canals
in this whole State, from the extreme northeast to the ex-
treme southwest corner of it, by the canal policy and the
canal rates of freight in this State." He illustrated this by
pointing out how rates on the Erie railroad were lowered by
Erie canal influences.
Senator Depew summed the matter up in his felicitous
way in a speech that he made at Elmira as follows:
“There is another great question in which we as owner are alJ
interested, and that is the State canals. I am in favor of canals.
There is an impression that from official and business associations
I ought to be opposed to the canals, and that I am; but that is a
very narrow view of the situation. The canals compete with the
roads with which I am connected at every point. That is true. The
canals compel very low rates of transportation, lower than on any
other railroad in the world. This is true. But the canals in their
connection with the Great Lakes, these inland seas of our country,
compel the commerce which floats upon these seas to find the port,
of Buffalo in the hope of getting through the canal to the seaboard.
The surplus which the canal cannot carry comes to the railroads,
and the prosperity which the canal and the lakes give to the State
of New York in the promotion of their business comes in turn to
the railway.”
Mr. Daniels of the New York Central has been busy
making and circulating able speeches full of so-called
reasons why the canal should be abandoned. I think it
would be well for us to print and circulate one of them as a
canal campaign document if he will add to it as a postscriptAND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
147
that Senator Depew, his former president, once said that
when fit the Erie canal competition forced upon the New
York Central the lowest railroad rates in the world.
The last thought suggested by the senator is full of food
for reflection. When he spoke in 1891 New York railroads
and canals were still really cooperative and hence our com-
mercial supremacy then. High grade freight and finished
articles naturally sought railroad service. Crude materials
such as lumber, day, stone, sand, ores and coal could be
more cheaply and usually with speed enough carried by
water and when worked up needed railroad service for de-
livery to customers. Thus the railroads and canals played
into each other's hands; each was prosperous when com-
peting side by side because together they covered the whole
field of transportation and attracted from competing routes
and ports every variety of commodity seeking markets.
Why, since 1891, have New York railroads repudiated the
senator's position ? Because they have ceased to be com-
petitors with railroads to other ports. They are in combi-
nation with the other trunk lines and now have a common
interest with them in desiring to kill the Erie canal. Were
it not for the canal the combination of the trunk lines could
get all traffic east of Chicago, apportionate it among the
different lines and ports and fix rates. In 1891, the New
York roads had the use for the canal pointed out by Senator
Depew, but since the combination which they have joined
can control all traffic east of Chicago, it has no use what-
ever for canals, especially a barge canal, and hence seeks
their destruction. The rapid progress of railroad combina-
tion makes an improved Erie canal more essential than ever
for the protection of our commerce as a regulator of rates,
and therefore the people will not only retain it but will im-
prove it so that it may be as effective as possible in this di-
rection. Governor Odell well said at Buffalo the other day
that not to improve it as proposed is to abandon it; he
urged the people to consider well the consequences before
voting to adopt that course. The State Engineer and Sur-
veyor reports that within from five to nine years all Erie148
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
canal structures must be rebuilt in order to keep the canal
where it is; the people will vote for no such expenditure,
and hence Governor Odell’s warning.
Again, railroads need canals beside them not only to
regulate their rates, but to increase their business and pro-
mote their prosperity. No sane man would wish otherwise
because it is best for the State, the people and their business
that railroads should prosper. Long experience in this and
other countries warrants the statement that the ideal trans-
portation situation in a country for the people and for both
of them is for canals and railroads to compete side by side.
We know this is true in New York State because while the
New York Central has regularly paid dividends, the Erie
railroad has been bankrupt many of the years since the
State gave it $3,000,000 to stifle the southern tier complaint
about the Erie canal expenditure. Strange as it seems, a
railroad cannot get as much business or profit out of a
monopoly of a situation as it can where competing to get a
share of the greater volume of business that a cheap water
route beside it attracts. Such is, also, not only our own, but
foreign experience. In 100 years past France has spent
$750,000,000 on canals, $600,000,000 on railroads, and
$650,000,000 on highways. She treats them as part of a
transportation whole. Although having 196 improved
waterways 7000 miles in length in an area less than Texas,
she still wants more, and hence appropriated $132,000,000
last year to build them. The Northern Railroad Company,
competing in its territory with 43 per cent, of the boating
capacity of France, was the only one in a recent year that
paid dividends. Those who fear that the iooo-ton barge
canal will hurt railroads should note this fact. France in
return for the control she assumes over railroads guarantees
the payment of interest on their securities. If water com-
petition did not benefit railroads as a matter of long experi-
ence would France in view of this guaranty be building
canals at such a rate ? What she has learned in this regard
is stated in a report recently made by a committee to the
French Senate in the following language:AND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
149
“It is conceded that waterways and railways are destined not to
supplant, but to supplement each other. Between the two there is
a natural division of traffic. To the railroad goes the least burden-
some traffic, which demands regularity and quick transit; to the
waterways gravitate the heavy freights of small value, which can
only be transported where freights are low/’
Waterways, by increasing traffic, are rather the auxilia-
ries than the competitors of railroads. In procuring for
manufacture cheap transportation for coal and raw mate-
rials, they create freights whose subsequent transportation
gives profit to the railroads.” Between 1872 and 1897 the
water traffic of France increased 140 per cent, as against
a railroad increase of 75 per cent.
Germany gets over one-half of her gross income and over
$50,000,000 a year profit from 18,000 miles of railroad
owned by the state out of about 20,000 miles in all, and yet
she maintains over 9000 miles of competitive canals and
navigable rivers, and is preparing plans to spend $100,-
000,000 on a new canal between the Rhine and the Elbe.
Her reasons for her treatment of the transportation
question are reported by our consul general, Mason, as
follows:
“German statesmanship was among the first to foresee that the
time would come when, railways having reached their maximum
extension and efficiency, there would remain a vast surplus of coarse,
raw materials—coal, ores, timber, stone and crude materials—which
could be economically carried long distances only by water transpor-
tation, and that in a fully developed national system the proper role
of railroads would be to carry passengers, and the higher class of
merchandise manufactured from the raw staples which the water-
ways had brought to their doors.”
On September 10th the New York Times published a
communication from its Berlin correspondent which says
that United States Congressman Burton, chairman of the
River and Harbor Committee of the House, has returned
there after his inquiry into the river and harbor improve-
ments in eastern and southeastern Europe. Speaking of his
investigations, which were begun early in June, Mr. Burton
said:150
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
“We found illustrations throwing light upon almost every propo-
sition in the river and harbor works of the United States. Every-
where in Europe there is a disposition to make increased use of the
inland waterways, whether rivers or canals. The value of this
means of transportation is coming to be realized more and more. In
France and Germany and portions of Russia the quantity of freight
carried by water is increasing more than that carried by rail. There
is a strong movement for the improvement of the inland waterways,
and there is a growing opinion also, though not as potent or uni-
versal, in favor of tolls on the waterways which are improved.”
Some thousands of new buildings in Manchester, Eng.,
with its railroads rapidly enlarging their terminal facilities
at that point, tell us how wise it was for Manchester to
spend $40,000,000 recently to build a short canal to the sea.
The water competition that she thus forced upon her rail-
roads cut down their rates and yet benefited them through
the increased business brought to Manchester and to them
thereby.
Belgium and Russia, owning railroads themselves, have
spent a mint of money on their canals, which show a con-
stant increase in water traffic, especially in package freight.
Canada with her fourteen-foot Welland canal, increasing
its tonnage year by year, has spent and proposes to spend,
in her new twenty-foot canal, 430 miles in length from Lake
Huron to the St. Lawrence, an amount of money that, con-
sidering her resources, is far beyond anything that New
York State thinks of spending upon our canals. In the face
of this race that is going on among our competitors every-
where to secure for their own benefit the low cost of water
transportation, we are urged by the railroads and their
allies to throw away our opportunity through canal en-
largement to grasp the east and west commerce of the
future and to get and keep in our possession for the benefit
of our merchants, manufacturers, farmers and laborers by
far the most important and extensive low water rate trans-
portation route in the world. I call attention to these
foreign countries because they are our competitors in manu-
facturing, and we must meet every device and policy of
theirs tending to cheapen production and transportation.AND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
151
We are engaged in commercial strife for the world trade
with Europe and it will become far more intense before we
reach the top. In that contest nothing will be a more im-
portant factor than our manufacturer’s cost for transporta-
tion. The 196 improved canals and waterways, 7000 miles
long, within the limited area where the industries of 35,-
000,000 people in France are carried on, have potentially
assisted her thus far to lead as in the volume of her export
and import trade with the exception of one year. As her
competitor we certainly cannot neglect to improve every
available means of cheapening transportation cost for our
manufacturers, especially when we remember that the indus-
tries of 35,000,000 of our people would cover an area prob-
ably ten times greater than France and hence must have
equally cheap transportation for far greater distances. This
same situation exists as to Germany, England, Belgium and
all foreign countries. They have far more improved water-
ways now than we have and are constantly increasing them
at great cost. This fact seems to me to be a very strong
argument in favor of the barge canal and of all similar
public undertakings. Each of them is a wise step towards
cheapening transportation cost and thus strengthening our
competitive position abroad.
In the New York Herald of recent date the greatly con-
gested condition of the trunk lines is noted; it is called car
shortage. Does not car shortage at present simply mean
lack of terminal facilities for loading and unloading cars
quickly? A car that makes 15 miles an hour on the track
often does not move a mile in three days at terminals. Is
not this fact a most urgent appeal for the improvement and
enlargement of internal waterways to relieve and supple-
ment railroads by handling raw materials and coarse
freights at congested centers like New York, Buffalo,
Pittsburg, Chicago, and all points where manufacturing
concentrates, and must it not in the future, to the advantage
of our State, concentrate where both rail and water
facilities are accessible? Is it not now plain that rail-
road terminal facilities cannot keep pace with the152
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
growth of the country so as to handle all traffic as
promptly as required by business necessities? Was not
the steel industry almost paralyzed at Pittsburg last win-
ter through failure of the railroad's to promptly move
raw materials in and finished product out? The proposed
spending of $60,000,000 by the Pennsylvania in its tunnels
would seem to indicate that the limit of enlarged terminal
facilities in New York City above ground had nearly been
reached. Since the New York Central now needs at least
double its present terminal capacity, what relief can it give
us twenty years from now within reasonable capital expen-
diture, assuming that our population doubles and our export
and import trade, now 50 per cent, of England's, becomes
equal to, or greater than hers? Is not so-called car shortage
traced to its real source a fact that calls for the barge canal
enlargement as a wise and provident provision in our State
for its future transportation requirements, with benefit not
only to the people but to the railroads ? I doubt not that in
time it will be followed by a ship canal on the Ontario lake
route and by lateral canals covering the State in all direc-
tions as in England where the Thames is the trunk line for
six connecting canals. Such a public policy begun with our
barge canal and steadily pursued thereafter will in every
aspect of the question be of vast benefit to both railroads
and the people.
My practical knowledge of how much canal the farmer
needs centers about my farm at Forestport. All the flour
we use and much of the grain we feed to our stock comes
from the West, and we want to get it as cheap as we can.
Our canal rates are now just one-half railroad rates from
nearby canal points, and that suits us well, and it will suit
us better when the barge canal makes rates cheaper still,
and from a greater distance. Do not four-fifths of the
farmers in New York State eat western flour, and feed
western grain, and if so, do they not want the cheapest way
to get it here? We find at Forestport that we can put our
land to better use than^raising grain for market, and we
have no desire to close up canals, put up railroad rates, andAND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
153
go back into that business in competition with cheap fertile
western land. It is not the canal that brings eggs, butter,
cheese, beef, mutton, pork, lard, vinegar-and fruit to com-
pete with our farmers; that is what the railroads do and
will do canal or no canal. We can send potatoes to New
York City from Forestport by boat for six or seven cents
per bushel, with winter storage added until they are sold.
The railroads ask thirteen cents a bushel with no storage,
and if we had no canal we fear it would charge more, and
leave very little of the market price for us, unless it forced
the consumer, who is generally as poor as ourselves, to pay
a good deal more. We get our salt from Syracuse, 75 miles
by canal, for ten cents per barrel; weight, 280 pounds, three
cents per 100 pounds, and recently by rail for the same.
Railroad rates are reasonable when the stuff is something a
boat can carry and deliver; when not, they are two or three
times what the boat charges, or even what they themselves
in competition with the boat charge on similar articles.
Upon a barge canal with suitable terminal facilities' many
more articles can be carried, and the field of competition
greatly extended. This at least will not hurt either pro-
ducer or consumer. Every farmer in the State gets some
of this benefit from the canal. Those near the canal get
the most benefit and pay the most taxes, but all get some
because, as I have before stated, even Erie railroad rates
are affected by canal competition, or at least were when the
canal was comparatively fit, and will be again when it is
properly improved and managed. No matter where a far-
mer lives his rate to and from New York is on some part of
the route lowered by canal competition; a barge canal will
lower it much more.
I certainly can see no objection from any standpoint to
counties, cities and towns along canal lines, that now pay
about 90 per cent, of our State taxes, growing so rich and
populous through canal enlargement that they will pay even
a larger percentage, especially for good roads, and in addi-
tion furnish ready markets for all that our farms, gardens
and forests can produce. If it is business to manufacture154
NEW YORK'S BARGE CANALS
where it is cheapest, why is it visionary to believe that the
$50,000,000 steel plant now building at Buffalo will be du-
plicated at many points along a barge canal? With such a
route from the ore beds to the ocean, no other route could
profitably compete with it in cheaply transporting the ore
and its finished product to New York City, there to be used
in shipbuilding, or to be distributed over the world. An-
drew Carnegie wrote an open letter lately, saying that if he
owned the Erie canal he would make it a barge canal at
once, and put his steel plant upon it. Certainly he knows
what he is talking about when it comes to the steel and iron
business. Increase in manufacturing in this or any other
direction cannot but help farmers everywhere in the State.
We find at Forestport that the canal helps us to get our
crops and products to market at low rates by either water or
rail, and also helps us to get back our necessaries at similar
rates; and if a poor, dilapidated, broken-down canal does
that we cannot see why a modem, up-to-date canal will not
give us lower rates still, increase the number and demand
of our city customers, and thus add value to our land and
labor.
Our fifteen senators say that instead of building a barge
canal it is better to build a State railroad. All of our com-
petitors approve of this idea.
By the by, what would become of a State railroad1 built
in the bed of the Erie canal, as these senators suggest?
Within ten years the railroad combination would own it,
that’s what would become of it—to the delight of canal op-
ponents, no doubt. It would have no friendly connections
east or west; when the New York Central got to Buffalo it
had to buy railroads clear through to the Pacific coast to
protect itself. The Erie railroad is looking for alliance of
the same kind to put it on its feet. You can read about it
every day in the newspapers. Can the State do that?
Would not such a bottled-up State railroad be at the mercy
of the railroad combination that either owns or controls
through agreement all the elevators on shore or afloat at
New York and Buffalo? The extortionate elevator chargesAND FREIGHT RATES CONTROL.
355
which the fifteen senators pretend hurt them so have been
imposed by the railroads ever since the date when they
formed the elevator combination by taking in the floating
elevators, as testified to by George R. Blanchard, chairman
of the Joint Traffic Association, before the Interstate Com-
merce Commission. A barge canal with suitable terminals
and elevators, if necessary, as recommended by Governor
Black’s commission, will very soon end railroad elevator
extortion at New York and Buffalo. No legislation ever
has or will. There is a plain statute against it now, but no
respect is paid to it. A State railroad would ultimately only
increase it. No, gentlemen, the elevator combination is not
responsible, as some seem to believe, for the canal enlarge-
ment agitation. Any one who cares to know the truth will
find upon inquiry that it has not dared to peep even during
this canal agitation, because its railroad owners are un-
wisely opposed to the beneficent scheme. The railroads
cannot turn their elevator combine loose as a canal oppon-
ent; that would spoil the game they are playing, but they
can keep and have kept them mum.
The fifteen senators need not fear that our home labor
will be hurt. The barge canal will cost $1.20 per year for
eighteen years for each $1000 of present assessed value.
This will pay the principal and interest of $100,000,000 of
bonds, unless this is avoided, as seems likely, by indirect
taxation and extending the time of payment to fifty years.
This money will be paid to American citizens for honest
work done within the State and it will thereafter circulate
here among our own people and do them good. Chapter
454 of the laws of 1902 provides that only American citi-
zens can be employed upon public work, and that among
laborers preference must be given to citizens of the State.
Canal opponents have overlooked this statute. It is a pity
that this fear of foreign hordes of cheap labor did not strike
the Senate when it legislated so that $100,000,000 could be
spent in building the subway and the Pennsylvania Railroad
tunnels in New York City, where the hordes land. Labor
will not be hurt in having work to do in building the barge156
NEW YORK’S BARGE CANALS
canal; neither will the cheapening of transporting the
necessaries of life thereby caused injure it.
It would seem as though a thorough understanding on
the part of all the people cannot but lead them to the con-
clusion that the expenditure needed for a iooo-ton barge
canal will in the end be wise and will be repaid to them
many times over in the decreased cost of transportation and
in the increased commerce, business, manufacturing and de-
mand for farm and garden products that will be promoted
thereby throughout the State.
Spring floods in the Hudson, Mohawk and Black river
valleys and the recent drouth suggest another thought in
connection with the barge canal. Every drop of those floods
is valuable and in time will not be wasted.
Why cannot a barge canal become in the future a great
reservoir to supply the industries, at least of towns, villages
and cities, with water at low cost? The State might thus
derive a revenue that would largely and perhaps wholly pay
the cost of maintenance. Supply is simply a question of
reservoirs in the Adirondacks.
England has shown us how to do it in Egypt. The
Assouan dam, a mile and a quarter long, duplicated near
our head waters in the North Woods would not only supply
the canal, but lift the burden of high water cost from every
manufacturing industry between Syracuse and Albany.
Why have cities, towns and villages been duplicating at great
expense innumerable reservoirs that can largely be purely
supplied through filtration so easily and at so much less cost
as a single undertaking by the State? Such reservoirs
would also be laying the foundation for developing the
power, as at Niagara Falls, that disappearing coal and fuel
supply will one day make invaluable.
This may be a dream, but I think not. I firmly believe
that the day is not far distant when we will not let spring
floods run away with water and power that we shall need
more and more as the State grows. The barge canal which
we now think of for navigation purposes alone will ulti-
mately prove a great blessing as a source of water supply.*
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
FROM 1895 TO 1903
A CHRONICLE OF ACHIEVEMENT
By GEORGE H. RAYMOND
Secretary of the Canal Improvement State Committee.
The writer of this article was not identified with canal
matters prior to 1895, but it can be said that a subtle
struggle had been carried on for years by the railroads of
the State against the traffic interests of internal waterways
ini this State.
The abandonment of the canals leading into the coal
regions was one of the first steps of this struggle. The
closing of the Chemung and Chenango canals without doubt
cost the users of anthracite coal in this country not less than
two dollars per ton. After the abandonment of the Chen-
nango, Chemung and Genesee Valley canals, the next step
was to so cripple the appropriations for the Erie canal that
it would finally be abandoned and then there Would be no
possible check on rates to or from the seaboard.
The real friends of the canal system of the State had
become discouraged at the apathy of the public and appalled
by the efforts of anti-canal interests, and only a spark was
left of the enthusiasm displayed in the early days of canal
building.
By persistent fighting against great discouragement
Hon. George Clinton secured, in 1884, an appropriation to
begin the lengthening of the locks. His idea was that if
157158
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
even a little could be done, the future would finally bring
about a proper improvement of the canal system.
Later, the fate of the canals hung by the smallest thread
in the Constitutional Convention of 1894. The foes of the
canal urged on its abandonment. The railroad interests
took advantage of the lack of business foresight of the canal
people as to what canal abandonment would really mean.
Had it not been for the persistent struggle of Hon. Henry
W. Hill of Buffalo in the Constitutional Convention of 1894
the fate of the canals of the State would have been sealed
then and there. Fortunately for the State, fortunately for
the nation, the efforts of Mr. Hill were successful and the
Constitution of 1894 declared against canal abandonment.
Hon. Horatio Seymour of Utica was always a staunch
friend of the canals, and in 1882 proposed a plan of canal
enlargement that after some thirteen years of desultory
canal agitation finally became the basis of the canal im-
provement bill of 1895.
This effort for canal enlargement, as it afterward turned
out, was injurious to the cause of canal improvement. The
plan of enlargement was years behind the times, but the
friends of the canals were timid and felt that anything they
could get was of advantage. The estimate of nine million
dollars for the enlargement proposed, which would increase
the capacity of the canal craft by only some forty per cent.,
was found to be entirely too low, and the work was never
completed. It was fortunate that so small a sum was appro-
priated and the work stopped where it was. The passage of
the bill of 1895, however, did arouse the old' canal friends
to the importance of the canal once more, and new life was
given and suggestions were made for a very much larger
canal.
The so-called nine million dollar canal bill was passed
in November, 1895. In 1896 the writer proposed a plan of
canal enlargement that would have given a capacity of
about two and one-half times the size of boats then in use.
This plan was to ask the General Government to widen- the
locks of the Erie canal so that torpedo-boats, torpedo-boat
destroyers and light-draft gunboats could be moved fromFROM 1895 TO 1903•
159
the coast to the inland lakes. I advanced this project at the
time when the Venezuela scare made war seem possible
between the United States and England. The plan attracted
wide notice at that time on account of the strategic possi-
bilities and the War and Navy departments gave the plan
approval. A canvass was made of leading Senators and
Representatives, and it would have been possible at that
time to have secured Government support; but, as usual,
selfish interests stepped in at one point and old fogy
business ideas at another point and this plan was laid aside.
As it turned out, the agitation which resulted was the means
of finally securing a larger and better canal than that pro-
posed' by me in 1896.
The elevator interests of Buffalo took the narrow ground
that the boats which my plan would make possible would be
able to navigate Lake Erie and thence through to New
York without breaking bulk and the handling charge would
be lost to Buffalo. The canal committee of the Produce
Exchange of New York wrestled with the plan for a month
and decided that the 8,000-bushel boat was the proper unit,
and so their support could not be secured. Thus the two
great cities which would be the most benefited and which
afterwards so grandly carried the larger project through,
made it impossible to get a resolution through the Board of
Trade of Buffalo or the commercial bodies of New York in
favor of having the canal enlarged two and one-half times.
However, this opposition was destined not to defeat the
effort for a much larger canal. I requested Hon. R. B.
Mahany of Buffalo to introduce a bill at Washington asking
that an estimate of cost of widening the locks should be
obtained. This bill was passed and sent to Major (now
Colonel) Thomas W. Symons, who had recently been sta-
tioned at Buffalo as U. S. Engineer, that he might make
necessary estimates. When Mr. Mahany’s bill was placed
in Major Symons’ hands may be said to be the time when
the iooo-ton barge canal proposition got its first start.
Major Symons, in making his report in 1897 to the
Government along the military lines showing what size was
necessary to float torpedo boats, etc., also took the matter160
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
up along commercial lines. His* report covered the ground
so fully and made such a splendid showing of the com-
mercial possibilities to the State of New York from a large
canal that the canal friends took heart, and instead of mak-
ing apologies in asking for canal support, began to demand
its support at the hand of the State.
The winter of 1898 saw the canal friends again lined up
for canal improvement. It was then proposed to raise
$7,000,000 more to complete the original nine-million dollar
improvement. A hearing was held at Albany and the im-
provement was urged by a committee consisting of Henry
W. Hill, George Clinton and Geo. H. Raymond of Buffalo;
and Franklin Edson, W. E. Cleary, W. F. McConnell, Capt.
Du Puy, Erastus Wiman, and Alfred Romer of New York.
At the same time the railroad interests were working to
have canal enlargement defeated or delayed1 for years by
trying to have the canals turned over to the General* Gov-
ernment. This fight was waged strongly and! bitterly on
the part of those seeking to save the canals and those seek-
ing to destroy them. The burden of the fight as has so
often been the case was borne by George Clinton and Henry
W. Hill of Buffalo.
The bill to turn the canals over to the General Govern-
ment was defeated and the Senator from New York intro-
ducing it in the Senate was retired to private life. The
additional seven million dollar bill was also defeated—for-
tunately so, the friends of the State canals now believe. At
the session of 1897-’98, however, a commission was ap-
pointed by Governor Black to investigate the canal question
and report to the legislature. This commission was com-
posed of Chas. A. Schieren, Alexander R. Smith, Andrew
H. Green, C. C. Shayne and Hugh Kelly, all of New York.
The winter of i898-’99 saw Theodore Roosevelt in the
governor’s chair. Governor Roosevelt appointed a com-
mission as well to take up the canal question exhaustively.
This committee consisted of Gen. F. V. V. Greene, New
York; prank S. Witherbee, Port Henry; Geo. E. Green,
Binghamton; Major Thos. W. Symons and John N.
Scatcherd of Buffalo. These gentlemen were all strongFROM 1895 TO 1903•
161
friends of canal improvement. They proceeded to their
investigations with energy and thoroughness. Hearings
were held and at the Buffalo hearing in June, 1899, Alfred
Haines, R. R. Hefford, Henry W. Hill, Thomas' M. Ryan,
L. P. Smith, G. H. Raymond, George D. Gilson, C. H.
Keep, W. A. Rogers, G. W. Hall and others, advocated
canal improvement.
In June, 1899, the commission appointed by Governor
Black also had a hearing at Buffalo, when among the
friends of canal improvement who argued at that time in
favor of a larger canal, appeared Frank B. Baird, G. H.
Raymond, and Capt. J. J. H. Brown.
In the winter of 1899 and 1900 the Black commission and
the Roosevelt commission made their reports. The Black
commission’s report was that the nine-million dollar plan
should be completed. This report was not at all satisfac-
tory to the radical canal friends and no move was made on
their part to carry out these suggestions.
The Roosevelt commission’s report was on very broad
lines and offered a solution for canal improvement that was
commensurate with the commercial requirements of the
State. They recommended a canal to take barges of 1000
tons capacity, and estimated the cost of such a canal at
$62,000,000. This report was accepted by the canal’s
friends, and steps were at once taken to formulate a bill
along those lines, to be introduced the following winter.
The report of the Roosevelt committee attracted the great-
est attention and it is safe to say that no State paper dealing
with the canal question was ever more thorough and ex-
haustive.
The canal question had now come to be a burning one.
Those indefatigable workers for the canals, Frank S.
Gardner, secretary, and W. F. McConnell, assistant secre-
tary of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation,
organized the first State Commerce Convention to be held
in Utica, October 10-12, 1899. Delegates from Buffalo were
as follows: From the Merchants’ Exchange: John Cun-
neen, J. J. H. Brown, Theodore S. Fassett, Robert R. Hef-
ford, G. D. Gilson, O. A. Crandall; appointed by the Mayor162
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
of Buffalo: George Clinton, Henry W. Hill, G. H. Ray-
mond, M. M. Drake, Christopher Holderman. Other
Buffalo delegates were Conrad Diehl, mayor of Buffalo,
Richard Humphrey, William Scott, John Voltz, J. P. Sulli-
van and Dr. J. D. Bonmar. The convention was a remark-
able success and paved the way for vigorous and concen-
trated effort for canal enlargement. Addresses were deliv-
ered by John D. Kernan of Utica, Geo. B. Sloan of Oswego,
George Clinton, Henry W. Hill, George H. Raymond and
Dr. John D. Bonnar of Buffalo; by Erastus Wiman of New
York, John P. Truesdell, David McClure, George W. Smith
of Herkimer and John I. Platt of Poughkeepsie. The last-
named gentleman, at this convention and at all other times,
was a bitter opponent of canal improvement, but found
himself in a hopeless minority of one at this convention.
The efforts of Capt. William C. Clark of Constantia in this
convention as well as in many other efforts for canal im-
provement for fifty years past, are entitled to the greatest
credit. Capt. Clark is a canal man in season and out of
season and is unwearied in his efforts. Others have become
disheartened and dropped out, but he never ceases his
unique campaign.
On February 7, 1900, Mr. Kernan called a meeting at
New York of a committee appointed at the Utica Conven-
tion to take steps to progress the iooo-ton barge canal plan
at Albany. The following gentlemen met: Mayor Conrad
Diehl, M. M. Drake and G. H. Raymond of Buffalo; J. W.
Abbott and Dr. A. H. Bayard of Cornwall ; F. S. Oakes of
Cattaraugus; E. S. Green, Cohoes; C. A. Wardle, Cats-
kill; S. G. Heacock, Ilion; J. H. Gregory, Kingston; E. B.
Downing, Oneida; W. E. Cleary, Frank S. Gardner, Wm.
F. McConnell, Gen. F. V. V. Greene, Frank S. Witherbee,
New York; A. R. Kissinger, Rome; Francis E. Bacon,
Syracuse; E. F. Murray, Troy; H. W. Miller, J. C.
Hoxie, Utica; Robert H. Cook, Whitehall; and H. W.
Brown, Speneerport. It was voted to approve the Roose-
velt commission report and Capt. Marcus M. Drake, George
H. Raymond, A. R. Kissinger, C. A. Wardle, W. E. Cleary ?FROM 1895 TO 1903•
163
E. F. Murray and H. W. Brown, were created a committee
with power to draw the necessary resolutions.
The large sum required for the iooo-ton barge canal at
once roused bitter opposition from the canal enemies and
all sorts of plans were suggested to placate various sections
by trying to put the burden on the canal counties alone.
Various bills were prepared, but so many questions were
raised that after the committee, consisting of John D.
Kernan, Henry W. Hill, W. F. McConnell and G. H. Ray-
mond had a conference with Governor Roosevelt on Feb-
ruary 20, 1900, the bills were dropped for the session. It
was, however, decided that the sum of $200,000 should be
secured to make accurate surveys for the iooo-ton barge
canal as outlined by the Roosevelt committee.
The most determined opposition to this bill was at once
encountered. It presently seemed as if canal improvement
were temporarily defeated and the bill was thought dead.
At the closing days of the session it was decided to make
one more effort to pass the bill and W. F. McConnell of
New York and G. H. Raymond of Buffalo were asked by
their respective cities to assist Henry W. Hill in leading the
forlorn hope for the bill. The day before adjournment the
bill was crowded through the Senate by the brilliant leader-
ship of Senator Ellsworth of Lockport, assisted by Senator
Grady of New York.
The bill was, however, buried in the Rules committee in
the Assembly, as the majority of that committee were
opposed to canal improvement. Speaker Nixon steadily
refused to let the bill come before the House but the pres-
sure put on the bill through Senator Platt became too strong
for Speaker Nixon to ignore, and after the clock had been
turned back in the Assembly the bill was reported by the
Rules committee and passed the House, 96 to 46. Probably
no bill was ever more bitterly fought and none was ever of
greater importance to the State than that particular survey
bill. Too much credit cannot be given to Henry W. Hill of
Buffalo for that victory.
The passage of the survey bill again put new life into
the friends of the canals. The second Commerce Conven-164
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
tion was called for Syracuse June 6 and 7, 1900. The fol-
lowing were appointed from Buffalo as delegates: George
Clinton, Henry W. Hill, Capt. J. J. H. Brown, C. H. Keep,
E. W. Eames, Harris Fosbinder, M. M. Drake, Howard
Smith, John Laughlin, Frank B. Baird, Major Thos. W.
Symons, F. C. M. Lautz, and G. H. Raymond. This con-
vention was even more successful than the one held at
Utica and again reflected the untiring efforts of Frank S.
Gardiner and W. F. McConnell of New York in organ-
izing it.
Addresses were made by John D. Kernan of Utica,
Gustav H. Schwab and Abel E. Blackmar of New York,
Major Thos. W. Symons, George Clinton and G. H. Ray-
mond of Buffalo, George B. Sloan of Oswego, and Willis
H. Tennant of Mayville. The convention bore good fruit.
On June 20, 1900, a sub-committee of the Merchants’
Exchange was appointed' to take up the work of canal im-
provement systematically and thoroughly. The committee
consisted of Alfred Haines, President of the Exchange;
George Clinton, Frank B. Baird, W. A. Rogers, E. L.
Anthony, L. P. Smith, J. J. H. Brown, Ira M. Rose, Chas.
Kennedy, Harris Fosbinder and G. H. Raymond. An
executive committee consisting of Alfred Haines, George
Clinton and G. H. Raymond was appointed to take general
charge of the work. The central idea of the executive
committee was that the people of the State should thor-
oughly understood just what this iooo-ton barge canal really
means to the commercial interests of the State, to show the
farmer and the inhabitants of the counties away from the
canal that their interest is also very great. In fact it was
proposed to carry on such a campaign of education on the
canal question throughout the State that the sixty-two mil-
lion dollars required for the canal could be secured through
proper legislative action which it was hoped to secure at
Albany in the winter of igoo-’oi.
A committee to solicit funds to carry on this educational
campaign was appointed by the Merchants’ Exchange, con-
sisting of Alfred Haines, ex oiHcio chairman, GeorgeFROM 1895 TO 1903•	165
Clinton, Charles H. Keep, W. C. Cornwell, and G. H.
Raymond.
It is proper at this time to pay a befitting tribute to
Alfred Haines for his efforts in the matter of the 1000-
ton barge canal. To those gentlemen who have borne the
burden of the fight for it, no words are needed to convince
them of the importance of the work done by Mr. Haines for
the canal interests of the State. Without in the least de-
tracting from the unselfish efforts of many Buffalo people in
the canal fight it may be said truthfully that if it had not
been for the efforts of Mr. Haines in providing the money
necessary to carry on the canal bureau of the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange from 1900 to November, 1903, it is very
doubtful if the iooo-ton barge canal would ever have been
built. It was this bureau of the Merchants’ Exchange that
kept the fires of canal improvement continually burning.
New York interests assisted from time to time, but no other
persistent effort was made aside from that carried on
through the canal bureau of the Merchants’ Exchange; and
the money necessary for this work was furnished almost
entirely through the untiring efforts of Alfred Haines, to
whose memory the people and commercial interests of
Buffalo cannot pay too much respect.
The necessary funds being provided, the canal bureau of
the Merchants’ Exchange of Buffalo was organized' and the
writer was placed in charge. An active and continuous
campaign of education was begun. A dozen stenographers
and other office force were secured and enormous quantities
of letters, circulars and printed matter of various kinds were
sent all over the State in the effort to pave the way for legis-
lation at Albany the following session.
The opposition was also very active in all sections of the
State, and the farmers through the grange organization
were steadily becoming more bitter in their opposition. The
railroads by the efforts of their emissaries were also espe-
cially active, secretly and openly, to defeat the project.
The canal bureau of the Merchants’ Exchange carried
its campaign into the enemy’s country. Addresses were
made by the writer before boards of trade in Rochester,166
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
Syracuse, Binghamton, Dunkirk, Ithaca, Albany, Kingston,
and other places, preparatory to the legislative campaign of
1900-1901 at Albany.
It will be remembered that the canal question was now
awaiting the result of State Engineer Bond’s report on the
cost of building the iooo-ton barge canal, for which survey
the $200,000 had been appropriated by the last legislature.
The dominant party was not friendly to canals by reason of
its strength lying among the rural or anti-canal sections of
the State. For this reason Governor Odell had not, like
Governor Roosevelt, shown any particular love for canal
improvement. Late in February, 1901, the report of State
Engineer Bond' gave the estimated cost of the iooo-ton
barge canal at $87,000,000, as against the $62,000,000 esti-
mate of the Roosevelt committee, whose estimates were not
sufficiently complete by reason of their not having time or
funds to make them so. This increased cost caused Gov-
ernor Odell to go back to the obsolete Seymour plan, and
estimates were asked from State Engineer Bond1 on that
proposition. The estimate submitted was that to complete
the Seymour plan along the lines of the nine million dollar
plan of 1895 would cost about $19,000,000. The Governor’s
idea was that this obsolete plan should be pursued; but the
canal friends would not accept this offer and again did' the
friends of canals rally.
A meeting of the canal committee of the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange was held March 16, 1901, at which the
following were present: George Clinton, O. P. Letchworth,
president of the Exchange, Alfred Haines, Harris Fos-
binder, Thos. M. Ryan, Frank B. Baird, J. N. Scatcherd,
John Cunneen, Howard J. Smith, Richard Humphrey, C.
H. Keep, J. J. H. Brown and G. H. Raymond. President
Letchworth, after a spirited meeting, in which decided op-
position was shown to Governor Odell’s plan, appointed a
committee to meet with the canal friends from other sec-
tions of the State. It consisted of George Clinton, Alfred
Haines, John Cunneen, G. H. Raymond and John Laughlin.
On March 20, 1901, this committee met in Albany, with
John D. Kernan of Utica, president of the State CommerceFROM 1895 TO 1903•
167
Convention, Franklin Quinby, S. Christy Mead, F. S.
Gardner, W. F. McConnell, Frank Brainard, F. Van Vliet,
William R. Corwine of New York, A. R. Kissinger of
Rome, A. C. Wardwell of Catskill, John T. Mott and Geo.
B. Sloan of Oswego. Henry W. Hill of Buffalo was also
present.
On March 24, 1901, a meeting was called on the Mer-
chants’ Exchange to receive the report of the conference at
Albany. It was largely attended and the sentiment was still
strong in favor of the iooo-ton barge canal and in opposi-
tion to Governor Odell’s suggestion. A call for a third
Commerce convention to be held at Syracuse, March 26 and
27, 1901, was read and President Letchworth of the Mer-
chants’ Exchange appointed the following committee:
George Clinton, O. P. Letchworth, Alfred Haines, Frank
B. Baird, M. M. Drake, John Cunneen, John Laughlin, G.
H. Raymond, H. J. Smith, Harris Fosbinder, J. J. H.
Brown, and Robert R. Hefford. This convention was even
more enthusiastic than the two previous ones and the tone
of the delegates showed conclusively that the fight for ade-
quate canal improvement was now fairly on and that no
compromise or defeat would be permitted. John D. Kernan
made his usual ringing speech and showed the fallacy of
accepting any compromise and especially the one suggested
by Governor Odell of the completion of a plan which had
been proposed a generation back. After a spirited discus-
sion a resolution in favor of the iooo-ton barge canal plan
as being the only acceptable plan was adopted, and the
following committee appointed to wait on Governor Odell
at Albany: George Clinton, John Laughlin and G. H. Ray-
mond of Buffalo, Frank S. Brainard, S. Christy Mead and
Aaron Vanderbilt of New York, Willis H. Tennant of May-
ville and S. H. Beach of Rome. This committee had a con-
ference with Governor Odell on March 29, 1901, but it was
barren of results along the lines of the Syracuse resolution.
Governor Odell was not disposed to accept anything look-
ing to the iooo-ton barge canal, but stood for the obsolete
Seymour plan, or as better known the completion of the
nine million dollar plan of 1895.168
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
All the canal men were dissatisfied with this result. The
Buffalo interests feared that in view of the Governor’s de-
cision the iooo-ton barge canal must be dropped. The New
York interests were not unanimous but were divided be-
tween what they could get, and standing for the iooo-ton
barge canal or nothing.
After strong protests and extended conferences it was
finally agreed upon, between the Buffalo interests, the “up-
State” interests and a portion of the New York interests, to
make a struggle for a 450-ton canal at an estimated cost of
$26,000,000. This lack of harmony among the canal inter-
ests roused the canal enemies to renewed efforts to defeat
all canal legislation. A bill carrying an appropriation for
good roads was quickly introduced by canal opponents,
knowing that by passing it no bill for canals could be voted
upon at the same time, according to the Constitution.
However, the canal friends kept up the fight and a hear-
ing on the $26,000,000 bill was had before the Assembly
committee April 10, 1901. A peculiar condition prevailed.
Alongside the bitter enemies of all canal improvement were
lined up the New York interests who would have the iooo-
ton barge canal or nothing.
Arguments in favor of the bill were made by George
Clinton, John Laughlin, E. R. O’Malley and G. H. Raymond
of Buffalo, and W. E. Cleary of New York. This bill was
then reported out of committee. This peculiar condition
could have but one result. It fell to the writer to make an
effort to get the New York opponents into line, but it failed,
and on April 20, 1901, the $26,000,000 bill was effectually
killed when the Tammany Assemblymen withdrew their
support.
However, the canal friends did not abandon the fight,
and the Buffalo canal bureaau again took up the struggle
which, during the summer of 1901, began to take on a dif-
ferent color. The effort was made to show both political
parties that it was hardly safe for either to ignore the ques-
tion in the future as they had done in the past in their fear
of offending the rural voter. During the early summer the
New York City canal interests which at one time favoredFROM 1895 TO 1903.
163
the iooo-ton barge canal or nothing were led off to chase
the ship-canal plan for a time.
In June, 1901, at the request of the Merchants’ Exchange
canal bureau, the writer visited New York and again were
the warring factions brought together and New York, Buf-
falo and the rest of the State again took up the iooo-ton
barge canal plan and proposed to fight it out to a finish.
September 3, 1901, a committee from the Merchants’ Ex-
change consisting of President Haines, W. A. Rogers, Theo.
S. Fassett, John Cunneen and G. H. Raymond went to New
York to confer with the New York canal people. As a
result an active campaign was planned for the next session
at Albany.
The most evident change in public sentiment was the
address of Governor Odell before the Merchants’ Exchange
of Buffalo on October 10, 1901, in which the Governor com-
mitted himself to canal improvement with the slight reser-
vation as to its not being too expensive.
The “campaign of education” was kept up by the canal
bureau of the Merchants’ Exchange, and on November 2,
1901, the State committee appointed by the State Commerce
convention, consisting of President John D. Kernan of
Utica, F. S. Gardner, G. Waldo Smith, Henry B. Hebert,
Charles N. Chadwick, Ludwig Nissen, W. R. Corwine,
W. F. McConnell of New York, Alfred Haines, T. S.
Fassett and Geo. H. Raymond of Buffalo, E. M. Bucklin of
Ithaca and Willis H. Tennant of Mayville, met in New
York to formulate plans for the year’s campaign.
On November 21, 1901, J. D. Kernan of Utica; John
Laughlin, Alfred Haines, Theo. S. Fassett, W. A. Rogers,
G.	H. Raymond of Buffalo; Frank Brainard, H. B. Hebert,
Gustav H. Schwab, W. R. Corwine, and F. S. Gardner of
New York; S. H. Beach of Rome, E. H. Bucklin of Ithaca,
H.	C. Main of Rochester and E. R. Redhead of Fulton,
called on Governor Odell to urge upon him the importance
of canal improvement along the lines of the iooo-ton barge
plan. The Governor’s message of January 1, 1902, further
paved the way for the iooo-ton barge canal by first pro-
posing to make the locks of the present canal large enough170
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
for the iooo-ton barges, and the final building of the water-
way to fit these locks.
On January 8, 1902, John Laughlin, Theodore S. Fassett
and G. H. Raymond met H. B. Hebert and Frank Brainard
of New York at Albany and in conjunction with Senator
Henry W. Hill, T. D. Lewis and George A. Davis called on
Governor Odell and submitted to him the resolutions passed
by the Merchants’ Exchange concurring in the Governor’s
suggestions as to the style of canal improvement to be
undertaken. They also conferred with State Engineer Bond
relative to a bill to embody these ideas.
Some little opposition arose on the part of the Oswego
and Champlain canal interests, and delayed the introduction
of a bill along the lines suggested by Governor Odell but it
was finally introduced January 20, 1902.
On February 11, 1902, George Clinton, John Laughlin,
R. R. Hefford, G. H. Raymond, Knowlton Mixer, Alfred
Haines, T. S. Fassett, M. M. Drake, George Sawyer and
H. J. Smith of Buffalo; H. B. Hebert, F. S. Gardner, John
D. Keman, W. F. McConnell, Frank Brainard, G. H.
Schwab, F. B. Thurber, W. E. Cleary, W. R. Corwine, E.
M. Clarkson, G. K. Clark, Jr., D. M. Van Vliet, F. E.
Hagenmyer, F. S. Witherbee and A. R. Smith of New
York; A. S. Taggart of Cohoes; S. E. Filkins of Medina;
A. R. Kissinger and H. A. Caswell of Rome; Chas. Dick-
inson, G. W. Hall and G. H. Morgan of Lockport; C. N.
Douglas, H. W. Arnold, Dexter Hunter, Fred Easton and
W. H. Kibbee of Albany, appeared at Albany in support of
the bill. The opposition consisted as usual of John I. Platt,
practically representing the New York Central Railroad,
and E. B. Norris of the State Grange.
Senators H. W. Hill and G. A. Davis of Buffalo and
Assemblyman E. R. O’Malley appeared for the bill. This
was one of the most important hearings had- on canal im-
provement in many years.
The bill was finally reported out of the Senate committee
carrying $31,500,000 and including in it the Champlain
canal, but omitting the Oswego canal. In this shape it
passed the Senate.FROM 1895 TO 1903-
ill
The opposition of the Oswego canal interests soon came
to be very bitter. When the measure was reported from
the Canals committee of the Assembly, there had been
added the Oswego improvement, along the same lines as
the Erie and Champlain. This complication again offered
the anti-canal forces an opportunity to defeat canal legisla-
tion for the session; the result in fact was a defeat of the
bill with Oswego in, and then it was defeated with Oswego
out.
The enemies of the canal were continually trying first one
plan and then another to block the work. Senator Ambler
introduced a bill proposing to sell the canals. On February
20, 1902, George Clinton and G. H. Raymond of Buffalo
appeared before the canal committee in opposition to the
bill and John I. Platt and H. S. Ambler in favor.
The bill to sell the canals was killed in the committee.
By this time the Davis Senate canal bill was in the
hands of the Rules committee of the Assembly and with a
hostile majority against it in the committee its chances were
very slim. A last effort was made to induce Governor Odell
to get the bill from the committee, and the following com-
mittee waited on him: G. K. Clark, Jr., Frank Brainard,
Abel E. Blackmar, S. C. Mead, W. F. McConnell and W.
R. Corwine of New York, Alfred Haines, H. H. Persons,
Theo S. Fassett, G. H. Raymond and F. Howard Mason of
Buffalo. The effort was in vain, and once more was it made
plain that in ways that are dark but effective the railroads
had again killed canal improvement. The efforts of Sena-
tors Davis and Hill and Ramsperger were continued to the
last minute to secure canal legislation, as were the efforts of
Assemblyman O’Malley.
Notwithstanding these continued defeats the friends of
the State canals would not be denied, and again were the
ranks closed up and plans laid for the session of 1903. On
May 14, 1902, Gustav H. Schwab, Frank S. Gardner, S.
Christy Mead and W. R. Corwine of New York, had a con-
ference at Buffalo with Alfred Haines, George Clinton, T.
Guilford Smith, John Laughlin, J. J. McWilliams, M. M
Drake, W. C. Farrington, H. J. Smith, G. W. Hall, Capt.172
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
J. J. H. Brown, W. A. Rogers, Henry W. Hill, E. R.
O’Malley, G. H. Raymond, Geo. A. Davis and George P.
Sawyer. State Engineer Bond was also present. The
result of this conference was a unanimous decision to con-
tinue the fight for canal improvement and to stand stead-
fastly for the iooo-ton barge canal. At this conference was
taken up the question of possibly building the canal from
Buffalo to Olcott and then by Lake Ontario to Oswego and
the old line from there to Albany.
The following committee from Buffalo was appointed
May 17, 1902, to meet the New York people at Albany at a
later date: George Clinton, J. J. McWilliams, Major Thos.
W. Symonds, R. R. Hefford, Alfred Haines, John Laughlin,
John Cunneen, M. M. Drake, T. S. Fassett, George Sawyer,
W. A. Rogers and G. H. Raymond.
The friend's of the canal decided that they had been
modest and retiring long enough. They held that both the
political parties should take a* position in favor of canal
improvement and the first editorials on this subject ap-
peared in the Buffalo papers late in July, 1902. The Buffalo
News took an especially strong position on the matter in an
editorial of July 31, 1902. The summer of 1902 saw a
growing tendency on the part of politicians who had here-
tofore thought it the proper thing to ignore the canal ques-
tion, actually to recognize its importance. There even was
talk on the part of some canal men that a canal party should
be formed. This plan, however, was not looked upon fa-
vorably by the regular fighters for canal improvement, but
they steadily brought pressure on the two great political
organizations that the canal question should not be ignored
by either party.
On September 4, 1902, President Kernan of the Stats
Commerce convention appointed the following gentlemen to
attend the Republican State convention at Saratoga in the
interest of canal improvement: George Clinton, Buffalo,
chairman ; Frank Brainard, F. S. Gardner, F. S. Witherbee,
Ludwig Nissen, B. Leroy Dresser, New York; S. E. Fil-
kins, Medina; Willis H. Tennant, Mayville; R. R. Hefford,
John Laughlin, Alfred Haines, G. H. Raymond, RichardFROM 1895 TO 1903•	173
Humphrey and G. P. Sawyer of Buffalo; G. W. Hall,,
Lockport.
On September 8, 1902, a rousing meeting was held on
the floor of the Merchants’ Exchange and ringing resolu-
tions were adopted that set the political leaders of both
parties to thinking; Six days later the New York canal men
gave a dinner at Delmonico’s to the New York editors, and
the press of that city was soon taking as lively an interest
in canal improvement as was the Buffalo press.
The Republican State convention assembled at Saratoga
September 22d, and on the same day the delegates from the
State Commerce convention held a meeting and appointed
a committee to draw up suitable resolutions to present to the
party convention. The committee consisted of R. R.
Hefford of Buffalo, H. B. Hebert of New York, S. E.
Filkins of Medina, W. E. Cleary of New York and G. H.
Raymond of Buffalo. The resolutions of the committee
were presented to the convention by Senator John Laughlin.
As usual John I. Platt was on hand in the interests of the
railroads to oppose any canal improvement plank. But the
canal people would not be denied, and a plank committing
the Republican party to canal improvement was put in the
platform.
Similar tactics were employed at the Democratic State
Convention held1 at Saratoga, October 1, 1902, and an even
stronger canal plank was inserted in the platform of that
party.
At this period meetings of the canal committees of the
Merchants’ Exchange of Buffalo and the Produce Exchange
of New York were held in their respective cities. This was
one of the most critical points in the canal struggle. A
strong minority of these two committees were in favor of
committing the canal men of the State to the Democratic
party by reason of its canal plank. The defeat of that party,
which did occur, would have given a long check to canal'
improvement, if not for all time. However, more moderate
opinions prevailed and under the lead of Buffalo, resolu-
tions were passed by both of these organizations thanking
both parties and at same time not committing canal men174
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
to either party. This brilliant stroke was accomplished by
the great canal leader George Clinton, who again saved the
canals of the State.
The pressure on both parties was kept up by the canal
men and the candidates of both parties were asked to show
their hands on the canal question. These tactics gave the
politicians some interesting thoughts and the leaders of both
parties in no uncertain tones affirmed that their respective
parties were committed to canal improvement.
After election the canal friends again began the agitation
preparing for the winter's session of the legislature. About
December I, 1902, the canal question was again badly
mixed by the suggestion of Governor Odell that the Lake
Ontario route from Olcott to Oswego should be favored.
This made a new proposition for the canal people to fight
and again were the enemies of the canals filled1 with joy
that a new complication had arisen. All tlie canal interests
united against the Lake Ontario route for the barge canal.
On December 7, 1902, a committee from New York con-
sisting of Gustav H. Schwab, F. S. Witherbee, Frank
Brainard, Abel E. Blackmar and J. D. Trenor, came to
Buffalo to consult with George Clinton, Alfred Haines,
John Laughlin, R. R. Hefford, Geo. P. Sawyer, G. H. Ray-
mond and Hon. Henry W. Hill, representing Buffalo. The
result of this meeting was a renewed decision to stand for
a iooo-ton barge canal or nothing, and a further decision
to stand for the inside through-State route as against the
Lake Ontario route. A meeting was held at the Merchants'
Exchange December 8, 1902, and a committee consisting
of George Clinton, John Laughlin, Alfred Haines, W. C.
Warren, T. S. Fassett, G. P. Sawyer and G. H. Raymond
were appointed to meet Governor Odell on December nth
in a conference with the New York canal friends. The
result of this conference with the Governor was to fill the
canal friends with the idea of the iooo-ton barge canal or
nothing and no Ontario route to be considered. The Gov-
ernor was non-committal.
At this stage Governor Odell in his annual message to
the Legislature threw cold water again on the canal propo-FROM 1895 TO 1903-
175
sition by adding the interest for fifty years to the cost of
the canal and thus making enormous figures. This was
hailed with joy by the canal enemies, but this narrow
juggling with figures was soon out of the way and the real
work for the big canal began.
On January 27, 1903, there was held a secret conference
in Albany at which were present Gustav Schwab, H. B.
Hebert, F. S. Gardner, Abel E. Blackmar and J. T. Trenor
of New York; Robert Downey and J. B. McMurrich,
Oswego; George Clinton, Alfred Haines, Major T. W.
Symons, Henry W. Hill, R. R. Hefford, T. S. Fassett and
G. H. Raymond of Buffalo. At this meeting it was decided
to introduce a bill for the iooo-ton barge canal at a cost of
$82,000,000 to follow generally the present route of the
Erie canal, and to include both the Oswego and Champlain
canals.
The canal adversaries were still active and persistent and
at once sought to complicate the proposition by demanding
$50,000,000 for good roads and threatening to block the
canal plan.
On February 3, 1903, was the first hearing on the bill for
canals, at which George Clinton, Henry W. Hill, John
Laughlin, Major T. W. Symons and G. H. Raymond of
Buffalo, Gustav H. Schwab and W. E. Cleary of New York,
and F. B. Clark of Oswego, were present in its support.
The railroads by their representative, John I. Platt, together
with the grangers, opposed it as usual.
About this time all sorts of schemes were put out to stop
the iooo-ton barge plan. A railroad in the bed' of the canal
was suggested. So was a ship canal from the St. Lawrence
river to Lake Champlain. Another proposition was to sell
the canal to the United States Government. And there
were yet others.
At the hearing on February 3, 1903, occurred a dramatic
situation when John I. Platt stated that Governor Odell had
told him that he did not favor any canal legislation this
year, and that it was a part of the Republican party plan to
take the same position. Later at the same hearing Mr.
Platt withdrew or qualified his statement and Governor176
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
Odell later denied what Mr. Platt had said. This situation
was naturally made the most of by canal friends.
About the middle of February, 1903, a final attack was
made on the canal bill by its enemies who sought to show
that the eighty-two million dollar estimate was much too
small. This gave further time to delay action until revised
figures could be made, the idea of the canal enemies being
not to get accurate figures but by some means to make the
estimates so high that the people would be frightened and
demoralized at their magnitude.
To combat this effort a hearing was held' at Albany
February 16, 1903, at which David J. Howell of Washing-
ton, an expert on estimates for canal work, Edward R.
O'Malley and G. H. Raymond of Buffalo, A. E. Blackmar,
W. F. King and E. S. Morrison of New York, were present
in favor of the bill; the usual railroad and granger opposi-
tion was also present. A third hearing was held February
25, 1903-
Early in March the State Engineer submitted an esti-
mate that the iooo-ton barge canal would cost $101,000,000.
This was what the canal enemies had hoped would kill the
whole plan. The canal friends, however, were not dis-
mayed for a moment and at once changed the bill to carry
this great sum and kept up the fight for the passage.
March 24, 1903, the bill was passed in the Senate after
seven and one-half hours' debate by a vote of 32 to 14. On
March 27th by a vote of 87 to 55, after eight and one-half
hours' debate, the bill passed the Assembly. It was duly
signed by Governor Odell and the great step had now been
taken which made it possible for the people of the State to
decide this momentous question of canal improvement.
Early in May the campaign was formally started and the
Canal Improvement State Committee was formed. It was
composed of Gustav H. Schwab, H. B. Hebert, Frank S.
Brainard, Frank S. Witherbee of New York; F. O. Clark
of Oswego; R. R. Hefford and John W. Fisher of Buffalo.
John A. Stewart of New York and G. H. Raymond of
Buffalo, were appointed secretaries. I moved my head-
quarters from Buffalo to New York for the campaign andFROM 1895 TO 1903•	177
took active charge of the literary part of the work for canal
improvement.
The canal friends were badly handicapped for funds to
carry on the campaign, but there seemed to be no lack of
money for the opposition, and this opposition soon made
itself felt in no uncertain way. The New York Sun kept up
a daily attack on the project. The opposition organized an
anti-canal bureau in Brooklyn and hired men to distribute
anti-canal literature. The real hotbed of the effort to
destroy the canals and turn the commerce of the State over
to the railroad monopoly was at Rochester, whose prosperity
was primarily due almost entirely to the Erie canal. The
strangest part of the Rochester opposition lay in the fact
that the head and front of this opposition was the Chamber
of Commerce of that city.
An anti-canal State convention was held at which as
usual the railroad hand was most in evidence through the
efforts of Hon. John I. Platt of Poughkeepsie, who was
honest enough to admit that the New York Central Railroad
paid his expenses.
A literary bureau of canal opposition was also maintained
at Rochester and every effort made to defeat the project.
John M. Ives, secretary of the Rochester Chamber of Com-
merce, was the active resident agent of the anti-canal forces
of the State. All sorts of schemes were evolved to defeat
the plan. One of the most amusing was a solemn' manifesto
issued by sixteen State senators elected from the farming
sections of the State, warning the people against the efforts
being put forth by New York and Buffalo to carry the
measure. At the same time these same counties were bene-
ficiaries from taxes paid by those two great cities to the
extent of millions of dollars.
In spite of many discouragements the Canal Improve-
ment State Committee kept at work. Strong champions of
the project sprang up and spoke in various cities and vil-
lages, at fairs, etc., throughout the State, and none of them
rode on railroad passes as was the case with some at least
of the canal enemies.178
NEW YORK STATE CANALS
Among these champions of the canal cause whose names
should be here chronicled, were P. W. Casler of Little
Falls; John D. Kernan of Utica; R. R. Hefford, H. W.
Hill, John Laughlin, E. R. O'Malley, George Clinton, G. H.
Raymond, Herbert P. Bissell, John Cunneen, O. P. Letch*
worth, Leonard Dodge, Howard1 J. Smith, L. P. Smith, F.
Howard Mason, W. C. Brown, John N. Scatcherd, Thos. M.
Ryan, M. M. Drake, J. J. H. Brown, Gen. F. V. Greene,
Major T. W. Symons, T. S. Fassett and John Joslyn of
Buffalo; Gustav H. Schwab, H. B. Hebert, F. S. Gardner,
J. D. Trenor, W. F. McConnell, Erastus Wiman, Abram
Gruber, Bird S. Coler, Thos. F. Grady, Robt. M. Campbell,
W. E. Cleary, Chas. A. Schieren, Frank Brainard and
Frank S. Witherbee, New York; George E. Green, Bing-
hamton; Willis H. Tennant, Mayville; Charles E. Watson,
F. B. Griffin, Clinton; W. Pierrepont White, Utica; J. D.
Filkins, Medina; Gordon W. Hall, Charles Dickinson,
Lockport; O. E. Jones, B. S. Dean, Ernest Cawcroft,
Jamestown; J. S. Woodward, A. M. Evans, Herkimer;
Frank S. Oakes, Cattaraugus; Daniel Toomey, Dunkirk.
The Canal Improvement State Committee had less than
$15,000 for this great fight but made the best effort possible.
Gustav H. Schwab left New York on his vacation some time
before the close of the campaign and Chas. A. Schieren of
Brooklyn was made chairman of the committee in his stead.
The entrance of ex-May or Schieren actively into the cam-
paign put new life into it. Greater New York, under the
most efficient management of W. F. McConnell, was covered
with cart-tail meetings and a million circulars were dis-
tributed.
Too much credit cannot be given to the daily press of
Greater New York which with the glaring exception of the
Sun, supported the iooo-ton barge canal project unani-
mously. Every paper published in Buffalo loyally supported
the project and to the Buffalo press should be given the
credit of arousing the press of Greater New York.FROM 1895 TO 1903•
179
The enemies of the canal were very active up to the last
day of the campaign, and its friends, badly handicapped,
also continued the fight. The people finally won against all
opposition. On November 4, 1903, the iooo-ton barge
canal proposition was carried by a majority of 245,323.
In a chronicle of this kind it is impossible to give proper
credit to all of those entitled to it, as each canal friend did
his best in his own manner; but there are certain critical
times that stand out in bold relief when it can be clearly
shown that the right man was found at the right time to
save the canal system of the State.
To the Honorable George Clinton is due the credit for
keeping the canal spirit alive when as a member of the
Assembly he secured an appropriation for lengthening one
lock on the Erie canal.
To the Honorable Henry W. Hill of Buffalo is due the
credit of saving the canals, when, after a most bitter
struggle in the Constitutional Convention of 1894, to which
he was a delegate, he succeeded in putting in the clause pro-
hibiting their sale and abandonment.
To the Honorable Thomas C. Platt of New York is due
the credit of saving the canals when he forced1 the Commit-
tee on Rules of the Assembly in i900-’oi to report out the
bill appropriating $200,000 for the survey and estimates
which finally made the iooo-ton barge canal possible.
To the late lamented Alfred Haines of Buffalo is due
especial credit for the final successful result of the great
canal struggle as he, almost alone, raised the funds that
made it possible to carry on the educational campaign which
finally brought the barge canal plan to a successful vote.
To the Honorable George Clinton is again due especial
credit for his marvellous diplomacy in keeping the canal
friends in Buffalo and New York from allying themselves
with the Democratic party in 1902, as its defeat, which oc-
curred, would have killed all future efforts, as the Republi-
can leaders were not friendly to the project and would have
been able to say that the canal people and the Democrats
were both defeated at that election.180
NEW YORK STATE CANALS.
To the late Honorable Timothy Ellsworth of Lockport is
due especial credit for the brilliant coup made by him,
assisted by the Honorable Thomas F. Grady of New York,
when he brought the $200,000 canal survey bill of 1900 out
of the finance committee which with the Honorable Frank
Higgins, afterward Governor, as chairman, had a majority
opposed to the bill. No more brilliant parliamentary battle
was ever fought or more gallantly won than this by Senator
Ellsworth.
Note —For fuller record of the Utica, Syracuse and Buffalo commerce con-
ventions, see ante, pp. 12-33.REMINISCENCES OF
THE BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN
By HOWARD J. SMITH,
Assistant Secretary, the Buffalo Merchants* Exchange Canal Committee.
I had taken some interest in canal enlargement during
the campaign for the adoption of the nine million dollar
improvement and had made a few speeches before clubs and
other organizations in favor of the appropriation; but it
was not until the spring of 1898 that I became actively iden-
tified with the canal movement. At that time, when the
failure of the nine million appropriation became manifest,
I prepared for the Buffalo Evening News a number of
articles arguing for a better canal. Mr. L. P. Smith of this
city urged me to do this and furnished me with facts in
regard to local traffic on the canals. The argument founded
on these facts was widely copied and started a very active
discussion among the newspapers of the State. The Buffalo
Evening News defended the argument for a larger canal,
and for a time was almost alone among the papers of the
State.
I continued to write for the various Buffalo papers,
always arguing that in spite of past errors the improved
canal was necessary and should be built. Theodore Roose-
velt was elected Governor in 1898, and in 1899 appointed
his canal committee to consider the whole subject and make
recommendations. The year 1899 was spent in study of the
question and a report was made to the Legislature in March,
1900. I remember the effect of that report upon Buffalo
x8i182
REMINISCENCES OF THE
canal men. It literally took our breath away. While some
of us had been, in a measure, prepared for it, yet the greatly
increased size of canal which was recommended and the
large cost, even as then estimated, caused many of the
Buffalo canal men, including those most closely connected
with the operation of the present canal, to doubt the possi-
bility of getting the people to favor such a radical step.
In 1899 a State Commerce convention was held in Utica
to consider canal improvement, but as the committee was
not yet through with its work no definite action could be
taken. A second convention was called for June, 1900, and
at that convention, which I attended as a delegate from the
Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, the new plan was discussed
for the first time by men from all parts of the State. While
all, or nearly all, the delegates, favored canal enlargement,
there was a decided division on the length to which the
State should go. It will be remembered that the canal com-
mittee appointed by Governor Roosevelt suggested a modi-
fication of the old Seymour plan by which a very substantial
increase in carrying capacity could be obtained at a mod-
erate cost, but recommended the building of a much larger
canal, practically a new canal, with route changed for two-
thirds of its length. At this convention the New York City
delegates were nearly alone in their advocacy of the larger
plan. One notable exception was the Hon. John D. Kernan
of Utica, the chairman of the convention. Practically all
of the town delegates favored the old Seymour plan, be-
cause it followed the old route and because it cost much less
and would therefore be easier to obtain.
At this convention the Buffalo delegates under the lead-
ership of George Clinton fought to prevent the indorsement
of the iooo-ton barge plan. In this they were greatly aided
by the late Senator Sloane of Oswego, who was one of the
strongest men in the convention. The New York men were
beaten, and the convention adjourned without indorsing the
iooo-ton barge plan, to meet again after the report of the
State Engineer, on the cost of the different projects, was
ready. The survey which had been ordered as one of the
last acts of the Legislature of 1900, was then being made.BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.
183
Mr. L. P. Smith of Buffalo urged upon the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange the appointment of a special canal com-
mittee to carry on campaign work for an enlarged canal,
and this committee was organized in November, 1900, with
George Clinton as chairman, George H. Raymond as secre-
tary, and myself as assistant secretary, with the special
duty of furnishing articles and material to newspapers.
Subscriptions were immediately solicited, and I took an
active part in this work, raising considerable money. I
devoted most of my time, however, to organizing a country
newspaper campaign. I was soon supplying about 200
country weeklies with “plate.” This was in the winter of
1900-1901, and in February, 1901, I went to New York,
believing I could get the financial aid of the New York
canal people for our work. I succeeded in getting them to
agree to pay for all “plate” matter furnished to newspapers
east of Syracuse. Mr. H. B. Hebert was at that time chair-
man of the canal committee of the New York Produce
Exchange, and it was to that committee that I stated my
case. Just at this time, however, and before any plates had
gone out on the new arrangement, the report of the State
Engineer on the barge canal survey was made public. The
greatly increased cost of the project, as shown by the
detailed survey, staggered us all again.
The State Commerce Convention met in March at Syra-
cuse for its adjourned session. At that convention, as at
the one nearly a year before, the Buffalo delegates, and
particularly their leader, the Hon. George Clinton, put forth
every effort to prevent a declaration for the iooo-ton barge
canal.
A third convention was held in the summer of 1901 in
Buffalo, during the Pan-American Exposition. By that
time the arguments of the New York delegates had pre-
vailed to such an extent that a resolution favoring, in gen-
eral terms, the iooo-ton barge plan, was passed.
During the next session of the Legislature, early in 1902,
a bill was prepared and introduced, largely at the instance of
Buffalo men, to carry out the Seymour plan. Hearings
were held and some progress was made* but the sudden and184
REMINISCENCES OF THE
firm opposition shown by the New York members at the
request of the Produce Exchange and allied organizations
of New York City, put an end to any possibility of its pas-
sage. The New Yorkers were firm and unyielding in their
demand for the iooo-ton barge canal.
The message of Governor Odell in January, 1901, was
unique in that, in the discussion of the canal problem,
glaring errors were made, the wrong figures having been
taken by the Governor from the report of the Canal Com-
mittee. This message caused considerable amusement as
well as serious criticism. In the State campaign of 1902
the parties were for the first time forced to take notice of
the growing canal improvement issue. The Buffalo Mer-
chants' Exchange sent men to both State conventions. The
late John Laughlin, former State Senator, attended the
Republican, while Theodore S. Fassett went to the Demo-
cratic convention, and both urged upon the leaders the
importance of putting a strong canal improvement plank in
the platforms. The Republican convention, dominated by
men from country districts, failed to comply, their plank
being a mere meaningless jumble of generalities. The
Democrats on the other hand adopted a real canal improve-
ment plank and appealed for votes as the “Canal Party.”
Governor Odell, in his speech of acceptance, came out for
the iooo-ton barge canal, so that the failure of the Republi-
can convention to take an advanced position in the canal
matter made little or no difference in the result. Governor
Odell was reelected, and a canal bill providing for a iooo-
ton barge canal, was prepared; and at the end of the
session, in April, 1903, it passed the Legislature.
The canal men set to work at once to prepare for the
popular election in November. A State organization was
formed and the newspaper work was assigned to me. I
organized it as before, supplying the country weeklies with
“plate” and the city papers with special articles and inter-
views.
The question of obtaining the aid of labor unions came
up early in the spring, even before the bill passed the
Legislature, and all labor work was put in the hands of Mr.BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.
185
Warren C. Browne, at that time a resident of Buffalo, but
since removed to New York. Mr. Browne was assisted by
a special committee of which I was a member.
The canal enlargement plan was presented to nearly
every labor organization in the State and was generally
approved.
An analysis of the vote shows the great aid given by
labor. In the strongest anti-canal sections of the State a
good minority vote was polled, wherever there were labor
organizations.
My work included the originating of arguments for
canal enlargement, the preparation of articles, and the
preparation and revision of speeches and addresses. I gave
a dinner at my home some two weeks after the election, at
which I had as guests the men who had done the hard work
of the campaign. Among them were the Hon. George
Clinton, chairman of the Canal Enlargement committee of
Buffalo; Mr. Leonard Dodge, president of the Chamber of
Commerce; Capt. J. J. H. Brown, an active member of the
Canal Committee; Mr. John R. Joslyn, associate editor of
the Buffalo Evening News, who had led the canal fight in
the newspapers; Mr. Warren C. Browne, in charge of
labor work, and Senator Henry W. Hill, die orator of the
canal cause.
*0,1 h»«* pnwml • miserable nigh;
80 Ml of ngly tagtsta, a! ghastly droua**
Bo tad of dhmal tensor wa» the than.'SSUXa&KttOL
A NEWSPAPER CARTOON OF THE BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.
186THE NEW YORK STATE PRESS
IN THE CAMPAIGN FOR
ENLARGEMENT OF THE CANALS
By M. M. WILNER,
Of the editorial staff of the Buffalo Express, and member of the Buffalo
Historical Society.
The part of the newspapers in the campaign for the en-
largement of the Erie Canal consisted chiefly of reporting
the legislative events and the public discussions which are
described in other papers in this symposium.
Previous to 1894 the defense of canal interests was left
largely to the boatmen themselves. Captain “Bill” Clark
of Constantia was the chief press agent. He wrote his name
“Captain W. C. Clark,” but it should properly go into canal
history as “Bill,” since that was what everybody called hinv
It was Captain “Bill’s” chief business in life to travel up
and down the State, calling at the newspaper offices and
keeping them informed on the needs of the canal from the
boatmen’s viewpoint. He haunted the Capitol during legis-
lative sessions; he hung around the hotels at all State con-
ventions; everybody laughed at him; no one paid much
attention to him. But there was really quite an important
political power back of the quaint old agitator. He claimed
to represent and, in a sense, did represent the votes of the
boatmen. There were at that time over 4,000 canal boats
in use. Estimating that each boat represented five voters,
the managing politicians could easily see that here was a
force which could not be antagonized without some danger.
187188
THE STATE PRESS IN THE
There was, of course, a great business element in the State
supporting the canal also, but it was the voice of the organ-
ized boatmen which was most in evidence among the news-
papers and politicians in those years. So the parties regu-
larly put canal planks in their platforms and the Legisla-
ture usually appropriated at each session enough to enlarge
a lock here and there or to dredge out a few shallow places,
while the canal steadily deteriorated and canal commerce
steadily declined.
When the Constitutional Convention of 1894 voted $9,-
000,000 to enlarge the canals, it was generally looked upon
by the newspapers as a sort of grand sop to the boatmen.
There was very little newspaper support for the proposi-
tion outside of Buffalo. It is true a canal conference repre-
senting general business interests had recommended the
appropriation to the convention, but newspapers are apt to
judge by surface indications and the canal interests which
were most plainly in sight were the boatmen.
The New York papers generally ignored the matter or
opposed it. The New York Times was conspicuous in op-
position up to the eve of election. It argued in favor of
turning the canals over to the Federal Government for con-
version into a ship canal. But just before election the
Times suddenly swung back to what had been its historic
policy and supported the appropriation. In fact the entire
metropolis appeared to awake almost in a night to the
importance of the project. A great mass-meeting in its
favor was held and on election day the city gave 32,613
majority for the appropriation, while Brooklyn gave 20,362.
That Buffalo was the center of this canal movement,
however, is shown by the vote of 27,469 cast by Erie county
in favor of the appropriation to 9,654 against it. In pro-
portion to the size of the city the Buffalo majority was much
larger than that of either New York or Brooklyn. The
agitation had been taken up early by the Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange and was conducted with intelligence and enthu-
siasm. Robert R. Hefford and George Clinton are names
which should be mentioned in this connection, but among
Buffalo canal men there is no one who deserves greaterBARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.
1W
credit than Henry W. Hill. George Z. Lincoln’s “Constitu-
tional History of New York” contains the following:
“The most elaborate and comprehensive speech on canals in the
convention was delivered by Henry W. Hill of Buffalo. Mr. Hill
had given the subject long, patient and thorough study and had, ap-
parently, examined it from every point of view. . . . The student,
of the economic relations of canals will find here the whole subject
so carefully considered and so clearly arranged that little need be*
sought elsewhere.”
The election of Henry W. Hill to the Assembly after the
close of the convention, and later to the Senate, gave the
canal men an advocate in the Legislature for whose services
too much praise can not be spoken.
The fact that the $9,000,000 appropriation had proved
insufficient to accomplish its purpose was first made known
to the public by the Buffalo Express. In a series of articles
beginning on December 6, 1897, it described in detail the
manner in which the money had been expended, the amount
of work done and the condition of the fund at the time.
The truth of the Expresses statements was soon afterward
acknowledged by a formal order suspending canal improve-
ment work. Governor Black appointed a commission of
inquiry, consisting of George Clinton, Franklin Edson,
Smith M. Weed, Darwin R. James, Frank Brainard, A.
Foster Higgins and William McEchron. The commission
reported that 36 per cent, of the work had been completed
and that $15,000,000 more would be needed to finish it
according to the plans.
An anxious time followed. Opponents of the canals as-
sumed that the idea of enlarging or even maintaining for
any long period the canal system had been killed, and were
correspondingly elated. But the interests concerned were
too important to let the project be dropped. Under a law of
1898, Governor Black appointed a commission to investi-
gate the causes of the decline of the commerce of the port
of New York. It consisted of Charles A. Schieren, chair-
man; Andrew H. Green, C. C. Shayne, Hugh Kelley and.
Alexander R. Smith, secretary, with Ben L. Fairchild as-<190
THE STATE PRESS IN THE
counsel. Soon after Governor Roosevelt assumed office,
in 1899, he appointed a committee for the special purpose
of considering the question: what should be done with the
canals? Its members were Francis V. Greene, chairman;
George E. Green, John N. Scatcherd, Major Thomas W.
Symons, U. S. Engineers; Frank S. Witherbee, Edward
A. Bond, State Engineer and Surveyor; John N. Partridge,
Superintendent of Public Works, with John A. Fairlie,
secretary. Both the commerce commission and the Roose-
velt canal commission reported at about the same time in
1900. Both strongly urged canal improvement. The com-
merce commission reported that an enlarged canal was
necessary to correct railroad discrimination against New
York and recommended the appropriation of $15,000,000
to complete the work in hand. The more famous Roosevelt
commission recommended the barge canal for boats of 1,000
tons capacity.
The various steps taken in the Legislature, in conven-
tions and by business organizations to bring about the adopt-
ion of this plan do not come within the scope of this paper.
So far as the press was concerned the canal subject re-
mained a live one from the time of the appointment of the
Roosevelt commission till the $101,000,000 appropriation
had been adopted by the Legislature and approved by the
people. The discussion did not at any time become political,
though Democrats took what advantage they could of the
failure of the $9,000,000 appropriation under a Republican
administration. The division was, rather, upon geographi-
cal lines. Most of the country papers bitterly opposed the
appropriation. All through the Southern Tier of counties
the opposition was strong. The Elmira Advertiser and the
Binghamton Republican were leading anti-canal papers in
that quarter. Northern New York was equally strong in
opposition, the Watertown Times being the principal news-
paper to voice the hostility. But, most discouraging of all,
was the appearance of fierce opposition along the line of
the canal, where hitherto canal sentiment had been pre-
dominant. Syracuse and Utica both turned against the
cause. Rochester was the chief center of the defection.BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.
191
Much of the anti-canal work in Rochester was done by
John A. C. Wright, who proved to be a very persistent
and energetic leader of the anti-canal forces. The Roches-
ter Post Express and the Rochester Democrat and Chron-
icle were vigorous in opposition, and the Rochester Chamber
of Commerce adopted anti-canal resolutions. The Roches-
ter contention was that the Erie canal should be turned over
to the United States Government and enlarged to a ship
canal. This fascinating idea, which had always given the
practical canal men considerable trouble, had gained some
authority from the report of engineers employed by the
United States Government under the deep waterways com-
mission. The obvious answer was that the time required for
so long a voyage would be so great that large lake or ocean
ships would not be able to transport cargoes over the route
so cheaply as the inexpensive barges and probably could not
afford to use such a canal at all, since they could make
more money in deep-water voyages. But it is always hard
to convince the American public that the biggest thing is
not necessarily the best, and the ship-canal delusion un-
doubtedly cost the barge project many votes.
The great New York dailies, as a rule, paid little atten-
tion to canal matters, though the Sun came out in opposi-
tion, pouring forth invective, ridicule and argument in near-
ly every edition. The Journal of Commerce, New York’s
great business daily, however, was a tower of strength for
canal improvement. All of the Buffalo papers worked hard
for the appropriation. There were many individuals in the
anti-canal territory who spoke and wrote and exerted all
the influence they could for the canals. This was particu-
larly true in Chautauqua county. George E. Green of
Binghamton also afforded a conspicuous example of the
effect of a careful study of the question. He had been ap-
pointed to the Roosevelt commission as a representative of
the anti-canal sentiment. He was frankly against the canals
when he entered upon the investigation. He was a strong
canal man when the commission’s work was finished, and
he advocated the appropriation, despite the bitter hostility
of his constituency.192
THE STATE PRESS IN THE
When the vote was taken it showed sixteen counties for
the canals, as follows: Albany, Cayuga, Erie, Essex, Kings,
Nassau, New York, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, Queens,
Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster, Westchester. The
details of the vote may appropriately be inserted here:
FOR	AGAINST	MAJORITY
Albany ................. 16,153	14,452	1,701*
Allegany .................. 994	7,073	6,079**
Broome .................. 2,401	11,696	9,295**
Cattaraugus ............. 2,239	7>39i	5,152**
Cayuga .................  6,140	1,309	4,831*
Chautauqua ............ 3,116	10,738	7,622**
Chemung ................... 975	6,879	5,904**
Chenango ................ 1,034	6,917	5,883**
Clinton ................. 1,910	4,006	2,096**
Columbia ................ 1,526	5,498	3,972**
Cortland .................. 695	6,140	5,445**
Delaware ................ 1,326	9,111	7,785**
Dutchess ................ 4,099	7,779	3,680**
Erie ................... 39,451	8,355	31,096*
Essex ................... 1,864	1,660	204*
Franklin .................  912	5,302	4,390**
Fulton .................  1.751	2,409	658**
Genesee ................. 1,446	3,680	2,234**
Greene .................. 1,823	4,017	2,194**
Hamilton .................  307	513	206**
Herkimer ................ 4,692	4,874	182**
Jefferson ............... 1,924	11,166	9,242**
Kings .................. 62,282	20,925	41,357*
Lewis ................... 1,020	5,222	4,202**
Livingston ................ 761	6,063	5,302**
Madison ................. 2,089	6,268	4,179**
Monroe................... 5,247	21,443	16,196**
Montgomery .............. 3,074	3,962	888**
Nassau .................. 4,393	2,740	1,653*
New York............... 252,608	28,979	223,629*
Niagara ................. 8,514	4,014	4,500*
Oneida .................  84.01	12,038	3,637**
Onondaga ................ 9,061	11,477	2,416**
♦ Majority for.
** Majority against.BARGE CANAL CAMPAIGN.	193
	FOR	AGAINST	MAJORITY
Ontario				 L532	9,951	8,419**
Orange 		— 5.326	8,952	3,626**
Orleans			2,411	273*
Oswego		— 7,564	5,759	1,805*
Otsego 			 1,105	9,068	7,963**
Putnam 		— I,og6	1,552	456**
Queens 			 20,945	4,308	16,637*
Rensselaer 				 3,546	6,892	3,346**
Richmond 			 8,965	1,517	7,448*
Rockland 				 3,939	1,866	2,073*
St. Lawrence 			 1,172	12,713	11,541**
Saratoga				 4,508	6,894	2,386**
Schenectady 			2,622	806**
Schoharie 			 836	5,476	4,640**
Schuyler				3,356	3,076**
Seneca 				 907	4,687	3,780**
Steuben			 1,502	14,638	13,136**
Suffolk 			 S,70i	5,021	680*
Sullivan 			 1,306	5,252	3,946**
Tioga 			 374	5,579	5,205**
Tompkins			5,498	4,778**
Ulster 			 8,369	7,728	641*
Warren			 2,525	2,745	220**
Washington			 3,844	5,237	i,393**
Wayne 			 2,473	7,691	5,218**
Westchester 			 24^98	8,499	15,999*
Wyoming 			 865	3,593	2,728**
Yates			 294	4,097	3,803**
Totals 			 673,010	427,698	245,312*
* Majority for.
** Majority against.SECOND REPORT OF THE
WESTERN INLAND LOCK
NAVIGATION COMPANYSECOND REPORT OF
THE WESTERN INLAND LOCK
NAVIGATION COMPANY
17981
To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New
York, in Senate and Assembly convened:
The directors of the Western Inland Navigation Com-
pany respectfully report:
That in the summer and fall ensuing the establishment of
the said company by the act of March, 1792, surveys were
made on the Mohawk river from Schenectady to Fort
Schuyler, and on the Wood creek from that place to its
termination on the Oneida lake.
The object of those surveys was to ascertain what
improvement the navigation was susceptible of, and what,
in particular, were the greatest obstructions to the water
transportation of the agricultural produce of the interior of
the State. The result was an impression favorable to the
objects of the institution, and was followed by a determina-
1. The second report of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company,
printed here in fulfilment of the pledge made in the preceding volume of
these Publications (vol. XII., Introduction, p. xii), is a rarer document than
even the first report (New York, 1796). The first report will be found
reprinted in volume II, Buffalo Historical Society Publications. The second
report, signed by Philip Schuyler, Feb. 16, 1798, is in effect the official history
of New York's first canal project from its inception in 17^2, to 1798. As
Senator Hill has shown (XIL, 72) the expense of the improvements projected
by the Northern and Western Inland Lock Navigation Companies proved so
great that their plans were never carried to completion, their works being
later absorbed by the State in its larger canal enterprise.
X97198
SECOND REPORT, INLAND LOCK
tion, on the part of the company, to begin operations at the
Little Falls in Herkimer county, which created' a portage
where all boats navigating the Mohawk river, with their
cargoes, were transported nearly one mile over land1; an
operation attended with unavoidable delay and great ex-
pense, as well as with injury to the boats and their cargoes.
The work was accordingly commenced in April, 1793, with
nearly three hundred laborers, besides a competent number
of artificers; but its progress was arrested early in Septem-
ber, for want of funds; many of the stockholders having
neglected to pay the requisitions made by the directors,
either because they had not the means to supply such
advances, or from an apprehension of the impracticability
of succeeding in the operation.
In January, 1794, the work was recommenced, although
feebly, and some progress made, in hope that the Legislature
would afford assistance by grants or loans of money, or by
taking unsubscribed shares. Accordingly the Legislature,
sensible of the propriety of relieving the stockholders in
one or other of these modes, and appreciating, with that
discernment which has invariably characterized the Legis-
lature of this State, the advantages the community at large
would derive from the accomplishment of the important
undertaking which they had encouraged individuals to
attempt, directed a subscription, on the part of the people
of the State, of two hundred shares. This measure was
attended with the most salutary effects. The hopes and
confidence of the company were revived, and the works
recommenced in May, 1795, with a correspondent degree
of alacrity. But the very high price of agricultural produce
creating a most extensive demand for labor, it was found
impossible to obtain such a number of workmen as were
requisite to finish the works before the end of the summer,
and it was not until the 17th of November that the canal
and locks were so far completed as to afford a passage to
boats.
As a description of the country through which the canal
is carried, a detail of its foundation, and a delineation of
the beneficial effects which have already been, and hereafterNAVIGATION COMPANY.
199
will be experienced from it, may not be uninteresting to the
community, and in particular to the Legislature, whose
deliberations have the interest of their constituents so con-
stantly in view, we beg leave to exhibit the following
summary:
The canal is drawn through the northern shore of the
Mohawk river, about fifty-six miles beyond Schenectady.
Its track is nearly parallel to the direction of the waters of
the fall, and at a mean about forty yards therefrom. It
is supplied with water from- the river above the falls, com-
mencing in a natural basin, whose position secures the
guard lock (which is placed at the extremity of the canal)
from any injuries which might be apprehended to arise
from ice or driftwood in times of freshets. From the basin,
extending in an oblique direction across the stream to the
opposite shore, a dam has been thrown, which, by creating
an additional depth of water of twelve inches, saved the
great expense which would have attended the excavation of
the canal through the solid rock to procure the same depth
of water, and has also materially improved the navigation
of the river for a considerable distance upwards.
The length of the canal is four thousand seven hundred
and fifty-two feet, in which distance the aggregate fall is
forty-four feet seven inches. Five locks, having each nearly
nine feet lift, are placed towards the lower end of the canal;
and the pits in which they are placed have been excavated
out of solid rock of the hardest kind. The chamber of each
lock is an area of seventy-four feet by twelve in the clear;
and boats drawing three feet of water may enter it at all
times. The depth of water in all the extent of the canal is
various, but not less than three feet in any place. A waste
wear [weir] is constructed to discharge the surplus water
entering the canal, from two small rivulets which intersect
its course.
About two thousand five hundred and fifty feet of the
canal is cut through solid granite rock, and when- the level
struck above the natural surface of the earth, or rather
rock, strong and well-constructed walls were erected sup-
ported by heavy embankments of earth, to confine the earth200
SECOND REPORT, INLAND LOCK
and keep the level; hence, there is no other current in the
canal than an almost imperceptible one when the paddles of
the locks are raised. Three handsome and substantial
bridges are thrown over the canal, at so many roads which
have been intersected by it.
The following state of facts will evince the beneficial
influence this important work has had on the transportation
to market of the produce of the country beyond the falls;
and on the return of the necessary supplies for the con-
sumption of our useful, hardy husbandmen in that quarter,
employed in reducing a wilderness to smiling fields, pro-
moting their own happiness, and the commerce and respect-
ability of the State.
The falls, previous to the improvements above stated,
being impassable, even for empty water craft, these, with
all their cargoes were transported by land, over a road as
rough, rocky, and bad as the imagination can conceive; of
necessity, therefore, the boats were of such a construction
as might be transported on a wheel carriage, consequently
of little burthen, seldom exceeding a ton and a half; each
boat was navigated by three men; and a voyage from
Schenectady to Fort Schuyler, a distance of one hundred
and twelve miles, and back to the former place, was seldom
made in less than nine days. Thus, the transportation of a
ton of produce, if no back freight offered, was equivalent
to one man’s wages for eighteen days.
The canal and locks will admit the passage of boats of
thirty tons burthen- with facility; but impediments in the
river, still to be removed, between Schenectady and the
Little Falls, prevent the use of boats of more burthen than
ten or eleven tons; each of these is navigated by five men,
and make the same voyage in fourteen days, which is at
the rate of seven days’ wages of one man- for one ton. But
until the improvements shall be completed, which are con-
templated to be made in the river above and below the falls,
these boats, when the water in the river is at its lowest
state, which is usually from the middle of July to the end
of September, can only convey about five or six tons during
that period ; then the transportation of a ton between theNAVIGATION COMPANY.
201
places aforesaid is equal to the wages of one man for four-
teen days, affording still an important saving, exclusive of
that which arises from the speedy passage of the boats
through the canal and locks; the whole time taken up to
pass through both not exceeding three quarters of an hour;
but transported as heretofore, by land, caused a detention
at least of one day, and frequently of a longer time.
Early in the spring of 1796, the directors commenced
their operations at Fort Schuyler. Their object was to
effect a junction of the waters of the Mohawk with those
of Wood creek, by means of a canal between the respective
landing-places. The difficulty of procuring laborers, from
the existence of the causes before mentioned, prevented the
completion of the work that season; but during the winter
of 1796 and 1797 the necessary arrangements having been
made, a sufficient number of men were obtained, who
recommenced the work in April last; and, although there
was a considerable extension of the original plan, yet the
whole was opened for the passage of boats on the 3d of
October. As the beneficial consequences resulting on these
improvements extend much further than the mere removal
of the portage, it may not be improper to enter into a
detailed account of the former and the present modes of
transportation.
Previous to the completion of the canal, the commerce of
the western parts of the State was carried on by means of
the batteaux before described, carrying, on the average, one
ton and a half. On their arrival at the landing-place, the
boat was unladen, hauled out of the water, and conveyed,
together with the cargo, on wagons across the carrying-
place, to Wood creek, where, if it happened that there was
a sufficiency of water, the cargo was taken on board again,
and the boat, aided by a flush from a mill-dam, descended
the creek to the Oneida lake; but if the water was low
(which was generally the case from the beginning of June
to October), the lading was conveyed five miles further to
Canada creek, along a road scarcely passable. The delay
and consequent expense at this season was very great; the
difficulty of ascending was still greater; the boat was202
SECOND REPORT, INLAND LOCK
unladen at Canada creek, and, as the state of the road would
not admit of its conveyance by land, oxen were applied, and
by main strength dragged it along the bed of the creek, to
the great detriment and injury of the boat.
On the most moderate calculation it may be affirmed
that the delay in passing over the carrying-place was, on an
average, one day, and frequently much more; while at
present the boats, with a greater quantity of goods on board,
and without sustaining the smallest injury, pass over the
same space in three hours, and the remainder of the voyage
to the Oneida lake is much facilitated and expedited by
means of the additional quantity of water which is thrown
into the creek. Formerly it was the stated custom to collect
the waters of Wood creek in the mill dam during the night,
and early in the morning to discharge the same, which
creating a temporary flush, such boats as were in readiness
availed1 themselves thereof. But if they arrived a few
minutes after the discharge, they were detained until the
following morning, whereas at present the regulations are
such that the time of arrival is immaterial, and the voyage
is continued without interruption or delay.
The length of the canal from the Mohawk to Wood creek
is two miles and three chains, one-third of which distance
is cut through a gravelly hill from twelve to eighteen feet
in depth. The width is thirty-seven and a half feet, and
boats drawing three and a half feet of water may pass
freely along it.
A lateral branch is cut from the canal to the Mohawk
river, upwards of five hundred yards in length, and from
ten to twelve feet deep; by means of this feeder any quan-
tity of water can be taken into the canal and discharged
into Wood creek or the Mohawk, as circumstances may
require. To regulate the supply, and to prevent the works
being injured by the freshets, a large regulating waste wear
[weir] is constructed across the feeder; another of a similar
form is erected near Fort Newport, for the purpose of fur-
nishing the necessary supplies of water to Wood creek; and
it is found by experience that these devices fully answer the
most sanguine expectations, as now Wood creek is renderedNAVIGATION COMPANY.
203
at least equal to any part of the navigation between thence
and Schenectady. There is a lock at each extremity of the
canal, the one of ten feet lift, and the other of eight feet.
Five handsome and substantial bridges are constructed over
the canal and feeder.
Wood creek has been considerably improved by cutting
through several isthmuses so as to shorten the distance near
seven miles, and also by the removal of the timber, which
had fallen into it in such quantities as almost altogether to
obstruct the navigation.
The channel of the Mohawk below Fort Schuyler being
in the same situation, a party of men were employed the
last summer in removing these obstacles, and considerable
progress was made therein. The most difficult part is
cleared, extending from the canal to Six Mile creek; the
remaining part from the last-mentioned place to the German
Flats will be finished the present year. At the German
Flats a canal has been commenced for the purpose of avoid-
ing two bad rapid's, known commonly by the names of
Wolf’s and Orendorff’s rifts; the cutting is nearly com-
pleted, and the whole will be so far advanced as to admit
the passage of boats in a few months. At the west end a
guard lock will be placed, similar in form, and for the same
purpose as that at the Little Falls, before described. At the
east end the boats will pass through another lock of twelve
feet fall into very good water which continues to the canal
at the falls, a distance of nearly five miles. Above the guard
lock, and at the head of Wolf rift, a dam will be thrown
across the Mohawk, so as to raise the water thereof three
feet, which will materially improve the navigation above, by
affording a sufficient depth of water over the shallows oppo-
site to Aldridge’s and Fort Herkimer.
The next object to which the directors mean to bend
their attention, is the clearing the bed of the river below
the Little Falls, from the rocks, stones, sandbars, and other
obstacles, which at present so greatly interrupt the naviga-
tion. The work commenced late last season, and consider-
able progress was made in blowing up the large massy
rocks, which rendered the passage of the Haycock rapid so204
SECOND REPORT, INLAND LOCK
dangerous. The work will be resumed as soon as the
waters subside, and will progress regularly downwards.
The directors, aware of the difficulty of improving
effectually the river from Schoharie to Schenectady, di-
rected their engineer to survey the southern shore to deter-
mine the most eligible route for a canal, and to make an
estimate of the expense that would attend' the execution ;
and, as an opinion had been entertained that the line might
be extended to Albany by preserving the level from
Schoharie creek to the vicinity of Schenectady (which it
was imagined was sufficiently elevated to surmount the
intermediate ground between the two places), the directors,
always willing to promote every object that has in view the
public good, further directed their engineer to ascertain the
practicability of the measure. From his report it appears
that the summit ground between Albany and Schenectady
is elevated one hundred and forty-five feet above the sur-
face of the Mohawk at Claus Veele’s, three miles above the
last-mentioned place; and that the rise from thence to
Schoharie is only seventy-one feet; consequently the depth
to be‘cut through for some miles would have been nearly
seventy-four feet, which sufficiently proves the impractica-
bility of the plan. If even the level from Schoharie creek
could be kept, which, on account of rocky mountains and
deep ravines would be next to impossible, and although a
canal may be drawn along the southern shore of the
Mohawk from Schoharie to Schenectady, yet from the
length of the line, and the nature of the ground it must
pass through, the expense of execution would1 be so great,
that the directors are of opinion that the present trade of
the country would not warrant their undertaking a work of
such magnitude. They have, therefore, determined to con-
fine their operations to the bed of the river, and to make
such improvements therein as it is susceptible of.
With respect to the improvements to the westward of
Fort Schuyler, the directors beg leave to observe, that from
the outlet of the Oneida lake to the south end of the Cayuga
lake, nature has done so much that little is left for art to
accomplish. The few obstructions necessary to be removedNAVIGATION COMPANY.
205
may be effected in the course of one summer, and at a very
moderate expense; which, when completed', would form a
navigation from Schenectady westward of near two hun-
dred and eighty miles in extent, and through a tract of
country, perhaps, on the whole, unrivalled in point of fer-
tility. The immense advantages that must result from the
accomplishment of this great object, both to the western
and southern parts of the State, are too striking to escape
the attention of a mind the least informed.
The communication with Lake Ontario by the Onondaga
river, although at present so eligible as to need little
improvement as far as the falls (twelve miles from Lake
Ontario) is from thence to the lake so interrupted by an
almost continued series of rapids, and the adjacent shores
being high, steep, and chiefly of solid rock, will render the
cutting of a canal on the adjacent shore absolutely imprac-
ticable. The only mode will therefore be improvements in
the bed of the river by means of dams and locks, unless
some more eligible route can be discovered for a communi-
cation between the Lakes Oneida and Ontario; and it has
been suggested that the country intermediate between
Rotterdam on Lake Oneida, and that part of Lake Ontario
where Salmon river falls into it, is such that a canal may
be drawn across. The sources of two rivulets, which dis-
charge themselVes in different directions into the respective
lakes at the above-mentioned places, are very near to each
other; if, on examination, it should appear that when
united they are sufficiently copious to supply the summit
level, and the ground should prove favorable, there can be
little doubt but it would be the most eligible line of com-
munication. If the harbor at the mouth of Salmon river is
equally good with that at Oswego for vessels navigating
the lake, the length would not probably exceed eighteen
miles, which is thirty miles shorter than by the Onondaga
river. It is not possible to form any idea of the lockage on
either route until an actual survey has been made; which
it is the intention of the directors to cause to be done the
first convenient opportunity.206
SECOND REPORT, INLAND LOCK
The directors would beg leave further to represent to the
Legislature that some alterations and amendments to the
existing laws in respect to the said company have become
necessary or expedient.
From the preceding statement of the exertions of the
company, and the progress they have made, it must be
obvious that no unnecessary delay is to be imputed to them;
and they therefore respectfully solicit an extension of the
term of five years, allowed by the act of the 30th March,
1792, for completing the navigation between Schenectady
and the Wood creek to the further term of five years, to be
computed1 from the 1st day of January last.
Large sums of money have already been expended by
the company in removing trees out of the bed of the river
Mohawk and Wood creek, which had either accidentally
fallen therein from its banks or were intentionally cut down
aftd drawn therein for the purpose of clearing the adjacent
ground ; of the latter an immense number have been
brought into the river subsequent to the commencement of
the operations for removing those there out, which had
previously obstructed the navigation. To remedy this incon-
venience in future, the directors respectfully represent that
it would conduce to the attainment of the beneficial ends
of the establishment if such further legislative provision
was made in the premises as would enable them or their
agents to cut down the trees on the banks of the Mohawk,
Wood creek, the other streams through which their im-
provement may be carried to the distance of two perches
from the banks; and to draw and lay upon the shores such
of the water-soaked timber, which, when raised from the
bed of those streams, will not float down the same; and
either to burn or preserve the timber so cut down or taken
out for the use of the respective proprietors of the soil
where the same is cut or laid at the option of the latter.
The directors have also found by experience that the
mode pointed out by the seventh section of the same act, for
ascertaining the value of lands to be taken by the company
for the necessary accomplishment of their works, is in some
respects extremely injurious and expensive, and that justiceNAVIGATION COMPANY.
207
requires some amelioration of its provisions. One instance
has occurred in which the jury assessed the damages of the
individual at one dollar, and the costs incurred by the com-
pany were three hundred and seventy-five dollars. They
would, therefore, respectfully submit to the Legislature the
propriety of altering the law in such a manner that the
process for ascertaining the damages, when the parties can-
not agree, may be more expeditious, less expensive, and
equally just in its effects. And' the directors respectfully
submit, whether a provision similar to that instituted for
ascertaining the damages to be paid by the corporation of
the city of Albany in prosecuting the works requisite to
supply the said city with water would' not be an eligible
provision.
The company have expended in improving the bed of the
Mohawk, in straightening and improving Wood creek, in
completing the locks and canals at Fort Schuyler, the canal
and locks at the Little Falls, and upon the canal at the
German Flats, about $209,357.
The directors apprehend the expenditures this year will
cost about $50,000.
The requisitions on the stockholders for the year past
have not been sufficient to defray all the expenses which
have accrued, and the directors have been under the neces-
sity of borrowing $39,950; besides which sum, they are
indebted to the State $37,500.
About one hundred and fifty shares remain on hand, as
forfeited by former stockholders, or unsubscribed, and
considering how deeply interested the State at large is in the
success of so extensive a plan of inland navigation, the
directors apprehend the Legislature would be induced' to
take the aforesaid shares at the same rate as the shares are
held by the present stockholders. The sum required will
be sixty pounds each share, and subject to the future
requisition of the directors. This proposal being acceded to
by the Legislature, the directors will be enabled to prosecute
the works with vigor; but should it be rejected, they appre-
hend the money that may be required will be difficult to be
raised from the stockholders, and in consequence further208 INLAND LOCK NAVIGATION COMPANY.
operations arrested for the present year, whereby the minds
of the public and individuals will be much discouraged.
It would be proper to state to the Legislature that the
tolls received in 1797 at the Little Falls was $2,87149, and
that after this year the directors expect to receive at that
place for tolls $6,000, on account of the canal and locks at
German Flats, and improvements made in the river; and
the canal at Fort Schuyler they expect will produce $4,000.
That, on the whole, they hope, after the present year, the
company will be enabled to make a dividend of four per
cent, on their capital.
The directors, in justice to their engineer, beg leave to
remark that they have the greatest confidence in his abili-
ties, and as a person of such singular qualifications is ex-
ceedingly difficult to be obtained, the directors are fearful
that if the work should be arrested for want of funds, they
may lose the opportunity of availing themselves of his
services; a loss they cannot calculate, as years may elapse
before, if ever, they may be able to procure a person pos-
sessed of such handsome qualifications.
Complaints have prevailed that the toll established for the
passage of boats and their cargoes through the canal con-
necting the waters of the Mohawk with Wood creek was
extravagantly high; the directors have therefore deemed it
necessary to subjoin to this report a statement comparing
the present with the former expense of transportation over
the carrying place at Fort Schuyler, with some observa-
tions pertinent to the subject.
By order of the Board of Directors of the 16th of
February, 1798.
Ph. Schuyler, President.THE
CANAL MEMORIAL
OF 1816NEW YORK’S
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816’
Memorial of the Citizens of New York, in Favour of
a Canal Navigation between the Great West-
ern Lakes and the Tide-waters of the Hudson,
To the Legislature of the State of New-York:
The memorial of the subscribers, in favour of a canal
navigation between the great western lakes and the tide-
waters of the Hudson, most respectfully represents:
That they approach the Legislature with a solicitude
proportioned to the importance of this great undertaking,
and with a confidence founded on the enlightened public
spirit of the constituted authorities. If, in presenting the
various considerations which have induced them to make
this appeal, they should occupy more time than is usual
on common occasions, they must stand justified by the
importance of the object. Connected as it is with the
essential interests of our country, and calculated in its com-
mencement to reflect honour on the State, and in its com-
i. In volume XII of these Publications, page 86, note is made of the
Memorial of the citizens of New York State addressed to the Legislature. It
may well be called the most important document in the early history of the
State canals, if not, indeed, in all the canal history. As Senator Hill says,
it is “worthy of perusal by this and subsequent generations.” Drafted by
DeWitt Clinton and signed by many citizens of the State, it made a deep
impression on the Legislature to which it was submitted Feb. 16, 1816.
There can be little doubt that it was this Memorial which committed New
York State to its great canal policy.
In Buffalo the Memorial was first printed in the Gazette of February 6,
1816. The same issue of the Gazette contained the following notice:
"County Meeting—The inhabitants of the County of Niagara are hereby
notified that a meeting will be held at the house of G. Kibbee’s in the
211212
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
pletion to exalt it to an elevation of unparalleled prosperity,
your memorialists are fully persuaded that centuries may
pass away before a subject is again presented so worthy
of all your attention, and so deserving of all your patronage
and support.
The improvement of the means of intercourse between
different parts of the same country has always been con-
sidered the first duty and the noblest employment of Gov-
ernment. If it be important that the inhabitants of the
same country should be bound together by a community of
interests, and a reciprocation of benefits; that agriculture
should find a sale for its productions; manufacturers a vent
for their fabrics; and commerce a market for its commo-
dities : it is your incumbent duty to open, facilitate, and
improve internal navigation. The preeminent advantages
of canals have been established by the unerring test of
experience. They unite cheapness, celerity, and safety, in
the transportation of commodities. It is calculated that the
expense of transporting on a canal amounts to one cent a
ton per mile, or one dollar a ton for one hundred* miles;
while the usual cost by land conveyance is one dollar and
sixty cents per hundredweight, or thirty-two dollars a ton
for the same distance. The celerity and certainty of this
village of Buffalo on Thursday the 15th inst., at 4 p. m., for the purpose of
considering the subject of internal navigation. February 5.”
Of this meeting, which was apparently the first organized movement in
Buffalo in behalf of canal improvement, no report is known to exist. The
Gazette may have contained a report, but no copy of the Gazette after Feb-
ruary 6th is known to exist until the issue of February 27th. In the issue
for that date is printed “The petition of the inhabitants of the County of
Niagara’* to the Legislature, setting forth their views on the subject of the
Memorial. This petition was evidently the formal result of the meeting at
G. Kibbee’s [?Kibbe*s] and may be considered the first official expression of
Buffalo's citizens in the canal matter. It fills about one column of the old
newspaper. A brief extract or two will sufficiently indicate its character:
“We are prompted,” say the petitioners, “as well by considerations of
public utility as of individual prosperity, to unite our voice with that which
has gone forth from almost every part of the community...............We
believe that the best interests of the State require that the contemplated canal
should run as direct as possible from Lake Erie to the Hudson. Much has
been said of locking the Falls of Niagara, but we are persuaded that if this
project could be effected it would be the means of pouring into the marketsCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
213
mode of transportation are evident. A loaded boat can be
towed by one or two horses1 at the rate of thirty miles a
day. Hence, the seller or buyer can calculate with suffi-
cient precision on his sales or purchases, the period of their
arrival, the amount of their avails, and' the extent of their
value. A vessel on a canal is independent of winds, tides,
and currents, and is not exposed to the delays attending
conveyances by land; and with regard to safety, there can
be no competition. The injuries to which- commodities- are
exposed when transported by land, and the dangers to
which they are liable when conveyed by natural waters,
are rarely experienced on canals. In the latter way, com-
paratively speaking, no waste is incurred, no risk is en-
countered, and no insurance required. Hence, it follows,
that canals operate upon the general interests of society,
in the same way that machines for saving labour do in
manufactures; they enable the farmer, the mechanic, and
the merchant, to convey their commodities to market, and
to receive a return, at least thirty times cheaper than by
roads. As to all the purposes of beneficial communication,
they diminish the distance between places, and therefore
encourage the cultivation of the most Extensive and remote
parts of the country. They create new sources of internal
of the Canadas the surplus products of nearly the whole western country and
of depriving our own cities of the vast benefits of the western trade.......
We believe that the contemplated canal would ultimately increase the wealth
arid power of the State almost beyond the reach of calculation. That it
would have a tendency greatly to strengthen the most important frontier of
the State, the frontier on which we live, there can hardly be a doubt. This
country being at one extremity of the canal, would, we conceive, become a
point where great wealth and a numerous population would naturally con-
centrate. It would of course present a powerful barrier to our neighbors on
the opposite shore of the Niagara should we at any future period be in-
volved in a war with their parent country.
"The melancholy experience of the late war has effectually taught us that
our hopes of security must rest upon strength. The safety of the interior of
any State or nation depends in a great measure upon the capability of its
frontiers to resist and repeal aggression.”
This petition is dated "Niagara County, 22 February, 1816,” the date
suggesting that the citizens of Buffalo in that year marked Washington’s
birthday by a canal meeting which authorized this petition, but of which
no detailed report is known to exist, nor are the names of the citizens who
may have signed it appended to it as printed in the Gazette.214
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
trade, and augment the old channels ; for the more cheap
the transportation, the more expanded will be its operation;
and the greater the mass of the products of the country for
sale, the greater will be the commercial exchange of return-
ing merchandize, and the greater the encouragement to man-
ufacturers, by the increased economy and comfort of living,
together with the cheapness and abundance of raw ma-
terials; and canals are consequently advantageous to towns
and villages, by destroying the monopoly of the adjacent
country, and advantageous to the whole country; for
though some rival commodities may be introduced into the
old markets, yet many markets will be opened by increas-
ing population, enlarging old and erecting new towns, aug-
menting individual and aggregate wealth, and extending
foreign commerce.
The prosperity of ancient Egypt, and China, in a great
degree may be attributed to their inland navigation. With
little foreign commerce, the former of those countries, by
these means, attained, and the latter possesses a population
and opulence in proportion to their extent, unequalled in
any other. And England and Holland, the most commer-
cial nations of modern times, deprived of their canals,
would lose the most prolific source of their prosperity and
greatness. Inland navigation is in fact to the same com-
munity what exterior navigation is to the great family of
mankind. As the ocean connects the nations of the earth
by the ties of commerce and the benefits of communication,
so do lakes, rivers and canals operate upon the inhabitants
of the same country; and it has been well observed that,
“were we to make the supposition of two states, the one
having all its cities, towns and villages upon navigable
rivers and canals, and having an easy communication with
each other; the other possessing the common conveyance
of land carriage, and supposing both states to be equal as
to soil, climate, and industry: commodities and manufac-
tures in the former State might be furnished 30 per cent,
cheaper than in the latter; or, in other words, the first
State would be a third richer and more affluent than the
other.,,CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
215
The general arguments in favour of inland navigation
apply with peculiar force to the United States, and most
emphatically to this State. A geographical view of the
country will at once demonstrate the unexampled prosperity
that will arise from our cultivating the advantages which
nature has dispensed1 with so liberal a hand. A great chain
of mountains passes through the United States, and divides
them into eastern and western America. In various places,
rivers break through these mountains, and are finally dis-
charged into the ocean. To the west there is a collection
of inland lakes, exceeding in its aggregate extent some of
the most celebrated seas of the old world. Atlantic Amer-
ica, on account of the priority of its settlement, its vicinity
to the ocean, and its favourable position for commerce, has
many advantages. The western country, however, has a
decided superiority in the fertility of its soil, the benignity
of its climate, and the extent of its territory. To connect
these great sections by inland navigation, to unite our Med-
iterranean seas with the ocean, is evidently an object of the
first importance to the general prosperity. Nature has
effected this in some measure; the St. Lawrence emanates
from the lakes, and discharges itself into the ocean in a
foreign territory. Some of the streams which flow into
the Mississippi originate near the Great Lakes, and pass
round the chain of mountains. Some of the waters of this
State which pass into Lake Ontario approach the Mohawk;
but our Hudson has decided advantages. It affords a tide
navigation for vessels of eighty tons to Albany and1 Troy,
160 miles above New York, and this peculiarity distin-
guishes it from all the other bays and rivers in the United
States, etc.
The tide in no other ascends higher than the Granite
Ridge, or within thirty miles of the Blue Ridge, or eastern
chain of mountains. In the Hudson it breaks through the
Blue Ridge, and ascends above the eastern termination of
the Catskill, or great western- chain; and there are no inter-
posing mountains to prevent a communication between it
and the Great Western Lakes.216
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
The importance of the Hudson River to the old settled
parts of this State may be observed in the immense wealth
which is daily borne on its waters, in the flourishing villages
and cities on its banks, and in the opulence and prosperity
of all the country connected with it, either remotely or
immediately. It may also be readily conceived, if we only
suppose that by some awful physical calamity, some over-
whelming convulsion of nature, this great river was ex-
hausted of its waters; where then would be the abundance
of our markets, the prosperity of our farmers, the wealth
of our merchants? Our villages would become deserted,
our flourishing cities would be converted into masses of
mouldering ruins, and this State would be precipitated' into
poverty and insignificance. If a river or natural- canal,
navigable about 170 miles, has been productive of such sig-
nal benefits, what blessings might not be expected if it were
extended through the most fertile country in the universe,
and united with the great seas of the West!
The contemplated canal would be this extension ; and
viewed in reference only to the productions and consump-
tions of the State, would perhaps convey more riches on its
waters than any other canal in the world. Connected with
the Hudson, it might be considered as a navigable stream
that extends 450 miles through a fruitful country, embrac-
ing a great population, and abounding with all the produc-
tions of industry. If we were to suppose all the rivers and
canals in England and Wales, combined into one, and dis-
charging into the ocean at a great city, after passing
through the heart of that country, then we can form a dis-
tinct idea of the importance of the projected canal; but it
indeed comprehends within its influence a greater extent of
territory, which will in time embrace a greater population.
If this work be so important when we confine our views to
the State alone, how unspeakably beneficial must it appear,
when we extend our contemplations to the Great Lakes, and
the country affiliated with them? Waters extending 2,000
miles from the beginning of the canal, and a country con-
taining more territory than all Great Britain and Ireland,
and at least as much as France!CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
217
While we do not pretend that all the trade of our west-
ern world will centre in any given place, nor would it be
desirable if it were practicable, because we sincerely wish
the prosperity of all the states; yet we contend that our
natural advantages are so transcendant, that it is in our
power to obtain the greater part, and put successful com-
petition at defiance. As all the other communications, are
impeded by mountains, the only formidable rivals of New
York, for this great prize, are New Orleans and Montreal,
the former relying on the Mississippi and the latter on the
St. Lawrence.
In- considering this subject, we will suppose the com-
mencement of the canal somewhere near the outlet of Lake
Erie.
The inducements for preferring one market to another,
involve a variety of considerations: the principal are the
cheapness and facility of transportation, and the goodness
of the market. If a cultivator or manufacturer can convey
his commodities with the same ease and expedition to New
York, and obtain a higher price for them than at Montreal
or New Orleans, and at the same time supply himself at a
cheaper rate with such articles as he may want in return,
he will undoubtedly prefer New York. It ought also to be
distinctly understood that a difference in price may be
equalized by a difference in the expense of conveyance, and
that the vicinity of the market is at all times a considera-
tion of great importance.
From Buffalo, at or near the supposed commencement
of the canal, it is 450 miles to the city of New York, and
from that city to the ocean twenty miles. From Buffalo to
Montreal, 350 miles ; from Montreal to the chops of the St.
Lawrence, 450. From Buffalo to New Orleans by the
Great Lakes, and the Illinois River, 2,250 miles ; from New
Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico, 100. Hence, the distance
from Buffalo to the ocean, by the way of New York, is 470
miles; by Montreal, 800; and by New Orleans, 2,350.
As the Upper Lakes have no important outlet but into
Lake Erie, we are warranted in saying that all their trade
must be auxiliary to its trade, and that a favourable com-218
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
munication by water from Buffalo will render New York
the great depot and warehouse of the western world.
In order, however, to obviate all objections that may be
raised against the place of comparison, let us take three
other positions: Chicago, near the southwest end of Lake
Michigan, and of a creek of that name, which sometimes
communicates with the Illinois, the nearest river from the
Lakes to the Mississippi; Detroit, on the river of that name,
between Lakes St. Clair and Erie; and Pittsburgh, at the
confluence of the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers,
forming the head of the Ohio, and communicating with Le
Boeuf by water, which is distant fifteen miles from Lake
Erie.
The distance from Chicago to the ocean, by New York,
is about 1,200 miles. From Detroit to the ocean, pursuing
the nearest route by Cleveland, down the Muskingum,
2,400 miles. The distance from Pittsburgh to the ocean,
by Le Boeuf, Lake Erie, Buffalo, and New York, is 700
miles. The same to the ocean by the Ohio and Missis-
sippi, 2,150 miles.
These different comparative views show that New York
has, in every instance, a decided advantage over her great
rivals. In other essential respects, the scale preponderates
equally in her favour. Supposing a perfect equality of
advantages as to the navigation of the Lakes, yet from
Buffalo, as the point of departure, there is no comparison
of benefits. From that place the voyager to Montreal has
to encounter the inconveniences of a portage at the cataract
of Niagara, to load and unload at least three times, to brave
the tempests of Lake Ontario and the rapids of the St.
Lawrence.
In like manner the voyager to New Orleans has a port-
age between the Chicago and Illinois, an inconvenient nav-
igation on the latter stream, besides the well-known obsta-
cles and hazards of the Mississippi. And until the invention
of steamboats, an ascending navigation was considered
almost impracticable. This convenience is, however, still
forcibly experienced on that river, as well as on the St.
Lawrence, between Montreal and Lake Ontario.CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
219
The navigation from Lake Erie to Albany can be com-
pleted in ten days with perfect safety on the canal; and
from Albany to New York there is the best sloop naviga-
tion in the world.
From' Buffalo to Albany a ton of commodities could be
conveyed, on the intended canal, for $3.00, and from Al-
bany to New York, according to the present prices of sloop
transportation, for $2.80, and1 the return cargoes would be
the same.
We have not sufficient data upon which to predicate very
accurate estimates with regard to Montreal and New
Orleans ; but we have no hesitation in saying that the
descending conveyance to the former would be four times
the expense, and to the latter at least ten times, and that
the cost of the ascending transportation would be greatly
enhanced.
It has been stated by several of the most respectable
citizens of Ohio that the present expense of transportation
by water from the city of New York to Sandusky, including
the carrying places, is $4.50 per hundred, and1 allowing it
to cost $2.00 per hundred for transportation to Clinton, the
geographical centre of the State, the whole expense would
be $6.50, which is only 50 cents more than the transportation
from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and at least $2.50 less
than the transportation by land and water from these
places; and that, in their opinion, New York is the natural
emporium of that trade, and that the whole commercial
intercourse of the western country north of the Ohio will
be secured to her by the contemplated canal.
In addition to this, it may be stated that the St. Law-
rence is generally locked up by ice seven months in the
year, during which time produce lies a dead weight on the
hands of the owner; that the navigation from New York
to the ocean is at all times easy, and seldom obstructed by
ice, and that the passage from the Balize to New Orleans
is tedious; that perhaps one out of five of the western
boatmen who descend the Mississippi become victims to
disease; and that many important articles of western pro-
duction are injured or destroyed by the climate. New York220
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
is, therefore, placed in a happy medium between the insalu-
brious heat of the Mississippi and the severe cold of the St.
Lawrence. She has also preeminent advantages as to the
goodness and extensiveness of her market. All the pro-
ductions of the soil, and the fabrics of art, can command
an adequate price, and foreign commodities can generally
be procured at a lower rate. The trade of the Mississippi
is already in the hands of her merchants, and although
accidental and transient causes may have concurred to give
Montreal an ascendency in some points, yet the superiority
of New York is founded in nature, and if improved by the
wisdom of Government, must always soar above competi-
tion.
Granting, however, that the rivals of New York will
command a considerable portion of the western trade, yet
it must be obvious, from these united considerations, that
she will engross more than sufficient to render her the
greatest commercial city in the world. The whole line of
canal will exhibit boats loaded with flour, pork, beef and
pearl ashes, flaxseed, wheat, barley, corn, hemp, wool, flax,
iron, lead, copper, salt, gypsum, coal, tar, fur, peltry, gin-
seng, beeswax, cheese, butter, lard, staves, lumber, and the
other valuable productions of our country; and also with
merchandize from all parts of the world. Great manufac-
turing establishments will spring up; agriculture will estate
lish its granaries, and commerce its warehouses in all direc-
tions. Villages, towns and cities will line the banks of the
canal and the shores of the Hudson from Erie to New
York. “The wilderness and the solitary place will become
glad, and the desert will rejoice arid blossom as the rose.”
While it is universally admitted that there ought to be
a water communication between the Great Lakes and the
tidewaters of the Hudson, a contrariety of opinion, greatly
to be deplored, as tending to injure the whole undertaking,
has risen with respect to the route that ought to be adopted.
It is contended on the one side that the canal should com-
mence in the vicinity of the outlet of Lake Erie, and be
carried in the most eligible direction across the country to
the headwaters of the Mohawk River at Rome, fromCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
221
whence it should be continued along the valley of the Mo-
hawk to the Hudson. It is, on the other side, insisted that
it should be cut around the cataract of Niagara; that Lake
Ontario should be navigated to the mouth of the Oswego
River; that the navigation of that river, and Wood Creek,
should be improved and pursued until the junction of the
latter with the Mohawk at Rome. As to the expediency
of a canal from Rome to the Hudson, there is no discrep-
ance of opinion; the route from Rome to the Great Lakes
constitutes the subject of controversy.
If both plans were presented to the Legislature, as
worthy of patronage, and if the advocates of the route by
Lake Ontario did not insist that their schemes should be
exclusive and, of course, that its adoption should prove
fatal to the other project, this question would not exhibit
so serious an aspect. If two roads are made, that which is
most accommodating will be preferred; but if only one is
established, whether convenient or inconvenient to indi-
viduals, beneficial or detrimental to the public, it must
necessarily be used. We are so fully persuaded of the su-
periority of the Erie Canal that although we should greatly
regret so useless an expenditure of public money as making
a canal round the cataract of Niagara, yet we should not
apprehend any danger from the competition of Montreal,
if the former were established.
An invincible argument in favour of the Erie Canal is,
that it would diffuse the blessings of internal navigation
over the most fertile and populous parts of the State, and
supply the whole community with salt, gypsum, and in all
probability coal. Whereas, the Ontario route would accom-
modate but an inconsiderable part of our territory, and
instead of being a great highway, leading directly to the
object, it would be a circuitous by-road, inconvenient in all
essential respects.
The most serious objection against the Ontario route is
that it will inevitably enrich the territory of a foreign
power, at the expense of the United States. If a canal is
cut round the falls of Niagara, and no countervailing nor
counteracting system is adopted in relation to Lake Erie,222
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
the commerce of the West is lost to us forever. When a
vessel once descends into Lake Ontario she will pursue the
course ordained by nature. The British Government are
fully aware of this, and are now taking the most active
measures to facilitate the passage down the St. Lawrence.
It is not to be concealed that a great portion of the
productions of our western country are now transported to
Montreal, even with all the inconveniences attending the
navigation down the Seneca and Oswego rivers; but if this
route is improved in the way proposed, and the other not
opened, the consequences will be most prejudicial. A barrel
of flour is now transported from Cayuga Lake to Montreal
for $1.50, and it cannot be conveyed to Albany for less
than $2.50. This simple fact speaks a volume of admoni-
tory instruction.
But taking it for granted that the Ontario route will
bring the commerce of the West to New York, yet the
other ought to be preferred, on account of the superior
facilities it affords.
In the first place, it is nearer. The distance from Buf-
falo to Rome is less than 200 miles in the course of the
intended canal; by Lake Ontario and Oswego, it is 232.
Second. A loaded boat could pass from Buffalo to Rome
by the Erie route in less than seven days, and with entire
safety. By the Ontario route it will be perfectly uncertain,
and not a little hazardous. After leaving the Niagara River
it would have to pass an inland sea to the extent of 127
miles, as boisterous and as dangerous as the Atlantic. And
besides a navigation of at least twenty miles over another
lake, it would have to ascend two difficult streams for
fifty-five miles; no calculation could then be made, either
on the certainty or safety of this complicated and incon-
venient navigation.
Third.. When a lake vessel would arrive at Buffalo she
would have to unload her cargo, and when this cargo ar-
rived at Albany by the Erie Canal, it would be shifted on
board of a river sloop in order to be transported to New
York. From the time of the first loading on the Great
Lakes, to the last unloading at the storehouses in NewCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
223
York, there would be three loadings and three unloadings
on this route.
But when a lake vessel arrived with a view of passing
the canal of Niagara, she would be obliged to shift her
loading to that purpose, for it would be almost imprac-
ticable to use lake vessels on the Niagara River on account
of the difficulty of the ascending navigation. At Lewiston,
or some other place on the Niagara, another change of the
cargo on board' of a lake vessel for Ontario would be neces-
sary; at Oswego another, and at Albany another; so that
on this route there would be five loadings and five unload-
ings before the commodities were stored in New York.
This difference is an object of great consequence, and
presents the most powerful objections against the Ontario
route; for to the delay we must add the accumulated ex-
pense of these changes of the cargo, the storage, the waste,
and damage, especially by theft, where the chances of
depredation are increased by the merchandize passing
through a multitude of hands, and the additional lake ves-
sels, boats and men that will be required, thereby increasing
in this respect alone the cost two-thirds above that at-
tending the other course. And in general, it may be ob-
served, that the difference between a single and double
freight forms an immense saving. Goods are brought from
Europe for twenty cents per cubic foot; whereas, the price
from Philadelphia to Baltimore is equal to ten cents. This
shows how far articles, once embarked, are conveyed with
a very small addition of freight; and if such is the differ-
ence between a single and a double freight, how much
greater must it be in the case under consideration.
If the fall from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario be 450 feet,
as stated in Mr. Secretary Gallatin’s report on canals, it
will require at least forty-five locks for a navigation round
the cataract. Whether it would be practicable to accom-
modate all the vessels which the population and opulence
of future times will create in those waters, with a passage
through so many locks accumulated within a short distance,
is a question well worthy of serious consideration. At all224
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
events, the demurrage must be frequent, vexatious, and
expensive.
When we consider the immense expense which would
attend the canal proposed on the Niagara River, a canal
requiring so many locks, and passing through such difficult
ground; when we view the Oswego River from its outlet
at Oswego, to its origin in Oneida Lake, encumbered with
dangerous rapids and falls, and flowing through a country
almost impervious to canal operations; and when we con-
template the numerous embarrassments which are combined
with the improvement of Wood Creek, we are prepared to
believe that the expense of this route will not greatly fall
short of the other.
It is, however, alleged that it is not practicable to make
this canal; and that if practicable, the expense will be
enormous, and will far transcend the faculties of the State.
Lake Erie is elevated 541 feet above tide waters at Troy.
The only higher ground between it and the Hudson is but
a few miles from the lake; and this difficulty can be easily
surmounted by deep cutting; of course no tunnel will be
required. The rivers which cross the line of the canal
can be easily passed by aqueducts; on every summit level
plenty of water can be obtained; whenever there is a great
rise or descent, locks can be erected, and the whole line will
not require more than sixty-two; perhaps there is not an
equal extent of country in the world which presents fewer
obstacles to the establishment of a canal.
The liberality of nature has created the great ducts and
arteries, and the ingenuity of art can easily provide the
connecting veins. The general physiognomy of the coun-
try is champaign, and exhibits abundance of water; a gen-
tle rising from the Hudson to the lake; a soil well adapted
for such operations; no impassable hills, and no insur-
mountable waters. As to distance, it is not to be considered
in relation to practicability. If a canal can be made for
fifty miles it can be made for three hundred, provided
there is no essential variance in the face of the country;
the only difference will be that, in the latter case, it will take
more time and consume more money.CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
225
But this opinion does not rest for its support upon mere
speculation. Canals have been successfully cut through
more embarrassing ground, in various parts of the United
States ; and even in part of the intended route from Schen-
ectady to Rome locks have been erected at Little Falls, and
at other places; and short canals have been made, and all
these operations have taken place in the most difficult parts
of the whole course of the contemplated Erie navigation.
Mr. William Weston, one of the most celebrated civil en-
gineers in Europe, who has superintended canals in this
State and Pennsylvania, and who is perfectly well ac-
quainted with the country, has thus expressed his opinion
on this subject : “Should your noble but stupendous plan
of uniting Lake Erie with the Hudson be carried into
effect, you have to fear no rivalry. The commerce of the
immense extent of country, bordering on the upper lakes,,
is yours forever, and to such an incalculable amount as
would baffle all conjecture to conceive. Its execution would
confer immortal honour on the projectors and supporters,
and would, in its eventual consequences, render New York
the greatest commercial emporium in the world, with per-
haps the exception at some distant day of New Orleans, or
some other depot at the mouth of the majestic Mississippi.
From your perspicuous topographical description, and neat
plan and profile of the route of the contemplated canal, I
entertain little doubt of the practicability of the measure.”
With regard to the expense of this work, different esti-
mates will be formed. The commissioners appointed for
that purpose were of opinion that it would not cost more
than five millions of dollars. On this subject we must be
guided by the light which experience affords in analogous
cases.
The canal of Languedoc, or canal of the two seas in
France, connects the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and is
180 miles in length ; it has 114 locks and sluices, and a
tunnel 720 feet long. The breadth of the canal is 144 feet,
and its depth six feet; it was begun in 1666, and finished in
1681, and cost £540,000 sterling, or £3,000 sterling a mile.226
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
The Holstein Canal, begun in 1777, and finished in 1785,
extends about fifty miles; is 100 feet wide at the top and
54 at the bottom, and not less than ten feet deep in any
part. Ships drawing nine feet four inches in water pass
through it from the German ocean, in the vicinity of Ton-
ningen, into the Baltic. From two to three thousand ships
have passed in one year. The expense of the whole work
was a little more than a million and a half of dollars, which
would be at the rate of $30,000 a mile for this ship navi-
gation.
The extreme length of the canal from the Forth to the
Clyde, in Scotland, is 35 miles. It rises and falls 160 feet
by means of 39 locks. Vessels pass drawing eight feet of
water, having 19 feet beam, and 73 feet length. The cost
is calculated at £200,000 sterling, which is at the rate of
about $23,000 a mile. But this was a canal for ships draw-
ing eight feet of water, with an extraordinary rise for its
length, and having more than one lock for every mile.
The following will give you an idea of the money ex-
pended on such works in England:
	Cost.	Miles.
The Rochdale Canal			Z'V*
Ellesmere 			57
Kennet and Avon			78
Grand Junction 					90
Leeds and Liverpool			129
The miles of canal are 385J4, and the cost is £2,411,900
sterling, or about $28,000 per mile.
But in the estimation of the cost of these canals, un-
questionably the price of the land over which they pass is
included, and this is enormous. The land alone for one
canal of sixteen miles is said to have cost £90,000 sterling.
With us this would be but small.
If we look at the history of the English canals we shall
see how many objects of great expense are connected with
them, with which we should have nothing to do, and that
most of them have encountered and surmounted obstacles
which we should not meet with. For instance, the GrandCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
227
Junction Canal passes more than once the great ridge which
divides the waters of England; ours will pass over a coun-
try which is in comparison champaign.
But it is said that the price of labor in our country is
so much above what it is in England that we must add
greatly to the cost of her canals in estimating the expense
of ours.
But that is certainly a false conclusion, for not only must
the price of land and* the adventitious objects, which have
been before referred to, be deducted from the cost of the
foreign canals, but we must consider that there will be
almost as great a difference in our favour in the cost of
materials and brute labour, as there is in favour of Eng-
land as to human labour, and it is well known that so
much human labour is not now required on canals as for-
merly. Machines for facilitating excavation have been
invented and used with great success.
Mr. Gallatin’s report on canals contains several esti-
mates of the cost of contemplated ones. From Weymouth
to Taunton, in Massachusetts, the expense of a canal of
26 miles, with a lockage of 260 feet, is set down at $1,250,-
000. From Brunswick to Trenton, 28 miles, with a lock-
age of 100 feet, $800,000. From Christiana to Elk, 22
miles, with a lockage of 143 feet, $750,000. From Eliza-
beth River to Pasquotanck, 22 miles, with a lockage of 40
feet, $250,000. These estimates thus vary from $48,000 to
less than $12,000 a mile, and furnish the medium of about
$31,000 a mile. But it must be observed that they are for
small distances, are calculated to surmount particular ob-
stacles, and contemplate an extraordinary number of locks,
and that they do not therefore furnish proper data from
which to form correct conclusions with respect to the
probable cost of an extensive canal, sometimes running
over a great number of miles upon a level without any ex-
pense for lockage, or any other expense than the mere
earthwork.
Mr. Weston, before mentioned, estimated the expense
of a canal from- the tidewaters at Troy to Lake Ontario,
a distance of 160 miles (exclusive of Lake Oneida), going228	CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
round the Cahoos, and embracing 55 locks of three feet lift
each, at $2,200,000, a little more than $13,000 a mile.
Fortunately, however, we have more accurate informa-
tion than mere estimates.
In the appendix to Mr. Gallatin’s report it is stated, by
Mr. Joshua Gilpin, that “by actual measurement, and the
sums paid on the feeder, it was found that one mile on the
Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, the most difficult of all
others, from its being nearly altogether formed through
hard, rocky ground, cost $13,000, and one other mile, per-
fectly level, and without particular impediment, cost $2,300;
from hence, the general average would be reduced to $7,650
per mile.”
The Middlesex Canal, in Massachusetts, runs over 28
miles of ground, presenting obstacles much greater than
can be expected on the route we purpose. This canal cost
$478,000, which is about $17,000 a mile. It contains 22
locks of solid masonry, and excellent workmanship, and to
accomplish this work it was necessary to dig in some places
to the depth of 20 feet, to cut through ledges of rocks, to
fill some valleys and morasses, and to throw several aque-
ducts across the intervening rivers. One of these across
the river Shawshine is 280 feet long arid 22 feet above the
river.
From the Tonnewanta Creek to the Seneca River
is a fall of....................................... 195 feet
From thence to the Rome summit is a rise of.... 50 feet
From thence to the Hudson River is a fall of.... 380 feet
The whole rise and fall......................... 625 feet
This will require 62 locks of ten4 feet lift each. The ex-
pense of such locks, as experimentally proved in several
instances in this State, would be about $620,000.
We have seen that on the Middlesex Canal there are 22
locks for 28 miles, which is a lock for somewhat more than
every mile, whereas 62 locks for 300 miles is but about one
lock for every five miles; and' the lockage of the Middlesex
Canal would alone cost $220,000. It would, therefore,CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
229
appear to be an allowance perhaps too liberal to consider
the cost of it as a fair criterion of the expense of canals in
general in this country, and of this in particular. Reser-
voirs and tunnels are the most expensive part of the opera-
tion, and none will be necessary in our whole route. The
expense of the whole earthwork of excavating a mile of
canal on level ground, 50 feet wide and five feet deep, at
18 cents per cubic yard, and allowing for the cost of form-
ing and1 trimming the banks, puddling, etc., will not exceed
$4,000 per mile, and the only considerable aqueduct on the
whole line will be over the Genesee River.
From a deliberate consideration of these different esti-
mates and actual expenditures, we are fully persuaded that
this great work will not cost more than $20,000 a mile,
or six millions of dollars in the whole; but willing to make
every possible allowance, and even conceding that it will
cost double that sum, yet still we contend that there is noth-
ing which ought to retard its execution. This canal cannot
be made in short time. It will be the work perhaps of ten
or fifteen years.
The money will not be wanted at once. The expendi-
ture, in order to be beneficial, ought not to exceed $500,000
a year, and the work may be accomplished in two ways:
either by companies incorporated for particular sections of
the route, or by the State. If the first is resorted to,
pecuniary sacrifices will still be necessary on the part of
the public, and great care ought to be taken to guard
against high tolls, which will certainly injure if not ruin
the whole enterprise.
If the State shall see fit to achieve this great work,
there can be no difficulty in providing funds. Stock can
be created and sold at an advanced price. The ways and
means of paying the interest will be only required. After
the first year, supposing an annual expenditure of $500,000,
$30,000 must be raised to pay an interest of 6 per cent.;
after the second year, $60,000, and so on. At this rate the
interest will regularly increase with beneficial appropria-
tion, and will be so little in amount that it may be raised in
many shapes without being burdensome to the community.230
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
In all human probability the augmented revenue proceeding
from the public salt works, and the increased price of the
State lands in consequence of this undertaking, will more
than extinguish the interest of the debt contracted for that
purpose. We should take into view the land already sub-
scribed by individuals for this work, amounting to 106,632
acres. These donations, together with those which may be
confidently anticipated, will exceed in value a million of
dollars, and it will be at all times in the power of the State
to raise a revenue from the imposition of transit duties,
which may be so slight as scarcely to be felt, and yet the
income may be so great as in a short time to extinguish the
debt, and this might take effect on the completion of every
important section of the work.
If the Legislature shall consider this important project
in the same point of view, and shall unite with us in opinion,
that the general prosperity is intimately and essentially in-
volved in its prosecution, we are fully persuaded that now
is the proper time for its commencement. Delays are the
refuge of weak minds, and to procrastinate on this occasion
is to show a culpable inattention to the bounties of nature ;
a total insensibility to the blessings of Providence, and an
inexcusable neglect of the interests of society. If it were
intended to advance the views of individuals, or to foment
the divisions of party; if it promoted the interests of a few,
at the expense of the prosperity of the many; if its benefits
were limited as to place, or fugitive as to duration, then
indeed it might be received with cold indifference, or
treated with stern neglect; but the overflowing blessings
from this great fountain of public good and national
abundance, will be as extensive as our country, and as
durable as time.
The considerations which now demand an immediate,
and an undivided attention to this great object, are so ob-
vious, so various, and so weighty, that we shall only attempt
to glance at some of the most prominent.
In the first place, it must be evident that no period could
be adopted in which the work can be prosecuted with less
expense. Every day augments the value of the landCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
231
through which the canal will pass; and when we consider
the surplus hands which have been recently dismissed from
the army into the walks of private industry, and the facility
with which an addition can be procured to the mass of our
active labour, in consequence of the convulsions of Europe,
it must be obvious that this is now the time to make those
indispensable acquisitions.
Second. The longer this work is delayed, the greater
will be the difficulty in surmounting the interests that will
rise up in opposition to it. Expedients on a contracted
scale have already been adopted for the facilitation of inter-
course. Turnpikes, locks, and short canals have been re-
sorted to, and in consequence of those establishments,
villages have been laid out and towns have been contem-
plated. To prevent injurious speculation, to avert violent
opposition, and to exhibit dignified impartiality and pater-
nal affection to your fellow-citizens, it is proper that they
should be notified at once of your intentions.
Third. The experience of the late war has impressed
every thinking man in the community with the importance
of this communication. The expenses of transportation
frequently exceeded the original value of the article, and at
all times operated with injurious pressure upon the finances
of the nation. The money thus lost for the want of this
communication would perhaps have defrayed more than
one-half of its expense.
Fourth. Events which are daily occurring on our
frontiers demonstrate the necessity of this work. Is it of
importance that our honourable merchants should not be
robbed of their legitimate profits; that the public revenues
should not be seriously impaired by dishonest smuggling,
and that the commerce of our cities should not be supplanted
by the mercantile establishments of foreign countries?
Then it is essential that this sovereign remedy for maladies
so destructive and ruinous should be applied. It is with
inconceivable regret we record the well-known fact that
merchandize from Montreal has been sold to an alarming
extent on our borders for 15 per cent, below the New York
prices.232
CANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
Fifth. A measure of this kind will have a benign ten-
deucy in raising the value of the national domains, in ex-
pediting the sale, and enabling the payment. Our national
debt may thus, in a short time, be extinguished. Our taxes
of course will be diminished, and a considerable portion of
revenue may then be expended in great public improve-
ments ; in encouraging the arts and sciences; in patronizing
the operations of industry; in fostering the inventions of
genius, and in diffusing the blessings of knowledge.
Sixth. However serious the fears which have been en-
tertained of a dismemberment of the Union by collisions
between the North and the South, it is to be apprehended
that the most imminent danger lies in another direction,
and that a line of separation may be eventually drawn be-
tween the Atlantic and the western states, unless they are
cemented by a common, an ever-acting, and a powerful
interest. The commerce of the ocean, and the trade of the
lakes, passing through one channel, supplying the wants,
increasing the wealth, and reciprocating the benefits of each
great section of the empire, will form an imperishable ce-
ment of connection, and an indissoluble bond of union.
New York is both Atlantic and western; and the only State
in which this union of interests can be formed and perpetu-
ated, and in which this great centripetal power can be ener-
getically applied. Standing on this exalted eminence, with
power to prevent a train of the most extensive and afflict-
ing calamities that ever visited the world (for such a train
will inevitably follow a dissolution of the Union), she will
justly be considered an enemy to the human race, if she
does not exert for this purpose the high faculties which the
Almighty has put into her hands.
Lastly, it may be confidently asserted that this canal, as
tc the extent of its route, as to the countries which it con-
nects, and as to the consequences which it will produce, is
without a parallel in the history of mankind. The union of
the Baltic and the Euxine; of the Red Sea and the Medit-
erranean; of the Euxine and the Caspian; and of the Med-
iterranean and the Atlantic, has been projected or executed
by the chiefs of powerful monarchies, and the splendour ofCANAL MEMORIAL OF 1816.
233
the design has always attracted the admiration of the world.
It remains for a free state to create a new era in history,
and to erect a work more stupendous, more magnificent,
and more beneficial than has hitherto been achieved by the
human race. Character is as important to nations as to
individuals, and the glory of a republic, founded on the
promotion of the general good, is the common property of
all its citizens.
We have thus discharged with frankness and plainness,
and with every sentiment of respect, a great duty to our-
selves, to our fellow-citizens, and to posterity, in presenting
this subject to the fathers of the commonwealth. And may
that Almighty Being in whose hands are the destinies of
states and nations, enlighten your councils and invigorate
your exertions in favour of the best interests of our beloved
country.HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
THE BOARD OF TRADE
THE MERCHANTS’ EXCHANGE AND
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
OF BUFFALO
By FRANK H. SEVERANCEHISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE
BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE
THE MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE AND THE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
By FRANK H. SEVERANCE
I. Beginnings of Commercial Union in Buffalo.
Whoever seeks for landmarks in an American city is apt
to seek in vain. Save perhaps in Boston, which has always
held to certain Old World habits, and to some degree in a
few other eastern communities, the tendency of the Ameri-
can town is to destroy before its structures may fairly be
called middle-aged. Flimsy construction and the sweep of
fires aid this tendency. Even if spared conflagration, the
fever for “improvement” consumes the old, tears down and
rebuilds, practically with each new generation. Even the
burial-grounds, the resting-places of the forefathers, which
of all places it would seem should be left in decorous quiet,
secure from the advance of “improvement,” are removed
and obliterated with as little concern as though they had
never been consecrated to peace.
These changes are not after all distinctively American, as
any one knows who has searched say in London or Paris for
streets and buildings of which he has read in history.
Growth, anywhere, implies destruction; and the new is
bound to supplant the old. In most large American towns,
expanding according to more or less haphazard plans, the
237238
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
periods of rapid growth can be noted not only by the ab-
sence of landmarks, but by the obliteration even of sites.
No city shows these peculiarities more markedly than
Buffalo. For a hundred years we have been changing not
only the names of our streets, but in very many cases, the
streets themselves. The primitive village that Father Elli-
cott plotted encroached upon the forest to the north only as
far as Chippewa Street; easterly it stopped at Elm, and its
westerly boundary was the curving line of the State reserva-
tion, coming to the river at the foot of Genesee Street. The
village really stopped at the high bluff of the Terrace, below
which were swamp and sand wastes. For say a score of
years after the village of New Amsterdam was born, the
region below the high natural bluff of the Terrace was of
little account. Then came the Erie Canal — or as they
called it then, the Great Western Canal. Long before con-
struction reached Buffalo, the vast project had precipitated
a strife between Buffalo and Black Rock, for the canal ter-
minus. Thanks to the energy of Judge Samuel Wilkeson
and his supporters, Buffalo was made the terminus, the har-
bor was dug out, and the big ditch of the canal was cut
straight through the waste lands under the Terrace. Sun-
dry squatters were ousted, a few old warehouses were tom
down, and numerous new streets, for the most part narrow
and near together, appeared.
Erie Street, laid out by the Holland Land Company as
Vollenhoven Avenue, ran from Main Street at “the
Churches” to Buffalo Creek near its mouth. Prior to the
canal construction, the only other thoroughfare in those low
grounds was the old beach road, which, turning off from
what is now lower Main Street, followed the right or west-
erly bank of Little Buffalo Creek to the Big Buffalo, thence
proceeded irregularly to the old ferry at Black Rock. This
was a very old route — an Indian path in the pre-historic
days and a much-used road prior to and during the War of
1812. Before the mouth of Big Buffalo Creek — then called
“Big” to distinguish it from the “Little,” which was an im-
portant stream in the early village economy — was dredged
and the bar removed, sail craft were wont to come to, offTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
239
the mouth of the creek, and disembark by row-boats. British
troops, prior to 1796, and American troops in later years,
were accustomed to row up Buffalo Creek to the Little Buf-
falo, thence up that to a landing-place on the right (or west)
bank, from which point they could march or ride in wagons
up the hill to the site of Buffalo; or, as was more often the
case, follow the shore road among the sand dunes to the old
Black Rock ferry. One of the earliest Buffalo pictures
shows such a landing of troops at this point.
When the great canal was dug old Water Street, as this
road came to be called, increased in importance, and that
part of it which skirted Little Buffalo Creek became known
as Canal Street, and extended to the Terrace. This must
not be confused with the notorious Canal Street of later
days, which under the names of Rock Street and Cross
Street, came into existence after the canal was opened. In
still later years, when the upper reach of Little Buffalo,
within the city, was lost in the construction of the canal ex-
tension known as the Main and Hamburg, this lower part
of the stream, west of Main, became Commercial Slip, and
the street bordering it became Commercial Street, which
name it still bears. It was no misnomer, in the ^o's and
^o’s, for not only that street, but others in the neighbor-
hood, were very much alive with the business of the growing
town and port.
In 1825, while the great heaps of earth were still being
thrown up from the unfinished canal cut, and here and there
used to fill low places, the village fathers extended old
Water Street across the Little Buffalo. Four years later it
was laid out to Main, and in 1832—the year the village be-
came a city—this street was established as Prime, from
Lloyd to Canal (now Commercial). It followed in general,
the curve in Buffalo Creek, along the north bank of which,
a short block distant from Prime, ran Front Street. At
right angles to Prime, Hanover Street (also in its early
years called Canal Street) was established in 1829 from
Prime to Cross. In the ’3o’s, a part of what was afterwards
Prime, was known as St. Joseph Street; but in 1845, the
name Hanover was adopted for the entire thoroughfare.240
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
Other streets in this little angle appeared, changed their
names a few times, after the usual Buffalo fashion, and
either remained on the map to this day or were wiped out
by subsequent improvements. The construction of slips con-
necting the Buffalo Creek with the canal, worked many
changes; later, as these slips were abandoned and filled and
built over, the old lines were more thoroughly obliterated
than before. Greatest of all was the change wrought when
in 1886, the Lackawanna Railroad extended its tracks
through this part of the city. Both Front Street and Prime
were wiped off the map. Buildings which had originally
fronted on Prime were either obliterated, or, as was the case
with the old JEtna building, a large four-story brick struc-
ture, moved back a score or so of feet. The once imposing
portal of this block, flanked by heavy columns, is there yet,
but it does not look out upon the busy street of which it was
once a part, nor even stand on the old line of that street;
and close to its threshold, raised above the old grade, run the
railroad tracks.
Front Street was indubitably a street; so recorded, Aug.
18, 1821, as of 66 feet wide. But it was always a street with
only one side. It skirted the “big” creek, and from the day
when Judge Wilkeson’s famous exploits first made the creek
wharfage accessible and valuable, that portion of the “street”
running west from Main to Commercial Slip was the chief
landing place and point of departure. Business centered
there, so that, by 1825, when the opening of the canal
changed so many of the currents of commerce, the north or
land side of Front Street was well built with warehouses
and stores. The earlier wharves were of private construc-
tion ; but by 1837 we find the Council of Buffalo authoriz-
ing the building of wharves in Front Street at the cost of
the city. Although that date—say the later ^o’s—was the
day of small things in some matters—it was emphatically
the day of growth, of larger and larger things, in this par-
ticular part of Buffalo. It was the time of the steamboat
era, when each season brought new and finer craft. There
were no railroads to the West, but the great prairie states
were calling. Food and construction material, implementsTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
241
and machinery for all the grain empire of the Middle West,
came to the foot of Buffalo’s Main Street, to this bit of old
Front Street, for shipment by lake. So, too, came the emi-
grant, from New England, from Ireland, from Germany, by
the thousand. Schooners, brigs and even square-rigged
ships lay with sails furled at the wharves along Front Street*
loading or unloading, all day long, or all night. The Ter-
race with its old Market House, Commercial and other
lower-town streets, were thronged with business-men, with
sightseers, with emigrants. The steamboat runner, the over-
loaded omnibus, the drays piled high with freight, throngs
everywhere,—these are features preserved in chronicles and
pictures of that period. The sailor ashore, the canal boat-
man, and many another reckless type of man and woman,,
kept carnival after their kind. This part of the city, and this,
period, gave birth among other things, to America’s most
distinctive form of indoor entertainment—negro minstrelsy^
But the real life of Buffalo was commercial and it centered;
in the streets of which mention has been made.
The first association of Buffalo businessmen, for business
ends, was in the spring of 1819, when the Buffalo Harbor
Company was formed. Their achievements have been re-
corded elsewhere;1 but no survey of business organization
in Buffalo should fail to note, as a starting-point, the initial:
harbor improvement. Nine of the foremost men of the vil-
lage formed the first company: Jonas Harrison, Ebenezer
Walden, Heman B. Potter, J. G. Camp, Oliver Forward,
A. H. Tracy, Ebenezer Johnson, E. F. Norton, and Charles
Townsend. These are the names appended to the petition
to the Legislature for a State loan of $12,000 to be used for
harbor improvement. Judge Wilkeson was not a member
of the original company; but as it turned out, it was his
energy and practical ability that accomplished the under-
taking.
1. “Historical Writings of Judge Samuel Wilkeson,” 5 Pubs. Buf. Hist.
Soc., 185-214.242
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
II. Birth of the Board of Trade.
Buffalo’s success over Black Rock, in the canal contest,
tended to strengthen the bond of union among her business
men, but over twenty years went by before any formal step
to that end was taken. In those twenty years business de-
veloped rapidly. Central Wharf, as the part of Front Street
between Main Street and Commercial Slip came to be called,
became built up closely with warehouses and stores devoted
for the most part to the various forms of business connected
with the lake and canal. Prime Street, too, as well as other
thoroughfares in this compact neighborhood, shared in the
same general character.
In 1844, among the substantial merchants of the city, was
Russell H. Heywood. He had come to Buffalo poor, but
self-reliant and capable—the sort of young man who makes
his way.1 By 1826 he was keeping a little store; and
Buffalo’s first Directory, in 1828, has this entry:
“HEYWOOD, R. H., merchant, green store, Main Street.”
The second Directory, in 1832, records Mr. Heywood as
“merchant, main st. dwel. seneca st.”; and the third Direc-
tory, in 1835, has the still more laconic entry: “Heywood,
merch. h sen bel ell”-—which obviously means that the house
of Merchant Heywood was in Seneca Street below Ellicott.
In 1842 Mr. Hey wood’s name appears as proprietor of the
Venice mill, at which time, as for some years after, he re-
sided at No. 77 East Seneca Street. In 1847, he is recorded
as a flour dealer, with house at 81 East Seneca Street. His
store, in the earlier years, was at one time on Pearl near
Seneca. The “Venice mills” were probably so called be-
cause Mr. Heywood had business interests at Venice, Ohio.
Among his holdings in Buffalo was a tract of land running
from Seneca to Exchange Street, through which Wells and
Carroll streets have been opened, and here he built a yellow-
brick house, a landmark for many years in the heart of a
good residence neighborhood.
2. It has been recorded that “he came to Buffalo a poor boy, and his
business career began by selling molasses candy on the dock.” However his
business career began, he could hardly be called “a poor boy” at the time, for
he was about 27 years old when he came to Buffalo.RUSSELL H. HEYWOOD.
Founder of the Buffalo Board of Trade.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
243
With other merchants of his day, Mr. Heywood felt the
need of a business organization, which would bring mer-
chants and forwarders, vessel-owners and others into closer
touch, and enable them to adopt definite policies and meth-
ods, both for their own good and to promote the interests
of the city. There was much discussion of the matter, in
stores and offices, in the winter of i843~,44, with the result
that a meeting was held, January 16, 1844, at the office of
Joy & Webster, in the now old but then new Webster Block.
A still earlier meeting may have been held in this matter,
but no record is found of it. Indeed, the early records, for
many years, are very scanty. One searches the newspapers
of 1844 in vain for any record of this movement, which was
to be of so great import to Buffalo. The feature of local
reporting had not then developed, nor indeed, had graphic,
detailed news reporting of any sort. But it is matter of
record that at this January meeting, Mr. Heywood ad-
dressed his associates, stating that the purpose of the sug-
gested organization was “to cultivate friendship among the
business men of Buffalo, to unite them in one general policy
for the general benefit of trade and commerce of Buffalo,
and to make it a market for western produce.” Mr. Hey-
wood further “proposed, for the purpose of carrying out
this project,” that if they would form a “Board of Trade,”
he would provide a room suitable for their needs, “and do-
nate the use of it as long as they might want it for the pur-
pose.” This proposition brought into existence the Buffalo
Board of Trade.
Messrs. J. L. Kimberly, S. Purdy, Philo Durfee, R. C.
Palmer, and William Williams were appointed a committee
to draw up a constitution and by-laws, and report. John L.
Kimberly, chairman of this committee, was the head of the
firm of Kimberly, Pease & Co., forwarders “on the dock” at
the corner of Lloyd Street. Samuel Purdy, of Purdy & Co.,
was a commission merchant at No. 6 Prime Street. Philo
Durfee, also a commission merchant, was at No. 12 Prime
Street, with a residence at No. 24 Delaware Street. Rufus
C. Palmer, of Holt, Palmer & Co., forwarders on the dock
near Main, had his residence at No. 22 West Seneca Street;244
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
and William Williams resided at No. n West Seneca Street.
It is worth while to note where the leading business men of
the town lived in the early ’40’s. Seneca Street, as the fore-
going indicates, was still a pleasant desirable residence
street, with ample dooryards and orchards around the
homes. In this year of 1844 there were no fewer than nine
men by the name of William Williams, prominent enough
in the business of Buffalo to be mentioned in the Directory;
the one who shared in drafting the first constitution of the
Board of Trade was a druggist.
On January 30th this committee submitted to another
meeting of merchants, a draft of constitution and by-laws,
which was adopted. No record of further action is found
until March nth, when a third meeting was held, at which
Mr. Hey wood was chosen president. Other officers and a
first board of directors (hereinafter given) were named.
And although there may have been some uncertainty as to
how at once to make the organization effective and a force
in the community, at any rate, Buffalo’s Board of Trade
was born. It had a name and a reason for being; all that
was lacking was a local habitation. This Mr. Heywood un-
dertook to supply.
Some time before this, he had acquired the northwest
corner of Prime and Hanover streets, extending from Han-
over Street to Prime Slip, which had been cut through from
Buffalo Creek to the Erie Canal. On the 1st of September,
1844, ground was broken for what was to be known as “The
Merchants’ Exchange.” Construction was vigorously
pushed during the winter, with the purpose of having it
ready for occupancy by the 1st of May. This was not quite
realized, the dedication coming in June. By the middle of
December the walls were up and roof on. It was a four-
story brick building, with a frontage of 85 feet on Prime
Street, on Prime and the canal 93 feet, and a depth on Han-
over Street of 124 feet. The first floor was taken up with
six good-sized stores. In the second story was the Mer-
chants’ Exchange room, an octagon, 30 by 60 feet, open
through the upper stories so that it was 30 feet high, with a
large skylight in the arched ceiling. The floor was ofTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
245
marble. Around the Exchange room were twelve offices,
varying in size from 19 by 24 feet to 20 by 40 feet. The
third story was similarly divided into offices, and in the
fourth story or loft were twenty rooms, chiefly for storage.
The entrance to the offices in the second story was from
the Exchange room, and to those in the third story from a
gallery. The building was fireproof, according to the con-
struction of the day, having a tin roof, iron shutters and
doors, and copper gutters. The estimated cost was $20,000.
In the scanty allusions to it in the contemporary press, it
is spoken- of as “one of the finest buildings in the city.”
From a description of it which has been written by one who
knew it well when she was a child1 we may readily believe
that it merited the praise given it.
It stood by itself, clear from other buildings. The prin-
cipal entrance was on Prime Street; there was also an en-
trance on the Hanover-street side. The rear wall was of
solid masonry, without windows. The fourth side skirted
Prime Slip, and from the upper stories, when the iron shut-
ters were thrown back, one could look down into that little
water-way, through which canal-boats passed, and there
were great rings in the wall where they could tie up.
Entering from Prime Street, one passed up wide marble
stairs to the main or Exchange floor. This floor was sim-
ilarly reached, but through a vestibule, on the Hanover-
street side. The lower floor, devoted to stores, had no con-
nection with the floors above, to reach which, one passed up
stairs, interrupted with a landing, at the Prime-street end.
The middle part of the second and third floors was an open
space with a tesselated floor. Into this rotunda, as it was
called, opened the surrounding rooms. Those on the right,
entering from Prime Street, were devoted to the Board of
Trade. “These rooms contained little beside tables covered
with green baize, and chairs. They occupied all the space
between the two outer entrances. Over the first door was a
x. "Buffalo Sixty Years Ago,” by Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Keller, in the
Buffalo Express, Mch. 17, 1907. The writer’s father, James S. Leavitt, carried
on his business of book-binding in this first Merchants’ Exchange for some
years.246
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
small block sign with gilt letters. It read:	‘Board of
Trade/ ” Adjoining were two reading-rooms with high
tables at which the visitor stood to consult the newspaper-
files thereon. On the opposite side of the rotunda were of-
fices, and directly opposite the Hanover-street entrance were
a number of small bins, where samples of grain were shown.
The stairs from the Hanover-street entrance (writes Mrs.
Keller) “led to a gallery above about four feet wide, and
railed with a rough-sawed banister. Here we could see all
that took place on the floor below. After going up perpen-
dicularly the height of the third story, the walls arched and
terminated in a large oblong skylight. These walls and
ceiling combined, were frescoed with beautiful designs.
Over the two doors at the end of the building was a buffalo.
This was plain enough to me, but the picture facing it, a
man standing up in a little two-wheeled wagon, driving
three or four runaway horses, and not looking one bit
afraid, was always a puzzle. The rooms of the upper floor,
being shut in by these walls, were lighted by their windows
only. A narrow passage ran all around this story. The
rooms, with the exception of the two at the end, were for
storage only. In one, was a flight of stairs going up to a
scuttle, for the top of this famous building was the principal
observatory in the locality. From it could be seen for miles
the incoming and outgoing vessels, and those that were at
times unfortunately stuck in the ice. . . . Most of the of-
fices in the gallery were rented to various people, Mr. Hey-
wood retaining one for his own personal use. Here was
permanently located the office of the Morse Telegraph Com-
pany. ...
“The sessions of the Board of Trade were held in the ro-
tunda, and how many have Sarah1 and I attended, watchers
in the gallery above! The hour of dismissal was announced
by the ringing of a gong. The gong was kept in the bindery
and was usually moved vigorously by one of the boys.
When in my younger days I chanced to be on hand at this
auspicious time, I performed this duty—performed it with
mingled feelings of delight and compassion—delight in my
i. Sarah Leavitt, sister of Mrs. Keller.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
247
fancied authority, and compassion for the poor merchants
who, I supposed, one and all, wished to remain much
longer.”
Such was the building in which Buffalo's Board of Trade
met for the ceremony of dedication, June 5, 1845. On
March 10th of that year, a second election of officers had
been held, those who had been chosen the year before being
reelected. The meagre report of the first meeting “on
'Change” in Buffalo, given by the Buffalo Commercial Ad-
vertiser, said:
“The first meeting of the business men constituting the
Board of Trade, was held at the Merchants’ Exchange to-
day noon. On the occasion, R. H. Heywood, Esq., the
President, made an exceedingly appropriate address which
was well received, and after the exchange of congratula-
tions on the prospect of our city now taking her stand
alongside of other and larger cities in having an association
of merchants, who can assemble together and discuss mat-
ters pertaining to the welfare of the business-man, the meet-
ing adjourned, to meet at the same hour tomorrow.”
President Hey wood's address on this occasion has been
preserved, and may well be included here. He said:
Gentlemen of the Board of Trade—In erecting this building I
have endeavored to combine strength, durability, utility and just
architectural proportions; the eye has been consulted instead of
works on architecture. How\ far I have succeeded I leave you to
judge.
I congratulate you on this our first meeting on ’Change, and
tender you the use of this room, while I am fortunate enough to
remain the owner, for the purpose of meeting on ’Change, each day,
and holding any meetings connected with the trade and commerce
of this city—to exhibit your samples of grain and light articles of
merchandise—to place on the bulletin your advertisements of the
sailing of your steamboats and vessels and articles of merchandise
you have for sale; on condition you repair all damage you may do
the room, other than natural wear; employ a person to take care of
your samples and advertisements and sweep the room after each
meeting.
I will briefly give you my views of the benefits to result from the
forming a board of trade with its committee of reference—meeting248
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
on 'Change—exhibiting samples—advertising on bulletin—register
of arrivals at the hotels, and the reading room.
A Board of Trade, it is taken for granted, in all cities, contains
the wisdom, wealth and integrity of the active commercial portion of
the community—it elevates the character of each member, and of
the city—promotes fair dealing and kindly feeling toward each
other—gives force and character to any project that may be started
for obtaining the enactment of laws for the benefit of trade and
commerce—establishes precedence, rules and usages for governing
trade.
Committee of Reference. The referees are your peers, deemed
well versed in trade and commerce; elected by yourselves each
year, to hear and decide all matters of difference without delay;
thereby avoiding vexatious and frequently almost interminable law
suits, engendering ill-will toward each other, perhaps for life, which,
when decided, the decision is quite as apt to be wrong as right,
having to be decided by men comparatively ignorant of commercial
usages.
We find the first Board of Reference was established, at Pisa,
in Italy, in the eleventh century, composed of arbiters of disputes,
freely chosen by the merchants and confirmed by the Government.
Merchants and ship-owners were in the habit of assembling on
Christmas evening every year, and electing by vote two worthy men,
experienced in commercial affairs, under the name of consuls, and
another as judge of appeals. Such committees of arbitration were
afterwards appointed in all the large commercial cities of Europe,
and in course of time really became tribunals of justice.
New York has her Chamber of Commerce, chartered by the Brit-
ish Government before the Revolution, with a renewed charter by
the United States Government.
All cities throughout the world of any note have their chamber
of commerce or board of trade, with committee of reference, and
place “where merchants most do congregate.”
Buffalo is now one of the largest grain markets in the world and
is destined to be the largest, when half of the western prairies are
brought under the plow; with three hundred ships, fifty steamboats,
and hundreds of merchants trading with her—surely what has been
indispensable in other cities since the middle ages, must be essential
to Buffalo.
Meeting on 'Change gives you an opportunity of comparing views
and establishing uniform prices for the day—you mingle together
and become better acquainted with each other, and rub off many
sharp comers of jealousy and selfishness. By promptness at theTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
249
hour all persons that have business with you will expect to meet
you instead of spending hours as is frequently the case, in pursuit
of you about the city. Few will be willing to acknowledge that they
expect no person to see them on business in the course of the day—
your promptness on ’Change or absence will be taken as a criterion
of the amount of business you are doing—meeting on ’Change, you
will soon find, enables you to accomplish more in a few minutes
than you could otherwise in hours.
Exhibiting samples of grain with the amount, conveys to the
purchaser the knowledge that you have it for sale, and having the
samples ranged along together, enables you and him to compare
qualities and judge of the amount on the market.
Advertising on the bulletin the sailing of your steamboats and
vessels, conveys the knowledge that you are up for freight or passage
to particular ports—saves the answering of many questions—and
the person wishing freight or passage the time and trouble of en-
quiring at every office along the dock.
You will find the same advantage in advertising the commodities
you have for sale.
The register of arrivals at the hotels enables you to see at a glance
who of your acquaintance are in the city and their destination—
that you may wait on them—show them the articles you have for
sale—induce them to become customers then or at some future time
—to know what strangers to you are in the city and if desirable to
make their acquaintance—to know how all your doubtful debtors
are passing you by to pay their cash or obtain credit in other cities—
with a view of putting you off to some more convenient season.
The reading room is furnished with the best commercial papers
from the principal cities in the United States, placed on file from
twenty to thirty minutes before individuals can get their papers at
the postoffice, by waiting as they must for the distribution of the
mails.
The cost of being a member of the Board of Trade, which en-
titles you to all the privileges I have named, is estimated not to
exceed five dollars per annum.
Many of you take two or three New York papers, at a cost of
ten to twenty-five dollars per annum, which contain but a small por
tion of the news you would find at the reading room, and that, in
these days of railroads and electricity, very stale, when all your
neighbors have it from twenty to thirty minutes before you.1
i. Russell H. Heywood was a large figure in the early history of Buffalo,
and should have a fuller record in her annals than can here be given. Born
of Revolutionary stock in Worcester, Mass., Sept. 20, 1797, he settled in Paris250
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
The original constitution stated that “the objects of the
Board shall be to promote just and equitable principles in
trade, to correct abuses and generally to protect the rights
and advance the interests of the mercantile classes/’ The
admission fee was fixed at five dollars, and annual dues at
two dollars. The first officers, elected March n, 1845,
were: President, Russell H. Hey wood; first vice-president,
George B. Webster; second vice-president, William Wil-
liams; secretary, Giles K. Coats; treasurer, John R. Lee.
The first board of directors consisted of H. M. Kinne, Philo
Durfee, A. Hayden, J. L. Kimberly, R. P. Wilkins, A. H.
Caryl, J. B. Bull, George Davis, J. E. Evans, and John D.
Shepard. Henry Daw, Walter Joy and A. P. Yaw were the
first board of reference.
The original members of the Board of Trade, whose
names appear with the constitution and by-laws as printed in
1845, were as follows :
George W. Allen, Cyrus Athearn, N. Ayrault, William
Andrews.
John G. Brown, J. B. Bull, J. Brainard, Benjamin Bid-
well, Oliver Bugbee, Theodore Butler, C. C. Bristol, P. C.
Blancan, Warren Bryant, J. W. Beals, J. R. Beals, M. P.
Bush, James W. Brown.
Hill, Oneida Co., N. Y., and in 1824 moved to Buffalo, where he continued
active in business until the late ’50’s. Mr. William W. Folwell of Minneapolis,
whose wife, Sarah H., is Mr. Heywood’s daughter, kindly supplies the follow*
ing data:
“Mr. Hey wood built the old Chamber of Commerce on the dock. I have
heard him tell how he employed an artist to paint on the wall of one end of
the chamber proper a big bull, and on the other a bear. He was president of
the Buffalo & Hornellsville railroad, and sunk $80,000 in it. Spite of losses,
he had before the panic of 1857 acquired what was a large fortune for the
time. He was hard hit by that revulsion. He had endorsed liberally and had
to pay other men’s debts in large amounts.
“In the ’30’s Mr. Heywood bought a large tract of land in Erie County,
Ohio, some 6,000 acres originally. On this were two valuable water-powers, on
which he built flour-mills of great capacity for those days. Much of the land
was splendidly timbered, and a sawmill was put up to work up oak, elm, maple,
walnut, ash and other lumber for the local market. There were cooper shops
to furnish barrels for the flour mills. A country store and a post office were
maintained. Mr. Heywood was the whole of the village of Venice, a short
distance west of Sandusky. After 1857 his principal business was in Ohio, but
he kept his old house on the corner of Seneca and Wells streets, and remained
a citizen of Buffalo till near the close of the ’70’s. After selling the fine old
house, he lived with the widow of his son Daniel in Venice and Sandusky.
Because of his long absences from Buffalo, he became unknown to all but the
old settlers of his time. His later acquaintances were among the Wilkesons,THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
251
Theodore Chapin, Giles K. Coats, A. B. Campfield, A. H.
Caryl, W. Chard, James A. Clark, W. A. Clark, H. O.
Cowing, Grosvenor Clark.
Thomas J. Dudley, Philo Durfee, Henry Daw, Joseph
Dart, Jr., James De Long, George Davis, George A.
Deuther, C. Demming.
Chas. W. Evans, James C. Evans, John B. Evans, Joseph
S. Eckley, D. Eckley, Jr., E. D. Efner, Wm. H. E. Eckley.
William Fiske, Watson A. Fox, J. Fleeharty, Samuel D.
Flagg, Rinaldo Farr, George A. French.
Jno. M. Griffith, D. F. Gray, S. F. Gelston, A. G, Gridley,
H. Garrett.
Albert Hayden, S. W. Howell, H. E. Howard, S. B.
Hunt, James Hollister, George W. Holt, R. H. Hey wood,
Wm. Hollister, Azel Hooker, E. Hayward, I. M. Hubbard,
Addison Hills, R. L. Howard, R. Hollister, Ora L. Hol-
brook, M. S. Hawley, Judson Harmon, Chester Hitchcock,
John Hollister, S. W. Hawes, Horace Hunt, H. C. Hay-
ward, J. M. Hutchinson.
A. W. Johnson, Sherman S. Jewett, Miles Jones, Hiram
Johnson, E. R. Jewett, Walter Joy.
John L. Kimberly, H. M. Kinne, William Ketchum, H.
Kelley, L. Knapp.
Fillmores, Sheltons, Burwells, Shumways, and the older members of St. Paul's
Church. He was Dr. Shelton's right-hand man for many years, and the largest
contributor to the erection of the building. The black-walnut lumber for the
interior finish came from his land in Erie Co., Ohio. He was senior warden
of St. Paul's for 25 years. He was president of the Buffalo Savings Bank,
1848-1859, and a member of the Historical Society. I remember attending a
meeting of the Historical Society with him, I think in 1864, at which Mr.
Fillmore presided and Dr. Morton of Hartford, Conn., made a passionate de-
fence of his claim to be the discoverer of chloroform.
“He was a Henry Clay Whig and afterwards an ardent Republican, but
never desired political employment. He possessed a remarkable power of seiz-
ing the meat of a statement or argument and deciding promptly upon the thing
to be done. His letters are clear, terse and definite. He attributed his busi-
ness habits largely to the seven years apprenticeship he served in Worcester,
Mass. His wit was keen and abounding. If there was a funny side to a
thing he never failed to see it. He was a charming host, and during the life
of his first wife his house was the resort of many persons of distinction. He
was a very sincere Christian, who had shed all the- foolishness of Puritanism,
but not its virtues. The fluctuations of fortune had no effect on his temper.
If he made a hundred thousand in a good year's milling, he did not go wild
over it; if he lost as much his neighbors never heard him whine over it.
When he turned the key to his office he left all business cares behind, and
gave his evenings to children whom he made comrades.”
Mr. Heywood died in Sandusky, O., July 23, 1883, and was buried in Buf-
falo.252
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
John R. Dee, William Lovering, Jr., E. A. Lewis, Oliver
Lee, William Laverack.
P. S. Marsh, Thomas Murray, George A. Moore, Samuel
L. Meech, I. Myres, F. A. McKnight, A. D. A. Miller.
John T. Noye, John Newman, Frederick W. Newbould.
Rufus C. Palmer, Samuel H. Pratt, William E. Peck,
L. K. Plimpton, P. L. Parsons, Pascal P. Pratt, J. N. Pea-
body, John Patterson, A. D. Patchin, Theodore C. Peters,
William Prescott, John Pease, Lucius H. Pratt, Samuel
Purdy, Geo. Palmer, A. Pinney.
E. Root, G. B. Rich, Aaron Rumsey, Hamilton Rainey,
O. W. Ranney, A. Robinson, H. B. Ritchie, G. Russell.
Richard Sears, J. Saltar, Jason Sexton, H. R. Seymour,
H. S. Seymour, H. H. Sizer, Jno. D. Shepard, Sidney
Shepard, Joseph Stringham, Isaac Sherman, Noah P.
Sprague, Jacob Seibold, O. G. Steele, E. Smith,
Edwin Thomas, George W. Tifft, S. Thompson, H. Tan-
ner, W. A. Thomson.
G. B. Webster, Wm. R. L. Ward, R. P. Wilkins, William
Williams, Wm. Williams, E. R. Wilkeson, Jno. Wilkeson,
George B. Walbridge, G. T. Williams, Henry J. Warren,
G. R. Wilson, E. S. Warren.
III. The Business Situation in the ’4o’s.
It is worth while to record some phases of the business
situation that then engaged the attention of this new Board
of Trade. The lake and canal interests were developing at
a tremendous' rate, and the Merchants’ Exchange building
had filled up with tenants even before the dedication. In
the preceding April the Buffalo Fire & Marine Insurance
Company, of which Mr. Heywood was a director, and H.
Shumway the president, had moved from their old office at
Main and the Terrace into fine new quarters in the Prime-
street exchange. Captain Ebenezer P. Dorr, and his friend,
Capt. D. P. Dobbins, had offices there. James S. Leavitt
established his bookbindery on an upper floor, and Robert
T. Foy, set up a printing-office; while Calvin F. S. Thomas,THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
253
afterwards of Jewett, Thomas & Co., opened his printing
office and bindery in the third story. The Exchange was a
busy center of many industries, most of which were in some
way related to the business “on the dock.”
There, commercial interests were rapidly expanding. The
forwarding business was growing by leaps and bounds, with
the development of the West. Chicago’s population was
then about 12,000; and her grain shipments in 1844 are
given as one and a half million bushels of wheat; no oats,
rye or barley. Vessels were still carrying provisions, flour
and other means of subsistence to the West. Furs and skins
were no unusual items in the cargoes unloaded on the wharf
at Buffalo. Early in 1846, 40,000 muskrat skins were un-
loaded loose (not baled) on the docks.
In 1844 Buffalo boasted a population of 26,503. Three
years before this date the tonnage of the lakes, as licensed
at the several districts, was as follows:
Buffalo		■ • • 14,991	tons
Detroit ........	... 11,432	a
Cleveland			• • • 9,514	a
Oswego .......	• • • . 8,346	u
Sackett’s Harbor . . . .	• • . 3,633	a
Sandusky			• • • • 2,643	ec
Mackinac 				. . . . 470	a
Niagara .......	. . . . 230	tt
	51,259	a
Chicago, it will be noted, does not appear at all. The
vessels then enrolled at Buffalo, and their tonnage, were of
the following classes:
Steamboats,	24....................7,642	tons
Schooners, 53	........	5,043	“
Brigs, 9 ..........................1,662	“
Ships, 2 ..........................  644	“
14,991254
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
The Buffalo Board of Trade was the pioneer organization
of its kind in the Great Lakes region. In fact, there are but
six in the United States which are older. Oldest of all on
the American continent is the New York Chamber of Com-
merce, which dates from 1768. Fifty-three years later, in
1821, the merchants of Baltimore established a Board of
Trade, which has been continuous ever since. A similar or-
ganization was formed in Philadelphia in 1833; in New
Orleans in 1834, in Boston in 1836, and in Cincinnati in
1839. Then came Buffalo in 1844. With the development
of the West and the increase of shipments, the movement
for organization spread rapidly. In 1847 the business men
of Cleveland and of Detroit effected organizations on lines
similar to those laid down by Buffalo. The Albany Board
of Trade came into existence the same year. The next year
Chicago joined the list. The year 1849 added Oswego and
Toledo. Pittsburg waited until 1853. In 1865, the initia-
tive having been taken by Detroit (embodied in a resolution
of February 28th, and on a call issued by that Board, May
25, 1865) the first National Board of Trade convention was
held in that city, July 11, 1865; though it was not until
June, 1868, at Philadelphia, that the permanent organization
of the National Board of Trade was effected. Buffalo’s
part in that work will be narrated presently.
When the Buffalo Board of Trade came into existence a
paramount question was the enlargement of the harbor. The
natural harbor had been extended by various slips, especially
Commercial Slip, which was the outlet of the Erie Canal.
Most of this work was built by the State. Prime Slip, orig-
inally called Thompson’s Cut, was an exception, being a
private interest. One of the first matters which engaged the
attention of the young Board of Trade was the construction
of the Main and Hamburg canal. In 1847, response to
an invitation from the Common Council of Buffalo, seven
members of the State Canal Board visited Buffalo and in-
spected the territory through which it was proposed to cut
the Main and Hamburg. The whole local system of slips
and basins was under consideration; and although records
are lacking, there can be no doubt that the enterprising menTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
255
of the Board of Trade impressed upon the State Board the
growing needs of the shipping interests of Buffalo. With-
out entering at length into the history of these slips and
basins, now for the most part abandoned and filled, it may
be recorded in passing that the principal one of them, the
Main and Hamburg, was put under contract in June, 1848,
but was not ready for use until the spring of 1852. The
Clark & Skinner Canal, commenced as a private enterprise,
passed under State control in 1843. The Erie and Ohio
basins, with their connecting slips, were constructed in 1848-
'50, though somewhat changed in later years. The Evans
Slip or “ship canal,” as it was called in the earlier years,
was constructed in 1831-34, by private enterprise. Coit
Slip was also built at private expense. Of the slips above
mentioned, the Main and Hamburg was finally abandoned
and; wholly filled, 1901, and several of the minor waterways
have been obliterated. Prime Slip, 40 feet wide, was an
important feature of the harbor when the Merchants’ Ex-
change was erected on its bank. It was filled up during the
late ’6o’s, and its site is now covered with various structures.
The most important feature of harbor enlargement, un-
dertaken at the time of which we write, was the construction
of the Blackwell or City Ship Canal, laid out southerly from
Buffalo Creek, from a point near the old lighthouse to the
south channel. Some such extension of the harbor had been
projected as early as 1836, but definite action dates from
1847. The canal was completed and brought into use in
1850. In 1873 it was widened to 140 feet and deepened to
15 feet; and in 1883 it was extended by the Buffalo Creek
Railway Company through the “Tifft farm” lands, occupied
by the Lehigh Valley Railroad coal and ore docks.
Thus it is seen that in the years immediately following
the formation of the Board of Trade, the harbor of Buffalo,
the chief scene of its activity, was remade and more than
doubled in capacity.
From 1825 to 1845 the Erie Canal had practically gone
through a continuous enlargement. The Constitutional Con-
vention of 1846 opened the way for further enlargement.256	THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
It was an era of unprecedented canal construction. In
New York State, up to 1846, fifty-three canal companies had
been incorporated. Most of these were ventures entered
upon by men who, stimulated by the success of the Erie
Canal, sought to share in the profits of a toll-collecting en-
terprise. Many of these undertakings came to nought*
Others became important parts of the canal system of the
State; but the feature of tolls engaged the attention) of
boards of trade and legislators, of shippers and politicians,
passing through many phases until finally done away with
in 1883.
Canal construction was by no means peculiar to New
York State. Other commonwealths, notably Pennsylvania
and Ohio, were at this period well-nigh as active in develop-
ing artificial waterways. One of these, looked upon by the
Buffalo Board of Trade as destined materially to, affect the
harbor interests and trade of Buffalo, was the extension of
the Pennsylvania Canal from Beaver on the Ohio, 28 miles
below Pittsburg, to Erie, Pa., on Lake Erie, 136 miles. This
canal was opened Dec. 2, 1844, on which day three boats
laden with Chenango valley coal from Mercer Co., Pa.,
reached Lake Erie. It was the most direct communication
Buffalo had as yet had with Pittsburg; and it promised not
only a new and cheapened coal supply ( the vast anthracite
business of the Lakes had not yet begun), but a useful route
for bringing hither the sugar, molasises and cotton of Louisi-
ana. Something of this service it did for a time perform;
but its profitable career, like that of so many other canals,
was before many years cut short by the railroads.
The New York State work, so far as relates to the har-
bor, was confined to the canal system. Buffalo’s Board of
Trade became the nucleus around which the citizens rallied
in appeals to the Federal Government for harbor appropria-
tions. The year the Board of Trade was formed the River
and Harbor bill, appropriating $50,000 for Buffalo, passed
both Houses only to be “pocketed” by President Tyler to the
deep disgust of all who were interested in business on Buf-
falo Creek. Not only was the harbor shallow, but it was.
narrow, and its waterways were perpetually choked by manyTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
257
craft. Not only did the small canal-boats swarm at every
dock, but the lake carriers themselves were small in tonnage
and many in number. In the season of 1843, the lake ar-
rivals at and departures from Buffalo were 5884, though
the total tonnage was only 49,356, and this included some
50 steamboats. When the Board of Trade was organized
only one elevator—the pioneer Dart—stood on Buffalo
Creek, and even when running its best its two-quart buckets
could only lift into its bins 55,000 bushels, which was the
limit of its capacity. In 1846 it was enlarged to twice that
capacity, and two more elevators, the City and the Buffalo,
were built, and gradually the vast array of these leviathans
of trade, looming more vast and more numerous with every
year, transformed the harbor of Buffalo into the mightiest
storehouse of grain on earth.
Those early years of the Board of Trade were peculiarly
important, for it was the era of many radical changes. The
steam elevator replaced the throng of grain-handlers who
in the early days lifted the cargoes on their backs. At this
time, too, the propeller arrived, to put an end to the suprem-
acy of sailing-craft. The first propeller, the Vandalia, built
at Oswego, steamed into Buffalo harbor in 1842. In a year
or two the Samson and the Hercules followed—and another
chapter was begun in lake-forwarding. But it was still the
time of small things; of small shipments, of slow communi-
cation. “Morse’s magnetic telegraph” was new, uncertain
and expensive, and reached but few places; it took years to
bring it into common use in routine matters of business. It
was still the time of state bank issues, of wildcat and coun-
terfeit currency, of uncertain and fluctuating values. And
not until Russell Heywood put his grain boxes in the Ex-
change rotunda, where samples could be seen and judged,
could purchasers buy without being compelled to perambu-
late the docks in search of cargoes.
These glimpses of business conditions in the ’4o’s help
one to realize the relation of the young Board of Trade to
the community. Its specific objects are pretty well indicated
in President Heywood’s inaugural address. Definite rules
for the inspection and grading of grain were in due time258
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
adopted, and the members protected each other by agreeing
upon a uniform scale of fees or commissions for buying or
selling grain or produce. The business acts of every mem-
ber were subject to investigation by the Board of Directors;
and it is but just to record that in its more than sixty years
of continuous and steadily-growing activity, acts of rascal-
ity have been so few as to be a wholly negligible matter in
this review. On the contrary, membership in the Buffalo
Board of Trade—under that or under its later-day names—
has ever been (generally speaking) a guarantee of enter-
prise, of public spirit, of business integrity and trustworthi-
ness.
IV. An Early Triumph—The St. Clair Flats Canal.
The year 1854 brought to Buffalo a new form of govern-
ment. It was as distinct a milestone in the city's progress
as was 1832, the year of incorporation. The city was en-
larged by annexing Black Rock, the number of wards was
increased from five to thirteen, of aldermen from ten. to
twenty-six. The old Market House and City Hall on the
Terrace was tom down, and the seat of government was
moved to the Franklin-street buildings which were razed
when the present City and County Hall was finished in
1876. It was a year of much building. In 1854 a fire had
swept through the Canal-street neighborhood, consuming
many wooden buildings, and now this district, between the
canal and the Buffalo river, began to be rebuilt in brick.
Many of the old brick buildings in that section date from
1854 or thereabouts. On Buffalo Creek there were now ten
elevators:	Brown's, Hatch's, Evans & Dunbar's, Fish's,
Seymour & Wells', Dart's, Sterling's, Richmond's, Holley &
Johnson's, and Hollister's; with a total storage capacity of
1,550,000 bushels. On the lakfe, steam had virtually sup-
planted sailing craft, though the latter were in use, less and
less, for many years thereafter.
The St. Clair Flats were the terror of vessel-men and
shippers. During the season of 1854, vessels paid for light-
erage, damages by collision, etc., while aground on theTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
259
Flats, the sum of $660,126.56, with a total detention of 5566
days! Small wonder that Buffalo’s Board of Trade, on
whose members a large part of this loss fell, was exasper-
ated at the failure of the General Government to provide a
proper channel, and decided to take the initiative itself.
The morning of March 28, 1855, was an important date
in the history of the Board of Trade. At the Com Ex-
change on Central Wharf, that morning, President Hazard
brought up the subject of improvement of navigation
through the St. Clair Flats. It was already an old theme,
but more and more, vessel-men and shippers felt that some-
thing must be done. Several propositions had been made.
Mr. Hazard estimated that the value of vessels then owned
in Buffalo was $1,250,000, and one suggestion was that this
capital should pay an assessment of one per cent., or $12,500,
towards keeping the channel open, and that the vessel in-
terests of other lake cities should do the same. The value
of all vessels engaged in upper lake trade was put at
$4,000,000, which at one per cent., would give $40,000, suf-
ficient to keep a clear channel during the whole season.
Other suggestions were made. Watson A. Fox proposed
a stock company, with a capital of $25,000 or $50,000, for
the purpose of dredging the Flats, Congress might be peti-
tioned at its next session to refund the money expended by
the company, or grant a tract of land which could be sold to
reimburse the stockholders. Cyrus Clarke proposed that
each vessel should subscribe say $100 or $200 towards keep-
ing the channel open. Other ideas were put forth, but
finally the matter was referred to a committee, who were in-
structed to correspond with Boards of Trade in other lake
cities, with a view to holding a convention of vessel owners,
in Buffalo on April 18th.
At another meeting, the next day, Mr. Watson A. Fox
offered the following:
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the chair, to
whom shall be referred the question of improving the navigation of
the St. Clair Flats. That it shall be the duty of said committee to
draft a circular, to be addressed to the several Boards of Trade at
other lake cities, requesting them to appoint committees to procure260
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
subscriptions, at once, for the purpose of raising money to dredge
the St. Clair Flats; and further, that the said several boards send
delegates to a convention to be held at Buffalo on the 16th day of
April, who shall be prepared to report the amount of funds sub-
scribed for that purpose. That said circular be published in the
daily papers of the city, and that said committee be instructed to
procure all the information they can in regard to the probable cost
of dredging a suitable channel, and which of the several channels it
may be best to select for that purpose.
This resolution was adopted, and President Hazard
named for the committee Watson A. Fox, John J. Hender-
son, O. W. Ranney, J. C. Evans and H. C. Walker. An-
other resolution created a committee of five who were to
solicit subscriptions “to defray the expenses of sending one
or more delegates to Albany, to urge by all honorable ex-
ertions or influence the passage of the bill now before the
Legislature, for the imposition of tolls on railroads.” This
last proposition was vigorously opposed by certain members,
especially by J. G. Deshler and Cyrus Clarke. Hiram Niles
was chief spokesman for its advocates, and it finally pre-
vailed.
The circular which Mr. Fox’s committee prepared and
distributed, fairly stated the case in the following para-
graphs :
As the General Government has failed to furnish funds for the
dredging of the St. Clair Flats, through the omission of the Presi-
dent to sign the bill passed for that purpose at the last session of
Congress, it has become necessary that it should be done by private
means and private enterprise. The damage sustained annually by
those interested in the navigation of the lakes, is far greater than
the expense of the work; and we hope the public spirit of our citi-
zens will prompt them to give in defraying the expense, and that
they will designate in a liberal subscription the amount they are
willing to contribute toward the work, and appoint a committee to
meet at Buffalo. ...
We think that the dredging of the channel, as it should be, will
cost at least $35,000. ...
The circular also contained the assurance that Buffalo
could be counted on for $10,000, her full proportion for
prosecuting the work.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
261
The Chicago Board of Trade acted promptly, named
delegates to the Buffalo convention and set about raising its
subscription. Milwaukee did likewise, taking $3,000 as its
due share to be raised.
The St. Clair Flats convention, as it was called, met in
Buffalo on April 19, 1855. Mr. Hill of Chicago was its
president; John J. Henderson of Buffalo its secretary. Sev-
eral of the lake cities were represented by delegations. Buf-
falo, Chicago and Milwaukee were ready with their sub-
scriptions. Oswego offered no money and objected to the
method proposed, but her disapproval in nowise affected
the progress of the undertaking. Detroit was slow in act-
ing, but gave assurances of help. With $18,000 pledged,
Mr. Hazard of Buffalo was made treasurer of the fund.
Mr. John J. Henderson, secretary of the Buffalo Board, had
visited Quebec to ascertain what could be counted on from
the Canadian Government, and reported that that Govern-
ment would probably assume at least one-third of the cost
if that did not exceed $15,000. Details relating to the chan-
nel to be improved, and other matters, were discussed and
settled with commendable promptness. A dredging com-
mittee was chosen, and it was decided to go to work at once
with the money pledged. Frank Williams, a civil engineer
of Buffalo, was employed by the Board and went at once to
the St. Clair. On May 3d he reported to the Board, recom-
mending the improvement of the south channel. His recom-
mendations were accepted, proposals were invited, and
dredging promptly begun.1
It was a needed work, energetically undertaken and car-
ried out in a prompt and businesslike way. Had it never
accomplished anything else, the Buffalo Board of Trade
1. In 1842 a survey of the St. Clair Flats was made by Capt. Macomb,
U. S. Topographical Engineers, and in 1852 another survey was made by the
same officer and Capt. Caufield. These surveys showed that no changes of
consequence had taken place in the channel during that period. Mr. Williams
made careful examination of the North, Middle and South Channels, and rec-
ommended the last-named for permanent improvement. He proposed a channel
for 12 feet of water, and figured the expense for 125 feet wide, for 200 feet
wide, and for 300 feet wide, the location being substantially that recommended
by Capt. Macomb. Mr. Williams* report to the Buffalo Board of Trade was
printed in the Buffalo Morning Advertiser, May 7, 1855.262
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
would have amply justified its- existence. It was said by an
enthusiast at the time of the convention, “an investment in
the St. Clair Flats subscription fund would be as remunera-
tive as in the best railroad or bank stock in the country/’
At the annual meeting of this same profitable year, held
March 12th, the Board adopted resolutions, recommending
to its members, and to other Boards of Trade on the lakes,
to establish and encourage regular shipping offices for sail-
ors, as was done in New York and Boston, and have regular
shipping papers on all vessels, as required by law. This was
in order to put an end to abuses which grew out of the pre-
vailing custom of engaging and shipping sailors through the
vessel captains. A month later, it recommended the enact-
ment of a law requiring railroads in New York State “to
make weekly and yearly returns of all descriptions of prod-
uce received and transported by them from lake ports, and
delivered at tide water; also the quantity and description of
all freight received at tide-water, and delivered at lake
ports.” It also favored a bill, then pending in the Legisla-
ture, imposing a toll on railroads, which it was thought
would tend to equalize things with the tolls-burdened canals.
V. Incorporation—A New Beginning.
The first period in the history of Buffalo’s Board of
Trade was that of its occupancy of the Prime-street build-
ing. Its first dozen years or so of life cannot be called no-
table, although, as we have seen, it originated one important
project and shared in others. In July, 1847, was .held at
Chicago, the first River and Harbor Convention which had
a national character. It was a well-conceived effort to
rouse the Federal Government to action in aid of the har-
bors and channels of the Great Lakes. New York State
was ably represented, and a prominent Buffalo man, James
L. Barton, was temporary chairman of the convention on
July 5th, the opening day. Little immediate result followed,
but the convention, as an expression of opinion, was the
opening wedge of a great work.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
263
At the second annual election of the Buffalo Board, Mr.
Hey wood was reelected president; and he was again chosen
at the third election, which was the first held in the new
building, March io, 1846.1
In the spring of 1855 rooms in the Merchants’ Exchange
were newly fitted up for the Board of Trade. During the
preceding season they had not been kept open, nor had the
Board held daily meetings. Now, however, it was proposed
to do better. “The rooms,” said the Buffalo Commercial of
April 19th, “which are now to be kept open daily, are in
every respect worthy of the important interests to which
they are to be devoted.
“The rooms are two, having tables, on which are placed books
for the entry of the current exports and imports of the port, daily
market reports, and for the display of samples, and an octagonal desk
for writing purposes, while the newspaper files hang upon the hooks
about the walls of the rooms, in which are placed the various com-
mercial papers of the country, taken by the board. This last arrange-
ment is peculiarly an excellent one. When reference to a paper is
wished, the file is taken from the hook, the reader sits down, peruses
it to his satisfaction and then replaces it upon the hook. Thus mu-
tilation or loss is rendered next to impossible.
“The walls are beautifully papered, and adorned with busts of
Clay and Webster. The floors are covered with oilcloth, and neatly-
finished chairs and divans are ranged about, sufficient to accommo-
date a large assemblage. Altogether, nothing like it has ever before
been enjoyed by the Board of Trade of this city, and for the details
of the arrangement they are indebted to the excellent taste of Mr.
C. D. Gibson. The only evil results to be apprehended are, that the
neatness and comfort of the place will tempt members to frequently
resort to it, and, perhaps, over-speculate!”
In 1856 the election was not held until May 6th, when
M. S. Hawley was made president, J. Parker first vice-
president, W. A. Fox second vice-president, and the follow-
ing directors were chosen: H. M. Kinne, S. K. Worth-
ington, S. W. Whiting, D. N. Tuttle, William Fleming,
H. A. Smith, O. Bugbee, J. B. Griffin, W. D. Walbridge
and Samuel Morgan.
1. A complete list of the presidents and years of their service is appended
to this sketch.264
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
During this year, after much discussion, it was decided
that the original constitution and by-laws were no longer
adapted to the conditions of trade that had developed, and
steps were taken for incorporation. Application was made
to the Legislature, and on March 3, 1857, a charter was ob-
tained. The original incorporators were Russell H. Hey-
wood, George Palmer, Jason Parker, John T. Noye, Sidney
Shepard, H. Rainey, J. C. Evans, G. T. Williams, H. Roop,
Bronson C. Rumsey, William G. Fargo, L. K. Plimpton,
G. R. Wilson, H. Roop, Myron P. Bush, A. Robinson, H.
Niles, H. A. Smith, J. R. Lee, P. L. Sternberg, Richard H.
Sherman and Carlos Cobb. The first meeting for the elec-
tion of officers under the new charter was held March 7,
1857, at which George S. Hazard was elected president.
The charter under which the Board took new lease of life
in 1857, carried, with the usual provisions, a few stipulations
of special interest. It specified that the capital stock should
be not less than $10,000, the trustees having power to in-
crease it to $100,000. The shares were fixed at $25 each.
The annual election was to be held on the second Tuesday
in April of each year. A provision was made for life mem-
berships and also for permanent memberships. The trustees
were empowered to invest the capital stock and other funds
of the Board in bonds and mortgages on unencumbered real
estate within the State and in other approved securities, and
the following stipulation was made:
“When the said corporation may have accumulated the
sum of $50,000 ... it may keep the same securely in-
vested as a permanent fund and apply the excess of accu-
mulations to the payment of interest and redemption of the
outstanding stock, or donate the sum to charitable purposes;
providing, however, the said trustees shall have secured
suitable apartments to be used for the ordinary purposes of
the said Board of Trade.”
An Arbitration Committee was provided for to whose de-
cisions matters in controversy were to be submitted.
The by-laws, approved May, 1857, made the usual pro-
vision for election of officers and specified their duties.
They also provided for the election of a salaried secretary,THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
whose duties were specified at length, one of them being the
collection of statistical matter for annual publication, but it
was added, “no person shall be eligible to the office of secre-
tary who shall be connected with a newspaper press in this
city as reporter, editor or proprietor, unless the newspaper
be published under the auspices and control of the Board of
Trustees.,,
The annual statement for some preceding years had been
compiled and edited by the commercial editors1 of various
Buffalo papers. Mr. John J. Henderson, commercial editor
of the Daily Republic, and later of the Democracy, had pre-
pared it for some years. In 1855, David Wentworth of the
Daily Republic compiled it. Mr. Henderson, who had be-
come secretary of the Board of Trade by 1855, was serving
Buffalo in that capacity and as commercial editor of the
Courier in ’57, when the new charter came into effect.
From this time on, for some years, he appears to have
dropped newspaper connection and devoted himself to his
duties as secretary of the Board of Trade. That he was
well equipped for that task the annual reports which he pre-
pared well prove. The sixth annual statement of the “Trade
and Commerce of Buffalo” which Mr. Henderson compiled
for the year 1857, is an especially valuable review of busi-
ness conditions in that year of great financial crisis. Al-
though it brought bankruptcy or suspension to many houses
here as in many other business centers in the country, the
men of the Board of Trade weathered the adverse period
and instead of lamenting over the disasters of the past,
bravely addressed themselves to the problems of the imme-
diate present. We find in the report of the Board for that
year that great hopes were placed upon the prospective con-
struction of the international bridge across the Niagara be-
tween Black Rock and Fort Erie, and especially upon the
expansion of business likely to follow the completion of the
Erie Canal enlargement. It was an era of railroad activity,
many new lines being projected, and some construction un-
der way. And while we find the Buffalo Board of Trade
anticipating the increase of business that would follow canal
enlargement, we find it also advocating a reduction of tolls,266	THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
as indeed it continued to do until finally all tolls were abol-
ished
The decade of the ’6o’s saw little substantial growth in
the organization. It was a trying time for all commercial
enterprises and the Board of Trade did well to continue to
live. Even in these discouraging years, the organization
originated some important movements and shared in others.
On April io, i860, Chicago’s grain standard was adopted.
It was not, however, until June 12, 1877, that a call board
was established in the Exchange room.
On March 14, 1862, the Board addressed Congress with
a memorial, urging the location of a national armory at or
near Chicago. In doing this, it shared in a very general
movement on the part of the commercial bodies of the coun-
try. Home matters continued to receive its attention year
after year, usually in the form of petitions to the Common
Council to dredge Buffalo Creek and improve the harbor,
or in the sending of delegations to Albany to promote canal
interests.
VI. On Central Wharf.
On Thursday morning, June 26, 1862, the Board of
Trade took possession of its new quarters in a building
owned by the George C. White estate on Central Wharf.
The lease ran for five years at $750 per annum. The room
itself, on the second floor, was a large one, extending from
the dock to Prime Street, being 94 feet deep by 34 feet wide,
with a ceiling 14 feet above the floor. Handsomely fur-
nished, well lighted and ventilated, it became at once a popu-
lar place of resort with merchants, vessel owners and busi-
ness mens generally.
At 11 o’clock on the day named the place was thronged,
not the least attraction being what was described in a paper
of the day as “an elegant and bountiful collation of meats,
fruits, wines, etc.” Mr. George C. White, president of
White’s Bank, presented to the Board five baskets of cham-
pagne, sending also a note in which he proposed this toast:Home of the Buffalo Board of Trade, 1862-1883THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
267
“The Buffalo Board of Trade. May its meetings always
be harmonious and mutually advantageous, and its members
always prosperous and happy.”
This sentiment was vociferously hailed; and President
George S. Hazard, opening the first bottle, poured for ex-
President Millard Fillmore, Hon. N. K. Hall and Dean
Richmond, who sat beside him, and filling hie own glass,
rose and drank with the guests.
President Hazard’s speech on this occasion shows that
the Board of Trade had fallen into a decline, either of in-
terest, of usefulness or of finances—or as was probably the
fact, of all three. “We have met here today,” he said to
the crowding guests, “to resuscitate the Board of Trade, to
invigorate it with new life, to incite it to increased useful-
ness, and to dedicate this beautiful and appropriate hall to
Trade and Commerce. I congratulate you,” he continued,
“on this auspicious commencement of a new era. It be-
tokens a determination to reestablish this institution on a
reliable and permanent foundation, and as it was the first
organization of this character west of the city of New York,
let it be your endeavor to make it first in usefulness.”
Mr. Hazard continued at some length, pointing out the
advantages bound to accrue to Buffalo from an active Board
of Trade; defining the objects and purposes of such an or-
ganization, which he said were not only the daily routine of
’Change, “but to establish and promote equitable principles
and laws of trade, to reform abuses, correct inconvenient
and useless customs, and establish those more in accordance
with the spirit of the age; to establish a tribunal for settling
disputes among its members without resort to expensive and
vexatious litigation ; and, generally, to protect the interests
of the mercantile classes.” He passed on to give his con-
ception of certain daily details of such an organization :
“There should be a daily exhibit of the state of your
market as well as the markets of those cities with which you
are in constant intercourse; the import and export as well
as inland movement of all the great staples of the country;
weekly and monthly statements of receipts and shipments;
and yearly returns of the general business, commercial,268	THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
manufacturing and banking, of your city, and in fact all
statistical matter which can be of any use to the members of
your Board.”
He made a forceful application of the adage, “In union
there is strength.” It was a time in our national history
when any suggestion of “union” stirred the heart of the
Northern patriot, and Mr. Hazard’s admonitions were
cheered with a fervor which was deepened by the thought,
at the back of every man’s mind, of his country’s crisis and
what it might signify.
No address on such an occasion would have been com-
plete without reference to the growth of Buffalo’s commerce.
Mr. Hazard reminded his hearers that twenty-five years
before, the entire receipts of breadstuffs at the port of Buf-
falo amounted to only about one million bushels. Ten years
later the receipts had increased to thirteen millions of bush-
els. The next decade gave us over twenty-two millions of
bushels ; and five years later, bringing us down to 1861, the
returns showed the “enormous receipt”—as it then seemed—
of fifty-eight millions of bushels. “As no other port on the
face of the earth,” added the speaker, “can compare with
this, Buffalo stands unrivalled.” And again the crowd—
the men who had in good measure brought about this state
of things—cheered their president, as they had good right
to do.
It was in fact, a jolly “recuscitation,” and the exercises
ran on for hours with so many pleasant features that it took
the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser two days to complete its
report of them. Ex-President Fillmore’s health being pro-
posed, he was forced to speak. He told of what he had seen
in the way of commercial exchanges abroad, and added the
usual congratulations to Buffalo.1 Other toasts and speeches
followed, among the speakers being Henry W. Rogers,
George B. Hibbard and William Williams. President
Hazard no doubt observing that the prevailing state of mind
was favorable to a little business., reminded the assemblage
that there was not a dollar in the treasury and that the
i. For Mr. Fillmore’s remarks on this occasion, see XI, Pubs. Buf. Hist. Soc.,
67.68.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.	269
Board needed new members; whereupon 103 new names
were affixed to the secretary’s books and over $1000 paid
in as dues.
It was not until January 15, 1863, that telegraph wires
were extended to the Board of Trade rooms. A merchant
of today would be amused and amazed at the methods em-
ployed before the “wire” came into common business use.
Even after its introduction very slight use was made of the
telegraph for ordinary business transactions for many years.
In this year of 1863, the flour dealers of Buffalo asked
for a flour inspector, to settle their differences and establish
a standard. On April 16th, also of this year, a standard bill
of lading was adopted and a Conciliation Committee was
created to settle differences arising among the members. In
the next dozen years probably not more than half a dozen
cases arose of serious difference. Some of these were ami-
cably adjusted, while in one or two cases members were
expelled.
From time to time the Board renewed its lease of the
Central Wharf rooms and although the growth of the insti-
tution hardly seems to have warranted it, yet steps were
early taken towards the securing of a building for the
Board’s own use.
In 1870 William Thurstone as secretary published his
first annual statement of the trade and commerce of Buf-
falo. It was the first of the long and valuable series of sta-
tistical pamphlets which he prepared, and the first official
report of the kind sent out by the Board since 1865. The
earlier reports, compiled by John J. Henderson (and in 1854
by David Wentworth) had been followed in the early ’6o’s
by the work of E. H. Walker of the Buffalo Commercial
Advertiser. The statements for 1863-’65 were prepared by
him; from that date until 1870, although one or more of
the Buffalo newspapers printed annual reviews of the year’s
commerce, the Board of Trade does not appear to have ac-
cepted them as official. Mr. Thurstone’s report for 1869, a
thick pamphlet of 152 pages, packed with commercial sta-
tistics, marked the resumption of a series of reports which
continues unbroken to this day.270	THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
In July, 1869, a daily commercial circular was issued un-
der the sanction of the Buffalo Board of Trade, and con-
tinued until the close of navigation; after which it was for
some time published as a weekly. This method was fol-
lowed in other years. Copies were furnished to other
Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce in the United
States and Canada; its foreign exchanges included the
Mark Lane Express and the English and Foreign Trade
Gazette of Liverpool. The Buffalo Board of Trade was the
first to issue such an official publication.
At this time the Board of Trade had 393 members, of
whom 186 held stock. The income received from members
in 1868 was $4210, and the corporation stock was invested
in two $10,000 Government bonds. The building proposition
was laid aside so far as any practical steps were taken until
some years later; and in June, 1870, the lease of the old
quarters was renewed for another five years.
The new by-laws, passed April 21, 1868, were much more
explicit than those they superceded, on the powers and du-
ties of officers, the manner in which elections should be held,
and other matters. They provided standing committees on
finance, reference and appeal and arbitration, and specified
their duties. To join the Board, an applicant had to be nom-
inated by two or more stockholders of the corporation, or
other members, pay the annual dues and sign a paper agree-
ing to abide by the rules and regulations as prescribed.
Members could be expelled by a three-fourths vote of the
trustees.
One step taken in 1872, worthy of record, related to the
inspection of grain. On April 22d a committee of the
Board, consisting of Jason Parker, George S. Hazard and
R. R. Buck, to whom the matter had been delegated, re-
ported in favor of the adoption of a uniform system of in-
spection, “more especially for cargoes shipped at ports
where no inspection exists; that a suitable inspector be ap-
pointed, and that the same standards for inspection be
adopted as those now in force at Western ports.” These
recommendations were in due time carried out. By a reso-
lution of die Board, Sept. 18, 1874, the number of bushelsTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
271
constituting a boat-load of. grain was fixed at 7,800 for
wheat, 8,300 for com, and 14,000 for oats.
VII. The Board of Trade Adopts a Regiment.
From the outbreak of the Rebellion, the Board of Trade
found its attention more and more diverted from the ordin-
ary channels of business to the great emergencies of the
nation. Individually and collectively its members shared in
the general community devotion to the recruiting and equip-
ment of regiments. The first year of the war, with its heavy
reverses, did not tend to increase the bulk of business; but
it did increase and strengthen the bond of sympathy among
the business men of Buffalo.
Early in 1862, the 100th Regiment, New York Volun-
teers, had left Buffalo, numbering 960 men. That regiment,
which meant so much to the homes of Buffalo and Western
New York, was in the thick of the fight at Fairoaks and in
other engagements of that campaign, so that by July, 1862,
its enrollment of 960 had been reduced to 451, rank and file.
The fatal field of Fairoaks well nigh wrecked the 100th
Regiment. It became a question whether it would not be
wiped out by consolidation with other regiments and corps.
The pride of Buffalo was touched. The regiment from its
first recruiting had meant so much to this community, so
many homes had given their young men to it, that it was
but natural that there should exist a strong local' desire to
fill up the ranks and continue its organization.
The Board of Trade took up the matter. On July 24th,
at a special meeting held after the 'Change hour, President
Hazard in a feeling address made a plea for raising a liberal
war fund by subscription, to be devoted to the enlistment
of men. At this meeting and at others which followed, the
movement was at first merely an expression of the patriotic
impulse of the community to give prompt and efficient aid to
the Government. Before long, however, the efforts of the
Board of Trade became centered upon this depleted Buffalo
regiment. At a meeting on July 25th, it had been- proposed272
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
that the Buffalo subscription be especially devoted to re-
cruiting the iooth Regiment and that it should be known
as the Board of Trade Regiment. It took a day or two for
the suggestion to strike root, but on July 29th the War
Committee, to which this proposition and others related to
the war fund had been* referred, made a report which was
destined to produce great results* “In view,” said this com-
mittee, “of the gallant conduct of the iooth Regiment in
the recent severe battle of Fairoaks, its necessities in con-
sequences of heavy losses of men, with no friendly hand
stretched out to save their dearly-earned reputation' from
oblivion, your committee would earnestly recommend the
adoption of the iooth Regiment by the Buffalo Board of
Trade, and that prompt measures be taken to fill its ranks
with good able-bodied men.”
The meeting at which this report was read had drawn to
the Exchange an unusual number of citizens. The Board
room was packed as were the open galleries adjoining, and
when the Board by unanimous vote adopted this resolution,
a cheer went up that carried the news the whole length of
old Central Wharf.
It was a moment of enthusiasm, but it was not the sort
of enthusiasm that flares up and dies out. Before adjourn-
ment the Board of Trade had voted that it would procure
and present a handsome flag to the regiment, which from
this time on was to be its own. Then began the serious
work of getting subscriptions. Men- considered! what they
could do and acted promptly.
Charles Ensign, offered his splendid new steamer, the
Badger State, for a public excursion for the benefit of the
fund. The Messrs. J. C. and E. T. Evans made a similar
offer of their steamer Merchant. The first of these excur-
sions netted $1696. Thomas Day gave four building lots in
the park which bears his name. These found buyers at a
substantial figure. William H. Beard, the artist, gave an
exhibition of one of his paintings, “The March of Silenus,”
for the benefit of the fund. Henry E. Perrine pledged him-
self to send to the front four men at his own expense. Oth-
ers individually or for the elevator or various other interestsTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
273
which they represented, subscribed liberal sums of money;
so that early in August there was available for this work of
reconstructing a regiment over $22,000. The list of Board
of Trade subscriptions to this great cause, as it has been
preserved in the records of the regiment, is as follows:
Chas. J. Mann........$ 350 00
George S. Hazard ------ 350	00
Samuel J. Holley.....	100	00
J. M. Richmond ......	500	00
A. W. Cutter......... 100 00
A. Sherwood ........... 250	00
Kinne & Co............. 200	00
S. K. Worthington ...	200	00
J. R. Bentley ......... 200	00
Van Buren & Co.......	200	00
Lewis B. Joy & Co. ...	250	00
E.	S. Prosser---.....	500	00
Thomas Clark .......... 500	00
Stewart, Graves & Co. .	300	00
D. S. Bennett ---....	500 00
A. W. Horton........... 100	00
Morse & Nelson ........ 100	00
John G. Deshler........	200	00
Nims & Gibson........	200	00
N. C. Winslow & Co. .	250	00
H. P. Bridge........... 200	00
Chas. W. Wolf........	100	00
F.	L. Sheldon ........ 200	00
Lee & Scofield......... 100	00
Cyrus Clark............ 100	00
James D. Sawyer......	100	00
Wm. Petrie & Co......	200	00
S. S. Guthrie.......... 100	00
G.	J. Heimlich ....... 150	00
Stephen W. Howell ...	400	00
J. M. Matthews & Co. .	150	00
Mixer & Smith........	100	00
C. H. Morse ........... 100	00
Griffin & McDonald ...	200	00
L. K. Plimpton.......	200	00
S. Cary ............... 100	00
Stimpson & Grant-----	150	00
Bissell & Bridgeman . .$ 150 00
James G. Stevens.....	100	00
Junius S. Smith......	100	00
G. Malcolm ............. 100	00
D. W. Irwin............. 100	00
Elmore H. Walker-----	25	00
D. W. Tuttle ........... 100 00
Jason Parker......... 10000
P. L. Sternberg.........	200	00
Swan & Thayer........	100	00
Henry B. Miller......	100	00
Wm. C. Foster & Co. ..	25	00
F.	W. Patterson ....... 100	00
S. W. Derrick........... 100	00
R.	C. Palmer........... 100	00
A. J. Holt.............. 200	00
A. Grote ................ 25	00
Laurens Enos ..........  200	00
J. C. Harrison..........	200	00
W. 0. Brown............. 300	00
A. L. Griffin.........   100	00
G.	J. Whitney........... 25	00
A. T. Blackmar.......	250	00
H.	A. Frink........... 250	00
E.	Gilbert ............ 100	00
Frank Lee................ 50	00
D. S. Austin............ 100	00
Cobb & Co............... 100	00
G. C. Coit & Son.....	150	00
Richard Williams.....	25	00
William Dickson......	100	00
George Richardson ...	25	00
C. Vosburgh ............. 50	00
S.	H. Rumrill ......... 100	00
Wm. Williams............ 300	00
A. M. Johnstone...... SO 00
P. J. Ferris............. 50	00274
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
John L. Jewett	$	100 00	Fish & Avery 		$	50 00
Wm. Monteith 		100 00	Fish & Armstrong		50 00
Chas. Ensign and John		Charles Ensign 		500 00
Allen for the Marine		George Urban 		100 00
Elevator		500 oo	M. S. Hawley		100 00
R. S. King ..		200 00	M. R. Eames 			100 00
E. P. Selsmer 		25 00	J. C. & E. T. Evans ...	500 00
S. G. Cornell & Co. ....	100 00	Myron P. Bush			250 00
Sheldon Pease & Co. ..	100 00	W. C. Davidson		50 00
Thomas Day, donation		H. Niles & Co. 			100 00
of 4 lots Day's Park,		John W. Gardner		50 00
net proceeds	 Chas. Ensign, proceeds of excursion steamer	700 oo	O. N. Chapin	 Henry E. Perrine, sub- scribed 4 men which	20 00
Badger State, net ...	1,696 00	he sent to the front	
Wm. H. Beard, artist .	100 00	at his own expense ..	
Proceeds of Wm. H.		Brownell & Boyd		100 00
Beard's picture		Cash (unknown) 		5 00
“March of Silenus" .	50 00	Alexander W. Harvey .	200 00
H. E. Howard		100 00	Chas. W. Evans		250 00
Dean Richmond 		500 00	Henry Daw & Son		100 00
Niles Case 		50 00	Williams, Fargo & Co.	500 00
Robert Montgomery ..	100 00	Western Transit Co...	1,500 00
Jerry Small 					25 00	W. R. Strong				100 00
There is much in the above list that will awaken war-time
memories for many residents of Buffalo who are still living.
The excursion of the Badger State was a gala affair, shared
in, as the receipts attest, by a large number of excursionists,
who found a lake ride an agreeable way to give patriotic
aid. William H. Beard’s painting, “The March of Silenus,”
became the property of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy,
which is still its fortunate possessor. What Mr. Henry E.
Perrine spent in equipping four men for the front, is not
recorded, but obviously it was a generous subscription to
the cause.
The work of recruiting was vigorously taken up. Be-
sides the regular recruiting office, a tent was set up at the
foot of Main Street, where men were examined and enrolled.
The following advertisement—no doubt unique among the
documents of the Boards of Trade of any American city—
was printed for some weeks in the Buffalo papers and helped
to gather in the recruits.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
275
BOARD OF TRADE REGIMENT.
The 100th New York Volunteers
400 MEN WANTED
mo FILL UP THE RANKS OF THIS EXCELLENT
I and veteran Regiment, who have so nob'.y txmo
iuemselres in all the duties and battles from Yorktown to
Richmond.
The Board of Trade of the City of Buffalo,.recognising
the services of the 100th, have adopted it as the'
Board of Trade Regiment,
and with munificent liberality, have subscribed
$8120,000
FOR EXTRA BOUNTY & PREMIUMS
To induce young volunteers to onliet in the war worn
100th. The families of volunteers will also be insured at:
tention and support.
JOIN AN OLD REGIMENT.
Your duties from the start will be less severe. lour
officers lave had experience! Your comrades are vete^
rans! The dear-bought lesson of learning camp life for
new regiments, are obviated, f*r your comrades have
learned them and know how to live.
The President of the United States, the Generals in the
held, the Governor of the State, all prefer that the
Old Regiments Should be Filled Up!
Join the Board of Trade Regiment I
*28 BOUNTY OVER ANY OTHER REGIMENT.
Bounties Before Entering Service:
State Bounty.............................    $50
United Slates Bounty......................... 25
Premium.....................................   3
One Month's Psy in advance................... 13
Board of Trade Bounty........................ 26
Board of Trade Premium.......................  3
Cash in adv. nee.................... $119
Further Bounties —On expiration «>r service, $75—160
acres of land—Medical attendance and clothing, free—
Subsistence and transportation free.
FREEMEN! Rally lotVe rescue of our counlnmen.
Fill up the ranks and march victoriously into Richmond.
Join tlie Gallant One Hundredth !
&9*&0 OF TRADE COMMITTER *.
Hon. E. S. Pro.;»gr,	Hon. S. J. Holley,
Hon. J. G. Deshlor,	G	S. Hazard, lCsq.,
L. X. Plimpton, Esq,	S.	W. Howell, £<q,
1). S. Bennett, Esq.,	A	G. Williams, Esq.,
C. J. Mann, E*q.,	J. M. Richmond, Ef q.
rgp* Recruiting Office over Morning Express Office,
anuin the tent at the foot of Main street.
Captains NICHOLSON, DYE, MORSE,
au2tl6&ct!3	Recruitirg Officers.276
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
As the work of recruiting went on, the Board of Trade
accepted gratefully the assistance of the Hon. Orlando
Allen. From Aug. ist to Oct. 1st, 1862, 345 recruits
were added to the regiment. Gen. Gustavus A. Scroggs,
elected colonel of the 100th by its line officers, declined
to serve. A young artillery officer in the regular army,
who was highly recommended to the Buffalo Board of
Trade and whose record President Hazard was at pains
personally to investigate, was appointed Aug. 26th. This
was Captain George B. Dandy, who, as colonel of the Board
of Trade regiment, was to lead it on many a hard-fought
field, winning for himself not only the reputation of a thor-
ough soldier, but a commander always considerate of the
welfare of his men and a general who enjoyed the respect
of all who knew him.
The story of the regiment in detail cannot appropriately
be told here; that belongs to the military records of our
country and has been adequately chonicled by other hands.1
One event, however, should be included here, because it
forms not only a part of the history of the regiment, but a
part of the history of the Board of Trade. On November
16, 1862, at Gloucester Point, Virginia, formal presentation
was made to the regiment, in the name of the Buffalo Board
of Trade, of a beautiful flag. It had been consigned by the
Board of Trade to the hands of the regimental chaplain,
Captain J. B. Linn, and on Sunday morning of the date
mentioned, the regiment being drawn up in line, Colonel
Dandy with his staff in front, Chaplain Linn presented the
flag to the Colonel with the following remarks:
“Fellow Soldiers: The cause in which you are engaged is one
that ever excites the greatest sympathy among our friends at home.
I need not say how deeply they are interested in your behalf and
success. Our country cost too dear a price to be easily sacrificed
now. Those institutions which we all so dearly love are threatened
with subversion. To you they look with confidence, to you they look
for aid in her defense. To this regiment you all well know the
Board of Trade of the city of Buffalo have recently bestowed
1. “History of the One Hundredth Regiment of New York State Volun-
teers,” etc., by Geo. H. Stowits, Buffalo, 1870.	12 mo., pp. 424.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
277
especial care. With you have they cast their lot. Prove yourselves,
then, worthy of their patronage. Prove to them that their lot has
been cast with those who have inherited the spirit that actuated the
associates of Washington and Schuyler. In behalf, then, of the
Board of Trade of the city of Buffalo, to assure you of their sym-
pathy and cooperation, to arouse you to increased exertion and pa-
triotism, I present you this flag. May it never be sullied by defeat,
nor blighted with the mildew of treachery.”
Colonel Dandy receiving the flag from Chaplain Linn in
a short response expressed the gratitude of his regiment to
the Board of Trade for its beautiful gift. “This banner, I
believe,” he said, “will never be suffered to trail in the dust.
Should we have the high privilege of taking it into battle,
we will endeavor to bring it back in honored safety.”
Another stand of colors was presented to the regiment,
January io, 1863, the tattered remnants of which, with those
of the first flag, are preserved by the Buffalo Historical So-
ciety.
The relations of the Board to the officers and! men of the
regiment became pleasantly intimate. On January 5, 1864,
Col. Dandy delivered an address on the Exchange floor, in
which he reviewed the history of the regiment. Speaking
of what the Board of Trade had done for it, he exclaimed:
“Would to God other organizations throughout the country
had generally followed your example! What defeats might
have been prevented, what disastrous routs, what toilsome
marches, what disgraceful retreats! You found the regi-
ment a skeleton; you gave it heart and lungs and blood and
brain and muscle.” On February 1, 1865, the Board gave a
public reception to the veterans of its regiment. The rooms
were trimmed with bunting and flags, and some 200 of “the
boys in blue,” enjoyed the hospitality of the Board and lis-
tened to the address of President Hazard.1
i. There is still preserved an old visitors* register of the Board of Trade,
in which the first entries are the names of Chicago delegates to the St. Clair
Flats convention of April, 1855; but most of the entries are of the Civil War
period, and many relate to the 100th Regiment. On the date of the reception
above noted, 159 of the veterans inscribed their names. Other pages hold in-
teresting records, e. g., under Apr. 29, 1863, one may read:	“Cyrus W. Field
addressed the audience on the subject of the Atlantic cable”; Oct. 10, 1863,278
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
The generosity and patriotism of the men of the Board
of Trade were not confined to the iooth Regiment. They
gave thousands of dollars in aid of recruiting, or of sanitary
and relief societies, and kindred purposes. It was a time
when constant appeals were made in every Northern city to
all who could give, and probably, if the facts could be gath-
ered, it would appear that this subscription to the iooth
Regiment, generous as it was, did not after all represent
more than half of what the Board of Trade gave during the
Civil War as voluntary aid to the Government.
A word should be added to complete the story of the
adopted regiment, in connection with the Board of Trade.
President Hazard wrote on July 30, 1862, to Major C. N.
Otis, at the front, stating what the merchants of Buffalo
had done for the iooth Regiment. The letter was read in
camp near Harrison’s Landing, August 6th, and a meeting
of the officers of the iooth held at the tent of Quartermaster
Bishop. Bringing as it did assurance that this depleted
regiment should not be wiped out of existence, but was not
only to be recruited but guaranteed in its maintenance, we
may readily believe that Mr. Hazard’s letter stirred in no
ordinary way the emotions of the men to whom it was sent.
The regiment drafted a reply, in which they not only
thanked the Buffalo Board of Trade, but made acknowledg-
ment in phrases of unusual fervor of their appreciation of
the action of the Buffalo Board in raising funds for their
regiment. “We hereby pledge ourselves,” the resolutions
concluded, “as we have been highly honored, to use our best
endeavors to prove ourselves worthy of the honors thus con-
ferred and that by no act of ours shall the Board of Trade
have occasion to regret the action thus taken.” It never
did regret it. It watched over the fortunes of the iooth
Regiment to the end of the war. The details of the service
of that regiment may not be entered upon in this sketch.
“Hon. Samuel Butler addressed the Board of Trade on the subject of the re-
construction of the pier and harbor at Fairport, O.”; July 30, 1864, “Col.
Taylor of East Tennessee addressed the board on the distress in East Ten-
nessee,” etc. June 16, 1866, Major General Meade was a guest of the Board,
and on July 28 of that year Lieutenant General Sherman was received there.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
279
That it bore not merely an active but a gallant part in a
score of sieges, assaults and battles is matter of familiar
record in the history of the Rebellion. From its organiza-
tion to the close of the war the records show the names of
1825 men connected with the regiment. Many of these
names are those of old Buffalo families, of young men
whose untimely death brought great grief into this com-
munity, or of others who, surviving the war, have been and
in some cases still are active and prominent in the life of
Buffalo to this day.
It has been said that the Buffalo Board of Trade made
the 100th Regiment the largest regiment in the Department
of Virginia, and that Col. Dandy made it the best.
VIII. The Financial Side.
The finances of the Board at this period can hardly be
said to have flourished. On April 2, 1864, the by-laws were
so amended that any one on the payment of $10 yearly could
become an annual subscriber. Five dollars was fixed as a
membership fee for the partners of members, or their clerks
who were themselves unable to share in the privileges of the
floor. In 1866 the by-laws were again revised, so that any
one owning four or more shares of stock should be entitled
to all the privileges of membership and exempt from dues
and assessments. Up to 1867, 400 shares of stock, at $25
a share, had been issued, amounting to $10,000. On April
10th, the capital was increased to $20,000. The next year
a further revision of the by-laws fixed the annual dues at
$20 for residents and $40 for non-residents. Dissatisfaction
greatly increased on account of the inequality of privileges
of stockholders, and stockholders’ advantages over members
who held no stock came to be regarded by the tatter class as
unjust and to their own detriment. In 1870 the annual dues
were further increased to $25 subject to a deduction for
stock, $5 of the amount being for the benefit of the open
Board.280
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
By the spring of ’68 the capital stock had increased to
$30,000 and at a meeting of the trustees, on motion of Frank
A. Sears, it was voted that a committee of three should re-
port at an early date the most feasible plan for the erection
of a building. This appears to have been the first step taken
in the matter. Nothing came of it at the time. A little later
the Finance Committee was instructed to report on suitable
sites and did report August 14th of that year in favor of the
purchase of three pieces of property, all on Prime Street,
owned respectively by George R. Babcock, estate of George
Palmer and Stephen G. Austin, the total valuation amount-
ing to $53,000. This proposition, in turn, was reconsidered
and tabled, but the following month we find the Finance
Committee again reporting at considerable length on the ad-
visability of the purchase of properties at the foot of Main,
running through to Washington Street, and fronting on
Ohio Street, owned by E. G. Spaulding, Captain E. P. Dorr,
William H. Greene and John T. Hudson. The whole parcel
was 33 feet front on Main, 210 feet on Ohio, 101 feet on
Washington, affording 279 feet of building front and 345
feet of water front on the Creek. The estimated cost of this
property was $118,000, or $561.90 per foot, taking the Ohio-
street frontage as a basis. This the committee thought not
unreasonable and a purchase appears to have been seriously
considered. When, however, the proposition was submitted
to the stockholders, September 22nd, they voted an indefinite
postponement.
Although in some years running expenses exceeded the
income so that there was a deficiency to make up, yet the
stockholders received yearly dividends, in one case as high
as 25 per cent. In 1873, with view to increasing the income,
it was recommended by the committee that the funds then
invested in Government bonds which drew interest at six per
cent, in gold, of a par value of $20,000, but of a market
value stated at $23,400, be reinvested in bonds of the Buf-
falo & Washington Railroad which could be bought for
eighty-five cents and which paid six per cent, interest. This,
it was argued, would increase the income by about $500
yearly. Favorable as the proposition appeared, it was de-THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
281
dared inadvisable and instead of making the transfer the
Board endeavored to reduce the deficiency by sundry minor
economies.
With a view to realizing more on the accumulations it
was voted May 25, 1875, to sell the Government bonds and
deposit the proceeds in the savings banks of Buffalo until
they could be profitably reinvested. In June the $20,000
of bonds were sold at $1.18%, netting $23,712.50, and were
placed in various banks. Within a few months the Board
purchased Buffalo city bonds of various issues to the amount
of $26,125.49, and the April balance sheet of 1876 showed a
total higher than had ever before been reached, of
$34,079.28.
The increase in profits, however, from the invested funds,
did not in the least allay the dissatisfaction among members.
It became evident that a thorough reorganization was in-
evitable. In 1878 we find the Board addressing itself in a
businesslike way to the wise settlement of its own difficul-
ties. The legal counsel for the Board, Mr. George B. Hib-
bard, in response to an official request, wrote a long state-
ment in which he replied to the following inquiries pro-
pounded by President Richmond:
1.	Have the trustees of the Board of Trade a right to
divide to the stockholders any part of the capital stock or
its accumulations until said stock and accumulation shall
amount to $50,000?
The legal adviser at great length answered No, unless
power was secured through new legislation.
2.	Have the stockholders the right to dissolve this or-
ganization ?
Again Mr. Hibbard replied No, except as the statutes of
the State provide.
3.	Can this present Board be so changed in its manage-
ment as to allow all its members an equal voice ?
No, that could not be done either, as the law stood.
4.	Is there a general law of the State under which
Boards of Trade can be organized ?
Yes, the Act of May 3, 1877, was ample.282
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
5. If it is thought advisable to reorganize this Board of
Trade under the general laws of the State so that each mem-
ber can have an equal voice, in what way can we retain the
present funds now held for the purpose of erecting a Board
of Trade building?
To this the attorney could only say in substance that new
legislation would be necessary.
Mr. Charles A. Sweet presented a petition asking for the
reorganization of the Board of Trade. An outcome of the
long discussion was the appointment of a committee of five,
two of whom were trustees and two stockholders not trus-
tees, the president having a casting vote, to investigate and
report on the whole subject of reorganization. Associated
with the president on this committee were Charles A. Sweet,
Alfred P. Wright, Cyrus Clarke and James D. Sawyer. It
was voted at that time that a stock-book should be opened
for subscribers to the amount of $100,000, with a view to
the erection of a suitable up-town building. The following
petition appears on the official minutes of the trustees at
this period:
“We, the undersigned, owners of stock in the said Board of
Trade, believing that the best interests of our organization demand
a reorganization of the same upon a basis of equality of membership,
respectfully request your Honorable Body to take immediate steps
for the said reorganization upon popular basis and dissolution of the
present stock Board.”
One hundred and eight names, representing 734 shares
of stock, were signed to this petition.
On March 9, 1878, the committee on reorganization re-
ported the majority report, signed by Alonzo Richmond,
A. P. Wright, Charles A. Sweet and James D. Sawyer,
stating that a reorganization could not be effected without
special legislation, but that a new organization could be
created under the State law of May 3, 1877, “which is en-
tirely applicable to the wants of our trade.” The report
further recommended that the trustees call a meeting of the
open Board and take steps to perfect a new organization.
Cyrus Clarke submitted a minority report, stating that in
his view reorganization could not be effected without specialTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
283
legislation and that he could not concur in the report of the
committee “relative to a new organization outside of the
present Board of Trade.”
A supplementary report, signed by the full committee,
said:
“Your committee recognizes the fact that they may be open to
criticism in going beyond the legislation which created them, yet
they believe it proper to say that the present seems an opportune
time to push forward the project of a Board of Trade building. We
respectfully urge upon your Honorable Body that you take such
steps as in your judgment will forward the project of building such
an edifice as will be adapted to the wants of the trade in our city
and an ornament and honor to Buffalo.”
The Board adopted the majority report
At a special meeting of the trustees, April 23rd, of this
same year, George Sandrock offered the following, which
was adopted:
"Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed ... to call a
meeting of the open Board at an early day to lay before said meeting
the condition of the affairs of the Board, showing that it is not ad-
visable to continue the organization as at present worked on account
of inability financially to furnish necessary attractions to the open
Board; and that they recommend to said meeting the organization
of an open Board for commercial purposes on a liberal and equitable
basis, thereby cutting off the present stockholders* privileges and
making all members thereof equal/*
As such committee the chair appointed George Sandrock,
Charles G. Curtiss, Howard H. Baker, F. L. A. Cady and
Henry R. Jones.
April 27th, at an open Board meeting, Mr. Sandrock’s
committee made a long report on the financial situation.
They showed by an array of statistics, 1867 to 1877, that the
expenses for eleven years exceeded the receipts by $8907.71.
Membership dues had fluctuated from* $5235 in 1869 to
$2635 'm l%77- Sale of spaces of sample tables ran as high
as $1516 in 1868, but touched bottom in 1877 at $127. Ad-
vertising wall space, which had netted $200 in 1868, brought
in only $110 in 1877.284
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
On the other hand, in spite of economies, expenses had
grown. By drastic efforts various small savings were ef-
fected. The rent, newspaper subscriptions, telegraph fees,
even the secretary’s salary, were all cut down and yet it was
necessary to make up a deficiency from the interest on the
capital stock. “The balance of interest received during
these eleven years, about $6000, was paid to the stockholders
in dividends as follows: Fifteen hundred dollars in 1867,
$800 in 1868, $4800 in 1877.”
The report went on to say that figuring on two hundred
paying members, if all paid the same dues, whether stock-
holders or not, there could easily be maintained a first class
Board of Trade having funds enough to pay the necessary
expenses to make the Board attractive to merchants, “but
unfortunately for the interest of this Board as now organ-
ized, the stockholders have to be credited with ten per cent,
on the amount of stock they own towards paying their mem-
bership dues, which so materially reduces our revenues as
to compel the trustees to make this exhibit.
“The capital stock of the Board of Trade, unless it should
sometime be used for providing the Board with a suitable
building, is, in its present shape, a real detriment to the
progress and best interests of the Board. Why not free our-
selves from this incubus by allowing the trustees to pay
to the stockholders in the shape of dividends the annual in-
terest on the capital stock and all members whether they
own stock or not join together to form a new Board on a
fair and equitable basis; where no member shall be pre-
ferred over another and all alike share in the honors and
responsibilities of conducting the affairs of the Board ?
“This committee, all members of the present Board of
Trustees, may possibly be accused of a design to break up
the Board of Trade, but we assure you, gentlemen, that we
are all animated with a desire to further the interests of our
city and of the Board of Trade, of which we feel justly
very proud; but we sincerely believe that the sooner we or-
ganize a Board of Trade on a more liberal and popular
basis, the sooner will we be furthering our own and our
city’s best interests.”/
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.	285
Reorganization, on the lines suggested, was resolved
upon; but it was not until March 15, 1882, that a decisive
vote on the proposition to build, was recorded. Subscrip-
tion books were opened for additional stock, to the amount
of $75,000, to be subscribed in shares of $25 each, the sub-
scribers waiving all rights and privileges of trading on the
open Board. The remaining $5875, authorized to be issued
under the Act of May 29, 1868, was made subject to the
same condition.
IX. The Move Up-town—The Merchants' Exchange.
On January 20, 1876, the building adjoining the Board
of Trade was burned and the Board of Trade quarters were
damaged by water. The loss was covered by insurance,
repairs were soon made and various improvements under-
taken, which had been long needed. Among these was the
opening of an entrance from Prime Street, giving freer
access to the Board of Trade rooms. The time had come,
however, when not even such alterations as could be made
in the old building made it suitable for the needs of the
institution. The uptown movement of business had long
since carried the business heart of the city far above the
Terrace. The banking center had apparently settled at
Seneca Street, or from there up for two or three blocks.
The Board of Trade had in fact outgrown die old head-
quarters, and more and more the desirability was felt of
establishing it nearer the banks and other principal business
interests. As soon as this was proposed, certain members
objected that any removal away from the water front would
be disastrous. The majority, however, took another view.
In 1880 the Board sought offers of uptown property.
Several propositions were submitted, among others one
from the owners of the Brown buildings, offering the entire
block on the north side of Seneca, between Main and Wash-
ington streets, at $250,000. The Board of Trade took a
favorable view of the offer and a committee was appointed
to solicit subscriptions, but they found after some weeks of286
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
canvassing that a surprisingly large number of the mer-
chants of Buffalo would take no interest in the project.
Only $28,000 was pledged and for a time the matter was
dropped.
In April, 1881, another uptown Board of Trade com-
mittee was organized, headed by John B. Manning. Their
business was to procure information as to uptown sites. By
March 24, 1882, nine pieces of property had been offered and
considered. Two sites soon appeared to be most favored.
One was the old Western Hotel on the Terrace, which had
become Police Headquarters, the other was at the northeast
corner of Pearl and Seneca streets, owned by the William
G. Fargo estate and occupied by the American Express
Company. So strong was the rivalry between the advocates
of these two sites that for a time it seemed as though the
Board of Trade itself was in danger of being split into two
organizations. The newspapers of the city were filled with
the conflict. The Common Council of the city offered the
old Police Headquarters site for $40,000, and many mem-
bers of the Board of Trade and other citizens more or less
personally interested, published a petition urging the pur-
chase of this property. The trustees of the Board, however,
preferred the other site. At a meeting held March 24, 1882,
they voted in favor of the purchase of the Seneca-street
property and passed a resolution to petition the Legislature
for power to increase the Board of Trade stock to an amount
not to exceed $500,000. While this action virtually settled
the matter, it did not put an end to the public agitation.
Steps were taken for the formation of a rival organization,
to be called the Merchants’ and Manufacturers’ Building
Association, which gave out that it would acquire the Police
Headquarters property and build a Board of Trade thereon.
The morning of April 13, 1882, was an eventful one in
the history of the Board of Trade. The meeting had been
called to announce the result of the recent election of trus-
tees. It was the largest gathering of members in the history
of the Board and all were worked up to an intense point of
excitement, so deep was the feeling which had grown up
over the rival propositions. The city authorities, anticipat-THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
287
ing riotous proceedings, posted several policemen in the
building.
Secretary Thurstone called the meeting to order and an-
nounced that the new Board of Trustees had elected J. F.
Schoellkopf for president and the rest of the ticket asso-
ciated with him. In the effort to avoid trouble, Mr.
Thurstone announced that the usual inauguration cere-
monies would be omitted and declared the Board adjourned.
Not willing to be thus tamely turned down, the retiring
president, John B. Manning, endeavored to address the
Board. Mr. Manning had been the most active of those
who had organized the Merchants’ and Manufacturers’
Building Association, of which at this time he was secre-
tary. Representing, as he thus did, the organized opposi-
tion to the avowed policy of the Board of Trade, there was
no disposition on the part of most of the members present
to give him a hearing. As he undertook to speak, a scene
of wild confusion ensued. The members with few excep-
tions withdrew to the further end of the room. Shouts and
jeers and calls came from all quarters. Somebody struck
up “John Brown’s Body” in which many others joined in
a reckless spirit. Mr. Manning continued his efforts to
speak and the uproar increased. Handfuls of com were
thrown about the room and yells of “Put him out!” “Sit
down!” etc., came from all quarters. He doggedly held his
post on the platform and delivered an address, little if any
of it being heard by the audience, which was in greater
part a statement of the course he had pursued, especially in
negotiations with the city of Buffalo, and a justification of
his own course of action.
Some of the cool-headed members sought to give Mr.
Manning fair play and begged a respectful hearing for him;
but the greater part were in a turbulent mood and finally
with three cheers for several members who had interposed
their suggestions, the meeting, which officially had long
before adjourned, broke up. It was small wonder that after
this exhibition of feeling against him, Mr. Manning should
push forward the building project he had already espoused.288
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
On March 30, 1882, the Merchants’ and Manufacturers1'
Building Association had formally organized, electing
George W. Tifft as president, Peter J. Ferris, vice-president,
John B. Manning, secretary, and S. S. Spaulding, treasurer.
Steps were at once taken to secure subscriptions, Mr.
Manning and Henry L. Schaeffer being especially active in
behalf of the project. Within a few weeks they bad
secured pledges of $140,000. Meanwhile the rival party,
representing the Board of Trade, were also receiving many
subscriptions, and as the summer wore on the community
realized, as presently did the warring members themselves,
that an attempt to build and maintain two institutions so
nearly similar would be fatal to both. Ultimately the
Terrace building project was dropped and before long most,
if not all, the disgruntled members of the Board of Trade
were giving their support to the Seneca-street enterprise,
Mr. Manning’s name being first in the list of trustees of
the Merchants’ Exchange, under the new incorporation.
A capable Building Committee, consisting of Jewett M.
Richmond, Alfred P. Wright, Edwin T. Evans, Thomas
Chester and M. I. Crittenden, were entrusted with the work
of closing the deal and procuring plans; but more important
than the erection of a new building was the reorganization
at this time of the Board of Trade. The uptown move in
fact was but an incident in the expansion of the institution.
It was determined not only to give the new organization a
broader scope than its predecessor had enjoyed, but to
readjust the privileges of stockholders.
On March 28, 1882, the trustees issued a statement in
which, after setting forth the plans for removal and build-
ings, they said:
“It is intended that the present organization, known as the Board
of Trade, shall be the property-owning one, its stockholders waiving
all rights to admission to the floor of the Exchange, but reserving all
other rights as stockholders. It is also a part of the purpose of this
Board of Trade, if satisfactory arrangements can be made with the
organization now applying for a charter, known as the Merchants*
Exchange, to lease to it the Exchange rooms in this building, inviting
them to invest their capital arising from their initiation fees in theTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
289
capital stock of the present Board of Trade, which will be invested
in the property purchased.
“It is further necessary to state to the public that the action of
the Board of Trustees in the selection of a site meets with the gen-
eral approbation of our members and it is sincerely hoped that all
dissentions will now cease, and that when authority for additional
capital is granted, the merchants of Buffalo will come forward and
make the project in every way a success.”
The Merchants’ Exchange was incorporated April 14*
1882. [Chap. 59, Laws of 1882.] The act of incorporation
bestowed the usual powers; authorized the corporation to
hold real estate, to build, lease, etc. Its affairs; were to be
managed by thirteen trustees, to be elected annually on the
second Wednesday in January. The first trustees were
John B. Manning, Jacob F. Schoellkopf, A. P. Wright, J,
N. Scatcherd, Edward B. Smith, C. A. Sweet, Pascal P.
Pratt, H. G. Nolton, Wm. Meadows, E. L. Hedstrom, Wm.
Hengerer, J. M. Richmond, and Philip Becker. The charter
provided for the appointment of an Arbitration Committee
of three, whose powers, duties and disabilities are the same
as appertain to arbitrators under the laws of the State of
New York; “and awards made by them must be made and
may be enforced as therein and thereby directed”—in other
words, they came under the Code of Civil Procedure.
Membership was fixed at an initiatory fee of $100, annual
dues at $25.
From the date of incorporation of the Merchants’ Ex-
change, the Board of Trade has continued as the holding
body, its presidents being the same as of the Exchange.
Designs and plans for the proposed building were adver-
tised for. On June 12, 1882, fifteen sets of plans were re-
ceived. Those submitted by Milton E. Beebe were accepted,
and in August Mr. Beebe received his commission as archi-
tect for the Board and entered upon his duties.
The building that was erected in accordance with his
plans, on the northeast corner of Seneca and Pearl, has a
frontage of 132 feet on Seneca, and 60 feet on Pearl. It
was originally just 100 feet high, consisting of seven stories
and basement, but the basement having a rise of five feet290
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
above the level of the pavement, made it practically eight
stories. At this period steel-frame construction was in its
infancy. The girders are of iron, but the sustaining walls
are of brick, with a profusion of cut stone and terra cotta
ornament. The main entrance in the middle of the Seneca-
street front, was by an arched doorway, eight feet wide,
flanked by granite columns supporting elaborately-carved
capitals. The area of window-space was large, and a strik-
ing feature of the facade was the arched top of the com-
posite windows of the fifth story. Pilasters rising to the
roof, with capitals and pediment, still further enriched the
external appearance. The cornice was surmounted with an
iron railing.
As originally constructed, the building contained 73
offices. On the fourth floor, planned for the use of the
Merchants' Exchange, was the Board room, 70 feet long by
53 feet wide, 23 feet high, with a “ladies’ gallery” at the
east end. The secretary’s rooms, committee rooms, etc.,
were en suite adjoining.
The contract for the entire building was let to Jacob Beier
& Son. They handled the stone and brickwork themselves,
and sublet the other portions. The edifice was ready for
occupancy November 1, 1883. The entire cost of site and
building was approximately $250,000.
The opening ceremonies were held on New Year’s Day,
1884. The Exchange room was thronged, and as there were
few seats, the greater part of the audience stood “shoulder
to shoulder.” Up in the balcony Poppenberg’s band filled
the air with harmony. On the platform, besides the speak-
ers, were Pascal P. Pratt, Cyrus P. Lee, S. M. Clement, F.
H. Root, and the Hon. E. G. Spaulding. The president of
the Board of Trade, Jacob F. Schoellkopf, in a short ad-
dress, reviewed the career of the organization, and named
the men who had served as its president. He announced
that the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, which had been
incorporated April 14, 1882, had leased the Exchange room
andi offices adjoining. “I now have pleasure, Mr. Presi-
dent,” he added, turning to Mr. Scatcherd, “in giving you
possession of them, hoping from the evidences presentedTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.	291
during the past few weeks and now before me that you
represent an institution which will not only be an honor to
Buffalo, but a source of incalculable benefit to our commer-
cial and business interests in all their varied departments.”
President Scatcherd, representing the Merchants’ Ex-
change, accepted the lease in a short speech, in which he
predicted a successful career for the Exchange if it received
the hearty cooperation of the different business interests
represented. “The full significance of the hour is found in
the fact that through the medium of the Merchants’ Ex-
change, the commerce and trade of the lakes and canal have
struck hands with our mercantile and manufacturing inter-
ests, and the representatives of each are upon this floor side
by side, united by a common tie for the purpose of pro-
moting and protecting the varied industries and interests of
Buffalo.”
Interesting addresses followed; by E. L. Hedstrom, who
sketched the growth of Buffalo’s commerce; by Hon. E. C.
Sprague, whose theme also was the progress of Buffalo, but
in the broadest sense, with a thought for her advance in
other things than the merely material ; by Richard K. Noye,
representing the manufacturing interests; by George P.
Sawyer, who spoke for the lumber interests; and by George
S. Hazard, who gave reminiscences of the Board of Trade
and its accomplishments.
It was a pleasant and truly auspicious occasion. Con-
gratulations were received, in letter and telegram, from
friends elsewhere, from other commercial bodies and busi-
ness interests. The assemblage seemed infused with a spirit
of enterprise and cooperation which augured well for the
Exchange and for the city of Buffalo.
The construction of the Lackawanna railroad through
the section west of Main Street, in the spring and summer
of 1883, destroyed all of the buildings associated with the
life of the Board of Trade up to this time, wiped out most
of the landmarks in the neighborhood, obliterated streets
and utterly changed the character of that part of the city.
There was a general regret, even among unsentimental
people, at the passing of Central Wharf. No other place in292
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
Buffalo stood for so much in the city’s business history.
The Board of Trade, and offices adjoining, had long been
the rendezvous, the club-room, of the men of trade. As
many a resident can recall, it was a picturesque row of
buildings with balconies and stairways, overlooking not
only the river, but with good lookout beyond the harbor and
up the lake. On the upper balcony crowds of merchants
and vessel-owners were wont to gather, to note the incom-
ing of vessels, or the struggles of some craft in the ice floe
of early spring. The old wharf had so long been the busi-
ness home of many of these men that its destruction seemed
to them little less than desecration. Some of them had
begun work there as boys. As they got on in years, they
had advanced from clerks to partners, had established firms
of their own, had bought and sold, bargained and shipped,
elevated and built. Year after year they had seen the com-
merce of the port grow. Their own efforts had made it
grow; they had created the greatness of Buffalo, and were
a part of it. And old Central Wharf for twenty years, and
its immediate neighborhood for twice twenty years, had
been the center of it all.
Some of these men remembered the earliest buildings on
the wharf, and loved to tell stories of them. They would
point out where Winthrop Fox built his store in 1814—the
site long covered by Hand’s tug-office. John Scott’s old
warehouse, built in 1816, stood close by, some fifty feet
from the foot of Main Street. Scott was remembered as
the first forwarder of Buffalo; George Holt whs his clerk.
There were few if any other structures on what became
Central Wharf until after the canal was opened. About
1825 Joy & Webster built a wooden warehouse at the corner
of Commercial Slip. Then came that of S. Thompson &
Co., on the site of the Union Steamboat Company’s office,
extending to the river. Smith & Macy built about where
the Board of Trade headquarters were afterwards estab-
lished; and rapidly the whole water-front was built up.
As each office was established, there was generally a ware-
house in connection, and a separate dock fronting immedi-
ately on the waterway. Insurance men, liquor and cigarTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
293
dealers and other tradesmen, located as they could find
space among the dealers in grain or ships’ stores. About
the time the Board of Trade was organized the first continu-
ous wharf was built at this point. The sail-lofts and ware-
houses loomed above little one-story offices. These in time
were replaced by three and four-story brick structures. The
balcony or second-story verandah was an early feature of
the row, and it added greatly not only to the picturesqueness
of the wharf, but it promoted the social intercourse and
business freedom of the colony.
It was a place too of many associations. Many distin-
guished men, only a few of whom are named in this sketch,
were visitors in the old rooms. A former President of the
United States, Millard Fillmore, had helped to dedicate
them.1 At a later period another Buffalo President of the
United States, Grover Cleveland, was one of the few hon-
orary members of the Exchange. The most impressive
scene ever witnessed in the rooms on Central Wharf was
on September 26, 1881, when a memorial' service was held
on the death of President Garfield, shared in by prominent
clergy and the Westminster Church quartette, and* attended
by a throng of members. Thereafter for thirty days the
Board of Trade rooms were kept heavily draped in mourn-
ing.
The revised by-laws of the Merchants’ Exchange,
adopted January 29, 1884, specified, among the usual pro-
visions, that membership certificates were transferable on
the payment of a fee of three dollars; that clerks in the
employ of a member could represent said member on the
floor of the Exchange on payment of fifteen dollars per year
for each clerk. The annual election of trustees was fixed on
the second Wednesday of January, “but at this election the
members of the Exchange may have the privilege of ex-
pressing their choice who of this number shall be president,
vice-president and treasurer.” The standing committees in-
clude those on Finance, and on Floor, to be chosen from the
Board of Trustees ; on Rooms and Fixtures, to consist of
1. For Mr. Fillmore’s remarks at the opening of the Board of Trade
rooms on Central Wharf, June 26, 1862, see 11 Pubs. Buf. Hist. Soc., 67, 68.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
295
When the Merchants’ Exchange was organized, it was
anticipated that the Transportation Committee would be one
of the most important, if not the most important, of all the
committees. Nothing was done by it, however, until Janu-
ary, 1885, when it made the report just cited. In that year
an effort was made to bring the transportation interests
more prominently forward in Exchange affairs. An en-
larged committee of thirteen members, was named by Presi-
dent Hedstrom, each member representing a different trade
or business. The principal task of the committee was to
cure, as far as possible, the evil of inequitable and unjust
discrimination in freight rates, and to see that the railroads,
in making up their tariffs, gave Buffalo pro rata rates.
When the Exchange got fairly to work on its new basis,
its committees included those on finance, rooms and fixtures,
floor, reference, arbitration, transportation* real estate and
general information, lumber, coal, oil, call board, flour and
grain inspecting, and grain. In 1887 it added committees on
groceries, produce, etc., and harbor improvement; and,
from time to time, still others, to deal with new features of
its ever-broadening work.
X. Miscellaneous Work—Some of the Workers.
By 1893 '^e question of enlarging the building was
raised. In the spring of that year, a committee to whom
the matter had been referred, reported against it. Three
years later, however, it was found advisable to add another
—the eighth—story. The seventh story was overhauled and
improved, new elevators put in and minor improvements
made. The value of the land and building was then esti-
mated at $295,000. The par value of the stock was $185,000,
and as the Merchants’ Exchange owned more than one half
of it, it controlled the management of the building.
The rules and regulations governing the inspection of
grain have been modified from time to time. Revised rules
were adopted March 24, 1884. The appointment of a chief
grain inspector established an admirable system of inspec-
tion which increased the business and gave a recognized296
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
standard for all cereals bought and sold, besides proving ad-
vantageous to interested parties.
The Floor Rules adopted by the Exchange April1 io, 1884,
fixed ’Change hours from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m.; High
’Change from 11.30 a. m. to 12.30 p. m.; forbade
smoking in the Exchange room between 11 and 12, and de-
creed that “the throwing of dough, com or other articles is
strictly forbidden,” and provided for what was deemed ade-
quate punishment for offenders. Members who are “posted”
for failure to meet contracts are forbidden the privilege of
the floor.
On February 14, 1884, the Exchange adopted rules and
regulations governing the Call Board; specifying the time
and method of trading, the quantities of grain constituting
purchases and sales under call, providing for a record of
transactions, etc.
On March 24, 1884, a set of rules and regulations for the
government of the grain trade was adopted by the Ex-
change. They fixed the hours for trading; specified that a
boat-load of wheat shall consist of 7,800 bushels, of corn
8,300, oats 13,000; a car-load of grain shall consist of
30,000 pounds; and prescribed the procedure with secur-
ities or margins, payments, commissions-, inspection, etc.,
with penalties for infraction of the rules. For the first vio-
lation of the Trading Rules a fine of $25 is imposed ; for a
second violation, a fine of $100; and for a third, suspension
or expulsion, in the discretion of the trustees.
The miscellaneous work of the Board of Trade and Mer-
chants’ Exchange touches many matters, some of them far
beyond the natural field of activities for a commercial or-
ganization. From time to time special efforts have been
made to advertise Buffalo. This was notably so just prior
to the Pan-American Exposition and again in 1904 when
the Exchange entered into a contract with the Forum maga-
zine for the publication of an illustrated article on Buffalo.
Other work of a more or less elaborate scale has been done
from time to time in this field; recently, to good effect, by
the attractive paper styled Doings, issued by the Chamber
of Commerce.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
297
Proper record should be made of the work of the Ex-
change in- connection with the Pan-American Exposition.
As early as 1896, when the first proposal was made for hold-
ing an exposition on the Niagara Frontier, the Merchants'
Exchange gave hearty support to it. It was then thought
possible to arrange for the exposition in 1899, but by 1898
it was seen that the enterprise must be postponed and
worked out on a wholly different basis. In December of '98
the Exchange passed resolutions endorsing a later date for
the Exposition and adding the important stipulation that
when it should be held it should be held if possible within
the Buffalo city limits. The first idea had been to place it
on an island near La Salle. Throughout all the months of
organization for the active work of the Exposition year the
Merchants' Exchange took a public-spirited and liberal atti-
tude. It seemed to realize that one of its most important
functions was to foster such a public enterprise as this. It
established a bureau for the entertainment of guests and it
suggested the idea of a Buffalo Day, ultimately fixed, also
at its request, on October 19th. Its special committees of
various sorts contributed their full share to such measure
of success as crowned the work of the Exposition.
Through the Merchants' Exchange Buffalo has repeat-
edly been represented at expositions elsewhere. It sent a
strong delegation to the World's Columbian Water Com-
merce Congress, held at Chicago during July and August,
1893, m connection with the Columbian Exposition. It en-
tertained in Buffalo, October 15, 1889, delegates to the In-
ternational American Congress. It was represented in 1896
at the opening of the Philadelphia Commercial Museums,
and holds a membership certificate therein.
The Board of Trade and Merchants’ Exchange have not
failed to respond to calls for help in time of calamity. Gen-
erous subscription was made after the great Chicago fire of
1871. In October, 1873, several hundred dollars were raised
for Memphis sufferers. In September, '86, the Exchange
sent a generous donation to the Charleston earthquake suf-
ferers; in '89 it contributed over $2,000 towards the relief
of the Johnstown flood sufferers. Home philanthropies298
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
have also been remembered. In 1893, instead of giving an
elaborate lunch for members, it donated $250 to the
Women’s Educational and Industrial Union. From time to
time it has contributed to the Fresh Air Mission and to other
good causes. In 1896, 400 members of the Exchange
marched in the Sound Money parade of October 29th, when
30,000 men of Buffalo took that way to show their political
affiliation and financial views. In 1895, the Exchange was
active in urging that Buffalo be designated as the place for
holding sessions and the location of the Appellate Division
of the Supreme Court, Fourth Judicial Department. It rec-
ommended the establishment here of a branch hydrographic
office, and then and at other times made efforts which re-
sulted in the improvement of the Signal Service work on
the Great Lakes.
From time to time it has found it advisable to strengthen
its hold on the community in social ways. Its reception and
ball on the night of December 30, 1886, brought to the Ex-
change building a thousand or more representative Buffalo
men and women, and it is still recalled as an unusually suc-
cessful gathering. Its trade excursions, undertaken in 1900,
in cooperation with the Credit Men’s Association, have
proved not only a source of pleasure, but a source of profit
to Buffalo. Its banquet of December 22, 1902, marked the
completion* of the Buffalo breakwater. These are some of
the events in its recent history which have given the Cham-
ber of Commerce a firm hold on the social life of its city.
Various amendments have been made from time to time
to both charter and by-laws; to the former, April 28, 1891;
to the latter, November 17, 1891. Perhaps the most im-
portant of these new provisions was the Gratuity Fund, or-
ganized in September, 1887,1 and included thereafter in the
provisions of the by-laws. It provided a life insurance for
members of the Exchange, settling aside a part of the annual
dues for that purpose, and at death the reserve was increased
by each member paying a small amount more than was re-
quired to meet a death claim. The fact that the obligation
1. The Act of June 8, 1887, amends the charter as to investment of
funds, and creates the Gratuity Fund.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE,.	299
to pay the assessment was a binding one, rendered the se-
curity complete. The Exchange, by means of the trustees
of the Gratuity Fund, took charge of this business, without
any compensation, so there was comparatively little money
to be expended except in the payment of death claims. The
first trustees of the Gratuity Fund, 1887, were Henry C.
French, Charles B. Armstrong, Harris Fosbinder, James R.
Smith and Henry S. Sill.
The system was in operation for some years, but never
gained the popularity which its projectors had expected. In
1889 it was proposed to do away with it. Legal advice at
the time was against this, and it was continued, 61 new
members being added. The fund in 1890 consisted of ioo
shares, Board of Trade stock, of a par value of $2,500, and
$753-87 *n cash. In January, 1893, a letter was sent to the
215 members of the fund, seeking their views as to the ex-
pediency of continuing. Fifty were for it, 94 against it, 10
wrote to say they were indifferent, and 61 were too indiffer-
ent to write at all. In 1901 a bill was introduced in the
Legislature giving the trustees authority to terminate the
fund. Finally, February 12, 1903, the trustees of the fund
held their last meeting; the last members having with-
drawn, the 100 shares of Board of Trade stock were trans-
ferred to the Merchants’ Exchange, and the trustees
resigned.
A sketch like the present would be lamentably incomplete
did it not recognize the individuality of the men who built
up the institution; but when one undertakes to specify, it
becomes impossible to give due distinction to the scores and
hundreds of men whose business history is identified with
the Chamber of Commerce. Buffalo has never lacked strong
men, able men, in her business ranks. In the old days on
Central Wharf, before modern methods of corporate con-
trol had minimized the opportunities of individual effort,
business success was a personal matter. Competition was
sharp, and the conditions called forth the best there was in
a man. The conditions made strong men—men capable to
cope with any emergency. Here were developed the essen-
tial qualities which built up successful firms, laid the300
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
foundations of substantial fortunes, and strengthened com-
mercial Buffalo.
The succession of presidents of the Board is an honor
roll in the business history of Buffalo. From Russell H.
Heywood down the office has been held by men conspicuous
in the community for their business ability and public spirit.
In all this line it can not be deemed invidious to make indi-
vidual mention of but one who, five times president, gave
to the Board of Trade a unique service. This was George
S. Hazard. No other president has served so many terms,
or at such a critical time. At the head of the body during
the Civil War, it was in large measure due to Mr. Hazard
that the iooth Regiment was “adopted” by the Board;
strengthened and helped during the war. Surviving most
of his early business associates, Mr. Hazard long enjoyed
the affection and veneration of a younger generation. He
reached his 94th year,1 active well-nigh to the end, a beau-
tiful figure in the life of Buffalo, as he was an important
figure in its history.
Among all those who have served the organization the
history of which we trace, and who helped make it what it
now is, peculiar distinction belongs to William Thurstone.
When he died at his home in Buffalo, March 26, 1898, he
had been secretary of the Board of Trade for thirty-five
years, and of the Merchants’ Exchange for sixteen years.
Born in London, Eng., February 21, 1826, he settled in
Buffalo in 1855, and in 1863 was made secretary of the
Board of Trade, at one dollar per day. His fidelity and
ability won repeated advancement. After the organization
of the Merchants’ Exchange, of which he was made secre-
tary, in 1882, he continued to act as honorary secretary of
the Board of Trade, until his death.
He was distinguished not merely by the ability to do rou-
tine work surpassingly well, but by his ideas, which were
broad and progressive. As early as 1871 Mr. Thurstone
suggested, “whether the advantages of our present Board
of Trade might not be extended to the other varied interests
of our city through enlarging its sphere of usefulness by
1. Mr. Hazard died Aug. 7, 1903.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
301
inducing our manufacturers and merchants to become iden-
tified with it by becoming members, and the establishment
of committees or bureaus in the several departments of their
trade to protect their interests and increase their business.”
A third of a century later we find the institution expanding
and seeking to accomplish greater results, along the lines
suggested by Mr. Thurstone in 1871.
He was one of the commissioners appointed by the Canal
Board, July 10, 1877, to investigate and report on the sub-
ject of canal tolls. He served with David A. Wells and L.
J. N. Stark, and in February, 1878, made an admirable
report, which has permanent value as an historical docu-
ment.
His life-work was given to the Board and Exchange,
and from first to last he served it, and through it the city
of Buffalo, with exceptional devotion, zeal and discretion.
His post was never a very remunerative one, yet we find
him, in a period of reverses for the Board, accepting a re-
duction of pay, and cheerfully carrying forward the work
as usual. He soon won a reputation as a statistician; not
merely serving in that capacity the Board of Trade and the
press of Buffalo, but the United States Bureau of Statistics,
which was under great obligations to him for reports on
the commerce of the lakes and allied subjects. One phase
of his work is recorded in the long series of minute-books,
and in the annual publications of the Board. Aside from
his devotion to this work, he filled worthily his place in the
community, in all the relations of life. He touched life in
many ways, with liberal ideas and many likings, and he held
a secure place in the heart and remembrance of Buffalo.
When his work was at an end, the press of Buffalo with
unwonted fondness, dwelt upon his many high qualities,
and pointed especially to the fact that his was a successful
career because he had devoted himself to doing, and doing
it better than most men could, a task worthy to be done.
He could say with Robert Louis Stevenson: “I have known
what pleasure is—I have known what it is to do a thing
well.” When word of his death reached his associates in
the Exchange, a special meeting was held, for appropriate302
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
action, and on the day of his burial (March 29th) the
Exchange was closed in respect to his memory.
Mr. Thurstone’s first predecessor, as secretary of the old
Board of Trade, was Giles K. Coats, elected in March, 1845.
Data are lacking as to Mr. Coats’ term of service. As
already noted, John J. Henderson was secretary, 1855-57,
perhaps longer. In i860, Horace Wilcox filled the office
until June 30, when he resigned and Alfred D. Daw suc-
ceeded him. Mr. Thurstone’s successor, chosen in April,
1898, was Charles H. Keep. Mr. Keep, who had been also
secretary of the Lake Carriers’ Association from 1891, gave
the Exchange most efficient service until November, 1901,
when he resigned, and was succeeded by F. Howard Mason,
who was secretary of the Exchange, and of the Chamber of
Commerce until the spring of 1908, when he was succeeded
by Walter J. Shepard, who successfully filled the office until
May, 1909, when he was appointed one of the Buffalo city
assessors. On Aug. 1, 1909, Mr. Fenton M. Parke became
secretary of the Chamber of Commerce.
The dean of the body, so far as length of service goes, is
the Lake Weighmaster, Junius S. Smith, whose official con-
nection with it dates from 1870. The first incumbent of the
post was Hiram M. Smith, in 1868. The next year there
was no appointment, nor was there any at the opening of
navigation* in 1870. In* May of that year Cyrus Clarke of
Buffalo, being in Chicago, telegraphed home that the vessel
interests there were calling for the appointment of a weigh-
master at Buffalo, and on the 24th of May the Board ap-
pointed Junius S. Smith and Capt. Martin Busher. Capt.
Busher died in September of that year, and Mr. Smith per-
formed the duties of the office. Mr. Smith was appointed
annually by the Board of Trade until 1884, and then and
until 1903 by the Merchants’ Exchange. In the last-named
year, on account of car-grain work, the chief inspector was
appointed weighmaster, Mr. Smith being made lake weigh-
master. This continued under the Chamber of Commerce
until 1906, when, the Corn Exchange of Buffalo took up the
management of the grain business, Mr. Smith’s appointment
as lake weighmaster now being made by that body. TheTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
303
reports of the weighmaster, during the past thirty-seven
years, deal with many matters of importance, which cannot
be entered into here. The system developed and standard-
ized by him, has been, obviously, a constant check on the
work of all the elevators of the lakes. The quantity of grain
weighed by him has varied from 19,060,293 bushels in1 1876,
the lowest year in his term of service, to 125,953,595 bushels
in 1898, the record year to date. The amount for 1907 was
92,051,758 bushels. More striking, however, than these fig-
ures—which of course do not include rail shipments—is the
reduction in the average shortage. In 1872, when the sys-
tem was adopted, the average shortage per 1,000 bushels
was 1.02 bushels. In 1907 it was 0.30, and in some recent
years has been even lower, being only 0.154 in 1905, or less
than one-sixth of What it was when the system was estab-
lished Under the Buffalo Board of Trade and its succeed-
ing organizations, grain weighing has been reduced to a
science.
XI. Buffalo and the Canal.
In April, 1863, the Board of Trade of Buffalo, in associa-
tion with gentlemen representing the Com Exchange of
New York City, submitted to the Joint Committee on Canals
of the New York Legislature, a memorial showing that in
the past season the tonnage capacity of the locks on the Erie
Canal had been reached at 2,900,000; that there was no
probability that the movement of tonnage would be in-
creased by increasing the number of boats; with other facts
and arguments to show the inadequacy of the locks. The
channel of the canal was 70 by 7 feet, whereas the locks
were but 97 feet by 18; and the shippers and boatmen of
Buffalo improved the opportunity to show as forcibly as
possible, with a great array of convincing statistics, the
urgent need of lock-enlargement.
The canal policy of the Board was forcibly stated in a
report, drawn up by a committee of fifteen and adopted by
the full Board, December 18, 1874. It recommended “the
completion at the earliest practicable time, of the work now304
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
in progress ... on the Erie and Oswego canals, accord-
ing to the original policy of the amendment to the Consti-
tution of 1854 . . . so as to make the canal full 70 feet
wide and 7 feet deep.” The Board also advocated the aban-
donment of certain lateral canals, the abolition of all weigh-
locks, of many collectors’ offices, the reduction of tolls on
eastward-bound produce and grain to one-half of a mill per
mile per 1000 pounds, and the complete abolition of tolls on
westward-bound freight.
The committee which drafted the report embodying the
above recommendations, consisted of Cyrus Clarke, Alfred
P. Wright, Robert Hadfield, John H. Vought, Absolom
Nelson, D. P. Dobbins, James D. Sawyer, S. S. Guthrie,
Niles Case, P. S. Marsh, Alonzo Richmond, Charles J.
Mann, Henry A. Richmond, Nathan C. Simons and Jacob
Shaver, Jr. This committee sent to the Canal Board of die
State of New York, February 20, 1875, a long and strongly-
argued address,1 devoted chiefly to the alarming state of the
grain trade in the State and the urgent need of a canal
policy along the lines indicated above. There is no question
that this address, made up as it was of facts and unanswer-
able arguments, had great weight with die Canal Board,
whose special committee, in a report of March 10, 1875,
recommended certain reductions' in tolls for that season.
Action substantially of the same purport as the above,
was taken by the Board in different years. Prior to the
above, at a meeting on ’Change, January 28, 1874, resolu-
tions were adopted, reiterating certain features of resolu-
tions adopted November 22, 1872, in which the canal policy
of the Board was clearly defined. In addition to the en-
largement and other features mentioned above, the Legis-
lature of 1874 was asked to pass the Funding Bill, “to put
the funds in proper shape to improve the canal and make it
practically a free canal or as nearly so as possible.”
The work of many years may be summed up by saying
that the reduction of fifty per cent, in canal tolls which had
x. This address, and the report of Dec. 18, 1874, are printed in full in
Secretary Thurstone’s annual report on the trade and commerce of Buffalo for
1874.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
been secured to shippers by 1870 was largely due to the
unceasing activity; of the Buffalo Board of Trade. Twelve
years later, the total abolition of the tolls was also in large
measure attributable to the same source. The Board nevef
failed to be represented at the various canal conventions ot
at Albany when legislation affecting the canal was pending.
In August, 1886, Buffalo sent its usual strong delegation to
the canal convention at Syracuse and George Clinton was
made permanent chairmat of the Union for the Improve-
ment of the Canals of the State of New York. This or-
ganization accomplished much.1 In 1889 the Merchants'
Exchange, represented at Albany, made vigorous opposition
to the so-called Syracuse waterworks bill, which contem-
plated diverting to city uses the water of Skaneateles lake,
which the friends of the canal claimed was needed as a
feeder of the Jordan level. The ultimate defeat of this
measure was attributed at the time to the activity of the
Merchants’ Exchange of Buffalo. In 1891 this organization
kept, at considerable expense, a special agent on the ground
at Montezuma, where a bad break existed, looking after the
interests of forwarders. The next year we find the Mer-
1. The following letter from Senator Conkling bears witness not only to
the activity of the Merchants’ Exchange, but to the interest of the distinguish-
ed writer in canal matters:
2 Wall Street, New York, February 29th, 1888.
To Wm. Thurston, Esq., Secretary Merchants' Exchange, Buffalo.
My Dear Sir:	I beg through you to express thanks to the Committee
of the Merchants’ Exchange and Business Men’s Association for the honor
of being invited to address the meeting to be held on Saturday. Although
it is not in my power to be in Buffalo, my presence is not needed, I trust,
to attest my interest in the Erie Canal. I believe in the maintenance, enlarge-
ment and freedom of this great artery of commerce for reasons too many to
be stated in a brief letter. Not for Buffalo alone, nor for Buffalo and New
York together, deep as is the interest of both, but for the State of New York,
the whole State and all its sections, it is largely and durably important not
only to take care of the canal, but to keep it up to the times in the fulness
of its usefulness. Not only as a feeder, but as a regulator and safeguard the
canal is so needful that the day will be ill-starred when the people or Legis-
lature shall turn deaf ears or blind eyes to whatever honest demands it makes
on the State or its revenues.
Had I vote or voice in the matter, that vote or voice would always be for
locks long enough and prism capacious enough for the boats and the traffic
willing to float.
Your obedient servant,
ROSCOE CONKLING.306
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
chants’ Exchange appointing a committee and raising money
to help the Canal Improvement convention held in Buffalo.
At this time $2591 was collected for the work of the Union.
Timely action and enthusiasm practically saved a cause
which was on the verge of being abandoned in despair and
discouragement.
An important year in canal history was 1894, when the
Constitutional Convention revised the fundamental law of
the State. The Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, with other
commercial bodies, suggested to the convention important
canal amendments ; and the Harbor and Canal Improve-
ment Committee drafted an amendment leaving the scope of
the improvement of the canal and the amount to be appro-
priated to the discretion of the Legislature. Especially ac-
tive at this time in behalf of canal interests were Messrs.
George Clinton, R. R. Hefford and Capt. M. M. Drake.
Subsequent efforts were made both in respect to safe-
guarding the canal by constitutional provision and also in
the Legislature, where, in March, a resolution of the Mer-
chants1’ Exchange was presented urging the enactment of
the bill appropriating $12,000,000 for canal improvement.
The State election of that year was made by the Mer-
chants’ Exchange the occasion' of a most vigorous canal
campaign. Every effort was put forth to secure a favorable
vote on the canal amendments. Committees were appointed
to work at the polls; thousands of circulars were distributed;
2000 silk badges, testifying that the wearer was a friend of
the canal, were sent out. The effort was justified. All of
the canal amendments were carried. These amendments
(embodied in Article 7, Sections 8, 9 and 10), in effect pro-
vide that the Legislature of the State shall not sell or lease
the State canals, that no tolls shall be imposed on the traffic,
that repairs and superintendence shall be paid for out of the
annual tax and that further improvement should rest in the
hands of the Legislature.
On March 9, 1895, Governor Morton signed the
$9,000,000 canal bill. In September of that year the Mer-
chants’ Exchange delegation to the International Deep
Waterways Association at Cleveland confined their efforts toTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
307
getting recognition of the desirability of Erie canal im-
provement. For the next half dozen years the Exchange
continued constant in its attention to canal interests.
In 1899, Governor Roosevelt called for a definite formu-
lation of the State canal policy and appointed a special com-
mittee, of which Gen. Francis V. Greene was chairman, to
investigate and report. The work of that committee and its
elaborate report1 are familiar to all students of the subject.
It belongs to the present paper, however, to note that in
connection with the inquiries made by that committee—one
meeting being held on the floor of the Buffalo Exchange for
the taking of testimony—the Harbor and Canal Committee
of the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, May 18, 1899, adopted
resolutions in favor of canal improvement “by enlarging the
locks to the largest practicable dimensions,” and by providing
a depth in the canal of nine feet, and an available draught to
vessels of eight feet.
A meeting of canal men, held at the Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange on this same 18th of May, adopted resolutions in
favor of “immediate enlargement of the locks to a length
of 260 feet, width of 26 feet and depth of 11 feet,” and
recommended a deepening of the canal to 9 feet with 8 feet
of available draught. “The Canal Enlargement Associa-
tion,” which included many members of the Merchants’
Exchange, endorsed these views. Prominent members of
the Exchange, notably the Hon. George Clinton and R. R.
Hefford, wrote to the committee, stating their views at
length.
Other canal meetings in Buffalo followed. It was a
crucial time in the history of the canal system in the State.
The Merchants’ Exchange rose again to the emergency. It
raised a fund of some $10,000 which included several large
subscriptions from outside sources to carry on an educa-
tional campaign, and it is but fair to record that it did more
to rouse the people of the State of New York to the im-
portance of the canal question than any other organization
in the State.
i. “Minutes and correspondence of the Committee on Canals of New
York State,” New York, 1900. 8vo. pp. 287.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
As time went on, the canal proposition changed. By
1902 we find the State committed to the thousand-ton barge
canal. In behalf of this the Exchange was very active and
the measure itself was, no doubt, in large degree due to the
untiring work and earnest representations of the Buffalo
body.
From the day of its organization to the present hour, the
Buffalo Board of Trade and the organizations which under
other names in later years have continued its history, has
been first, last and all the time the staunch supporter of the
canal system of the State.
As our narrative shows, it has championed many good
causes and accomplished many things, but its greatest work,
by no means yet ended, has been in connection with its
promotion of interests pertaining to this inland waterway.
XII. The Grade Crossings Campaign.
In all the long campaign which has helped to rid Buffalo
of dangerous railroad crossings at grade, the Merchants’
Exchange was active. It was the people themselves who
took the initiative. What with the delay and loss of busi-
ness due to obstruction of crossings, and the appalling
slaughter of men, women and children, it is small wonder
that the community as a whole cried out that an end be put
to the outrageous situation. The press, the Common
Council and the Merchants, Exchange, all had a part in
bringing about a practical method of relief. Long before
the Grade Crossings Commission of Buffalo was created,
the evil of the situation was considered, with plans for its
abatement: by Peter Emslie in 1856, when the evil was in
its infancy; by Joseph Churchyard in 1874, when it had
grown threatening; and again, in later years, by the Ex-
change. Buffalo will always be thankful that Robert B.
Adam became head of that commission. His ability, his
perseverance and sagacity, were exerted in this matter andTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
309
in behalf of Buffalo unceasingly throughout the last fourteen
years of his life. But it was the Merchants’ Exchange, of
which he was president in 1888, that drew him into the
work. He himself made record to that effect:
“One day in September, 1887 — the 10th, I think — Secretary
Thurstone asked me if I would be willing to go to Albany as one of
a committee from the Merchants' Exchange, to attend a hearing
before the State Railroad Commissioners upon a proposed plan for
abolishing a number of the most troublesome grade crossings in
Buffalo. At that time I knew little, and cared less, about the grade
crossings question; I had no desire to travel to Albany; and I de-
clined the invitation.”1
That Mr. Adam changed his mind and went, and that he
subsequently became chairman of the Grade Crossings Com-
mission, is not only familiar history, but fortunate for Buf-
falo. The public should be equally familiar with some
features of the part in that great work which was borne by
the Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange.
Not to make a long story of it, we may begin with that
special meeting of the Merchants’ Exchange held on Oc-
tober 27, 1887, “to receive the report of the special committee
appointed to meet the Board of Railroad Commissioners of
the State of New York, on the matter of railroad crossings
at grade in the city of Buffalo.” This committee, consisting
of Hon. Philip Becker, R. B. Adam, Jacob Dold, George
Sandrock and E. B. Wilbur, along with delegations from
the Common Council and various Buffalo organizations, had
attended a hearing before the State Railroad Commission,
in Albany, and made their plea in behalf of their city.
The meeting on ’Change of October 27th was a notable
one. It was not only one of the largest in the history of the
Exchange, but one of the most earnest and fruitful. Secre-
tary Thurstone read the report of the committee, detailing
their part in the Albany hearing of September 13th; of
subsequent meetings, at the Merchants’ Exchange on Sep-
tember 28th, when resolutions were adopted favoring (in
1. “History of the Abolition of Railroad Grade Crossings in the City of
Buffalo/* by Robert B. Adam, in Publications, Buffalo Historical Society, vol.
viii (1905), pp. 151, 152.294
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
three members of the Board and two members of the Ex-
change, not on the Board; and on Reference, Transporta-
tion, Real Estate and General Information, from members
of the Exchange not on the Board. The Arbitration com-
mittee, to consist of three members of the Exchange not
members of the Board, was to be elected by the Board, in-
stead of appointed by the president, and no one serving on
it could also be a member of the Reference committee. The
duties of the committees are carefully specified, especially
as relates to reelection of expelled members, complaints
against agents, the settlement of trades or with members
who fail to meet their contracts.
By the end of 1884, 530 members were enrolled. The
admission fee was increased from $100 to $250, the money
received being mainly invested in Board of Trade stock.
The Exchange room was a busy place. Commercial re-
ports of markets from all points were bulletined as soon as
received. The reading-room was kept well stocked with
newspapers and trade journals. The services of a reliable
and capable chief inspector of grain, Conway W. Ball, had
been secured. The various committees were active and some
of them made valuable reports of work in their province.
The Lumber Committee, reporting for the first time to the
Exchange, submitted a statistical review of the year 1884,
in which, it is not without interest to note, “at least
300,000,000 feet of lumber were received by our dealers, on
their own account.” The Transportation Committee issued
circulars during the year, and a report at its close, covering
the general subjects of freight discrimination, adequate har-
bors, etc., with numerous recommendations for local work.
It advocated a nine-foot draught for the Erie Canal.
These and other data relative to its work which might be
cited, show that notwithstanding the season of 1884 was- an
unprofitable one for lake and canal interests, the Merchants'
Exchange, finding constantly a broader field of activity, was
at this period in a flourishing condition.
Among matters of a National character which received the
attention of the Exchange at this period were the Silver
Coinage, the Bankruptcy Bill and Taxation.310
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
general) the elevation of the tracks and depression of the
streets; and of meetings held October 14th and 22d, jointly
with committees from other bodies.
It is unnecessary here to trace, meeting by meeting, the
successive steps taken by this Joint Committee. Through
all the negotiations with the railroads, the securing of legis-
lation, the overcoming of obstacles of all sorts, the Ex-
change bore its part. In February, 1888, it endorsed and
gave approval to the bill providing for the appointment of a
grade-crossings commission “with power to adopt plans
and enforce them.” Two years later (January 21, 1890),
we find the Merchants’ Exchange endorsing the amended
bill and sending a strong delegation to Albany in its behalf.
As time passed, the need of enlarging the powers of the
commission was seen. A public hearing, held at the Mer-
chants’ Exchange, February 6, 1892, voiced public senti-
ment in a set of vigorous resolutions; and on February 9th
another delegation at Albany spoke for the Merchants’ Ex-
change in demanding that the Grade Crossings Commission
be given power to compel the railroads to act in the matter
This led to the passage of the Act which was signed by the
Governor and became law, April 20, 1892. The Exchange
helped to bring about subsequent legislation tending in gen-
eral to strengthen the hands of the Grade Crossings Com-
mission. In 1897, Mr. R. B. Adam, as chairman of the
Exchange committee on Railroad Street Crossings at Grade,
made an elaborate report, covering the work of the past
five years. It is an admirable report, and records one of
the most notable contests in the history of Buffalo. Actual
work with pick and shovel, for the abolition of the obnoxious
crossings, was begun May 22, 1895; and' after Mr. Adam
made his report to the Exchange, grade-crossing matters
ceased to be prominently before that body. It was “a thing
done.” It should be added, however, as the records show,
that from first to last, many members of the Exchange, in
one capacity and another, often with much labor and per-
sonal sacrifice, have devoted themselves to this work.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
311
XIII. Relations with other Organizations.
Buffalo interests were represented through its Board of
Trade at the National Ship-Canal Convention held in
Chicago, June 2 and 3, 1863; A. M. Clapp, a prominent
journalist of Buffalo, was one of its secretaries, and George
S. Hazard was a member of the committee on nominations.
Among the works which the convention thought the Federal
Government should undertake, were, the construction of a
ship canal around Niagara Falls, and the enlargement of
the locks on the Erie and Oswego canals, so that iron-clad
gunboats 25 feet wide and 200 feet long, drawing not less
than 6 feet 6 inches of water, could reach Buffalo and the
lakes from the seaboard by an all-American route. This
desire was a natural outcome of die issues and alarms raised
by the Civil War. The convention, just before adjourn-
ment, adopted a resolution inviting the Boards of Trade of
cities interested, to cooperate towards the attainment of the
objects which the convention had set forth. Statistics col-
lected by the Buffalo Board of Trade, especially of bread-
stuffs shipped eastward for exportation, are incorporated
in the report of this convention.
Many of the New York delegates accepted an invitation
to visit St. Louis; among those who did so were a numbei
from the Buffalo Board of Trade including President
Hazard, John Allen, Jr., and Henry W. Rogers. They were
formally received in the court house, and welcomed by
Governor Gamble of Missouri and Mayor Falley of St.
Louis. Speaking for his associates and for the Buffalo
Board of Trade, Mr. Hazard said:
“I cannot let this occasion pass without expressing my sincere
thanks for the kindness and courtesy which have been extended to
this delegation by the citizens of St. Louis; and permit me through
you, Mr. Governor, and through you, Mr. Mayor, in the name of the
Buffalo Board of Trade, to extend the hand fraternal and commer-
cial to the citizens of St. Louis. We desire,” he continued, “to cul-
tivate and establish reciprocal commercial relations which shall re-
main and increase, and cement the East with the West in one great
fraternal union of interest forever.”312
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
Mr. Hazard outlined the projects which had been under
consideration at Chicago, and astonished his hearers by the
statistics of grain movement at Buffalo—12,000,000 bushels
in 1850, nearly 73,000,000 bushels in 1862—and he concluded
with a touch of pleasantry which the assemblage did not
fail to appreciate:
“Mr. Chairman, Buffalo, as the half-way house between the
Mississippi and Atlantic, holds out her hand to you. We want your
flour, your com, your wheat and provisions—and we want your
hemp, unless you think you can make better use of it at home; and
I trust the time is not far distant, when your far-famed iron moun-
tain, now reposing like a coy maiden to be wooed, on your plains
must come to our embrace. We shall accept your polite invitation
to visit this great phenomenon, but we shall respectfully ask that our
morning call be returned in the usual liberal manner peculiar to this
country, by heavy metallic instalments.”
On one subject which came up time and again, cham-
pioned by many boards of trade and individuals, both in
and out of Congress, the Buffalo Board of Trade was uni-
formly and consistently obdurate. That was the Niagara
Ship Canal. Ship canals around the falls had been proposed
in very early days; and advocated, after surveys and elabo-
rate reports, from 1835, at intervals through nearly four
decades. In December, 1871, a Niagara Ship Canal con-
vention was held at Detroit. The Buffalo Board of Trade
did not send delegates, but prepared instead an able argu-
ment against the proposed construction. This argument, in
printed form, was laid before the convention. The Buffalo
Board, while expressing a deep interest in all feasible pro-
jects for cheapening transportation, pronounced the Niagara
Ship Canal unnecessary and useless in the attainment of
that object. It protested against any Federal appropriation
therefor, holding that the national finances did not warrant
such an outlay, and—an even stronger argument—that if
built, the canal would benefit foreign commerce at the ex-
pense of our own. It claimed that the true solution of the
question which the Detroit convention had under discussion,
was the improvement of the Erie Canal, and the cheapening
of transportation from the West by that route.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
313
The outcome of the convention, in view of the wide
attention which it attracted, and the heat which marked its
deliberations, suggests the “ridiculous mouse” of old jEsop.
Resolutions were adopted asking “Representatives in Con-
gress to do all in their power to procure an appropriation”
to build the canal. Nothing followed; and although the
Niagara Ship Canal scheme is almost perennial in its cheer-
ful reappearance, it is apparently as far from realization as
it was in 1871, 1863 or 1835.
It is unnecessary to dwell upon the share which the
Buffalo Board of Trade has had, throughout its long life, in
gatherings of a national or international character, except
in cases where its advocacy of a special policy was pro-
ductive of a marked effect. It has been represented, year
after year, at a variety of conventions and councils, some-
times by a single earnest member, often by a formally-
named committee, now and then—especially at Albany—by
a train-load of members and their business associates,
armed with arguments and statistics for the accomplishment
of some needed reform. Chief of these interests for which
it has thus labored has been the canal system of the State.
Buffalo harbor interests and necessities, harbors and chan-
nels on the lakes, railway transportation problems, have all
in turn and through many years, received the attention of
the Board through its delegations. Sometimes the battles
have been sharp, very often they have been long; and in a
great majority of the causes which it has championed, the
Buffalo Board of Trade has won. It has always had good
fighters in its ranks; and its influence is stamped not only
on the laws of New York State, but on those of the General
Government relating to the highway of the Great Lakes and
various international aspects of commerce.
At an “International Commercial Convention,, held at
Baltimore in September, 1871, George S. Hazard, who rep-
resented the Buffalo Board of Trade, was made chairman of
the New York delegation. There were twenty-seven large
topics before the convention for discussion; but Mr. Hazard
not only introduced, but carried through to a unanimous
adoption, a resolution which stated that, as the tonnage of314
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
the Erie Canal, in connection with the commerce of the
great lakes, was strictly national in its character, “it is
eminently proper that the General Government should take
such measures, in connection with the State of New York,
for such enlargement and increase of tonnage capacity as
shall tend to cheapen the cost of transportation between
the western and eastern states, thereby adding to the
material wealth of the country.” It is interesting to note
that not only the Buffalo Board of Trade, but many other
commercial and industrial organizations, representing all
parts of the country, thus went on record as in favor of
Federal aid for the New York canal system.
In the next year (January 17-20, 1872) we find Mr.
Hazard in attendance at the annual meeting of the Do-
minion Board of Trade at Ottawa, sharing in a discussion
on freer intercourse and the removal of certain constraints
to business between Canada and the United States.
In 1867 the Board had taken membership in the National
Board of Trade. The annual cost of this membership was,
usually, about $150, was regarded as a burden, and it was a
matter of much discussion whether the Buffalo organization
received its money’s worth. In 1869, when the annual dues
of the National organization were $285, the Buffalo Board
invited the National Board to hold its meeting for 1870 in
Buffalo. Considerable enthusiasm was shown by the mem-
bers and $2460 were collected to meet the expenses of the
National Convention and entertainment of visitors.
The Buffalo meeting of the National Board of Trade
in December, 1870, brought to the local organization a
marked stimulus. The National Board at this time had a
membership of about forty commercial organizations, with
a total enrollment of some 17,000 merchants and shippers.
The Buffalo Board of Trade appointed committees and
made adequate preparation for reception and entertainment.
President Charles G. Curtiss was especially active, as were
the executive committee, made up of P. S. Marsh, James D.
Sawyer, F. W. Fiske, James S. Lyon and John B. Manning.
Henry A. Richmond, also, as chairman of the receptionTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
315
committee, was an active and worthy representative of his
city.
The meetings of the National Board, December 7th to
10th, were held in the council chamber of the City Hall,
and were attended not only by a large representation from
the Buffalo Board of Trade, but by interested citizens gen-
erally. President Curtiss, in behalf of Buffalo and its
Board of Trade, welcomed the visitors in a pleasant address.
Among the subjects which received the especial attention
of the delegates, were: Restrictions on internal trade, direct
importation to interior cities, inland transportation, the
practice of railroads in issuing bills of lading for grain,
grain inspection, etc. In several of these discussions the
Buffalo members bore an active part. Other subjects which
were reported on at length by the executive council, or
discussed in convention, were civil service reform, the postal
service, improvement of waterways, Pacific railroads, and
the need of the establishment of a Department of Commerce
by the General Government.
Numerous social attentions and entertainments marked
the occasion, culminating in a banquet at the Tifft House,
tendered to the visiting delegates by the Buffalo Board of
Trade. In the long list of toasts, that of “The Buffalo
Board of Trade and City of Buffalo” was happily responded
to by George B. Hibbard.
So far as the local Board was concerned, the most im-
portant feature of the meeting was No. XX. on the official
programme, proposed by the Buffalo Board of Trade under
the following head: “The importance of inland transpor-
tation by water, and the maintaining and improving thereof,
by State and National authority, as a commercial necessity
in controlling and cheapening the cost of transportation of
the great products of the country.”
George S. Hazard presented this subject to the conven-
tion in a long and able speech in which he dwelt upon the
national character of the Erie Canal, and advocated Federal
aid for its enlargement and maintenance. Resolutions
embodying this view brought on a lively debate, but were316
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
finally referred to the Executive Council for report a year
later.
Buffalo continued its membership in the national or-
ganization until 1873, when a proposition to withdraw was
considered and the Board voted to sever its connection with
the National Board; but that the local members were by no
means of one mind in the matter, is shown by the numerous
reversals of decision, and the vote to withdraw was shortly
after rescinded and membership continued. In June, 1875,
the Board did withdraw from the national organization,
alleging that its membership was not productive of any
good to Buffalo and that the annual meeting, usually held in
June, came at a time when the Buffalo merchants and ship-
pers were too busy to attend. This, however, was not the
end of it. In 1878, when the National Board was to hold a
notable meeting in Washington, the Buffalo organization
decided to be represented and Captain E. P. Dorr, J. B.
Manning and William Thurstone attended as the Buffalo
representatives.
In 1888 the Exchange sent delegates to the meeting of
the National Board, who made on their return a very full
report on many subjects of National import. In this year
the Merchants’ Exchange became a constituent member of
the National body, which relation has since continued. It
is entitled to send four delegates annually, the yearly fee
being $20 each.
Another organization whose work for a time received the
attention and aid of the Buffalo Board of Trade was the
American Cheap Transportation Association. In May,
1873, delegates from commercial bodies in several states
met in New York and perfected an organization which
convened in Washington on January 14, 1874. The delegates
from the Buffalo Board of Trade were W. H. Abell, P. S.
Marsh, W. H. H. Newman, E. P. Dorr, John II. Vought
and John B. Griffin. The gathering apparently did little
beyond giving forcible expression to the views of its dele-
gates. They condemned the creation of railway corpora-
tions without capital, the “watering” of stock, and the “in-
side rings” of directors who acted in opposition to the inter-THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
317
ests of stockholders. They recommended a National Bureau
of Commerce and Transportation; and proposed that each
State should create a board of railroad commissioners, hav-
ing power to make and regulate freight rates cm all lines
doing business in the State. They condemned land grants
and subsidies in every form, but recommended that the
Government should construct roads and canals by letting
the work, so far as concerns railroads, to the lowest bidder,
and that when completed, all comers should be allowed to
run cars on them, subject to tolls. In its resolutions on
water routes, the association favored the enlargement, at
Federal expense, of the Erie Canal, and the improvement,
also by the General Government, of the harbors and chan-
nels of the Great Lakes. It must not be inferred that the
Buffalo Board of Trade, or even its representation at the
Washington convention, endorsed all the measures put forth
with the approval of the Cheap Transportation Association.
Where those measures coincided with the policy of the
Buffalo Board, especially on canal and lake matters, they
were naturally given hearty support by the Buffalo men.
The Board was represented at the second annual meeting
of this association, at Richmond, Va., in December, 1874.
Later (1892-3) we find the Exchange sharing in the
work of the National Transportation Association ; the Lake
Carriers’ Association; the Deep Waterways Convention—
where the Buffalo men always opposed a deep waterway to
the sea, but stoutly advocated deeper channels through the
lakes—and (to mention but one more) the State Board of
Trade, which the Merchants’ Exchange helped to organize
in 1891 and of which John N. Scatcherd (then president of
the Exchange) was made first president. The special pur-
pose of the State Board was “to keep track of and obtain
legislation of benefit to the business interests of the State.”
The Chamber of Commerce was prominent in the Wash-
ington conference, December 1907, which resulted in the
formation of the National Council of Commerce. In the
same year its representatives attended the Lake Mohonk
Conference, the Peace and Arbitration Conference in New
York, and the Foreign Commerce Convention at Washing-318
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
ton. It is recognized as an active force not only in munici-
pal and State affairs, but in national and international
matters as well.
From about the time of the organization of the Mer-
chants’ Exchange, the merchants of Buffalo began to take
a greater interest, or at least to show greater activity, than
they had done in legislative matters of large import. It soon
became a habit of the Exchange to refer to committees na-
tional bills affecting in any way the business interests of
Buffalo. Usually these committees reported strong reso-
lutions which were sent to Washington; often the resolu-
tions were followed by delegations, so that in one way and
another this organization increasingly made itself a force
and exerted its influence at Washington in behalf of meas-
ures deemed beneficial to this community and against meas-
ures deemed harmful. It is unnecessary even were it prac-
ticable to enumerate here all of these measures which have
engaged the attention of the Merchants’ Exchange in the
past twenty years. Some of the more important of them
may be referred to. In 1886 it endorsed the bill introduced
by Congressman Weber for the permanent improvement of
the Erie and Oswego canals and to secure the freedom of
the same to the commerce of the United States. In 1888 it
favored the proposed appropriation of a million dollars for
the canals—the measure known as the Cantor bill—and for
which $650,000 were finally voted. In the same year, it
continued its policy, already noticed in this sketch, of oppo-
sition to the proposed ship canal around Niagara. The next
year, we find it advocating at Albany the establishment of
the State naval militia, the bill for which Governor Hill
signed in June of that year. It was active in behalf of
various amendments to the Inter-State Commerce bill. It
urged the passage of a national bankruptcy act. In 1890 it
vigorously opposed the Butterworth bill, taxing dealers in
options and futures. In 1891, at Albany, it helped defeat
the listing tax bill and other measures, while at Washington
it opposed the free coinage bill and favored a repeal of the
silver act of July 14, 1890. In 1892, the merchants of Buf-
falo through their Exchange asked Congress to reduce theTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.	319
duty on barley to ioc per bushel. At Albany they asked
Governor Flower to appoint a Buffalo man a member of the
State Board of Railway Commissioners. “Ask and ye shall
receive.” The things sought for would probably not have
been granted without this action of the Merchants’ Ex-
change, but as a result of their efforts they generally got
what they wanted. In 1893, however, Governor Flower
reappointed Michael Rickard of Albany to the State Board
of Railway Commissioners.
At a convention of commercial bodies in Washington, in
September, 1893, the Merchants’ Exchange was represented.
The convention favored the repeal of the Sherman law.
This gathering, known as the Sound Money Convention,
urged upon the Government the maintenance of our money
circulation on a par with gold and endorsed President Cleve-
land in his call for an extra session on this subject.
Three years later we find the Merchants’ Exchange ad-
dressing Congress again, urging the cancellation and retire-
ment of the greenbacks and treasury notes. At this period
it paid large attention to the National financial policy which
was then the paramount issue before the country. And so in
later years it has continued alert and watchful of all meas-
ures, whether relating to State or National matters, likely
to affect for good or ill the welfare of its home community.
No committee of recent years has proved more useful
than the Transportation Committee organized in 1884. We
find it the next year recommending to the Exchange that
the General Government be urged to complete certain lake
channels and to improve shallow harbors. A committee,
headed by Alonzo Richmond, made a most thorough and
excellent report of freight rates and the relations between
railway and canal routes. In the summer of 1886 a Freight
Bureau was formed, which collected information for the
shippers of Buffalo. Its letters and pamphlets advertised
the city in a new and desirable way. An early outcome of
its efforts was the abolition of certain discriminations in
freight rates, especially those which had operated against
the live-stock business. The Bureau followed this up with
reports of delay in the delivery of cars at elevators; and that320
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
evil was lessened. It soon brought about a regulation of
rates charged for unloading. In 1888 we find established
through its efforts a uniform method of handling car grain.
The next year in response to an invitation from the Ex-
change, the State Railroad Commission held a session in
Buffalo, resulting in a report and recommendations satis-
factory to the Exchange.
Among the large achievements which apparently should
be accredited in their inception to this Transportation Com-
mittee are those of charter revision as taken up in 1890 and
the grade crossings work. In March, 1890, the committee
reported the draft of a bill to prevent extortion or discrimi-
nation for the transportation of passengers and freight. It
was an early step in a long fight, in which the Merchants’
Exchange through this committee kept well at the front.
In the spring of 1893 a special committee argued at Albany
in favor of the Railroad Discrimination bill.
Work in this field was accomplished year after year. In
1898 new by-laws reorganized the committee, providing for
the Niagara Frontier Freight Bureau of the Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange, under a board of twenty managers.
In 1903, owing to changed conditions, the Freight Bureau
was discontinued and the Transportation Committee in large
measure now covers this field.
It has secured reduction of rates on many classes of
freight and has brought about a much better state of affairs
than existed when it was organized, almost a quarter of a
century ago.
The miscellaneous city matters which have been pro-
moted by the institution whose achievements we trace, even
in the last twenty years, would make a list too long to in-
clude here. Some of them, however, should have mention.
In 1886 we find at work a special committee on charter
revision, another calling for better fire protection for harbor
interests. The next year we find the Exchange protesting
against overhead wires and electric cables in the business
district, with a result that a great mass-meeting was held
calling on the offending companies to bury their wires. And
the wires were buried.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
321
In March, 1888, at a special meeting of the Exchange, it
was suggested that invitations be sent to the Democratic
and Republican organizations of the State, inviting them to
hold their State convention in Buffalo. This effort was re-
warded. Both the conventions were brought to Buffalo, the
Board spending something like $2500 for incidental ex-
penses and the city profited by the large influx of visitors.
The next year the Exchange took the initiative in form-
ing, with other organizations, the Citizens’ Association of
Buffalo.
In 1891 its Postal Committee reported on desirable sites
for a new postoffice. In 1893, it was active in behalf of a
reduction of telephone rates and then, as in many other
years, it favored measures for improving the harbor, both
the inner and the outer, for enlarging the slips and canals;
and it especially favored the charter which became a law
March 27, 1891. Three years later it also advocated the
amendments to the charter which Governor Flower signed
February 21, 1894.
It is interesting to note that at a meeting of the Ex-
change, April 13, 1893, resolutions were adopted protesting
against legislation at Albany which sought to reorganize
the Police Department of Buffalo without giving the citizens
a chance to be heard. It was then resolved as the sense of
the meeting that “the Legislature should not pass or the
Governor approve any further bills relating to the city of
Buffalo without such measure first receiving the sanction
of the Mayor, of the Common Council and the city of Buf-
falo.” This was emphatically a demand for home rule in
Buffalo. A citizens’ meeting was held under the auspices
of the Merchants’ Exchange, and from this movement of
1893 there came about the present system by which measures
pending before the Legislature relating to the home affairs
of Buffalo must be submitted to the city’s representatives
before enactment.
The fact that Governor Flower signed the $60,000 ap-
propriation bill for Ohio Basin improvements March 19,
1894, was chiefly due to the insistence of the Merchants’
Exchange.322
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
The next year we find that body urging legislation in
favor of more rapid transit in Buffalo, taking a stand in
favor of a bridge to Grand Island, endeavoring to solve the
excursion dock puzzle, etc.; and joining in an invitation
to the National Educational Association to meet in Buffalo
in 1896.
More and more it took an active part in a greater number
of city subjects. It turned its attention to school reform
and meetings of the Citizens' Association were held on
'Change in 1895. In later years it has been an earnest advo-
cate of the establishment of trade schools and a technical
high school. Twelve years ago the Merchants' Exchange
told the city that there must be better police protection for
harbor interests and after the usual struggle appropriations
for such protection were made.
In 1895 it promptly endorsed the invitation of the Grand
Army Posts of the city which brought to Buffalo the Na-
tional Encampment, G. A. R., in 1897, in behalf of which
and during which it gave its services and its financial aid.
At the request of the Merchants' Exchange, joined to
that of the Common Council, a new steamer of the Cleveland
& Buffalo Transit Company was named “City of Buffalo."
As early as 1895 it favored the establishment here of a
Forestry Bureau, a measure which, though opposed in many
quarters, has finally won the necessary legislative sanction,
and is now, in 1908, having its first trial in Buffalo.
Through a formal request from the Exchange to the
Postoffice Department, March, 1895, improved mail service
and letter distribution, especially of Buffalo letters in New
York, was brought about. This was for the better expedi-
tion of business depending upon letters mailed in Buffalo
late in the day.
From about 1896, when various questions connected with
the bringing of electric power to Buffalo became prominent,
the Exchange has taken many helpful steps in the matter.
It was on October 15, 1896, that the first electric power
from Niagara Falls was received in this city by the Buffalo
Street Railway. On the evening of January 12th following
Buffalo celebrated this electrical transmission with a great"THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
323
banquet. Nikola Tekla was present and the Merchants'
Exchange was largely represented.
The extension of the outer breakwater to Stony Point;
additional fire tugs in the harbor; the erection in Buffalo
of a Marine Hospital; the revision of smoke ordinances;
the establishment of public play-grounds; the erection in
Buffalo of the State monument to President McKinley—
these and scores of other achievements for the benefit of
Buffalo must be credited to the efforts of the Merchants'
Exchange and Chamber of Commerce.
The Bureau of Conventions and Industries, established
in April, 1899, played for a time an important part in the
work of the organization. A man well fitted for this ser-
vice, Mr. Curt M. Treat, was appointed secretary in May,
and served until 1904. His peculiar energy and fitness for
the task brought probably half a million visitors to Buffalo
before 1902. The Pan-American Exposition Company
subscribed $1500 to aid the work of the Bureau and during
the Exposition season of 1901 over three hundred different
conventions, some of them attended by thousands of dele-
gates, were held in Buffalo. Since that time the Bureau
has continued its work with satisfactory results.
From first to last the Board of Trade, Merchants' Ex-
change and Chamber of Commerce have been the city's chief
representative as host for distinguished guests. Not to go
too far back, it is interesting to note that from about the
time the Merchants’ Exchange became well established in
its Seneca-street home, it began to entertain distinguished
visitors. Sometimes these visitors were representatives of
foreign governments, oftener they were Congress commit-
tees investigating certain subjects. September 15, 1891,
distinguished members of the United States Senate—Senator
Morrill of Vermont and Senator McPherson of New Jersey
—came to Buffalo and on the 16th were given a hearing at
the Exchange to assist them in their investigation of United
States trade relations with Canada. Some months earlier
in, that year, the Senate Committee on Trade Relations,
headed by the Hon. George S. Hoar of Massachusetts, had
been given also a hearing at the Exchange, and in July the324
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
Congressional Committee on Harbors and Rivers was the
guest of the Merchants’ Exchange, to the ultimate advantage
of Buffalo.
In 1899 among the distinguished guests were Lord
Charles Beresford and Admiral Sampson, a reception being
given to the latter on December 15th. Admiral Schley has
also been the guest of the Exchange. In 1900 the River
and Harbor Committee of Congress visited Buffalo. The
Merchants’ Exchange took entire charge of the party and
made sure that nothing was overlooked necessary to impress
upon them the need of adequate harbor appropriation at
this point.
The next year, the visitors’ book records the names of
Mark Hanna, of Vice-President Roosevelt, of Governor
Odell, and numerous foreign representatives, the presence
of many of these, of course, being due to the Pan-American
Exposition of that year.
Comparatively recent social events of note include the
entertainment of the Honorary Board of Filipino Commis-
sioners, June 25th and 26th, 1904; of Prince Pu Lun, rep-
resentative of the government of China at the St. Louis
Exposition; and one of the most notable social incidents in
the history of the Chamber of Commerce, the reception of
the Iron and Steel Institute.
XIV. The Chamber of Commerce.
Early in 1903 steps were taken to change the name of the
Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange to the Chamber of Commerce
of Buffalo. By order of the Supreme Court, May 19th, the
Exchange was authorized to assume the name “Chamber of
Commerce of Buffalo,” on and after July 1, 1903. The
change indicates the increased scope in the work of the
organization. “To increase its power for good in the com-
munity,” “to create a broader public spirit among our citi-
zens,” were phrases in President Dodge’s address of Janu-
ary 13, 1904, which fairly show the spirit that prompted
the change. It was desired to reach, to interest and toTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
325
affiliate as many classes of Buffalo’s business men as pos-
sible.
After some months of negotiation the Board of Trade,
on March 20, 1905, voted to buy the “Granite Block,”
having a frontage of 77 feet on the west side of Main
Street, 44 feet north bf Seneca; and also to buy the 40 feet
on Seneca, adjoining the Board of Trade building on the
east. The purchase of these properties, at approximately
$250,000, gave the Board of Trade the whole Seneca-street
frontage between Pearl and Main, except the Main-street
comer occupied by the Bank of Buffalo. The new purchase
surrounded this property on the north and west; and on it,
in September, 1905, the old buildings having been tom
down, work was begun on a thirteen-story structure which
when finished towered high above the dome-capped bank
on the corner, and seemed to embrace and shelter it—sym-
bolizing, obviously, the relations of the city’s commercial
and banking interests.
The new building was planned by Green & Wicks, archi-
tects. It is of steel-frame construction, fireproof, the exte-
rior in semi-glazed terra cotta. In design it is described
as ‘ modern French,” with a balcony at the twelfth story, a
high railing above the cornice, and ample window space.
Six elevators give rapid transit for all floors; and in its
interior work, plumbing, electric lighting, etc., the building
is a good example of modern office construction, uncom-
monly attractive in finish and furnishing. It cost approxi-
mately $400,000, and was so planned as to connect with the
older building, making one interior with convenient arrange-
ment of offices, hallways, elevators, etc., and with a mini-
mum amount of change in the oldest part. It furnished the
additional space that had been needed, with much desirable
renting room. Handsome offices on the ground floor were
fitted up for the Columbia National Bank; this and other
businesses located there have already made the Chamber of
Commerce Building an important nucleus of commercial
and banking interests.
On April 18, 1907, the Chamber of Commerce gave a
great dinner in celebration of the semi-centennial of the or-326	THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
ganization—reckoning from the incorporation of the Board
of Trade in 1857—and the dedication of the new building.
The exercises included the formal presentation of the build-
ing, by Robert R. Hefford, chairman of the building com-
mittee, and its acceptance by President William H. Grat-
wick. Chief among the guests was Governor Hughes, who
spoke for “The State of New York/’ as Mayor Adam did
for “The City of Buffalo,” the Hon. W. Caryl Ely for “The
Niagara "Frontier,” and Henry J. Pierce for the Chamber
of Commerce. The occasion was of the sort that begets
enthusiasm, and out of enthusiasm come results. One
feature was “the campaign for 500 new members,” entered
into with spirit, and proving successful. By the spring of
1908 the membership had reached 1500.
In the five years that have passed since the establishment
of the Chamber of Commerce on its present basis, Buffalo
has profited by its work in many ways. In 1903 the Western
New York Canal Enlargement Association was formed, with
committees on Publicity, Speakers, Finance, Election-Day
Organization, etc. The result justified the effort, for the
State vote gave a majority of over 245,000 in favor of canal
enlargement under the law of 1903.
The Buffalo Chamber of Commerce was and is among
the most ardent advocates of this improvement. It also
initiated the project, now well towards accomplishment, with
$700,000 appropriated, for the construction of a ship canal
and lock around the rapids in the Niagara at Black Rock.
This is an achievement of its Niagara River Improvement
Committee. Its Harbor Committee has not only worked in
behalf of adequate Federal appropriations, but has secured
from the city the deepening of Buffalo river and the ship
canal to 23 feet.
The Chamber of Commerce suggestion, in 1903, of an
annual carnival for Buffalo, took root, and blossomed in
1907 in the Old Home Week jollification. It has been,
however, less concerned with the pleasures than the necessi-
ties of Buffalo. Some of its efforts are put forth to bring
business to Buffalo. More are directed towards improving
the living conditions for the people of Buffalo. It bringsTHE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
327
conventions to the city. It plans and runs trade excursions
to Buffalo. Other tours in the city, with an obvious pur-
pose, are called “Seeing Buffalo Grow” excursions. But it
also keeps at work on what may be termed necessities of the
city, among which, now receiving its attention, are: the
railway station problem; the further improvement of the
harbor; the straightening of Buffalo river for flood abate-
ment; the opening of a direct route from the business
center to South Buffalo and the steel works in West Seneca;
the abatement of the smoke nuisance; the extension of
Elmwood Avenue; the establishment of a technical high
school; in short, any phase of our municipal life which calls
for the attention of the public-spirited citizen, is regarded
as properly within the sphere of activity of the Chamber of
Commerce, It can turn from State or National affairs to
offer prizes to school-boys—as it did in 1907, establishing
two prizes, of $100 and $50, for the highest general average
respectively in the day and night schools.
In recent years it has brought about the affiliation of nu-
merous bodies. In 1905 the Real Estate Association and
the Retail Merchants' Board both entered into close relations
with the Chamber. Something of the scope of its present
work may be judged from the following list of existing
committees, many of which are very much in earnest in
prosecuting their special work:	Arbitration, Banking,
Barley and Malt, Canal, Civic Improvement, Convention,
Finance, Grain, Harbor, Insurance, Manufacturers, Mem-
bership, Municipal Legislation, Niagara River Improve-
ment, Postal Service, Real Estate, Rooms and Fixtures,
Technical High School, Transportation, Retail Merchants'
Board. Under some of these committees are organized
bureaus, such as the Bureau of Industrial Information, in
the Manufacturers' Committee, which has collected and dis-
tributed information regarding articles manufactured or
handled by Buffalo factories.
In Buffalo the Chamber of Commerce stands emphatically
for cooperation. That it stands for much in the history of
the city, the foregoing sketch proves. The outcome of the
toil, the hopes and aspirations of the past, it is also a pledge328
THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE,'
and guarantee of the future; and because of it—to adopt
the phrase of the Hon. E. C. Sprague, in his remarks at the
inauguration of the Merchants’ Exchange Building in 1884
—“our city is richer in all the elements of human well-
being, . . . the foundations of her prosperity are
strong and sure.”
PRESIDENTS OF THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE,
MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE, AND CHAMBER OF COM-
MERCE, FROM 1844 TO 1909.
BOARD OF TRADE.
(Constituted, Jan. 16, 1844. Incorporated, Mch. 7,1857.)
1844.	Russell H. Heywood.	1863.	George S. Hazard.
1845.	Russell H. Heywood.	1864.	George S. Hazard.
1846.	Russell H. Heywood.	1865.	Silas H. Fish.
1847.	Henry Daw.	1866.	Phineas S. Marsh.
1848.	Philo Durfee.	1867.	Phineas S. Marsh.
1849.	George B. Walbridge.	1868.	John H. Vought.
1850.	Hiram E. Howard.	1869.	S. Sturges Guthrie.
1851.	Hiram E. Howard.	1870.	Charles G. Curtis.
1852.	Silas H. Fish.	1871.	James D. Sawyer.
1853-	Samuel J. Holley.	1872.	Alfred P. Wright.
1854.	Hiram Niles.	1873.	Charles A. Sweet.
i8S5-	George S. Hazard.	1874.	E. P. Dorr.
1856.	Merwin S. Hawley.	1875.	Cyrus Clarke.
1857-	George S. Hazard.	1876.	Cyrus Clarke.
1858.	James R. Bentley.	1877.	Alonzo Richmond.
1859-	Albert Sherwood.	1878.	William H. Abell.
i860.	Charles J. Mann.	1879.	Jewett M. Richmond.
1861.	Jason Parker.	1880.	George Sandrock.
1862.	George S. Hazard.	1881.	John B. Manning.
	BUFFALO MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE.		
	(Incorporated, Apr-14,		1882.)
1882.	James N. Scatcherd.	1886.	Albert J. Wright.
1883.	James N. Scatcherd.	1887.	James R. Smith.
1884.	Eric L. Hedstrom.	1888.	Robert B. Adam.
1885.	Eric L. Hedstrom.	1889.	John C. Graves.THE BUFFALO BOARD OF TRADE.
329
1890.	Peter C. Doyle.	1897.
1891.	John N. Scatcherd.	1898.
1892.	John N. Scatcherd.	1899.
1893.	George Clinton.	1900.
1894.	Robert R. Hefford.	1901.
1895.	Robert R. Hefford.	1902.
1896.	Robert R. Hefford.	1903.
Alonzo R. James.
Robert R. Hefford.
Alfred Haines.
Alfred Haines.
Ogden P. Letchworth.
John J. McWilliams.
Leonard Dodge.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
(Name of the former Merchants* Exchange since July i, 1903,)
1904.	James J. H. Brown.	1907.	William H. Gratwick.
1905.	Henry J. Pierce.	1908.	John W. Robinson.
1906.	William H. Gratwick.	1909.	Elliott C. McDougal.REMINISCENCES OF
ERIE CANAL SURVEYS
IN 1816-1817
By WILLIAM C. YOUNGWILLIAM C. YOUNG.
From a Photograph Taken about 1866, in the possession of the
Buffalo Historical Society.REMINISCENCES OF
SURVEYS OF THE ERIE CANAL
IN 1816-1817
By WILLIAM C. YOUNG1
In 1816 the firs't surveys were made on which to base
plans and estimates for the Erie Canal. My recollections
of incidents in connection with those surveys are the sub-
ject of this paper, being then a rodman of two of the
engineering and surveying parties.
We surveyed the portion called the Middle Division
from Rome, westerly to Seneca river, and that portion of
the Eastern Division, from Rome to Schoharie creek, in all
154 miles. The remaining portion of the Eastern Division
to Albany was not surveyed that year. The Western Di-
vision from Seneca river to Buffalo was assigned to Judge
James Geddes, of much note as a surveyor, explorer and
engineer.
The report of the surveys was required at an early
period of the legislative session of 1817, which limited the
1. Read at a meeting of the Buffalo Historical Society, at the author’s
residence, Jan. 15, 1866. Now first published from the original manuscript.
Its value is by no means lessened because of the quaintness of the style.
Though the poetical effusion with which Mr. Young concluded his reminis-
cences may not be canal history, it happily recalls the early gatherings of the
Historical Society, when friends and neighbors met in informal mood. The
"club meetings” of those early years offered other than intellectual refresh-
ment; yet the papers prepared for these meetings include some of the most
valuable contributions that have been made to our local annals.
333334
REMINISCENCES OF
field work to make timely arrangements for the maps, esti-
mates and reports.
My residence at that time was in Whitesboro, Oneida
County, a village between Utica and Rome.
Jonas Platt and Thomas R. Gould, lawyers and states-
men, resided there. Benjamin Wright, land surveyor, civil
engineer and statesman, resided at Rome. These men were
most prominent actors as legislators in incipient measures
for the canal. As previously concerted between them, in
1818 Judge Wright seconded the motion of Judge Forman
for partial explorations of the country west of Seneca river
for an interior line for a canal, so called in contra-distinc-
tion to the canal route through Lake Ontario, Oswego river
and Oneida lake, commonly accepted as the only feasible
one for a water communication with Lake Erie. Thomas
R. Gould, as chairman of the committee to which the reso-
lution was referred, reported the joint resolution which
was passed, and under it the survey was made.
In 1810 Judge Platt, a State senator and leader of the
Federal minority of the Senate, influenced measures for
engaging DeWitt Clinton, the leader of the Republican
majority, to second the important legislative steps for the
canal, he having declined! to lead and make the motion, but
seconded it and refrained from a speech on the question,
thus freeing it from party influence. Mr. Clinton took an
active part as a commissioner under this first measure, made
the report and introduced the bill for further progress, and
became a leader and champion of the Erie canal policy;
and subsequently when the Federal party had the ascend-
ency in the then council of appointment, Judge Platt, as
one of them, proposed- Mr. Clinton as Mayor of New York
City, and appointed him.
Such were the men of my locality; respected, honest and
obeyed, and to follow them as leaders was the desire of
him who directed my footsteps and procured for me occu-
pation in the surveying and engineering parties of 1816
and 1817. Thomas R. Gould was a member of Congress
in 1817 and 1818, and procured for me a cadetship at West
Point, and this ended my connection with the Erie canalCANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
335
until after its whole completion and since, but collaterally
in connection with making and operating the railroad
alongside. Other men of Oneida county will be named in
this paper who were my seniors in years and knowledge; and
yet another class, after those first noted, such as Canvass
White, Nathan T. Roberts and John B. Jervis, who have
names and fame as projectors and makers of works of the
Erie canal, infinitely beyond the reach of the influence of
my weak and humble pen pretensions.
Judge Wright organized his engineering and surveying
party at Rome in June, 1816, and established stations and
bench levels from which to commence his survey, and pro-
ceeded westerly.
Mr. Broadhead subsequently organized his party, and
from the same station and level benches proceeded easterly
for a connected survey. He had proceeded with the sur-
vey to Herkimer, 31 miles of his portion to be surveyed,
when Mr. Wright completed the 77 miles assigned to him.
The method of the survey was as follows—and homely and
unartistically described as it may be, yet the detail of small
events is incident to the theme of this paper.
The party consisted of 13 persons, to rank and station
thus: A chief engineer, a surveyor, an assistant engineer,
two rodrnen, two chainmen, three axemen, a packman, a
cook and a teamster.
The surveyor, with an eye to engineering skill, would
take a course over ground of probable water level, then
covered with large trees and small woods of hemlock,
cedar, alder bushes and weeds, and sight an object (with-
out flagmen), and note its compass bearing. Then, with
compass and one arm, and staff in hand of other, would
lead the way through swamp and swale, still eyeing the
object ahead until reached.
One axeman closely followed him, chopping bark from
adjacent trees near the line. Two other axemen then cleared
a pathway about four feet wide of bushes, weeds and all
obstacles to level sighting. The chainmen then followed
and established station stakes at four chain distances
driven by one of them. At the foot of each stake a peg336
REMINISCENCES OF
would be driven level to the surface of the ground, or on
hard earth the heels of the rodmen’s boots would make a
solid standpoint for the rod to rest upon, that no variation
in the base would take place between the forward and back
sighting; also that in returning it would be a standard for
new operations. Bench marks more permanent were the
usual standards for level references of succeeding and
repeating surveys.
A prominent root of a tree just under a broad hewn sur-
face would be found by hewing, to rest the rod upon, and
its level marked on this surface for all succeeding ones.
The assistant engineer then placed the leveling instru-
ment intermediate to stations and nearly equidistant there-
from, and screwed it to a level. The chief engineer then
sighted on the graduated poles of the rodmen; the one in
the rear first and then the one in front, and from their
reading would determine the rising or falling grounds and
the variations from a water level by subtracting and addi-
tions, requiring judgment to determine which of these to
perform. The surveyor would note the distance at which
water courses and farm lines would be crossed; the kinds
of timber passed through, and of the soil, whether sand,
clay, loam, gravel, rock, stone, swamp and swale, and
sketch surrounding objects as outlines for mapping pur-
poses and estimates of costs.
The engineer would note the level of water beds in
inference to the water line, and other changes of general
surface intermediate to stations; and when openings of
bush and woodland enabled, would sight far away from the
line, to determine the general slopes of the surrounding
surface.
When at successive stations there resulted an evident
ascending or descending surface, from the standard level,
the surveyor would be hailed and retrograde steps taken to
a station of suitable level and a course pursued as experi-
mental as before, thus feeling the way for a water level.
Ridges and points of land would carry the line of survey
far to the north of the general course and the valleys of
water courses, as far again to the south, to keep the waterCANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
337
level. In the final location of the canal these ridges were
cut through and valleys filled up.
Oneida lake, bordering the field of survey miles away on
the north, indicated the practicability of a long water level
which was the engineering principle of the survey, follow-
ing its table lands until its borders were passed and the
waters of Onondaga, Skaneateles and Owasco lakes
changed the water level standard to suitable lock lifts and
depressions according as feeders and supply of water for
intermediate levels could be found.
The packman brought up the rear with dinner sack
on his back, and water can at his side, to replenish which
he would seek for fresh running streams—a rivulet, a
brook or gushing spring. And yet the pools of stagnant
water were often drank from by the laboring men of the
party, violently exercising in the foul, moist air of a dense
forest in July and August heat, though so shaded from the
sun.
A teamster, a cook, a two-horse covered wagon, stored
with camp equipage and provisions, was the nucleus of the
party. Its appendages were: A dog, a gun, two tin horns,
camp kettles and frying pans; and for table and furniture,
a fallen tree, or a log, a hillock, a fresh-hewn chip for the
plate, a pointed or forked1 stick for roasting-spit; and a
pocket jack-knife carried by each one of the party. Hard
bread and salt pork constituted the standard bill of table
fare, though fresh fish and small game, taken in exchange
for pork with Indians of Oneida, occasionally gave savory
odors from camp fires.
The line of survey was in the general direction of the
highway and turnpike from Rome and Utica westerly
through Verona, Vernon, Oneida, Chittenango and Syra-
cuse. Lateral roads to this crossed the line of survey
leading to and around Oneida lake. By these crossroads
the teamster and cook were taught to judge of proper
localities for camping grounds to interrupt the line of sur-
vey, and changed as directed by the chief engineer once or
twice or perhaps three times a week. Dry ground, freshREMINISCENCES OF
water and hemlock boughs were requisites for camping
grounds.
Two tents and a portion of the baggage wagon well
spread with foliage of the hemlock, odorous and fresh,
upon which to spread blankets, afforded shelter and shade
for sleep and rest: and waking dreams of the great work
undertaken. The tin horn appended to the baggage wagon
and one carried by the packman guided our steps to such
resting places when in advance of the survey; our steps
would be retrograde to the camp more commonly than
ahead, for nightly rest and shelter.
Occasionally cleared fields and beginnings of cultivated
farms would be crossed; also lands chopped, logged and
underbrushed, abandoned to the rattlesnake, by whose rattle
our steps were arrested, a death blow given the reptile and
his tail rattle taken as a trophy and curiosity.
Windfalls, acres wide and long, were in our way, with
trunks of large trees prostrate and roots turned up, en-
tangled and entwined, root with branch, and so filled in
with second growth of bush and brier and noxious weeds
as to be most formidable obstacles to get through with line
and level.
The line of survey passed some two miles south of
Saliner [Salina] (Salt Point), so called. The novices of
the party went in a body to see the salt-boiling process.
At the crossing of the outlet of Skaneateles lake, called
the Jordan river, a well cultivated farm bordered its banks;
these green fields and still waters inspired longings for
relief from the weary toils of swamp and thicket. The
mosquitos swarmed about our faces and hands. The latter
being fixed upon instruments requiring a steady purpose
gave no weapon of defense to crush or brush off the blood-
sucking insect. Moss and bark, dry leaves and twigs, were
stuffed into cylinders of oyster-keg size, of birch bark, and
strung on shoulders, ignited to a smoking state, as some
relief. A large tree was noted near our path, into the
hollow of which all of our party entered through a small
hole, cut in one of its sides, and stood elbow to elbow, facing
inward, with backs against its inner side of shell, and stillCANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
389
there was room for more. It was a buttonwood, and bulg-
ing from the root, but shoulder high, assumed its body-
shape and size.
A country woman, observer of our ways, expressed joy
at the prospect of soft Lake Erie water for washing-days.
She probably had read the report of 1811 by the commis-
sioner, who supposed the waters of Lake Erie would flow
to Albany and then by locks, or railway planes, boats were
to be let down into the Hudson river.
The Seneca river was reached near and above Monte-
zeumer [Montezuma], its water level noted as a connecting
reference to any survey still westerly, and thus the field
work of the survey of the Middle Division terminated.
The party returned to Rome, some by baggage wagon,
others by stage, and were discharged. The chief engineer
and the surveyor made the maps, profiles and estimates as
a report to the canal commissioners, who in course reported
to the Legislature at the session of 1817, in the proceedings
of which it may now be found.
The present writer joined the surveying party descend-
ing the Mohawk river and its encampment opposite Herki-
mer village in the capacity of rodman, as before. Its man-
ner of proceeding differed somewhat from that of the
Middle Division.
The cleared fields required a flagman for the surveyor
and chainman by which to shape their courses. The de-
scending grounds required lifts or depressions to be made
and intermediate water levels pursued with a view to saving
cost in construction, with constant care for river flood on
one side and hill torrents on the other.
Engineering skill was more exercised on this than on
the Middle Division. The surveyor of this party, who led
the way, learned by practice to take an early stand as most
practical in canal making. The long level west of Rome
induced its extension easterly, perhaps under undue influ-
ence of Utica men.
The baggage wagon, cook and tents were necessary, as
almost every house on both sides of the river, although a
tavern, was nightly filled with travellers, teamsters, drivers,340
REMINISCENCES OF
etc. Oat straw was the substitute for bedding, in place of
the odorous and fresh twigs of the hemlock, of the more
western survey.
A Yankee asked a Dutchman how his horses were made
and kept so fat and sleek, and was informed that they were
fed on oat straw but not half threshed. “Mien horse and
mien self” was as quaint a saying with the then Mohawk
Dutchman as is with us of more modern tastes and pre-
tended refinement, “Strike my dog and you strike me.”
Our bills of fare were as in the common walks of life:
coffee, tea, bread, meats, vegetables, fruits, fresh milk and
butter, products of rich alluvial Mohawk flats, arable hill-
sides and plains, beyond, then unsurpassed in fertility and
productiveness, and with a class of people as epicurean in
cuisine arts of English aristocracy as Sir William Johnson’s
family could disseminate.
About the time of which I write, it was the custom of
Mohawk valley men to fit out trains of teams for the
West of—
Chestnut, bays,
Sorrel, grays,
Black & roan,
Shimmering under the curry-comb.
With wagon-loads of
Fruits and berries
Jams and cherries
Luscious, for the Genesee flattes,
And loaded back
With wheat and grains
For the Mohawk plains
And for the Albany market.
In 1815 a “Young” man (the present writer) was clerk
for Juba Storrs & Co. at Williamsville, Erie county. Ben-
jamin Caryl, deceased, a principal of the firm, was his
uncle, and Gen. Storrs (now present) another principal
and since a cousin by marriage.
A period of ague and fever was endured till the fall
season, when teams of such wagons as described were
passing Williamsville easterly bound. A passage was taken
and a seat resting upon the sideboards of the wagon baseCANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.	341
rode upon to a home near Utica, a distance of about two
hundred miles.
This line of survey was near to and crossing the high-
way which enabled the baggage wagon and cook to be at
hand, at all times wanted, and the packman's services un-
necessary. The September and October season was con-
venient for this survey. The meadows and grain fields
were not injured by the tread of many persons. The
mellow fields of the Mohawk flats were fresh sown with
wheat, and its sprouting herbage was rich in view to the
passing stranger. The butternut and shag-barked walnut
afforded good pickings during leisure moments of the sur-
vey.
High-toned families lived on rich, alluvial flats with
habits which were relics of Sir William, Sir John and Col.
Guy Johnson’s Mohawk aristocracy. There were many
negro slaves in the valley: colored men were the more
common laborers in the field.
A class of people of dark butternut complexion was
common, called the black Dutch, companionable with the
negro and apparently with his swine.
The passage of the gorge of the Mohawk valley at
Little Falls was far more beautiful than at present. The
side hill cliffs and precipices were covered with evergreen
foliage of the pine, hemlock and cedar, which the axe and
fires of canal and railroad innovations have made bare.
Pockets in the rocks were great curiosities; they were quite
regular in shape, some two or three feet in diameter and
several feet deep. In one projecting cliff one of these
pockets is open from top to a suspended base some twelve
or fifteen feet through. In emerging from this narrow
cragged and towering hill-pass are expanded Mohawk flats
and gently rolling, sloping, arable lands, a pleasant view.
Just there, on the south side of the valley, General Her-
kimer’s house and farm were prominent. He of Revolu-
tionary fame fell in the battle of Oriskany. It was a large
brick, gambrel-roofed house in a sightly location, but odd
in more modern architectural rules. It is still to be seen
from the railroad trains in passing.342
REMINISCENCES OF
In it there lived at the time of passing on this survey a
family of some note and bearing, acquaintances of our chief
engineer. He entertained them in sighting through the
telescope of the leveling instrument, which reversed all
objects looked at. Apparently, persons would be seen
standing on their heads, heads of animals with feet in the
air, trees standing on their boughs. This magic effect pre-
ceded the surveying party in notoriety, and brought crowds
of visitors to our camp and field operations to see the curi-
osity. This annoyed our chief engineer beyond all descrip-
tion, who was cross and crabbed, petulant and uncongenial,
but with his set associates, Utica exclusives.
Near and below Canajoharie there stood an antique
building with end to the road and circular-roofed, with rear
half burrowed in the hillside, and still within and under
these might have been recesses in the rocks, caves, dens of
safety, or evil contrivings. It was Kane’s store in earlier
times, a trading place of branches of a family of some pre-
tension on the lower Mohawk and Hudson river valleys.
A Yankee pedlar was brought before a Dutch magistrate
at Canajoharie for violating the Sunday laws (so-called)
prohibiting travelling on Sundays excepting with a mag-
istrate’s pass. With proper appliances the matter was set-
tled and a pass procured which the Yankee was required
to write and sign for the magistrate, the latter making the
usual cross between the Christian name and surname. At
length Kane’s settlement day with his neighbors came and
a bill for goods with order appended was presented to the
magistrate, when he exclaimed: “Mein Gott, dat dam’t
Yankee pass!”
At the nose of the valley, so called, the river turns east-
erly and crosses directly through expanded flat lands to the
mouth of Schoharie creek, passing Caughnewaga, the river
depot for Johnstown, Sir William Johnson’s home man-
sion and farm; he died in 1774. Sir John, a son, and Col.
Guy Johnson, a son-in-law, succeeded to estates and Tory
rule as well as to the confidence of Joseph Brant, an Indian
chief—Thayendanegea, a (much questioned) warrior
friend—CANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
843
In whom there coursed the kindred tie
Of Sir William, Sir John and Col. Guy.
Thayendanegea’s carnaged hand
Is powerless now, all o’er the land.
While threshold, bannister and door
Bear marks of blood as with the floor.
Where savage warfare, tory strife
Made havoc with the scalping-knife.
From Caughnewaga’s mighty scare
Peace and quiet now reign there.
At John’s hall, Sir William’s reign
Was wide beyond the Mohawk plain
Where Thayendanegea’s savage band
Knew no bounds within the land:
But raging like the Mohawk flood
Thro’ work and defiles of the wood,
Of low-land, highland, crevice, glen
The haunts of wild cats, fiends of men!
Like raging fires that burn within
The very courts of Hell and Sin,
Till satiate with blood and strife
They strung the scalps and sheathed the knife.
Still rushes on the Mohawk tide
Regardless of the world beside,
Washing, bleaching, purging stains
Of bloody carnage from its plains
Till flesh and blood and whitened bone
Are mingled with the earthly loam.
Thus let the memories of the past
Be tales for peaceful homes at last.
And when the old folks join the “Young”
In plays of frolic and of fun,
They’ll share the lot as seen by day,
Vicissitudes of foolish play
Which patiently they must endure
Till learned with equals to mature
Their plans for pastimes and for health
Whose years are sweetened with the wealth,
The honor, fear and love of God
With life to answer to His word.
Mr. Broadhead’s party terminated its field operations at
Schoharie creek, returned to Utica and were severally dis-344
REMINISCENCES OF
charged excepting the chief engineer and surveyor, who
made returns of maps and estimates to the Canal Commis-
sioners.
Practical civil engineers were not classed excepting with
the land surveyors and artizan.
Locks and dams had been built under advisement of
transient men of foreign practice as engineers to make navi-
gation of the Mohawk river and Wood creek a passageway
for boats of light burden.
Turnpike roads with birdseye culverts, and beds of
pounded stone, under promptings of McAdam readings,
were made, requiring the skill and art of civil engineers.
The prominent land surveyors of the district of country
bordering the proposed line of canal were appointed en-
gineers of the work and artizans of skill their assistants,
who learned to plan with the progress of the work; and
right well and at small costs were the first structures of the
Erie Canal made.
A candidate under examination for a certificate to teach
school, showing no knowledge of the studies usually pur-
sued, was asked how he expected to teach that which he
didn’t know, and replied, “I guess I can learn as fast as the
boys.” Judge Benjamin Wright became the chief engineer
of the Erie Canal. His social and political position was in
a high place at the outset of this work. He became a dis-
tinguished consulting engineer, as works of internal im-
provement became a prominent field for enterprise all over
the United States and Canada. He was cooperative in his
counsels and ways in general. His wisdom required no
cloak of exclusiveness. Mr. C. C. Broadhead took no
prominent and lasting stand as a civil engineer.
Mr. Nathan S. Roberts was the surveyor of Judge
Wright’s party of engineers. He was a resident of
Whitesboro (near Utica), taught school, where all made
“manners” on entering or leaving schoolroom at session
hours, surveyed land and superintended cotton factories.
He punished severely with the ferule and rewarded with
pictures of birds and animals, drawn and painted to please
the youthful eye. His plottings and maps of land surveysThe First Boat Built for the Erie Canal, by Which the Trial Trip was Made, Utica to Rome, October 23, 1819. This Model, Brought
from England in 1817, was Presented to the Buffalo Historical Society by Wm, C. Young, 1867.CANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
345
were accurate, plainly and neatly drawn and written. He
seemed qualified for any general business.
Before the connection on this survey we associated' in
common school, in a special course of geometry, and in an
office of a cotton factory assorting yarn hank by hank, by
scales when other duties allowed. He was then a middle-
aged man, stout built, quick spoken and cheerful. He
married a cousin (not of his), and during a lifetime of his
professional wanderings they made a family and estate
worthy of note. A homestead farm just west of Canastota,
in Madison county, and on the line of the canal, of his lay-
ing out, was his resting-place after years of civil engineer-
ing service in this and other states.
Canvass White, a kinsman (cousin), was the surveyor
of Mr. Broadhead’s party of the Eastern Division. He
went to England soon after the termination of the survey of
1816 and returned in season for field operations the next
year, with instruments for laying out canals, with plans
and models of a canal boat, and mind stored with observa-
tions upon the canal work of England.
He assumed the position as the most practical man in
canal making, and with Judge Wright cooperative in super-
intending the making of much of the Erie Canal, and after
years of professional practice was associated in counsels
of important works of internal improvement in other states.
Mr. White discovered a cement of a rock in Madison
county and its better qualities over quick-lime for the ma-
sonry of the canal, and introduced its use, a vital principle,
to the stability, endurance and economy of the work. He
founded the water power of the Cohoes Falls Company,
whose lingering growth resulted in no benefit to him. He
contracted extensively for the delivery of stone at Govern-
ment works in the Delaware river, procured from the Pali-
sades of the Hudson, and became pecuniarily embarrassed
in its operations. He was small in stature, of delicate con-
stitution, consumptively inclined, and died after years of
usefulness, having been kind, quiet and considerate in all
his ways.346
REMINISCENCES OF
Another name I would here record, though not con-
nected with the surveys of 1816,. but just thereafter,
stepped from the walks of ordinary life into the works of
the Erie Canal, became a distinguished civil engineer of
importance and many works of the states, and is now the
chief engineer of one of the great lines of said road, be-
tween the East and the West. John B. Jervis has a name,
fame and manhood complete.
James Geddes was a distinguished surveyor and explorer
for the Erie Canal, and was much more prominent in the
service of the Surveyor-General of the State, who directed
all explorations and surveys for the canal previous to 1816.
He was the engineer of the survey of the Western Di-
vision in 1816 and 1817, and partially laid out the line be-
tween Rome and Utica for construction about the same
time. One personal interview is my only recollection of
him. He located the Champlain Canal, and had the reputa-
tion of having made it crooked to avoid the accumulation
of water and its waves by which the banks would be
washed. The force of each wave was to be broken against
a curved bank of the canal.
Some practical expenses in superintending and laying
out works of that canal gave the present writer a knowl-
edge of the facts of its unnecessary curvatures ; whether so
designed for that purpose is uncertain. He did not take the
stand of Wright, White, Roberts and Jervis as a practical
engineer.
Mr. William Peacock, by direction of Mr. Ellicott, sur-
veyed a line from the Niagara river easterly north of Mr.
Geddes5 survey, which latter was that of the present canal
along Tonawanda creek and to Lockport. This book of
maps, these plottings of surveys made in 1816 and 1817, is
passed to the keeping of the Buffalo Historical Society.1
It has undergone the vicissitudes of common life. The
auction mart has been its portion and seclusions of the gar-
1. The book referred to, now in the library of the Buffalo Historical
Society, is an atlas entitled: “Plottings of Surveys for the Erie Canal in 1816
and 1817.” It contains sixteen beautifully executed original maps of sec-
tions of the Canal survey.CANAL SURVEYS, 1816-17.
347
ret a resting place among the put-away and past-useful
things of an ordinary lifetime; still treasured as an heir-
loom of early memories. Its torn and tattered cover,
stitched and pasted, cobwebbed, dusty, mouldy, mildewed,
motheaten, and yet preserved: seared like the autumn leaf,
its folds are yellow with age. Still it will outlast the flesh
and blood of its worldly makers, one of whose spirits has
been cheered* by the companionship now to part forever.
Vale of the Mohawk, visions of the past,
Haunt of my dreams enduring to the last.
Gentlemen—Your enduring patience during this reading
is acknowledged.
A double portion, seems my lot,
To sate the soul and fill the heart,
And if I’ve failed in history’s page,
To make a mark, so much the rage,
The bill of fare as fixed by roll
Must fill the void, complete in whole,
With coffee, cold meats, sandwiches brown,
Bread, biscuit, butter and deer lamb,1
Cider, apples, pickles and tongue,
Enough for all, both old and Young,
To which, adjourn, sans souci, all,
To banquet room, just o’er the hall.
1. The spelling suggests that the author meant venison.SECRET HISTORY OF THE INCIPIENT
LEGISLATION FOR THE
ERIE CANAL
A few weeks after the writer of the preceding paper
had read it at a meeting of the Buffalo Historical Society,
he received the following letter from his cousin, F. C.
White 'of Whitesboro, which so well embodies a chapter
of the secret history of incipient legislation for the Erie
canal that its inclusion here is warranted. The opening al-
lusion is to papers published to establish the claims of Jesse
Hawley.1
Whitesboro, March, 1866.
Wm. C. Young:
My dear Cousin—The copy of the Courier and Republic, con-
taining “a paper on the origin of the Erie canal,” has been re-
ceived, and for which please accept my thanks. Having read it
with care, it appears liable to some criticism in this, that too much
care and research are bestowed in trying to discover who has, or
rather, who was the person, among our statesmen, really entitled
to having made public, the first idea of connecting the waters of
Lake Erie with the waters of the Hudson river. Practically, it
seems to me of more importance to discover who were the first pro-
jectors and entitled to the high, and honorable position of project-
ing the first legislation of the State of New York, and which re-
sulted in the completion of the Erie canal.
Jonas Platt was elected by the Federal party to the Senate of
the State of New York and was a member of that body when
Thomas Eddy of the city of New York came to Albany, as agent
of the “Western Inland Lock Navigation Company,” to obtain an
enactment by the Legislature to enable said company to connect the
1. A synopsis of the essays of the Hon. Jesse Hawley, regarding the
origin of the Erie canal, with other papers bearing on his claims for precedence
as an advocate of such a work, are contained in Vol. II, Buffalo Historical
Society Publications.
349350
A LITTLE INSIDE HISTORY
waters of Lake Ontario with the Cayuga and Seneca lakes, and he
called on Senator Platt, for consultation, and often repeated such
calls, until finally, General Platt said to him:
“Mr. Eddy, why not make application at once for a canal to
connect the waters of Lake Erie with the waters of the Hudson
river ?”
To which Mr. Eddy replied:	“It would frighten the members
of the Legislature to such a degree that nothing would be granted,
and I should lose even what I am sent here to obtain.”
General Platt replied that he thought the greater project might
be carried, if DeWitt Clinton would lend his aid and influence
with the Democratic party, of which DeWitt Clinton was then one
of the leaders, and confessedly its leader in the Senate, both agree-
ing that, if Mr. Clinton should oppose, the measure would be lost,
and it was agreed that General Platt should see Mr. Clinton, and
assure him that there was no political object in the application. It
may be well to mention that General Platt was the leader of the
Federal minority in the Senate, and he proposed to Mr. Clinton
that he (Mr. Clinton) should introduce the joint resolution, spoken
of by the author of the piece you sent me, as the resolution joint,
that Thomas Eddy, Jonas Platt and DeWitt Clinton, were “instru-
mental in procuringin the winter of 1810.
Mr. Clinton declined to introduce the resolution as its mover,
and it was agreed that General Platt or some other member of the
Senate should introduce it, and Mr. Clinton would second it, but
not make a speech. The resolution was offered, and Mr. Clinton
rose and seconded it, but said nothing.
The above is what was related to me by General Platt in his
office, I being a student of law in that office at the time, and at my
solicitation he stated the above, as the secret history of that resolu-
tion. This I was anxious to obtain from the best source; deeming
it at that time a measure of more importance than any other that
had ever been agitated by our State Legislature. I had read the
reports, and commentaries thereon of individuals who had broached
the idea of water communication between the Great Lakes and
Hudson river. Having seen the first practical move in that direction
by our Legislature was, alone, the occasion of my seeking the con-
versation with General Platt, and of his disclosure to me.
The subject was more or less used by the political parties of
those times, when it came before the Legislature, and DeWitt
Clinton afterwards left the Democratic party, was elected Governor
and became the great advocate of the canals, staking his popularity
upon that issue, which was made against him, under the lead ofOF FIRST CANAL CONSTRUCTION.
351
Erastus Root, a member of the House of Assembly, from Otsego
county, a man of great talents, and leading the policy of the Demo-
cratic party in this State.
I have taken the liberty of giving you an account of the first
practical legislation of the State, deeming it as of infinitely greater
importance to know who the actors were, and by what means the
great internal improvement policy was made successful in this
State, than it can be to ascertain who originated the idea first, but
never moved for its practical consummation—a wonder that chal-
lenges the world for its compact. The glory is our own—the work
was accomplished, and the whole world benefited. The monument,
although as yet unfinished, will stand for ever in the work itself.
Very respectfully, your ob’t servant,
F. C. White.CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES
CAREER OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST CAPABLE CIVIL
ENGINEERS, WHO HELPED CREATE THE ERIE
CANAL AND OTHER PUBLIC WORKS
By WILLIAM PIERREPONT WHITE
Conspicuous among the names associated with the early
public works of the country stands that of Canvass White,
who was born in Whitestown, Oneida County, New York,
September 8, 1790. His father, Hugh White, a native of
Connecticut, was a descendant of Deacon John White, one
of the first settlers of the city of Hartford. His mother
was also of Puritan descent, and from this source he de-
rived those traits of. integrity, indefatigable industry, and
purity of character, of which his public life was so dis-
tinguished an example. His paternal grandfather served
during the American Revolution as a quartermaster, and
in that capacity, with the self-sacrificing devotion of the
many heroes in that first struggle of the country for na-
tional life, expended his fortune for the maintenance of
the army, receiving in its stead Continental paper money
that became worthless in his possession.
In 1784, six years prior to the birth of the subject of
this sketch, Hugh White, with a family consisting of his
wife, five sons and four daughters, left his comfortable
home at Middletown, Connecticut, and removed to Oneida
County, New York, then a wilderness. His mother, of
delicate constitution, unused to the rough exposure inci-
dent to pioneer life, died when he was ten years of age.
From her he seems to have inherited a feebleness of con-
353354
CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
stitution that caused his early years to be a constant struggle
between disease and health for the mastery. At an early
age he began to display a talent for invention, and genius
for improvements that resulted- in the construction of several
domestic and agricultural implements, that were in use for
many years on the paternal homestead, and in the neigh-
borhood.
The most of his minority was spent on his father’s farm,
with such advantages only for acquiring education as the
very limited common schools of that period afforded; and
it was not until the winter of 1803 that an opportunity
occurred for him to pursue those studies essential to suc-
cess in the profession he had chosen. In February of this
year he entered the Fairfield academy, and there studied
mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, mineralogy and survey-
ing, until he completed the course of that institution, after
which he continued the study of these subjects under Dr.
Josiah Noyes of Clinton, New York.
At the age of seventeen he entered the store of Colonel
Carpenter as clerk, where he remained until the spring of
1811. His health becoming precarious, a sea-voyage was
advised as a means of restoration. He consequently shipped
as supercargo on board a merchant vessel bound to Russia,
and did not return to his home until October, 1812. The
captain, while in Russia, remained ignorant of the declara-
tion of war and commencement of hostilities between the
United States and Great Britain, took in an assorted cargo,
and sailed for Hull, England. He did not become aware
of the war until they entered the English port, were made
prisoners, and their ship and cargo seized. The captain
and crew, however, were released, permitted to discharge
their ship, take in another lading and continue their home-
ward voyage.
The ship has scarcely cleared the mouth of the Humber
when there occurred a violent storm, accompanied by a
high tide, and they were driven so far ashore that when
the tide receded the ship lay sixty rods from the sea. As
the vessel lay on its side, an inspection of the bottom dis-
closed the fact that the planking, over considerable of theCANVASS WHITES SERVICES.
355
surface, was completely rotten, and that she was utterly
unsea worthy. Young White advised that the rotten plank
be stripped off and replaced by sound ones, and a channel
opened through the sand that would admit the tide to the
stranded ship. Work was at once commenced, and a very
few days saw the ship which was about to be abandoned
by her captain and crew, replanked, again afloat, and on
her way to New York, where she arrived in the latter part
of September.
His health was materially improved by the voyage, and
on his return he again entered the employ of his former
patron and friend, Col. Carpenter, where he remained until
the spring of 1814, when, having raised a company of
volunteers, he received a commission as lieutenant in Colonel
Dodge’s regiment, and took part in the assault and capture
of Fort Erie, opposite Buffalo. While in occupation of the
fort, with his command, he was severely wounded by a
shell fired from the enemy’s redoubt half a mile distant ;
soon after his recovery an opportunity occurred for re-
venging himself on the enemy. A reconnoitering party
from the British camp was discovered in an adjacent wood,
and Lieutenant White was sent with his command to cap-
ture or disperse them. He succeeded in capturing the whole
party, killing and wounding several before they surrendered.
He remained with his regiment until the expiration of their
term of service, when he returned home, and resumed his
studies, as previously mentioned.
In the spring of 1816 Judge Benjamin Wright was
forming a corps for prosecuting the surveys of the Erie
canal. Mr. White solicited a position, and was engaged
by Judge Wright as one of his assistants. During this and
the succeeding season he was employed in taking the levels
westward from Rome. In this duty he acquitted himself
so well that he very soon won the esteem of the chief engi-
neer, between whom and himself ever afterward there ex-
isted a firm and unbroken friendship. About this time he
made the acquaintance of Governor De Witt Clinton, who
was highly pleased with his personal qualities and profes-
sional abilities. .356
CANVASS WHITES SERVICES,
At this early day the knowledge of canal construction
among the engineers of the country was very limited, and
Mr. White, at the earnest solicitation of Governor Clinton,
determined to visit England for the purpose of examining
the public works of that country, and procuring the most
improved instruments in use.
In the autumn of 1817 Mr. White carried out his de-
termination, and made a careful examination of the canals
in the United Kingdom, traveling for this purpose more
than 2000 miles on foot. He returned in the following
spring, bringing surveying instruments and accurate draw-
ings of the most important structures on those works, and
much valuable information for the benefit of the State in
the construction of its canals. About the time of his return
there was much discussion on the subject of lock construc-
tion, some favoring wood, and others stone, or a combination
of the two. It was, however, finally decided to build stone
locks, using quick-lime mortar for the masonry, and point-
ing the joints with hydraulic cement, then imported at a
great cost from England. Soon after, Mr. White dis-
covered a valuable lime rock near the route of the canal in
Madison County, which, after repeated experiences, he con-
verted into a cement, equal to the imported, and at much
less cost to the State. For this discovery he obtained a
patent, but permitted its use under the promise of the Canal
Commissioners that a just compensation should be allowed,
not only for it, but for his expenses and services while
abroad. The Commissioners, however, failed to obtain the
necessary authority from the Legislature to fulfil their prom-
ise, notwithstanding the recommendations of the Governor
and other officers of the State, as evidenced in the follow-
ing extracts from official documents:
Governor De Witt Clinton, in a letter to a committee of
the Legislature in 1824, states, that “Mr. White has been
of great use in his operations as an engineer; and that his
skill, industry, and integrity in that department furnish
strong recommendations to the favorable notice of the
State/’ Judge Wright stated before the same ecommittee,
that “hydraulic lime had been generally used along theCANVASS WHITES SERVICES.	357
canal since 1818, and part of 1819, in which year, after
much persuasion by the engineers, it was used in all face
work of locks and arches, the backing being laid in common
lime. When common lime was used it gave evidence of
soon failing. I have no hesitation in saying that the dis-
covery of hydraulic cement by Mr. White has been of in-
calculable benefit to the State, and that it is a discovery
which ought, in justice, to be handsomely remunerated.”
Mr. Flagg reported from the same committee that Mr.
White, a principal engineer, had made this discovery after
repeated experiments, and received a patent in 1820; and
“that Mr. White introduced it at great expense amidst the
doubts and fears which operate against its use.”
The Canal Commissioners, in their report of February,
1820, state that they “have employed exploring parties in
both the western and eastern sections. Between the Seneca
and Genesee rivers Canvass White, engineer, has had the
charge of a party, which has been engaged for several
months in levelling over and surveying different routes for
the canal line. These labors he has performed much to
our satisfaction, and having presented a view of them to a
meeting of our board held in October, at Utica, we there-
upon decided in favor of the route originally explored be-
tween these rivers in the year 1816.”
The canal, through and eight miles east of Utica, was
completed in the fall of 1820, Canvass White being the
resident engineer. In 1821 Messrs. Wright (principal)
and White (acting), engineers, explored the country thor-
oughly from Little Falls to the Hudson, and pronounced
impracticable the route from Schenectady connecting with
the Hudson at Albany, and located the line via Cohoes and
Troy. This location was finally fixed upon by Messrs.
Wright, Geddes and White.
Early in the spring of 1822 Canvass White was sent to
lay out Glens Falls feeder, and in that year he planned and
directed the building of the lock and dam between Troy
and Waterford, until the eighth of June, when William
Jerome took charge.358
CANVASS WHITE’S SERVICES.
Judge Wright, in a letter to Dr. Hosack, of December,
1828, says:
“It is proper that I should render a just tribute of merit to a
gentleman who now stands high in his profession, and whose skill
and sound judgment, as a civil engineer, is not surpassed, if
equalled, by any other in the United States. The gentleman to
whom I refer is Canvass White, Esq., who commenced as my pupil
in 1816, by carrying the target; he took an active part through
that year, and through 1817. In the fall of the latter year he made
a voyage to England on his own account, and purchased for the
State several levelling instruments, of which we stood much in
need. He returned in the spring and brought with him much
valuable information, which he has usefully developed, greatly to
the benefit of the State of New York. To this gentleman I could
always apply for counsel and advice in any great or difficult case,
and to his sound judgment in locating the line of the canal, in
much of the difficult part of the route, the people of this State are
under obligations greater than is generally known or appreciated.”
Simon Guilford, civil engineer, in a letter to Chas. B.
Stuart, dated Lebanon, Pennsylvania, December, 1869,
writes:
“In reply to your letter relating to the late Canvass White, C. E.,
I presume you will obtain, through others, a more extended and
connected history, than I am able to give you. I will, however,
relate an instance of his prompt decision and energy, which oc-
curred upon the Erie canal at a time when I was serving him as
assistant. When that portion of the canal, along the Mohawk
river, between Little Falls and Canajoharie, was completed, and the
supply of water was turned in, owing to a very porous soil over
which a considerable portion of the canal was made, the supply
proved inadequate, which was fully realized as the first boat passed,
containing the Canal Commissioners, the principal engineer, Ben-
jamin Wright, and others. The question arose as to how the dif-
ficulty was to be overcome. Mr. White replied, ‘A feeder must
be obtained from the river at this place' (a few miles above Fort
Plain), and on being asked how long it would take to build a dam
across the river, 900 feet long, so as to raise the water nine feet
above the ordinary surface, he replied, ‘a few weeks,’
“The dam was completed in sixty days, inclusive of a side-cut
and bridge connected with it. Trees were cut and taken whole, the
trunk with the tops, from timber land near, and placed, with theCANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
359
butts down the stream in parallel rows; the limbs were cut partly
through so that they were made to conform closely in line with
the trunks, and the cavities filled with rocks and coarse gravel.
The trees thus forming the main portion of the dam were weighed
down and compacted by a heavy covering of stone material. With
the trunks of the lower tiers of the trees left to protrude out
several feet from under the lower slope of the dam, an apron or
platform was formed,, which served as a protection from an under
washing of the gravel foundation.
“Mr. White’s professional success, scrupulous integrity, and
modest demeanor, in all transactions of life, won for him the en-
during esteem of all with whom he was associated. For these ad-
mirable qualities of mind and heart, he became widely known, and,
as a consequence, frequent and urgent offers were tendered him
for engineering services in other states. He, however, continued
in the active discharge of his duties as engineer on the Erie canal,
until it was so nearly completed, that his place could be supplied
from his assistant engineers, when he succeeded Loammi Baldwin
as chief engineer on the Union canal of Pennsylvania. He con-
tinued in that position until the latter part of the summer of 1826,
when, in consequence of a severe illness, contracted while con-
ducting the surveys of the canal west of the Susquehanna river, he
returned to Philadelphia, and resigned his connection with the
company.”
The distinguished civil engineer, W. Milnor Roberts, in
a letter, dated St. Louis, December, 1869, writes:
“I recollect the first interview with Canvass White, which took
place in the office of the Union Canal Company, in Philadelphia.
Samuel Mifflin was the president, and my father, Thomas P. Roberts,
was, for many years, the treasurer of the company. In 1823-24, Mr.
Mifflin had a controversy with Loammi Baldwin, who was at the
time the chief engineer of the company, which resulted in the resig-
nation of Mr. Baldwin, and the appointment of Canvass White to
fill the vacancy. During the controversy, a long and important
paper written by Mr. Mifflin, was intrusted to me to be copied.
Curiosity led me to interest myself in the matter under discussion,
and in studying the paper I detected what seemed to me to be an
erroneous statement, .to which, through my father, I called Mifflin’s
attention, who expressed himself under great obligations, as it
proved to be important. He urged my father to make an engineer
of me; and he spoke to Mr. White after he had taken charge of
the canal; and some time afterward, when Mr. White visited the360
CANVASS WHITES SERVICES,
office in Philadelphia, I was sent for to meet him. His first remark
was:	‘He is very small, do you think he could stand rough and
tumble engineering ?’ The interview ended with instructions to me
to go up the Schuylkill navigation on board of a canal boat, and
on arriving at Reading, to inquire for Mr. Olmstead, at the engi-
neer’s office. This I did, and in a few days I met Mr. White in
Reading, who took me with him in the company’s two-horse
wagon on a tour along the line, visiting the works then in the
course of construction. This was in the spring of 1825. Mr.
Olmstead, who had charge of the eastern division, accompanied
Mr. White to the end of his division, where he met Mr. Guilford,
who was in charge of the middle division. Soon after Mr. Guilford
met us, we came to one of his locks, nearly finished, concerning
which, after taking a good look at it, I made my first engineering
remark, as follows:
“‘Why! Mr. White, don’t you think that this lock is too
small ?’
“He smiled, saying blandly: ‘I guess it’s large enough.’
“Mr. Guilford said nothing at the time, but afterwards, when
we had arrived at his headquarters in Lebanon, he said to me:
“ ‘Don’t you know that Mr. White advocated the small locks
for this canal, coinciding with Mr. Mifflin in opposition to Mr.
Baldwin? You must be careful about what you say about small
locks.’
“I was young and inexperienced, and my remark became a by-
word with the young engineers amongst ourselves. I had then
seen only two canals—the James river canal in Virginia, and the
Schuylkill navigation; the locks of which were 17 feet wide and
about 90 feet long; whereas the Union canal locks were only 8^2
feet wide, and 75 feet long; the design being that two boats from
the Union canal should pass at one time through the locks of the
Schuylkill navigation. I may remark that I have now no doubt
that the adoption of so small a canal and locks for the Union canal
was an error. There had been precedents for such small canals in
England; but I think that the reasoning which determined the size
in the case of the Union canal, on account of the small supply of
water, was inadequate, if not fallacious. Many years after its first
construction, it was enlarged under the engineering superintendence
of my friend, Colonel James Worrall.
“My official or professional connection with Mr. White ended
in 1831. ...
“Canvass White, in his day, stood at the head of American
canal engineers, and his strength lay in his cool, practical judgment.CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
361
He had no experience in railroad engineering, so far as I ever
knew. He was a gentleman of very quiet manners, equal temper,
and kind disposition. I never knew him ruffled, or impatient. His
wife was a lady of great beauty, and they had a son, a fine boy
when I knew him, whom I afterwards lost sight of, who became
an engineer.”
During the time Mr. White was engaged as chief engi-
neer of the Union canal, he was called to New York for
the purpose of examining the sources of supply for pure
and wholesome water for the city. He reported to the
mayor and aldermen, that, for the present need of the
city, and its probable requirements for twenty years there-
after, a sufficient supply could be obtained from the Rye
pond and the Bronx river, in Westchester county, “but
after the city should extend to one-third the surface of
Manhattan Island, it would be necessary to add the Croton
river to their other resources.” The report was accom-
panied with full details, and strongly impressed the city
government with the importance and feasibility of the pro-
ject.
The comprehensive nature of his mind, through which,
at a glance, he grasped the salient points of a subject, and
his systematic habit in arranging details, enabled him to
accomplish an extraordinary amount of professional work.
While engaged upon the two last mentioned enterprises, he
was solicited to take charge of the works of the Schuylkill
Navigation Company (the engineer having suddenly died),
which was then in the course of construction. After mak-
ing a rapid survey of the ground, and the plans of the
company, he suggested alterations, and recommended the
employment of Captain Beach as their chief; he continuing
as consulting engineer, until the work was completed. At
this time he was also consulting engineer for the Dela-
ware & Chesapeake canal, Judge Benjamin Wright being
the chief engineer.
The success and reported profits of the Erie canal gave
an impetus to a canal construction in that day, that would
have resulted in a system of artificial internal navigation
as universal as our railroad system, could the capital neces-362
CANVASS WHITES SERVICES.
sary for the purpose have been obtained. Projects were
started in various parts of the Union, and a pressing de-
mand was made upon the time of the few engineers then in
the country.
The citizens of Hartford conceived the project of im-
proving the navigation of the Connecticut river, and the
Windsor locks were built by Mr. White as chief engineer.
Careful financial men were led away by the prevailing spirit
of the time, and large amounts were expended upon im-
practicable enterprises. Amongst these was the Farmington
canal, constructed from New Haven to Farmington, and
thence up the Farmington river, “as money could be found
to prosecute the work.” Mr. White was applied to for
plans and surveys, and for an opinion of the value of it
when completed; the former of which he furnished, and
remained consulting engineer during the construction of
the work. However, he frequently expressed to Mr. Hilb
house, one of the chief promoters of the enterprise, an
opinion adverse to the success of the canal as a financial
investment. The capacity of the canal proved to be far
greater than the requirements for its construction.
In 1825 the traffic in coal from Mauch Chunk to Phila-
delphia had increased to such an extent that the Lehigh
Coal & Navigation Company (who were bringing down the
products of its mines in arks), finding its means insuffi-
cient to supply the increasing demand for coal, concluded
to improve the navigation of the Lehigh river, and to ask
the State of Pennsylvania to construct a canal along the
margin of the Delaware river from Easton to navigable
waters below. Josiah White, a member of the Society of
Friends, and an energetic man, whose practical common
sense and sound judgment enabled him to comprehend men
and measures with much precision, was superintendent of
the affairs of the company, and constructed at Mauch
Chunk a wide basin for boats, and one mile of canal, in
which were five locks. The work remained in this condi-
tion until the spring of 1827, when Canvass White, having
regained his health, was appointed chief engineer, and the
work was resumed and prosecuted with such diligence that363
CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
the first boat passed through the canal in July, 1829. At
that time the Lehigh canal was the most capacious work of
the kind yet undertaken in the country, and was considered
a bold project.
The engineers under Mr. White were W. Milnor Roberts
in charge of the western, A. B. Watford the middle, and
John Hopkins the eastern division.
During the summer of 1825, Mr. White was appointed
chief engineer of the Delaware & Raritan canal. He or-
ganized a party for preliminary surveys, and placed it un-
der the immediate charge of John Hopkins, one of his most
trusted assistants. This work was discontinued late in the
fall, after the location of about twelve miles, and was not
resumed again until the spring of 1831.
The construction of the canal from the Delaware to the
Raritan river was attended by many difficulties, and met
many obstructions, all of which were successfully overcome.
In the prosecution of this important work, Mr. White al-
ways acknowledged with becoming gratitude the generous
and wise counsel of Commodore Robert F. Stockton, who
took an active interest in the success of the enterprise.
In the autumn of 1834, when this work was nearly com-
pleted, his health was so much impaired that his physician
advised him to seek a more genial climate, with a probable
hope of seeing him restored to health and usefulness. He
sailed soon after for St. Augustine, Florida, where he died
within a month after his arrival at that place. His remains
were returned to New Jersey, and lie buried in the church-
yard at Princeton, where his family resided at the time of
his death.
Mr. White was personally popular with all who were
favored with his acquaintance. General Bernard, a French
engineer in the service of the United States, remarked of
him, that “as a civil engineer he had no superior; his
genius and ingenuity were of a surprising magnitude; his
mild and gentle ways, his sweet and amiable temper, mod-
est and retiring manners won his heart; he loved him very
much, exceedingly.” Henry Clay remarked, when speak-
ing of him to a gentleman who was seeking an engineer364
CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
for the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio canal: “Get
Canvass White; no man is more competent, no man more
capable; and while your faith in his ability and fidelity in-
creases, your friendship will grow into affection.”
In a letter dated July, i860, the late Hon. Hugh White
of Cohoes, New York, says:
“My brother, Canvass White, was in stature five feet nine and
one-half inches; lightly made, weighing from 145 to 165 pounds;
light complexion, light brown hair, blue eyes, wonderfully clear
and bright; inclining slightly forward from a perpendicular when
walking or standing; grave and thoughtful expression, yet full of
affection and kindness, a broad intellectual forehead and well-
shaped nose, and with a trifle more of flesh would have been an
unusually fine-looking man. The most prominent and striking
feature in the general contour of the person, was an unmistakable
impress of genius, modesty and amiability. In conversation, you
could not escape the conviction that what he said he was sure of,
and left the impression indelibly upon those he desired to convince
of the truth or feasibility of any plan or project he had in con-
templation.”
THE WHITE MEMORIAL TABLET.
An illustration herewith shows the bronze tablet, designed by
Louis Tiffany & Company of New York, and placed in the Oneida
Historical Society building at Utica. The right-hand tablet shows a
bas-relief of Canvass White, civil engineer, born September 8, 1790,
died December 18, 1834. The original log hut of his grand-
father, Hugh White, is reproduced below the base of the center
column in the tablet. This log house was erected at Whitestown
in 1784. The panel between the middle and right-hand column
above Canvass Whited medallion carries the exact reproduction
of the model of the first Erie canal boat, which is in the care of
the Buffalo Historical Society. Back of the canal boat on the canal
is an exact reproduction of Hugh White’s frame house erected
at Whitestown, which house is still in existence, somewhat
changed today in the exterior finish from the above cut. The
right-hand corner above Canvass White’s medallion has an exact
reproduction of the seal of the village of Whitestown, representing
Hugh White, the pioneer settler wrestling with an Indian, which
wrestling match occurred shortly after his settlement at Whites-Erected by the Oneida Historical Society, Utica,365
CANVASS WHITE’S SERVICES.
town. In order to maintain the supremacy of the whites among the
Indians, it was necessary for him to accept the challenge of the
Indian holding the championship among the Indian wrestlers. Mr.
White grappled the Indian, tipped him, fell upon him, and as he
weighed some 250 pounds, the blow took all the breath out of the
Indian, and when he arose after the fall, he expressed the opinion
that Hugh White was too heavy. The village authorities took
advantage of the scene and adopted it as the emblem for the seal of
the village, and it continues to be so used at the present day.
In the left-hand corner of the tablet, above the medallion, is
an exact reproduction of the seal of the city of Utica, representing
an Indian, and the words “Ya-nun-da-sis,” meaning around the hill,
as the city of Utica is located at the point where the Catskill hills
from the south gradually melt into the valley of the Mohawk, and
those of the Adirondacks rise on the other side, which places Utica
“around the hills,1” as the Indians termed it.
The right-hand column contains an Egyptian emblematic figure
with water lilies, indicative of the fact that Canvass White's work
in life had to do with the control and management of water. The
scroll giving the date of his birth and death is supported by a sur-
veyor’s chain, with its links. The middle column has an exact
reproduction of the tripod and level used by Benjamin Wright in
the survey of the Erie canal, the level having been purchased at
20 Holbom Viaduct, London, England, by Canvass White, while
on his trip of inspection in the interest of the canal work. Above
this is a cluster of shovels, pick-axes, squares and triangles neces-
sary to the excavation of the work.
The left-hand tablet contains a bas-relief of William Clark
Young, a first cousin of Canvass White, and also a grandson of
Hugh White, the pioneer settler of Whitestown. The panel be-
tween the capitals of the left-hand and the central column con-
tains an exact reproduction of the first railroad train as used in
1831 at the opening of the railroad between Albany and Schenec-
tady. The right-hand comer of the tablet has an exact reproduc-
tion of the seal of the State of New York, and the left-hand tablet
an exact reproduction of the seal of the Oneida Historical Society
at Utica. The left-hand column is ornamented with ties and rails
of a railroad, using the wheels on the original train as shown above
as rosettes. Mr. Young was the inventor of the modern wooden
railroad ties which made railroading practical. The scroll con-
taining the dates of his birth and death is supported on the links
of a surveyor’s chain. Mr. Young was a graduate of West Point,
and lived long enough to become the oldest living graduate.366
CANVASS WHITE'S SERVICES.
These two men, grandsons of the original New England settler
who settled in Whitestown in June, 1784, were first cousins to
each other. One was engaged in the solution of the problem.of
cheap transportation by water, and the other in the solution of the
problem of cheap transportation by steam.ELMORE H. WALKER.AN APPRECIATION OF THE
WORK OF ELMORE H. WALKER
“ THE GREAT TABULATOR ”
By GEORGE ALFRED STRINGER
Among those who have been prominent in Buffalo in
years gone by in working for an enlarged canal and better
transportation facilities thereon, the name and labors of
Elmore H. Walker should not be overlooked.
For many years associated, at different times, with the
leading dailies of the city as commercial editor, and for a
long period up to 1869 solely with the Buffalo Commercial
Advertiser in the same position, Mr. Walker, by his broad
views, accurate judgment and an intimate acquaintance with
figures, won for himself an enviable place not only in this
community, but elsewhere, and was widely known as “the
Great Tabulator.” Commerce to him was an inspiration,
and he proved himself a successful interpreter of its laws;
so much so, that in his special department he was almost
without an equal.
For twenty years prior to the date mentioned above, he
was identified with the commerce of this important shipping
point, and used his influence and his pen on very many oc-
casions during that long period in behalf of the Erie canal.
In June, 1869, Mr. Walker wrote a long editorial for the
Commercial Advertiser upon that portion of Governor Hoff-
man’s message relating to the canal. Let me quote from the
message first:
"The Erie canal by its geographical position and physical char-
acteristics, has a special and important relation to the commerce
367ELMORE H. WALKER
and business not only of our own State, but of the populous and
rapidly growing communities of the great Northwest.
“Connecting the Hudson with the lakes, it is an indispensable
link in a chain of water communication which continues to be of
great power and value notwithstanding the improvements in the
methods of land transportation which are characteristic of our
times.
“This work is a trust for the people of the State, whose enter-
prise and capital have created it; but it is to be administered in
a spirit of liberality towards those great populations whose growth
has been fostered by it, and whose welfare it continues to affect.
To maintain it in a condition of efficiency, and to improve it in
a practical manner, as the necessities of business may from time
to time demand, is our interest as proprietors, and our policy with
reference to the commerce of the State and country.
“To protect it from embarrassment, arising out of improvident
expenditures, ill-considered changes in its structure, or charges upon
its revenues, growing out of other undertakings, is an obligation
clearly resting upon us. The general plan of its construction and
its adaptation to the business for which it was intended, provide a
convenient, easy, and an economical means of transportation. The
complaints that have arisen, some of which have been made the
occasion of demands for fundamental changes in the work, have
been provoked mainly by failures in the administration.”
Mr. Walker alluded to the first part of the quotation as
taking “a broad, comprehensive and statesmanlike view of
the Erie canal in its geographical and commercial relations
to this State and its metropolis, as well as the great north-
west” ; but when he says of the Erie canal, “to protect it
from ill-considered changes in its structure, or charges upon
its revenue growing out of other undertakings, is an obli-
gation clearly resting upon us”; also referring to the other
and concluding portion of the last paragraph, Mr. Walker
said that he thought the Governor “fails fully to compre-
hend the situation.” Also, that the foregoing quotations
from his message “show very clearly that he thinks no en-
largement of the Erie canal is necessary. That it has now
in its structure ample capacity and sufficient cheapness to
secure and accommodate the wants of trade between the
seaboard and the northwestern states for an indefinite“THE GREAT TABULATOR”
period. . . . Wise statesmanship looks to the future and
its wants, as well as to the past and the present.”
Mr. Walker then goes on to speak of the immense area
of the northwestern states, “more than 600,000 square
miles” ; of their “population of twelve millions, which is
being augmented in a decennial ratio of sixty-five per
cent.”; of their cereal product; of their railways completed
and in operation; of their “2000 miles of canal, including
700 miles of slack water navigation, besides a lake and
river tonnage, nearly equal to that of the entire ocean com-
merce of the United States.” He takes up the surplus
cereals moved eastward, the coal tonnage, as well as the
aggregate annual tonnage of the canal, rival routes reach-
ing out to secure the trade of the northwestern states; of
the system of barge transportation on the Mississippi with
capacious grain elevators at St. Paul, Dubuque, St. Louis,
and New Orleans, for handling grain in bulk, claiming
that it “bids fair to rival in cheapness the lake and canal
route with the present capacity of the Erie canal.” He also
spoke of the efforts of the Canadian Government to secure
a large share of this vast trade, and substantially closes his
article by eloquently saying:
“What interest in the State is of greater magnitude than the
Erie canal, and its present and future commerce? What interest
in the State stands in greater need of protection and fostering
care? It needs not only present care, but a care for the future, to
the end that the augmenting commerce and trade between the East
and the great Northwest shall be secured and retained to the Erie
canal. The foreign commerce of New York is in a great measure
dependent upon securing the trade of the lake and Mississippi val-
ley states through the Erie canal. The comparative statistics of the
grain trade of Chicago and New York, the augmenting coal and
lumber trade, the rapidly-increasing agricultural productions of the
West, and the strong competition of rival routes, ought to be a
sufficient warning and admonition, to the State of New York, of
the imperative necessity of immediately providing for the increased
traffic by means of enlarged locks for the passage of 600-ton boats,
and cheaper transportation facilities. By this means only can we
invite and secure the trade of the Northwestern states to the Erie
canal, and turn through it the rich tide of commerce which, like
the blood flowing through the great artery from the heart of the370	ELMORE H. WALKER
living being to the extremities of the body, insures growth and
communicates activity, strength and power to the whole system.”
Another editorial appeared in the same paper a few
months earlier than the foregoing on “Barge Transportation
on the Mississippi/’ in which Mr. Walker admonished the
Buffalo Board of Trade, and the citizens of Buffalo gen-
erally of the importance of more capacity in the Erie canal;
diminished cost of canal transportation, etc., to keep even
the trade we have.
In July, 1869, Elmore H. Walker was elected statistician
of the New York Produce Exchange, a position which he
filled for many years with marked success and great dis-
tinction. On the eve of his departure from this city, the
Board of Trade held a meeting at the rooms on Central
Wharf, S. S. Guthrie in the chair. After remarks by the
chairman and others, George S. Hazard said, that in his
opinion Mr. Walker was “the best statistician in this coun-
try,” and that he hoped that his presence among the mer-
chants of New York, and advice, “would enlighten their
minds in regard to the needed improvements in the en-
largement of the canal, as well as the completion of the
great highway of commerce from the lakes to the ocean,”
closing by offering some very complimentary resolutions
which were adopted unanimously with much enthusiasm.
Another meeting of The same body was held in the after-
noon of that day when Mr. Walker was presented with a
gold watch and chain, and a substantial roll of greenbacks
as a token of esteem from the members generally.
Mr. Walker’s articles after he took up his residence in
New York, often appeared in the New York Times, The
Golden Age, Albany Argus, Buffalo Commercial Adver-
tiser, and other prominent papers, urging the enlargement
of the Erie canal, and were a strong factor in forming and
educating public opinion. The space at my command for-
bids further extracts from the press, but I desire to call at-
tention to the voluminous and able reports published an-
nually by the New York Produce Exchange, and to make
some extracts therefrom. In the annual report for 1879,
he says:“THE GREAT TABULATOR.”
371
“The water route via the Erie canal should be so improved, and
that speedily, as to hold the great bulk of the trade between the
East and the West, through this State. If it shall be so made by
judicious and practical improvements, the railways of this State
cannot but be great gainers in business if the cost of transportation
on the Erie canal shall be so diminished by such improvements as
to prevent diversion of trade through other channels and other
cities. ... It would seem to be an extremely unwise and un-
statesmanlike policy to further delay such improvement of the Erie
canal as will enable it to keep the trade it already has and to in-
crease it, until the enlargement of the Canadian canals shall have
been completed, and shall largely divert the trade through the St.
Lawrence route before the State of New York shall have made
any effort to improve this great waterway through this State. The
policy of such delay would seem to be suicidal for the commercial
interests of the city and State of New York.”
In the annual report of the New York Produce Ex-
change, issued in 1881, Mr. Walker writes thus of the dan-
ger to our commerce:
“As long as the water route consisting of the Great Lakes, the
Erie and Oswego canals and the Hudson river can furnish a
cheaper method of transportation than any other, we are safe.
But the past is no guarantee for the future. Philadelphia, Balti-
more, Boston and Montreal are doing all in their power to take the
commerce from New York. The railroads are expending large
sums each year in costly experiments to cheapen transportation.
Massachusetts has built the Hoosac tunnel, and Canada has com-
menced and will in a few years complete the finest system of inland
navigation in the world. While there is so much reason for con-
gratulation about the improved commerce of our State, it is threat-
ened from a new quarter. Our canals and railroads are alike en-
dangered in the near future by the water-route through the valley
of the St. Lawrence. . . . While we have undervalued and neg-
lected our water channels, the British Government has steadily
pursued a policy which will give it a waterway into the heart of
our country, and which will make seaports of our great lake
cities, with which it can hold direct commerce by a route under its
sole control, through the St. Lawrence river. Few commercial
events of this century equal the importance of the completion of
this design. ... We now' find ourselves carried back to the ques-
tion which agitated our State more than sixty years ago, and
which led to the construction of the Erie canal.372
ELMORE H. WALKER
“The British are so confident that they will wrest the trade of
the West from us, that they have nearly completed works that will
cost more than thirty millions of dollars. This is in addition to
about twenty millions spent in early improvements, making about
fifty millions paid out to gain the great prize they seek, the control
of the carrying trade from the heart of our country to the markets
of the world. They do not fear our railroads. While we are
neglecting our water-routes they spare no cost to perfect theirs.
This is the greatest danger that threatens our commerce. It con-
cerns all classes of citizens, and all methods of transportation.”
Mr. Walker then shows in view of this great danger,
that the way to save the commerce New York has so long
held, is to improve our waterway, and that the “tide-waters
of the Hudson river, and the natural channels between the
Great Lakes shall have the consideration which is due to
them, as the great channels of commerce of our country.”
These extracts have been taken from Mr. Walker’s writ-
ings in order to show how deeply he was concerned for
many long years in the vital necessity which was so ap-
parent—not only to him but to other far-sighted men—in
preserving and enlarging the Erie canal if the commerce of
the State was to be retained. It means prosperity to all
classes of our citizens. For, as Mr. Walker says in another
place, “not only the buyer and seller, but all those doing
business within the borders of the State are benefited by
the success of our canals, those residing in the country as
well as in the city. With the price of his grain the western
farmer buys goods manufactured in the East. The market
of New York City gives value to property throughout this
State that without it would be of comparatively little worth.”
After being with the Produce Exchange for fifteen years,
Mr. Walker resigned to become attached to Bradstreet’s, the
well known commercial and financial newspaper published
at New York City. After this term of service expired Mr.
Walker retired from active life, and died in 1891.
This brief sketch of his labors in behalf of the com-
merce of this State, and of the Erie canal in particular, is
due to one who in his day was a well-known Buffalonian,
and labored long and earnestly for the project that is now
in process of fulfilment.GEORGE S. HAZARD.
President, Buffalo Board of Trade, 1855, 1857, 1862, 1863.
President, Buffalo Historical Society, 1890, 1892.
1 864.GEORGE S. HAZARD: A TRIBUTE
By GEORGE ALFRED STRINGER
Since that memorable date when the great internal im-
provement of our State, the Erie canal, was completed and
opened for business, very many Buffalonians, at different
periods, have been deeply interested in the great water-
way by which the Queen City of the Lakes has direct com-
munication and large transportation facilities with the finan-
cial and commercial center of our country, New York.
Perhaps there are none among the number whose mem-
ory our citizens delight to honor more than that of our late
^co-worker and associate, George Starr Hazard, whose in-
terest in everything pertaining to the city of his adoption
was continuous and unwearying.
During the long period in which Mr. Hazard was ac-
tively engaged in the grain commission business on what
was known in his time as Central Wharf, he realized, as:
few did, that in order to retain the immense western trade
mainly within this State, the improvement and enlargement
of the Erie canal was of vital necessity, especially in view
of the efforts rival routes were making to divert a large
portion of this trade, which, if successful, would be detri-
mental to our commercial interests generally, and to Buffalo
in particular.
Mr. Hazard had steadily and constantly in view the
growth and prosperity of the city of Buffalo, and that this
city possessed commercial advantages of a high order de-
rived from its favorable relative position with so many
points, and the ready means of distribution by lake, canal,
and railroad. Buffalo is the great depot of supplies, with-
out limit, both in breadstuffs, provisions, coal, iron ore, and
373374
GEORGE S. HAZARD: A TRIBUTE.
almost everything else necessary to the wants of man, while
considering the cereal movement alone, the traffic to and
from and through Buffalo is of colossal magnitude.
Probably no commission merchant on Central Wharf had
clearer or sounder views on this all-important subject than
Mr. Hazard, who, in 1857-8, and again from 1862 to 1865,
was president of the Buffalo Board of Trade. Afterwards
as president of one of our leading banks he kept in close
touch with the commercial and transportation interests of
the city.
In 1843 his friend, Mr. Joseph Dart, erected the first
elevator ever built for storing and transferring grain. He
lived to see the day when Buffalo river was lined with large
elevators, and the port crowded with vessels. The first
grain brought from the West was a small cargo of wheat
from Maumee in the year 1828, three years after the open-
ing of the Erie canal. At that time, beyond the borders
of our commonwealth, lay the great West, as yet undevel-
oped and but sparsely settled. “Its vast prairies were yearly
wasting their productiveness; its mines, with their untold
wealth, were locked up for want of the talismanic key of
enterprise to open them; and its commerce was of so little
moment as to scarcely deserve notice.”
Prior to 1850 the Erie canal had no important competitor
in the carrying trade between the Great Lakes and tide-
water, but at that date the New York Central railway was
in full operation^ and in 1857 there were four great railway
lines competing for business.
Mr. Hazard, as well as some other able men connected
with the Board of Trade, foresaw that the immense pres-
sure on the railroads would be from this later period with-
out cessation, nay, would mightily increase with the rapid
development of the West, to the detriment of the Erie canal
unless improvements were made to keep pace with the
times. He realized, too, that a revolution was going on in
the transportation of property between the East and the
West, and that in the future a large amount of the almost
fabulous trade of the West would be diverted to rival routes
and other maritime markets.GEORGE S. HAZARD: A TRIBUTE.
375
Mr. Hazard always felt that one of the most important
matters bearing upon the commercial interests of Buffalo,
was the canals of the State, and that no economical ques-
tion concerned the citizens of Buffalo and of the State more
deeply than the care and improvement of our natural and
artificial waterways.
In 1894, when the canal amendment was up for consid-
eration, Mr. Hazard—although long before having retired
from active business, and being far advanced in years—
used to call upon a prominent member of the Constitutional
Convention from this city, and discuss the current phases
of the subject with all the vigor and vivacity and clearness
of intellect of a man in the prime of life. So, too, in the
years from 1897 to 1901, Mr. Hazard was bound up in the
building of the barge canal which could only be done by
the united action of the legislative bodies of the State,
which, as has been told, was successfully accomplished.
To such men, therefore, as our late associate, George S.
Hazard, too much praise cannot be accorded as one fore-
most in his day and generation in advancing the commerce
of this port; a man firm in purpose, honest in his convic-
tions, distinguished for his kindness, and a gentleman whose
courteous bearing was but the index of a steadfast, kindly
heart.OF BUFFALO IN 1827,RECOLLECTIONS OF THE
EARLY FORWARDING TRADE
ON THE LAKES AND CANAL
By HON. LEWIS F. ALLEN1
The recent death of George Coit, Esq., on the 9th May
ulto.2 3 concludes the lives of those prominently engaged in
the early forwarding business of Buffalo Creek. Antecedent
to the War of 1812, and down to the year 1825, the noted
firm of Porter, Barton & Co., by a lease from the State of
New York, of the portage around Niagara Falls by a seven
miles wagon route, and boats on the river above, monopo-
lized the carrying trade between Lewiston and Black Rock,
thus forming the connecting link between Lakes Ontario
and Erie. This firm was composed of Augustus Porter of
Niagara Falls, Benjamin Barton of Lewiston, and Peter B.
Porter of Black Rock. The late Sheldon Thompson—then
settled, in the year 1815, at Black Rock ; his brother, Harry
Thompson, settled there in 1818; James L. Barton (son of
Benjamin Barton), who came there from Lewiston in 1816,
and John L. Kimberly, about the same time, made up the
firm of S.; Thompson & Co. at that place. They owned ves-
sels, and established a warehouse for forwarding goods on
the river and Lake Erie, and also received, and sent goods
by wagons between Black Rock and Albany.
Charles Townsend and George Coit, under the firm of
Townsend & Coit, on Buffalo Creek, were participants, to
1. Read before the Buffalo Historical Society. June 13.1865. Now first pub-
lished.
3. Mr. Coit died May 9, 1865.
377378
EARLY FORWARDING TRADE
some extent—although not directly interested in the firm
of Porter, Barton & Co.—in their carrying trade. They
also received and forwarded goods by wagons between Al-
bany and Buffalo, and thence on Lake Erie by their vessels.
Samuel Wilkeson, and Jonathan Sidway, to some extent,
were engaged in forwarding goods on the lake, Sidway
being chiefly engaged in the salt trade, then a considerable
business between Salt Point, Buffalo, Erie, in Pennsylvania,
Cleveland and Detroit.
The Erie canal being completed in the year 1825, and
making a direct water communication between Lake Erie
and the Hudson river, had cut off the Oswego and Niagara
river route of transportation, and terminated the establish-
ment of Porter, Barton & Co. with their wagoning over the
portage, and the batteau navigation between the Schlosser
landing above the Falls and Black Rock.
On the Hudson river two towns, rivals for the commerce
of the canal—Troy and Albany—opened the forwarding
business. At its western termini Black Rock and Buffalo
aspired in competition for it. Thompson & Co. at one, and
Townsend & Coit at the other place were the chief pioneers
of the trade, and both combined, with the Griffiths, of Troy,
formed the “Troy and Erie Line” of canal boats, running
from Lake Erie to the Hudson, the first, and for many years
the most extensive line between the two waters. After this
soon followed the “Pilot Line,” the “Merchants Line” and
other combinations of the different establishments connected
with the canal and lake commerce.
On the completion of the canal, other parties vigorously
commenced the forwarding business on the lakes and canal
At Buffalo Creek, Johnson & Wilkeson; a firm composed
of Ebenezer Johnson and Samuel Wilkeson. Asa B. Meech,
now of this city, who came to Buffalo in the year 1824, in
connection with Hiram Pratt, an older resident, built a
warehouse on the creek in that year, and under the firm
style of Pratt & Meech commenced the business. John
Scott established himself as a forwarder in the year 1825.
Thaddeus Joy and George B. Webster, under the firm name
of Joy & Webster, commenced forwarding in 1826; andON THE LAKES AND CANAL,.
379
Peter Curtiss and Henry Root, the firm of Curtiss & Root,
began the same year and built warehouses on the creek.
The forwarding business of Black Rock, however, was
cf short duration. The damage to the pier at that place in
the summer of 1826 interfered with it to some extent, and
the culminating disasters to it by carrying a part of it away
by flood and ice in the winter of 1826-’27 prevented the en-
trance of vessels into the harbor; and Sheldon Thompson &
Co. came to Buffalo Creek in 1827, and went into the ware-
house of Townsend & Coit temporarily, for the season.
Colonel Barton, having previously left the firm of Thomp-
son & Co., followed, the same year, and became a partner
with Johnson & Wilkeson. These enumerated firms were
comprised of enterprising, energetic men who grappled with
formidable difficulties in the commencement of their new
undertakings, but all succeeded in establishing on a perma-
nent basis the business they founded. It was a day of small
things then—a few thousand tons annually, to millions now
—but the commencement of grander things to come. Buf-
falo, in 1827, had barely 4000 population.
Of all these energetic business men, active in 1827, only
four, the venerable Harry Thompson, James L. Barton,
John L. Kimberly, and Asa B. Meech, still hale and robust
among our most reputed citizens, survive. Capt. James
Sloan, the chief batteau navigator of those early days on
the river, also remains the sole survivor of that hardy class
of men;1 and Black Rock and Buffalo, once rival villages
in the carrying trade and commerce of the great West, now
consolidated in territory and government, and tied by mu-
tual interests, form one populous and growing city.
1. Harry Thompson died Oct. 27, 1873; Jas. L. Barton, Oct. 6, 1869;
John L. Kimberly, Dec. 21, 1884; Asa B. Meech, Jan. 4, 1869; and Capt.
James Sloan, March 5, 1868.NOTES ON THE
CANAL FORWARDING TRADE
By L. PORTER SMITH
My recollections of canal forwarding and boat building
go back to the J4o’s. My birthplace, New London, Oneida
County, N. Y., in the early days of canal traffic, was one
of the most important points in the State for canal-boat
building. My father, Solomon Porter Smith, a merchant
of New London, early became interested in boat building.
Hundreds of men who became prominent in canal matters
came from New London and vicinity. Among them I recall
Nathaniel Paige, Cyrus Peckham, Solomon Tuttle, Henry
Patrick, Stephen Irons, Elijah P. Roberts, Amos A. Bissell,
Charles Marcellus, and many others who built or ran boats.
At Frankfort many boats were also built. Senator
McGowan had a dry-dock there and was largely interested
in the canal business for many years. He was a great help
to the canal men in their long fight for reduction of tolls.
Samuel Morgan of Frankfort was prominent in canal busi-
ness in the 50’s and fa’s. He later came to Buffalo and
was for years connected with William Petrie in the for-
warding business.
At Rome, also an important boat-building point in the
early days, William Parker had a dry-dock. A line of boats
was run from Rome to New York in connection with the
Rome & Watertown railroad, and for a time did a flourish-
ing business. The completion of this railroad greatly af-
fected traffic on the canal. Before it was built, from New
London, Rome and other places in Central New York, all
\
381THE CANAL FORWARDING TRADE.
farm produce, lumber, etc., had to be hauled by team to the
canal for shipment; and goods from New York had to be
teamed back into the country towns as far north as Water-
town. These conditions brought a very large business
through New London. North of that town was a large
tract of heavy timber, with much valuable pine. Wood for
fuel was piled on the canal banks in winter and in summer
boated to Syracuse for salt boiling. I remember having
seen miles of these wood-piles.
Durhamville was also a boat-building town, where
Michael Doran had a dry-dock and boat-yard for many
years. Mr. Doran is still remembered by many of the older
canal men as a strong worker for reduction of canal tolls.
At Chittenango boats were built by Frank Hosley; the
Pratt Bros, were builders at Pratt's Landing, and many
boats were built at Phoenix.
Many boat-men and builders came from the Oswego
river. The late Ira Betts of Buffalo was one of them. He
for a time had a line of boats on the canal, as did also James
L. Breed, now of Syracuse.
At Syracuse a leading builder was Henry Shattuck.
There were many boat builders at Rochester, where some
of the best boats were constructed by Craw & Knapp,
Christopher Myers and P. J. Myers.
Hundreds of canal-boat men in the earlier years hailed
from Cayuga and Seneca lakes. Boat-building was an im-
portant industry at Ithaca for a long time.
At North Bay on Oneida Lake boats were built by a Mr.
Cole and others.
In the early 50's and for a score of years later much
flour was shipped from Rochester by canal. The Rochester
Transportation Company ran its boats from that city to
New York. Henry L. Fish, N. B. Ellison and E. Heath
were the owners of the line. Mr. Fish was at one time
Mayor of Rochester, also a Member of the Assembly and
one of the most enthusiastic canal men in the State.
Among the boat-builders at Lockport were B. F. Cady,
Sidney and Albert Finn, and others. Lockport also was a
great milling town half a century ago. Amos A. Bissell,THE CANAL FORWARDING TRADE.
formerly of New London, went to Lockport and established
a line of boats on the canal and for many years shipped
most of the flour from there. He served in the Assembly
and was the originator of the bill abolishing canal tolls in
this State. He later came to Buffalo, where he was asso-
ciated with his brother John Bissell in the forwarding busi-
ness.
There were many boat-building firms in Buffalo; among
them Garroll Bros., Adam Homer, A. B. Edes, and Riley
Bros.
Among the active canal shippers in the early days here
were: John Bissell, Adam Swan, Charles Thayer, all from
New London; William Petrie & Co,, A. S. Carpenter & Co.,
J. C. Anthony, A. W. Horton, A. L. Griffin, Nelson Loth-
ridge & Co., Heath, Morse & Co., Silas Wright, Peter
Wright, A. P. Wright, William Avery, J. L. Greenman, P.
V. Carroll, Edward Delahunt & Co., John F. Hager, George
Filkins, J. W. Bridgeman & Co., W. C. Jacus & Co., Delos
Graves, L. Porter Smith & Co., and many others.
I came to Buffalo from New London in the early 6o’s
and was early connected with the Boat-men’s Association,
of which Henry L. Fish was president, Walter B. Joy, vice-
president, and Edward Hayes, secretary.1
i. Among the canal papers owned by the Buffalo Historical Society are
two clearance books from the Collector’s office, giving the name, cargo, etc., of
canal boats cleared from Buffalo, from June 7 to Dec. 18, 1828. As matter of
record, the names of some of these boats, their masters, etc., are here given:
BOAT.	WHERE OWNED.	MASTER.
Lawrence			
Telegraph ......		
Montezuma			
Napoleon .......		
De Witt Clinton . . .		
Corn Planter			
Ganges	.		
Atlantic			
Exchange 			
Ariadne .......		
Red Rover			
Admiral		 .		
Commerce			
Rochester (packet) . .	. . Utica		. . Geo. T. Perry
Emigrant .......		384
THE CANAL FORWARDING TRADE.
BOAT.	WHERE OWNED.	MASTER.
Christopher Columbus . .	. Rochester		. Hollis Daggett
New Haven		. Rochester		Wm. W. Weed
Star		. Albany ........	. Levi Bennett
Eclipse			. Albany ........	. Drayton Bromley
Dunkirk		. Black Rock			
Envoy 				. Rochester .......	. Justin Gates
Ontario (packet) ....	. Utica .........	. Walter D. Smith
Connecticut			. Rochester			. Wm. Wyman
Farmer		. Tonawanda . . . . .	. Elias Stone
Citizen		 .	. Albany 				. Melancthon C. Wetmore
Holland Purchase . . . .	. Pendleton		. Ithel Hart
Niagara (packet) ....	. Utica		 . ,	, Joel Joslin
Mary . . 			. Rochester		. James Hitchcox
Logan . . . . . . . . .	. Black Rock		. John Martin
Portland		. Buffalo . 			. Ralph Woodruff
N. W. Haverly		. Schenectady ......	. S. O. French
Baltic		. Buffalo . 			
Chili . 			. Rochester		. Isaac Smith
Jerry		. Clyde		. J. W. Sober
Detroit		. Rochester ......	. John R. St. John
Bolivar			. Albany		 .	. Harvey Cobb
Andrew Jackson ....	. Salina 				. Wm. Aldrich
Buffalo		. Rochester ......	. Joel Cody
Patrick Henry		. Troy	; . .	. Chas. Miles
Ohio		. Rochester		. Ansel R. Cobb
Most frequent items	of freight were whiskey,	salt, fish, lumber, ashes,
cordwood, staves, furniture. Packs of deer skins and furs were not unusual,
and occasionally the invoice includes a tierce or keg of bear’s-grease, packages
of beeswax, and “mocoks” of maple sugar. No grain shipments appear.■
NVITATION CARD ISSUED BY NEW YORK CITY FOR THE CANAL CELEBRATION, OCTOBER 26, 1825.MEMENTOS OF
THE OPENING OF THE CANAL
Preserved in the archives of the Buffalo Historical So-
ciety are many letters and other documents relating to the
early history of the Erie canal. The following, dealing
chiefly with the opening ceremonies in Buffalo, are selected
as containing data appropriate for publication in connection
with the other papers of this volume.
BLACK ROCK INVITED TO BUFFALO.
The rival communities of Black Rock and Buffalo ap-
pointed committees to look after the local arrangements in
connection with the opening of the canal, in October, 1825;
but the Buffalo committee, headed by Judge Samuel Wilke-
son, forestalled their neighbors in perfecting the plans, as
witness the following communication1:
Buffalo, Oct. 14, 1825.
Gentlemen:	Your communication of this date has been reed,
and in reply we have to inform you that the arrangements between
the N. York and Albany Committees relative to the approaching
celebration as published in the State paper of the 4th instant was
early communicated, directing our immediate attention to the first
recommendation of those Committees.
In pursuance of that recommendation the preparations contem-
plated, have been perfected, and publicly notified, previous to the
receipt of your letter. You will therefore readily perceive the im-
practicability of our now making a new arrangement. We should
however be highly gratified, and most cordially invite the citizens
of your village to add to our committee such number as may be
1. The original document is preserved by the Buffalo Historical Society.
38s386
MEMENTOES OF THE
deemed suitable, to proceed with us in the Boat already prepared
to pass on from this place for the purpose of participating in the
general festivities of the occasion.
Very respectfully,
Sam'l Wilkeson
Thomas C. Love
Thaddeus Joy
David Burt
To Messrs.	Hy Rutgers Stagg
Sheldon Thompson
Absolum Bull &
H. C. Van Schaack
Com. on behalf of
the Citizens of B. Rock.
A CELEBRATION CONTRACT.1
Articles of Agreement made & executed this twenty fifth day of
October in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five,
Between Josiah Beardsley of the Village of Black Rock of the first
part and James Mason & Lester Brace of the same place, being a
committee appointed by the inhabitants of said Village of the second
part.
Witnesseth, That the said Joseph Beardsley for and in considera-
tion of the covenants & agreements hereinafter mentioned doth
agree to & with the said parties of the second part to lease hire or
let unto the said parties of the second part the Boat called the Boat
Niagara for the purpose of taking said parties of the second part &
others whom they may associate with themselves to the City of New
York or such other place as may be designated for the celebrating of
the Grand Erie Canal. And the said Josiah further agrees to fur-
nish the said Boat with a Captain Two hands & a Cook and tow
said Boat as far as Lock Port, the said parties of the second part
To have hold use and control of said Boat for the term of Three
weeks from the date of these presents & then return said Boat to
said Josiah at Black Rock in as good order as she now is necessary
wear & decay & injuries occasioned by the carelessness or negli-
gence of the Captain or hands excepted yielding & paying therefor
unto the said Josiah or his executors or assigns the sum oi one
hundred & fifteen Dollars payable on or before the expiration of
said Term of Three weeks.
i. Original document preserved by the Buffalo Historical Society.387
OPENING OF THE CANAL.
And the said James Mason & Lester Brace for themselves their
& each of their executors & administrators jointly & severally do
covenant & agree to & with the said Josiah Beardsley his executors
administrators & assigns to pay the said Josiah Beardsley or his
assigns the said sum of one hundred & fifteen Dollars for the use
or hire of said Boat for the term of three weeks for the purposes
above mentioned and further that they will furnish at their own
charge provisions and other necessaries for said Captain hands &
cooks during said term & also will provide the necessary team and
utensils for conveying said Boat from the Village of Lock Port to
the City of New York or other port of destination & Back to the
Village of Black Rock within the said term of three weeks at their
own charge & expense.
And the said parties of the second part do further covenant &
agree to and with the said party of the first part that they will re-
turn said Boat to the Village of Black Rock within the said term
of Three Weeks in as good order as She now is necessary wear &
decay & injuries occasioned by the carelessness or negligence of the
Captain or hands excepted.
In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands & seals the
date first above written.
J. Beardsley
Lester Brace
In presence of.	Jas. Mason
C. L. Hitchcock
HOW BUFFALO DUG THE CANAL.
In a large collection of manuscripts of William Hodge1
in the possession of the Buffalo Historical School, is found
an account of the beginning of canal construction in Buf-
falo. Mr. Hodge’s narrative, somewhat condensed, here
follows:
“The eastern portion of the Erie canal was begun in
1817. Where its terminus should be was not settled until
the winter of 1822. The people of Black Rock expected
that village to be chosen as the terminus; the people of
Buffalo wished to have it at Big Buffalo creek. The con-
1. Died April 24, 1887.388
MEMENTOES OF THE
troversy was hotly waged. Several surveys were made
with a view to carrying the canal through to Buffalo. One
survey was run about one hundred rods east of and nearly
parallel to the main road leading from the Cold Spring to
the village of Buffalo. [This is now our Main Street.]
The great objection to that route was the deep cutting
which would be required through the sand hill, or, as we
then called it ‘Walden’s Hill,’ where now is High Street.
Several other surveys were made through what is now
Buffalo. At times the people of Black Rock would get
some word favorable to their locality, when Major Frazer
of Black Rock and others with him would get out the big
gun and fire a salute with great rejoicing; then again,
word would come favorable to the termination at Buffalo,
and the Buffalonians would fire their cannon. After sev-
eral months of controversy, it was finally settled that the
canal was to come to Buffalo creek. The people of Black
Rock were to have the privilege of seeing the canal boats
pass by their village, for it was also determined to dam
up a part of the Niagara river from the foot of Squaw
island to Sandytown or Bird island, thus making a water-
way which was a substitute for a part of the canal.
“The contract for excavating the west end of the canal
from Little Buffalo creek down half way or so to Sandy-
town was given, I think, to Major John G. Camp. Word
was given out and also published in our Buffalo newspaper
that on a certain day ground would be broken for Clinton’s
big ditch. All were invited to come into the village from
the surrounding country to take part in helping the great
work. Many at that time declared it was an impossible
undertaking and that it would never be finished. Many
said they would ask no longer lease of life than to see the
canal completed. It was finished within a few years after
its commencement and many of those doubters lived to see
it in successful operation for many years.
“Those who had ox teams were asked to drive them in
to plow. My father owned two yoke of oxen. I yoked
and hitched them on with the oxen of Col. W. W. Chapin,
Marshall Smith, William Holt and some others, who cameOPENING OF THE CANAL.
along from Buffalo Plains, and we drove into the village
with a team of some ten or twelve yoke of oxen. We all
met on the boggy flat, about where Erie Street now crosses
the canal. There was a great gathering of people. We
arranged our teams and hitched to one of the largest plows
we had. When all was ready for breaking ground, the
word was given to ‘go lang Buck/ and with our big plow
and strong team we turned up the black mold and sod
within certain stakes which marked the dimensions of the
canal.1
“Those were not the days of strict temperance in West-
ern New York, nor was total abstinence so necessary as in
these later years. Our whiskey then was a pure article,
made from rye, without adulteration, drugging or poison.
All of our house and barn raisings, logging and husking
bees, in fact all rejoicing and festal assemblies were accom-
panied with a good supply of ardent drink in the shape of
pure whiskey, milk punch or eggnog. On this occasion it
was simply pure whiskey that was provided bountifully
and in true western style. Along the line of the canal, at
convenient distances, was to be found a barrel of whiskey,
pure old rye, with part of the head cut out and a tin dipper
lying by and all were expected to help themselves. It was
free for all. This was the only refreshment furnished by
those who had charge of the first canal work in the village
of Buffalo.
“Major Camp had not at the beginning of the work
procured wheelbarrows and plank for the use of the dig-
gers. As a substitute, he had some scores of hand-carts or
hand-barrows, but we who used them that day called them
soul carts, it being such hard work to use them. They con-
sisted of two small poles, some six or eight feet in length,
laid parallel to each other, two or two and a half feet apart,
with boards nailed across the middle. On these the earth
and sods were piled and then with one man at each end and
between the poles they were carried out beyond the stakes.
i. Although Mr. Hodge does not fix the date, it is learned from other
records that the scene he describes, the first digging on the canal in Buffalo,
was done near the present Commercial-street bridge, Aug. 9, 1823.390
MEMENTOES OF THE
All took a hand in carrying earth to help make the big
ditch, from the honored judge down to the schoolboy
urchin.
“It was a day of great rejoicing for the citizens of Buf-
falo, for the accomplishment of the work promised to them
a market for their grain and provisions. Before the canal
was opened, we had no cash market for anything, and our
surplus grain lay in our granaries year after year unsold.”
A LOST WORK OF ART.
The following facts were communicated by R. W.
Haskins to the Buffalo Express, in which paper they were
printed, Oct. 31, 1866:
In the year 1825—a very remote history of our young city—was
completed the Erie canal; and on the 26th day of October, in that
year, was begun, in this then village, the grand celebration of that
event, which was carried through the entire length of that great
work, and finally terminated at the city of New York.
The canal boat Seneca Chief was selected by the committee of
arrangements as the first boat to pass through the entire length of
the Erie canal. She was to start from Buffalo and proceed to New
York, by way of the Erie canal and the Hudson river. This boat
was here to receive Governor Clinton with some other State officials,
and a Buffalo committee, as “through passengers,” to which other
committees were to be added from different towns along the route.
As the origin of this affair was to be at Buffalo, there was no <
want of anxiety among the people of our little hamlet to add to the
interest of the coming occasion. The committee of arrangements
procured an original ode, written to music, which was sung during
the ceremonies of the occasion. Although this ode was printed with
the proceedings, yet the author’s name did not appear, nor was the
origin of the production generally known. It was, however, written
by a journeyman mechanic, who was in my employ at that time.
Governor Clinton’s great services in carrying forward to completion
the Erie canal were everywhere acknowledged, and a young artist
by the name of Catlin, who then had rooms here, suggested to a
few associates the preparation of a pencil compliment to that states-
man, to be hung in the cabin of the Seneca Chief. The artist
showed his friends a sketch of his inception, and it was so wellOPENING OF THE CANAL.
391
received that he was urged to complete it without change. The
piece was finished in oil, and it was agreed by the few in the secret,
that it should be concealed until the occasion, and then secretly
conveyed to the boat, and suspended in the cabin at the moment
when the Governor, escorted by the committee, should approach the
boat to embark.
I was at that time editing the Buffalo Journal, and on the day in
question, I was early abroad, collecting materials from which to
produce a connected narrative of the fete, for publication. At the
hanging of the picture I was present; and I remained to witness
the effect upon the Governor and his attendants. The surprise was
a complete success, the pleasure of which was greatly heightened by
the chastely classic form under which the compliment was conveyed.
When the boat left for its destination, which was at io o’clock
a. m., I repaired to the Journal office and prepared from my notes
the details of the occasion, which were immediately issued in an
extra of that paper. In that extra, I gave the following description
of the picture in question:
'"It was a classic, emblematical production of the pencil. The
piece on the extreme left, exhibited a figure of Hercules, in a sitting
posture leaning upon his favorite club, and resting from the severe
labor just completed. The centre shows a section of the canal,
with a lock; and in the foreground is a full length figure of Gov-
ernor Clinton, in Roman costume. He is supposed to have just
fiung open the lock gate, and with the right hand extended (the
arm being bare), seems in the act of inviting Neptune, who appears
upon the water, to pass through and take possession of the watery
regions which the canal has attached to his former dominions. The
god of the sea is up in the right of the piece and stands erect in his
chariot of shell, which is drawn by sea horses, holding his trident,
and in the act of recoiling with his body, as if confounded by the
fact disclosed at the opening of the lock. Naiades are sporting
arbund the sea-horses in the water, who, as well as the horses them-
selves, seem hesitating as if half afraid they were about to invade
forbidden regions, not their own.”
Such was the picture which left Buffalo forty-one years ago the
present month upon the Seneca Chief, and it has never returned.
We repeat, then, the question here, namely:	what has become of
it? I had long supposed it was in the Clinton family, but our
present Judge Clinton informs us that he has neither seen, nor ever
before heard of it. Is it lost, then, or destroyed, or now in the
accidental keeping of some one to whom its origin, its purpose—
in a word, its history—is unknown? If in existence, it seemingly
belongs, of right, to Buffalo. Both its inception and execution
were here; and these were designed as covering the expression of
our grateful people to a public benefactor, for the aid he had ren-392
MEMENTOES OF THE
dered in commercially connecting them with realms then most im-
portant to their prosperity and happiness. If found, then, this early
landmark of our settlement, it appears to me should be procured and
made a part of the archives of our Historical Society, with a full
history of its origin and its purpose.	^
R. W. Haskins.
. Buffalo, Oct. 31, 1866.
THE ERIE CANAL GUN-TELEGRAPH.
The following communication is now first published:
Buffalo, April 7th, 1863.
Guy H. Salisbury, Esq.,
Secretary Buffalo Historical Society.
Dear Sir : In commemoration of that event, the completion of
the Erie canal, on the 26th day of October, 1825, leaden medals bear-
ing appropriate devices and inscription were struck off and distrib-
uted throughout the State. Whether these were procured by the
State authorities or by those of the city of New York, I do not
recollect, but I am inclined to think, that it was by the latter.
One of these medals is now in my possession, and being desirous
of promoting the objects of the Buffalo Historical Society, I here-
with present it, to be placed among its memorials of the past.
The pageant, ceremonies, and rejoicings which took place on
that and several subsequent days, from the Lakes to the Atlantic are
matters of history, but there are some things connected with that
event, of which so far as I know, no suitable record has been made,
and deeming this a suitable occasion, I will jot them down here,
that the memory of them may be preserved in the archives of the
society. I refer to the telegraph which was improvised for that
occasion, and which was so effectual in announcing to the waiting
multitude from one extremity of the State to the other, the moment
that the fleet of canal boats started from Buffalo on their voyage
to the seaboard, there to mingle the waters of the Lakes, with those
of Old Ocean.
The material of which that telegraph was comprised and the
manner of its application to the purpose was as follows:
Some time during the winter of 1825, the Government of the
United States resolved to break up the naval depot at Presque Isle
(Erie, Pa.), and to that end sold at public auction, such of the
public property, consisting of anchors, chains, cordage, etc., as would393
OPENING OF THE CANAL.
not bear the expense of removal, together with the hulls of the
public vessels, then lying sunk somewhere in the bay.
These were the vessels that composed Commodore Perry’s fleet
on Lake Erie, and those captured by him from the enemy, in his
celebrated naval victory in September, 1813.
The ordnance stores and guns were reserved for removal to the
naval station at New York, and a contract was made with Dows,
Meech & Carey, proprietors of the Washington Line, on the Erie
canal, a forwarding concern, of which the late Hiram Pratt and
Asa M. Meech, under the firm of Pratt & Meech, were the agents
at Buffalo, to transport these guns and ordnance stores from Erie
to New York. Pratt & Meech were the proprietors of a line of ves-
sels on the lake, running in connection with the boats of the Wash-
ington Line on the canal.
The arrangement was for Pratt & Meech to receive these articles
on board their vessels at Erie, convey them to Buffalo, then ship
them on board canal-boats to be delivered at the navy yard, Brook-
lyn, some time during the summer of that year, when there was
much less “forwarding business,” than during the spring and fall.
Before this contract with the Government was fulfilled on the
part of the Washington Line, the idea was conceived of making use
of the guns while en route, as a telegraph or signals, to be used
during the approaching canal celebration, the note of preparation
for which had been heard for some months, and to that end the time
for the delivery of the guns was extended to suit the exigencies of
the case.
In accordance with this design they were brought to Buffalo.
One of them, a thirty-two pounder, was planted on the Terrace in
this village (now city), another at Tonawanda, another at Pendle-
ton, another at Lockport, and so on at intervals of from ten to
fifteen miles, depending upon the caliber of the gun, all along to
New York.
On the morning of the memorable 26th of October, 1825, these
guns'were loaded without stint of powder, and the booming of the
thirty-two pounder on the Terrace announced the departure of the
fleet to the next one below, which belching forth its thunder tones
sent the joyful news on the wings of the wind towards the sea-
board, where, flying on from gun to gun, it arrived in one hour and
twenty minutes. When the last gun stationed on the Battery in
New York, had given its note of warning, the signal was repeated
back along the line to its starting-point, so that the anxious thou-
sands-might know of the success of this novel first attempt at tele-
graphing from the Lakes to the Atlantic. The sound of the last394
OPENING OF THE CANAL.
gun in the return signals died away over the waters of the lake, in
less than three hours from the firing of the first.
Respectfully yours,
Orlando Allen.
P. S.—I was a clerk for Pratt & Meech, and took an active part
in some of these preparations, consequently they are more firmly
impressed upon my mind than they would have been probably had I
been a mere looker-on.	A.PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
BUFFALO HISTORICAL
SOCIETYShowing the Bronze Doors and Antique Italian Bronze Candelabra, Gifts of Mr. Andrew Langoon.APPENDIX A
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
“BRONZE WORK IN ART AND HISTORY.”
On the evening of December 4, 1906, at a reception given for
the members of the Historical Society, President Langdon presented
to the institution a pair of antique bronze candelabra, accompanying
the gift with the following remarks:
Ladies and Gentlemen—I take this opportunity again to welcome
you to our building, and to express the hope that the ensuing year
may prove the pleasantest and most fruitful in the career of the
Historical Society.
I shall not detain you long, but wish, briefly, to call your atten-
tion to an interesting form of art, by means of which a great deal
of history is embodied and preserved.
To find a starting point it is usually necessary to go backward.
The first painting I ever bought was a little gem but a few inches
in size. Larger and better canvases have since been added, but
the day of small beginnings is not despised—the little Kenset is as
much prized today as when first installed among my lares and
penates. It was good seed and has borne good fruit.
Many years ago there was received from cherished friends a
wedding gift of a graceful figure of a young girl with a garland of
flowers. That was a seed in bronze which has been fruitful in my
personal life, with much resulting pleasure, whether derived from
household trinkets or from observation of the great works of
master minds, like Ghiberti's wonderful doors in the Baptistery at
Florence, which were declared by Michael Angelo worthy to serve
as the gates of Paradise.
3*7398
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
My theme, then, for a very few minutes, is the bronzemaker’s
art. Already, although no special effort has ever been made to
collect articles in bronze for its museum, our institution has sev-
eral notable articles in this class. Among the objects gathered in
the Orient some years ago by that devoted friend of our society,
Dr. Joseph C. Greene, are a number of bronze utensils and tools,
from ancient Egyptian and Assyrian tombs. The bronzemaker’s
art is one of the oldest known to men. In another case in our
collections, you can see several excellent and really precious ex-
amples of fine bronze work, especially a large dish or plaque, and
graceful ewers and vases, from the old Etruscan tombs of northern
Italy. These came to us from another friend, Dr. Wm. C. Barrett.
We have also some examples of early Japanese bronze.
In contrast with these antiques, is the bronze and marble bust
of Nero which stands in the entrance hall, and which well illus-
trates a form of work in which the Italians of the later Middle
Ages attained great excellence. That bronze is a prized medium
of art expression in our own day, is well attested by numerous ex-
cellent examples close at hand. Two artistic wall-tablets in the
central court of this building illustrate the fitness and beauty of
bronze for memorial uses. The bronze doors which opened to
admit us this evening combine utility, security and art—their sculp-
tor, you may recall, being Mr. R. Hinton Perry. The superb
bronze statue of Lincoln, which is one of our chief possessions, is
the work of the distinguished sculptor, Charles R. Niehaus; while
in the statue of Red Jacket in Forest Lawn, and the replica of
Michael Angelo’s David in the Park, near this building, we have
two examples, of great educational value, of the service which
bronze may render in behalf of both history and art.
I have long found a special pleasure in this form of art; a form
which is well nigh as old as art itself, and the notable examples of
which in every capital of Europe, add so much to the traveler’s
enjoyment. Who for instance, that has stood before St. Mark’s in
Venice and contemplated those wonderful bronze horses over the
principal entrance, has not seen in them the very embodiment of
ages of history and romance! As to their origin, even the experts
in these matters cannot agree. Originally supposed to be the work
of Lysippus, and to have been brought from Alexandria to Rome
by Augustus, they are now said by certain investigators to belong
to the age of Nero—say A. D. 37. They stood successively upon
the triumphal arches of Nero, Domitian, Trajan and Constantine in
Rome; were afterwards carried by Constantine to Constantinople,
only to be brought back to Venice in 1204. The great despoiler—BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
399
Napoleon—in 1797 carried them off to Paris and placed them on
the Arc du Carrousal, whence, happily, they were returned to
Venice in 1815.
My allusion to Napoleon, reminds me of a weird and haunting
picture in the Wirz Gallery in Brussels. It depicts “Napoleon in
Hell.” He is the central figure of the painting, surrounded by his
victims—wretches all, minus arms and legs, with bandaged heads,
with crutches and stubs of limbs, and with hatred in every face.
In their midst is seen Napoleon, with countenance as immobile and
unsympathetic as in the bronze of the bust before you.1
Pardon this digression—and permit another, for the associations
of Napoleon and bronze come together in my mind. One of the
curious sights today in Moscow is some 800 bronze cannon, left by
Napoleon on Russian battlefields, now piled up like cord-wood in
the Kremlin.
Russia itself is the home of much wonderful work in bronze,
both ancient and modern. In some forms pf bronze art work no
country excels her today. Every visitor to that country has mem-
ories of the splendid bronze doors of St. Isaac's; and every school-
boy has read of the great bell of Moscow, the monarch of all bells,
weighing 443,732 pounds, twenty-one feet four inches high, twenty-
two feet in diameter and sixty-seven in circumference; twenty-two
inches thick, with a value of metal stated at more than $300,000,
and holding as it stands forty people, who enter through a break
in the side. It is perhaps the mightiest fabrication in bronze; for
although two or three of the great bronze Buddhas of Japan may
be larger, they probably contain less metal than this gigantic bell,
which was cast in 1736.
The whole subject of bells might be entered upon in connec-
tion with our consideration of bronze work, and would be found
full of curious histoiy. Whereas the earlier bells were compara-
tively small, there developed after the thirteenth century an evident
emulation to achieve large results. Yet even here China, foremost
in so many things in early ages, was making great bronze bells
before they were attempted in Europe. I instance the celebrated
seven bronze bells of Pekin, each weighing 120,000 pounds. Bur-
mah, too, has many enormous bells, which surpass those of other
countries in their agreeable tone. In Europe, from 1448, when the
eleven-ton bell of Cologne was cast, down to 1882, when a seven-
teen and a half ton bell for St. Paul's, London, was successfully
turned out, many of the European capitals and cathedrals have
1. A bronze bust of Napoleon, not belonging to the Historical Society,
adorned the speakers’ stand on this occasion.400
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
come into possession of great bells, weighing from six to eighty
tons. Moscow has four huge bells besides the 193-ton monarch
already referred to. Perhaps there is no bell on earth more famous
than the Big Ben of Westminster tower, made in 1856 and weigh-
ing fifteen and a half tons. The largest bell on the American con-
tinent, it is believed, is in the church of Notre Dame at Montreal.
This was cast in 1847 and weighs thirteen and a half tons.
But I must not be led away into a consideration of bells; for
the subject, I confess, though a vast one, is attractive alike to stu-
dents of music, of art and of history.
How many parts in the world's history bronze has played! Now
the reliance of a Napoleon in the conquest of nations; now the
medium through which a great artist records his inspiration; again
the favorite and most enduring substance for works of simple
utility; or still again, put to beautiful service for the soul life of
mankind. The mellow boom of many an ancient bronze temple-bell
has been heard throughout Buddhist lands for centuries.
These are merely some of the associations of bronze with life
and art.
Among the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, the manu-
facture of bronze articles was very extensively carried on. Their
taste for statuary in this material was cultivated to a degree not at-
tained by the moderns. The wealth of some cities was estimated by
the number of their statues. In Athens alone no less than 3000
statues have been found, and in Rhodes, Olympia and Delphi many
more. The famous colossuses were cast of this alloy. The names
of many of the ancient artists are still celebrated, and their groups
of statuary continue to be our models. The alloy Was employed by
them for purposes to which we apply the harder metals, as in some
periods for their arms and armor, medals, and even their surgical
instruments, a set of which was discovered at Pompeii. By them
it was regarded as a sacred metal, and endowed with mysterious
powers of driving away evil spirits. The laws were inscribed on
tables of bronze, and upon bronze coins alone were placed the
words “moneta sacra” The Phoenicians were the first known
workers of it; they made it into plates, which were nailed together;
and they also cast it solid, and cored. The Egyptians appear to have
had the art of hardening it; as a chisel of bronze was found in one
of their quarries, which had apparently been used for cutting
porphyry, the marks of the chisel, and trace of the metal being left
in the stone.
Long before the days of the Egyptians and Phoenicians, archae-
ologists tell us there was a Bronze Age, a period in the evolutionBUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
401
of primitive man between the Stone Age and the Iron Age. The
use of stone for weapons and utensils naturally preceded that of
the metals; but by degrees, as deposits of copper and other metals
were found near the surface of the earth, and as man learned to
smelt and make alloys, so the use of several metals, in various pro-
portions, came gradually to supersede the more primitive reliance
on stone. This period in human history we call the Bronze Age.
Of course, it was not a sharply-defined term of years, but like
everything else in nature and in life, was a gradual growth, passing
by degrees into a new order in which the use of copper alloys de-
clined and the more serviceable iron took its place; and thus the
Bronze Age was succeeded by the Iron Age, which ushered in the
history of civilized man.
But, as the few relics attributed to these remote days, now cher-
ished in museums, testify, the earliest products in bronze belonged
to the realm of the useful, rather than to that of the beautiful. In
other words, the things of the Bronze Age,—which in Europe is
approximately placed between 2000 and 1800 B. C., belong to
Archaeology and not to Art, which is our special theme.
As one studies the oldest bronzes now preserved in museums,
he soon learns to trace the development of art forms. The
Phoenician and the Greek carried to Italy and the south of Spain
a taste and a love for the beautiful which left its impress upon the
work of all peoples who came after them. Italy in particular was
the inheritor of the world’s best art impulses; and thus it came
about that with the revival of learning and the arts, towards the
end of what we term the Dark Ages, Italy was the world’s art
center, as Greece had been in the ancient days.
In many aspects, the acme of Italian art was reached with the
rise of the Medici family, prominent in the affairs of state, and as
patrons of letters and art. In this period, marked by Medici
ascendency, was created much of Italy’s best sculpture, and paint-
ing, and bronze work. The city of Florence—beloved today by
every lover of the arts—was the seat of the Medicis. There were
their palaces and there dawned the Golden Age in Tuscan art. It
is too great a story to enter upon here; but we may note that from
the days of Cosmo the Elder, through the reign of Lorenzo the
Magnificent, to the days of his grandson Lorenzo—father of Cath-
erine de Medici, say from 1350 to 1550—art work in bronze reached
its highest perfection in Italy. It was in this period that Lorenzo
Ghiberti achieved his baptistery gates, already alluded to. After
twenty-one years’ labor, aided by no less than twenty artists, these402
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
gates were set up in 1424. How much of life and effort a “master-
piece” implies!
Among the contemporaries or early followers of Ghiberti were
Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, Luca della Robbia and Valerio
Cioli. The work of this last named artist excelled for its elegance
of design and perfection of detail. One of the treasures of the
Italian National Museum in Florence is a bronze candelabrum by
Cioli. Elegant in form, of great wealth of ornament, perhaps its
most interesting feature is the oval cartouche or escutcheon re-
peated on each of the three sides of its triangular base, bearing the
six pills which are the familiar emblem of the Medici arms.
And now I must be a little personal.
During a recent sojourn in Florence I found one day in the
hands of a dealer in antiquities and art objects, not only one but
two candelabra bearing the Medici crest. The workmanship was
undoubtedly old—and that of a master; it did not take long to
establish the fact that they were* not replicas, but beyond question
the original companions of the candelabrum in the National Mu-
seum. The three were identical in size, ornamentation and ap-
parent age. All bore three times repeated the Medici emblem.
Perhaps in the days of Lorenzo the Magnificent they stood together
in some marble corridor of his palace, or served to light the way
up broad stairs for the braves and beauties of old Florence. At
any rate, there they were, one owned by the Italian Government,
two others in the antiquary's shop.
I will pass over the negotiations which followed. Enough to
say that they presently assumed an international character; and
tonight the pair of bronze candelabra made by Varerio Cioli, under
the patronage of the Medicis some time in the latter part of the
fifteenth century, are here on the platform before you. I take
pleasure in offering them for a permanent possession of the Buffalo
Historical Society.BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
403
FORTY-SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING
The forty-sixth annual meeting of the Buffalo Historical Society
was held at the Historical Building, Tuesday evening, January 14,
1908. The President, Andrew Langdon, welcomed the audience
with the following address:
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS.
Members of the Historical Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: Once
more it is my pleasant privilege to welcome you to the annual
meeting of this society. We have reached our forty-sixth mile-
post, and without imposing upon your patience any extended review
of past years, you will permit me in a brief sentence or two to refer
to some things done by our society.
We have, first of all, with a fair degree of success, steadily
carried out the main purpose of the founders of this institution,
which was, that we should collect and preserve records and relics
of historical value relating to Buffalo and its surrounding region.
If we did nothing but that, we should well justify our existence and
make this institution useful to all who come after.
But, as I revert in memory to past years, I recall many special
achievements which we can claim to our credit. Most of these,
naturally, are in the field of memorials and mementos of men or
events.
Buffalo is not rich in monuments, but of those we possess, this
society is to be credited, in whole or part, with the erection of the
beautiful bronze statue of Red Jacket; the soldiers’ and sailors’
monument in Lafayette Square—for, with the original project which
resulted after many years in the erection of this monument, our
society was actively identified; as we have been also in the work
of the Niagara Frontier Landmarks Association.
It was this society that reburied in Forest Lawn the remains of
Red Jacket’s famous fellow-chieftains and marked their graves
with suitable stones. Here, too, we have brought the remains of
that splendid Seneca, capable soldier and worthy citizen, General
Ely S. Parker. In this and in other historical work we have cooper-
ated with the local posts of the Grand Army of the Republic.404
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
We have also rescued from oblivion the old burial ground at
Williamsville, where soldiers of the War of 1812 camped and died.
Nor should we forget in a list of memorials the bronze statue
of Lincoln standing in our own building, for which, as for other
Lincoln and Civil War relics preserved by us, the public is indebted,
not only to the Historical Society, but to the Lincoln Birthday
Association and its devoted founder, Julius E. Francis.
Our most notable material contribution to the life of Buffalo is,
of course, this building; but to one who gives thought to the his*
tory of our city, the building is of far less consequence than its
contents.
Its library—I may say its two libraries, for we are custodians
of the John C. Lord collection as well as of our own—its portraits,
preserving the features of hundreds of the men and women who
made Buffalo; and its museums, almost wholly made up of gifts
from many interested friends; all of these collections exist today
and are placed freely at the service of the student and the visitor,
as the direct outgrowth of the desire of some of our predecessors
years ago that there should be in Buffalo an institution whose duty
it should be to collect and preserve things relating to our local
history.
I might dwell at much greater length on the past and what we
have done or tried to do; but although it is our business to deal
with the past, it is more to my present purpose to look into the
future. If the original motto of this society was “Preserve,” we
have now reached the time when we should add to it another
motto—-“Make useful.” To make this institution useful in the
community in as many becoming and effective ways as possible, is
at present our chief aim.
While we continue to collect and preserve with even greater
assiduity than ever before, we also bend our energies towards
making our collections useful and towards a worthy participation
in broader fields of historical work in which we may legitimately
share to the advantage of our members.
In my view, no effort of recent years except that which gained
for us our building and present relations with the city has been a
greater source of strength to this society than has come about
through our share in the work of the American Historical Associa-
tion. That, as you know, is the national organization of historical
workers, made up not only of those who write and teach and study,
but of historical societies themselves, both those which are sup-
ported by their States and others which, like our own, are purely
private in their character.BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.	405
Within the past two or three years this society has come to
share in the work of the national organization. That participation
has put us out of the class of ineffective and moribund organiza-
tions, of which there are many bearing the name “historical,” and
has ranged us with those who seek to achieve each year something
which will add, not only to their historical organizations, but to
the material for historical study, especially in their own field.
Although this association with the national organization is not
a source of revenue, I still venture to believe that it is a source of
material strength to our society.
The time seems to have come when institutions like ours, if
they have any guiding hands, any guiding minds, in historical
work, and any resources with which to carry on that work, will
recognize the advantage to be gained from cooperation.
There are already in some States federations of historical so-
cieties. These federations seek to do certain things which few so-
cieties alone can do. Generally speaking, they are working out
uniform plans for the gathering of historical material from Govern-
ment archives, or other depositories, and then for its listing, so
that even if not published students may be told where to go for
desired information. And last of all, as means allow, orderly
methods of publication are being taken up, so that there is not as
heretofore a duplication of work and needless expense. These, in
general terms, are some of the things which are brought about
largely through the stimulus of the national Association; whether
or not our society can share in some such federated work with its
sister societies in this State remains to be seen.
New York State, although first in many things, is by no means
first in its acceptance of modern methods of historical study. But
we have at least reached the point where the opportunity is recog-
nized, and it will rest with such of our members as have a taste for
historical research, and with our whole body as a financial backing
for the workers, whether or not we make some advance in this line
the coming year.
There is one other line of our work which I desire to mention:
I refer to our Society Publications. Begun in 1879, they were dis-
continued by the society for lack of support the following year.
It is only within recent years that we have been able to resume this
work which we are now carrying forward with at least one result-
ing volume annually. Our series has reached its eleventh volume.
Volumes 10 and 11 are devoted to the life record of our first presi-
dent and one of the founders of this society, Millard Fillmore. We406
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
have long felt that we owed to Mr. Fillmore’s memory a recognition
which has not hitherto been accorded to him by any scholar.
In the two latest volumes of our Publications there have been
gathered as fully as possible without further delay, Mr. Fillmore’s
speeches, addresses on many occasions, official and private corre-
spondence. I think you will agree with me on examining these
volumes and considering their relation, not only to many events
and institutions in our own city, but to the great national issues
of Mr. Fillmore’s time, with which he was called upon to deal—
you will agree, I think, that these volumes are by long odds the
most important contributions to American history which we have
yet put out. No attempt has been made in compiling them to pro-
vide a biography of Mr. Fillmore: the distinct purpose has been
to gather his own words so that when his biographer shall appear
there will be no lack of material at hand by which Mr. Fillmore’s
character and conduct may be fairly judged.
No judgment yet reached by any American historian has been
based on such a full exhibition of Mr. Fillmore’s own work as we
are now able to make.
I have spoken of the monuments which this society has erected.
If we are encouraged in our efforts to continue and to develop our
Publication series, giving it as high a character and worthy setting-
forth as possible, we shall be warranted, I think, in regarding it
after all as not the least of the monuments erected by this society;
and not merely because it is a credit to us—though we hope that
will be the case—but because these volumes set forth and preserve
records otherwise lost or perverted. No other agency attempts
the service for Buffalo and its vicinity that we are doing in this
publication work. I may add that the limitations on the work are
chiefly those of expenditure; as we are strengthened in our finan-
cial resources, so can we increase this work. It rests with you as
members and with the community to whom we look for new mem-
bers, whether or not this work shall notably grow in the coming
years.
The reports of our Secretary-Treasurer will inform you of many
details of the past year, to which I need not refer.
I am prone to repeat what I have said on every recurrence of
this occasion:	We need new members; we want the young as
well as the elderly, for we want as many worthy citizens of Buffalo
as possible to feel interested in our society and our work, and to
profit as only members can profit therefrom.BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
407
The annual reports of the Secretary-Treasurer were read and
approved.
Messrs. Albert H. Briggs, M. D., R. R. Hefford, Lee H. Smith,
M. D., Willis O. Chapin and Loran L. Lewis, Jr., were elected mem-
bers of the board of managers for a term of four years. Following
the business meeting, the Hon. Henry W. Hill addressed the audi-
ence on “New York State and the Lake Champlain Tercentenary
Celebration.”
At the annual election of officers, January 16, 1908, the officers
of 1907 were all reelected. The secretary’s report for the year 1907
follows:
THE SECRETARY’S REPORT.
The Secretary’s report to the Board of Managers for the year
ending December 31, 1907, is as follows:
Condition of the Society. Speaking generally, the past year has
been a good one for our society. We have made some gain in
membership, we have materially improved our property, we have
carried on our work in the various lines which we recognize as
legitimate and we have, it is believed, in some degree made the
institution useful in the community and established it more firmly
than ever in the esteem of the citizens of Buffalo.
Building. The condition of the Society’s building is today better
than ever before. The work which was begun in 1906 with funds
specially appropriated for repairs and betterments by the city has
been continued as far as resources would allow. Ornamental iron
guards have been placed on all of the basement doors and windows.
This work instead of detracting from the appearance of the build-
ing proves to be somewhat ornamental and adds materially to our
security.
The inside work done during the year has been almost wholly
in the basement; the plaster and cement baseboards, moldings and
bases of pillars, which had gone to pieces, have been replaced with
Tennessee marble. The cement floor of the basement has been
relaid when necessary. Plumbing has been renewed and repaired in
the public toilets. The heating plant has been materially extended
and radiators installed in the hitherto unused rooms under the
south approach. Perhaps the most satisfactory interior work of
the year has been the completion of the large room at the west
end of the basement which was left by the New York Commission
in 1901 wholly unfinished, the walls not being even plastered. This
room has now been plastered, the floor taken up for sewer con-
struction underneath and relaid, necessary woodwork supplied and
the walls on the four sides shelved to the ceiling for the accommo-
dation of newspaper files and public documents. A map case has408
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
also been built for the preservation of our mounted maps. All of
this work has been done as simply and inexpensively as possible,
and while it is by no means ideal library construction, yet it en-
ables us to take better care of this most important part of our lit-
erary material. The room is one of the best lighted and most
easily warmed in the building and is now at the service of any
visitor who wishes to consult these files.
The exterior work done during the past year includes the entire
reconstruction of the north steps and abutments and the rebuilding
of the abutments and facing wall of the south approach. It was
found impossible to make definite contracts for this work, as none
of the contractors who were invited to bid on it would undertake to
fix a limit to the cost. The Building Committee of the Board and
the entire Board (so far as the members attend the meetings and
were cognizant of the work in hand), approved the course which
has been followed, namely: that of proceeding by day’s work, con-
tractors rendering to the Board a weekly statement of labor and
expense. As the work went on, it was found necessary to take
down the heavy abutments on the south side as far as the founda-
tion in order to rebuild the walls in which cracks had appeared,
owing, in the opinion of the architect and contractors, to a sub-
sidence or settlement of the filled ground on which a part of this
south approach rests. Other causes also added to the expense of
reconstruction, so that the cost of material and of labor largely
exceeded the special appropriation which had been secured from
the city for these items. In the judgment of the Board, it was
advisable to carry the work through on the basis as undertaken.
As the south approach now stands all of the marble blocks which
had moved from their true place have been reset and anchored
with angle irons; the large abutments have been reconstructed,
the cap-stone now being so set and channeled that water will*run
from it readily with little or no chance to enter the joints, and the
main flight of steps leading up to the portico have been similarly
channeled and pointed. We were told from the outset that the
pointing would not last and experience shows this to be true. There
has been no time when the joints in the steps were water-tight.
We were advised that it would be necessary to construct an inner
roof or water-shed, under the steps in order to keep the rooms
in this portion of the basement perfectly dry. That work, on ac-
count of cost, has not been undertaken, but as no interior finish
has been attempted it can be added at any time without any waste
of funds for decorative work. The rooms under the south ap-
proach have been finished in cement and supplied with radiators
and the whole area of the basement is now heated. While this
makes a greater draft on our coal supply than heretofore, it seemed
advisable for the proper preservation of the building and the com-
fort of its occupants. The present winter will no doubt test the
work that has been done so that by spring we will be well advised
as to what further work is needed. The basement as a whole needs
decoration—at least some uniform tinting of walls to remove the
disfigurement of stains from water and of patching in the plaster.
Partly because it seemed well to wait to discover if further leakage
developed and partly for lack of funds, it was found advisable toBUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
409
postpone all work of this character. It is, however, a present need
of our building and should be done the coming year. In my last
report I called attention to the interior decoration of the ceiling
over the middle court and gallery museums. Nothing elaborate is
suggested, in fact a mere tinting to get a warmer tone to cor-
respond with the general color scheme, which would be in my
judgment the only decoration desirable. The present ceiling is in
the hard, cold white of the original construction. This work, while
desirable, has not been deemed urgent, especially as there is still
some trouble with roof leakage.
From the day the society took possession of the building until
now there has always been more or less of leakage in the roof and
although we have spent large sums on it, it cannot be said to be
in a satisfactory condition even now.
This brings me to one other urgent need of the building if it is
to be preserved, that is, the removal of the metal cornice and the
substitution of a marble cornice. This would in fact only be the
completion of the building according to the original design. When
this work is done, the roof should be further overhauled and put
in absolutely perfect condition. An estimate for a new cornice two
years ago was made, and the needed amount was asked for from the
city, but cut out of the estimates.
The city of Buffalo has nowhere freer use of property than in
this building. While the care of it falls on the society, the profit
and enjoyment of it are free to all. It represents, as it now stands,
nearly a quarter of a million of dollars. If it is to be properly pre-
served for the continued use of the people of Buffalo, the repairs
indicated should be made and so well made that for a time at least
an end can be put to this constant reconstruction; and it should
be clearly understood that the sooner work such as the new cornice
is done, the less will be the cost of doing it, for to such a building
every season of neglect brings more and more of deterioration.
Last fall the bronze candelabra procured by President Langdon
in Florence and presented to this society, were installed on new
bronze bases, fitted with suitable flame-shaped globes and electrical
connections, and are now conspicuous additions to the beauty of the
north approach.
Membership. The society has tonight 794 members, divided as
follows:	Patron, 1; honorary, 7; corresponding, 128; life, 138;
resident or annual, 520.
Our losses during the past year have been almost wholly by
death or removal from the city. In no year since the secretary
has been conversant with the society’s affairs have there been so
few resignations. To his mind this indicates a degree of interest
among the members which speaks well for the place the society
holds in the community. This seems to be the place to repeat what
has been said in former reports—that the society greatly desires
more members, especially those whose work or whose interests as
students are at all on historical lines. The maintenance of the
building is covered by an income from other sources. This leaves
us free to use for the members the income received from the mem-
bers in annual dues. The more members we have, therefore, the410
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
more we can do for them. There is practically no limit to what
can be accomplished in the way of historical publication, providing
the funds are available to carry on this feature of our work. Every
member who feels disposed to help the society in this work can not
do better than to find one or more new members for our list.
The income from life memberships constitutes a permanent fund
which, under the by-laws of the society, cannot be dissipated. As
we have at present no endowment, this constitutes our only perma-
nent fund. We greatly desire more life members.
The losses by death from our membership during 1907 were as
follows:
Jan. 6 John Feist,............... Resident member
Feb.	9	Robert Gerrard, ........................ “
14	Joseph	P. Dudley, .................. Life	member
Mar.	19	George	Wadsworth,................Resident	member
21	Allen E. Day,..........................  “
Apr. 17 C. M. Farrar,......................
May	13	Frank H. Goodyear,.....................  “
Jun.	2	Mrs. W. E. Silverthorne, .....	“
6	August A. Langenbahn,................ Life	member
Jul.	31	Joseph	Krumholz, .	.	. ..........Resident	member
Sep.	13	Dr. Electa B. Whipple,.................. “
27	Lyman M. Baker, ........................ “
28	Capt. Marcus M. Drake,.................. “
Several of these members were of long standing in their associa-
tion with the society. Mr. Joseph P. Dudley joined the society
January 17, 1874, and since May, 1899, had been a member of its
Board of Managers. From the first he had been devoted to the
welfare of the organization. As one of the directors of the Lincoln
Birthday Association Mr. Dudley was instrumental in bringing
about the transfer of the Julius E. Francis collection and fund to
the Historical Society. With the fund was procured the bronze
statue of Lincoln that now stands in the court of our building. As
was stated in the resolutions adopted by the Board on Mr. Dudley’s
death: “In all his relations to this Board, as in all the relations of
life, he brought good cheer and good counsel.”
Museums. The society has never devoted money to its museums,
except to provide cases. The articles on view have all come by
gift. Under the circumstances, it is to be expected that there
should be great variety in the character of the collections, with little
scientific completeness. As a matter of fact, however, the collection
as a whole is far better than would be expected. Especially in the
Indian department, thanks to such friends of the society as Barton
Atkins, Jonathan Scoville, and especially Wm. B. Cottier, our pos-
sessions are of value and genuine educational worth. During the
year the greater part of the collections have been relabeled.
Various Activities. During the year the society has given
twenty-eight lectures and two musicals for the public, six evening
entertainments, including a reception, exclusively for members.
The Sunday afternoon lectures were discontinued for a time owingBUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
411
to the illness of the secretary. Our members may count on a num-
ber of entertainments of high character during the present season.
What we do in this line for the public will in a measure depend on
the appreciation shown, by attendance, and by new accessions to
membership. A course of lectures, and one or two special exhibi-
tions, are contemplated.
In September we offered the hospitality of our building to the
American Social Science Association, the New York State His-
torical Association and the Eighth District Branch of the New
York State Medical Society. The sessions of these various societies
were full of interest and enjoyed by all who attended. During Old
Home Week, in October, we arranged a loan exhibition; and to
representatives of the society was entrusted the arrangement of the
official programme. As was to be expected, very many visitors
returning to Buffalo for that reunion inspected our building and
museums.
In October, also, by arrangement with the School Department,
over four thousand children of the public schools, and also nu-
merous classes from the parochial schools, visited the Historical
Building, with their teachers and in some cases with their prin-
cipals, spending an hour in the museums, sometimes with descrip-
tive talks by an attendant. It is the desire of the officers of this
society to cooperate as fully as possible with the schools of the
city, and the Secretary but expresses the sentiment of the Board
in extending as widely as possible the invitation to all, whether
children or adults, who can find in our collections here any assist-
ance in their studies, to come and make free use of what we have.
The society has also been brought into close relations with the
American Historical Association, sharing in the conference of State
and local historical societies, held at Madison, Wisconsin, in De-
cember. This phase of our work has been dwelt upon by President
Langdon in his report and need only be alluded to here. We have
shared in the work of the Niagara Frontier Landmarks Association.
We have gone on record in formal resolutions relative to certain
historical movements of wide interest. A resolution adopted by
the Board was submitted to the State Senate urging the acceptance
on the part of the State of the gift from Hon. William P. Letch-
worth of his beautiful estate on the Genesee, known as Glen Iris,
to be devoted to the free use of the public as a park. Similarly,
the Board has adopted resolutions in behalf of the scenic and his-
toric features of the Niagara Frontier; and urging the State of
New York to take appropriate action for the celebration of the
tercentenary of the discovery of Lake Champlain and favoring the
erection of a permanent memorial in relation thereto.
Other matters of an historic character which very likely will
receive our attention at an early date are the celebration of the
three hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson, which
falls, as does the Champlain celebration, in 1909; and, of more
vital importance, it is the purpose of the Board to promote, if pos-
sible, some method of associated work between the different his-
torical societies of this State, at least so far as relates to the loca-
tion of documentary material now scattered in private hands or
buried in institutions which do not publish.412
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
Publications. This brings us to the phase of our work which
has occupied more of the Secretary’s time during the past year
than anything else—the collection and editing of material for
Volumes X and XI of our Publications. The President’s report
has already touched upon this subject and I need only record that
these volumes are devoted to the writings and speeches of Millard
Fillmore, our purpose being to put in enduring shape as full a
record as possible of Mr. Fillmore’s public career. He is, perhaps,
the only President of the United States of whom no adequate
biography exists. He was President at a period when the very life
of the nation depended upon the policy pursued by its legislative
and executive departments. That he was bitterly assailed and
maligned for his course is a matter of record, but it has remained
until now for any attempt to be made to present Mr. Fillmore’s
own utterances and own views as fully as possible on the ques-
tions with which he was called to deal. While this society does not
publish his biography, it is giving to the world a body of material,
much of it now for the first time published, which will enable the
biographer when he shall appear to treat of Mr. Fillmore and his
attitude towards the questions of his day with a greater degree of
justice than has heretofore been possible. Our publication of these
papers, I may add, is, in our view, a matter of justice to the memory
of our first president and one of the founders of this society.
Very few of his manuscripts were in our possession, very few in
fact appear to exist in any single depository. By dint of much
correspondence we have brought together a most interesting col-
lection, especially of his private correspondence. You will fold in
these volumes many letters written to the statesmen or public men
of his own day, including Webster, Clay, Everett, James Brooks,
Erastus Brooks, Horace Greeley, and others; and especially letters
written to Thurlow Weed, the great master-mind of New York
State politics for many years. For a most interesting collection in-
cluding some scores of letters to Mr. Weed which revealed the
inner history of New York State politics through a considerable
period of years, this society owes an especial word of acknowl-
edgment to Thurlow Weed’s granddaughter, Mrs. Emily Weed
Hollister of Rochester, through whose great courtesy we are al-
lowed to make use of the letters.
The society has also pledged its support in a project of coopera-
tive publishing of an annual bibliographical review of “Writings on
American History.” This project is in the able hands of Dr. J.
Franklin Jameson, director, Department of Research, Carnegie In-
stitution ; and our contribution, not to exceed $50 per year for five
years, is contingent on the guarantee of a sufficient fund to ensure
the accomplishment of the work on a plane and scope altogether
creditable. It is a distinct aid to our society to be thus prominently
identified in the promotion of a national undertaking.
Library. During the year we have added to the library 821 vol-
umes, of which 764 were gifts or received by exchange from other
institutions. The total number of catalogued items in our library
at the end of the year was 17,219; this does not include the greater
part of our bound newspapers and public documents, nor a largeBUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
413
collection of the unbound material, the latter, however, being in
part classified and available for the student.
So far as our library grows by purchase, it is developing in an
orderly way so as to become as full a collection as possible of books
relating to the history, not only of Buffalo, but of the greater region
of whose history we are a part. Anything relating to the develop-
ment of the St. Lawrence and Great likes valley in the early
periods of our national history should have a place here, as should
also the literature of the several wars of the Indians of Western
New York, the development of canal and railway traffic and of the
lake marine; and, in short, the story of every phase of the evolu-
tion of this section of the country should be here gathered as fully
as possible.
Something has been done the past year towards adding to our
collection of newspapers and taking better care of what we have.
Much of our library expenditure was for rebinding files neglected
for many years. The society has, undoubtedly, the best collection
of the newspapers of Buffalo and vicinity anywhere to be found,
and we are now better able to place them at the service of the
public than ever before.
Donors to the library during the past year include, besides public
institutions, the following friends whose interest is much appre-
ciated :	'
Lady Meux of London, England; Mrs. Emily Weed Hollister,
Rochester; Miss Eliza A. Blakeslee, Caledonia; Miss Harriet
Buck, Miss Mary M. Hawley, Mrs. Emma A. Rice, and Messrs.
George H. Lamb, Walter J. Shepard, Bruce Cornwall, Andrew
Langdon, Hon. Daniel H. McMillan, Frank H. Severance, Henry
W. Hill, Henry C. Rew, John C. Graves, Ralph Bowman, John D.
Meister, Robert Lynn Cox and Henry R. Howland.
While the list of gifts to the museums and portrait collections
contains no one article of striking prominence, it contains many
things which are historic and add to the interest of our building.
The full list of donors and donations, too long to be submitted
here, is preserved in our records.
MEETINGS AT HISTORICAL BUILDING, SEASON OF
1907-08.
1907.
Sep. 11-14. Annual convention, American Social Science Associa-
tion.
17-18. Annual convention, New York State Historical Asso-
ciation.
25-26. Annual meeting, Medical Society of the State of New
York, Eighth Judicial District.
Oct. 13. Address by Frank H. Severance on Oliver Wendell
Holmes, with exhibition of bust given by Richard
Brooks.
20. Address on “The Municipal League of Buffalo,” by the
Secretary of the League, Robert S. Binkerd.
27. Address on “Honolulu, the Paradise of the Pacific,” by
Mrs. George W. Townsend.414
BUFFALO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
17-
Dec. 13.
1908.
Jan. 14.
Feb. 11.
16.
23.
Mar. 23.
29.
Apr. s.
19-
26.
May 3.
10.
17-
19.
24.
Jun. 23.
Evening entertainment for members:	“Hiawatha Re-
cital,” by Miss Mabel Powers of Rochester; Miss
Mary Harrison of Rochester, pianist.
Evening entertainment:	Recital of the “Christmas
Carols” of Charles Dickens, by Mr. E. S. William-
son of Toronto; piano selections by Mr. Edward
F. Haendiges of Buffalo.
Annual meeting; election of trustees; address by Hon.
Henry W. Hill, on “New York State and the Lake
Champlain Tercentenary Celebration.” Annual re-
ports of officers.
Lecture by Maj. Louis Livingston Seaman on “Some
of the Evils of Colonization.”
Address: “Some Old Buffalo Characters,” by Frank M.
Hollister.
Address: “George Washington,” by Rev. Wm. Burnett
Wright.
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Edgar J. Banks, archaeologist.
Subject: “Bismya, the oldest city on earth.”
Address by Basant Roy, a Hindoo of Calcutta, on “The
present crisis in India.”
Address by William Edward Foster, on “My Experi-
ences on a Blockade Runner during the Civil War.”
Piano Recital, Miss Allene von Liebich.
Address:	“Story of the Great Hudson River Chain,”
by Frank H. Severance. f
Address :	“Some Curiosities of Bible Translation,” by
Frank H. Severance.
Exploration of the Indian Ossuary at St. David’s, Ont.
Address and exhibition of relics, by Dr. A. L.
Benedict.
Address: “Present Status of the Philippines,” by Lt.-
Col. Wm. H. C. Bowen, 13th U. S. Infantry.
Members’ meeting:	Paper on “Early Recollections of
Buffalo,” by Mrs. Julia F. Snow; songs by Dr.
Frederick C. Busch; Dr. Prescott Le Breton, ac-
companist.
Recital, Miss Lina S. Hartman.
Annual Commencement, School 21 (North Park School,
Hertel Ave.).INDEX
Abbott, J. W., of Cornwall, 162.
Abell, William H., 316; president of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 328.
Abraham, A., of Brooklyn, 17.
Adam, James N., mayor of Buffalo,
326.
Adam, Robert B., chairman of Grades
Crossings Commission, 308-3 10;
“History of the Abolition of Rail-
road Grade Crossings in the City
of Buffalo,” cited, 309 note; presi-
dent of Buffalo Merchants* Ex-
change, 328.
Adams, Charles L., of New York,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; member of finance com-
mittee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47.
“Admiral/* boat, 383 note.
Advisory Board of Consulting Engi-
neers, personnel, 63-64.
Advisory Commission on Differential
Rates by Railroads, 77; report
quoted, 80-81.
Aetna building, Buffalo, 240.
Albany, N. Y., canal conference,
I9t>3» 63, 175; canal hearing, 1898,
160; cost of transportation to New
York, 219; boats owned at, 383-384
note.
Albany Argus, 370.
Albany Board of Trade, organized,
254-
Albany county, N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Aldrich, William, boat master, 384
note.
Allds, Jotham P., at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43.
Allegany county, N. Y., loss of popu-
lation, 99; vote on barge canal
question, 193.
Allen, George W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Allen, John, subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 274.
Allen, John, Jr., delegate to National
Ship-Canal Convention, 311.
Allen, Lewis F., “Recollections of the
Early Forwarding Trade/* 377-379.
Allen, Orlando, 276; letter to G. H.
Salisbury, concerning the Erie canal
gun-telegraph, 392-394.
AlTerton, D. D., of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 107 note.
Ambler, Henry S., introduces bill to
sell canals, 171.
American Cheap Transportation Asso-
ciation, 316.
American News Co., 6.
“Andrew Jackson,” boat, 384 note.
Andrews, F. H., vice-president, mem-
ber of board of managers, Produce
Exchange, 107 note.
Andrews, William, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Angle, Charles E., of Rochester, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23.
Annin, R. E., vice-president of Prod-
uce Exchange, 107 note.
Anthony, Edward L., of Buffalo, 164.
Anthony, J. C., canal shipper, 383.
Anti-canal convention, 177.
“Ariadne/* boat, 383 note.
Arkell, James, of Canajoharie, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23-
Armour, O. H., of New York Produce
Exchange, 79.
Armstrong, Charles B., trustee of
Gratuity Fund, 299.
Armstrong, George E., 6.
Arnold, H. W., of Albany, 170.
Association of Dealers in Building
Materials, 50.
Assouan dam, 156.
Athearn, Cyrus, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
“Atlantic/* boat, 383 note.
Auburn Businessmen’s Association, 13.
Austin, D. S., 273.
Austin, Stephen G., 280.
Avery, William, canal shipper, 383.
Ayrault, N., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250.
Babcock, Geeorge R., 280.
Bacon, Francis E., of Syracuse, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; of Executive com-
mittee, 18; of State committee,
Buffalo convention, 23; of Barge
Canal committee, Utica convention,
162.
“Badger State,” steamer, 272, 274.
Baird, Frank B., of Buffalo, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; speaks at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 46; at hearing of Com-
merce Commission, 161; delegate to
Syracuse convention, 164; member416
INDEX.
of canal committee of Buffalo Mer-
chants' Exchange, 164, 166; dele-
gate to Syracuse convention, 1901,
167.
Baker, Howard H., 283.
Balch, George W., chairman of Canal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 95.
Baldwin, Loammi, engineer, 359, 360.
Ball, Conway W., inspector of grain,
294.
“Baltic,” boat, 384 note.
Baltimore, freight rates to, 77, 81-83,
87; International Commercial con-
vention, 1871, 313-314.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, improve-
ments, 66; complaint of Produce
Exchange against, 90.
Baltimore Board of Trade, 254.
Barber, Herbert, of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 79; member of board
of managers, 107.
Barge canal, resolutions of Canal As-
sociation of Greater New York, 48-
50; report of committee on route,
55; bill drafted, 56-58; passed, 67;
plan of campaign, 67-68; vote of
the people, 75, 116; “Action of the
New York Produce Exchange rela-
tive to Railroad Differentials and
Canal Enlargement,” by H. B. He-
bert, 77-108; “Inception of the
Barge Canal Project,” by F. V.
Greene, 109-120; estimated cost,
117-118,	130; estimated cost of
transportation through, 128; influ-
ence upon freight rates, 135-156;
cost of construction and operation
of barges, 138; survey bill passes*
163; $26,000,000 bill defeated, 168;
referendum bill of 1902 defeated,
170*171; both parties declare in fa-
vor of, 173; hearings on bill, 175-
176; schemes to defeat bill, 175;
bill passed, 176; election carried,
179; “Reminiscences of the Barge
Canal Campaign,” by H. J. Smith,
181-185; vote by counties, 192-193.
Barker, Luther, boat master, 383 note.
Barnes, John V., of New York, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22; on
executive committee for banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; president of
Produce Exchange, 107 note.
Barrows, Elliot T., on executive com-
mittee, banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
43; letter to J. A. Fairlie, quoted,
93; issues invitation to canal meet-
ing, 96; president of Produce Ex-
change, 107 note.
Barton, Benjamin, of Lewiston, 377.
Barton, Tames L., temporary chair-
man of River and Harbor conven-
tion, 262; of firm of S. Thomp-
son & Co., 377, 379; death, 379
note.
Bayard, Dr. A. H., secretary of
Utica convention, 13; member of
canal committee, 162.
Beach, S. H., of Rome, 23; on com-
mittee to confer with Gov. Odell,
167; calls on Gov. Odell, 169.
Beach, Capt. —, civil engineer, 361.
Beals, J. R., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250.
Beals, J. W., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250.
Beard, William H., exhibition ot
painting for 100th Regiment fund,
272, 274.
Beardsley, Josiah, contract to lease
boat for celebration of opening of
canal, 386-387.
Becker, Philip, trustee of Buffalo
Merchants' Exchange, 289; member
of committee on grade crossings,
309.
Beebe, Milton E., architect of Board
of Trade, 289.
Beier, Jacob, & Son, build Board of
Trade building, 290.
Belgium, canals, 150.
Bennett, David S., subscription to
j ooth Regiment fund, 273; on re-
cruiting committee, 275.
Bennett, James Gordon, 70.
Bennett, Levi, boat master, 384 note.
Bentley, James R., subscription to
1 ooth Regiment fund, 273; presi-
dent of Buffalo Board of Trade,
328.
Beresford, Lord Charles, guest of
Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange, 324.
Bernard, Gen. —, civil engineer, 363.
Betts, Ira, boat-builder, 382.
Bidwell, Benjamin, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Big Buffalo Creek, 238.
Bingham, David, 79.
Binghamton, N. Y., represented at
State Commerce convention, 9, 13,
14.
Binghamton Republican, leading anti-
canal paper, 190.
Bird island, 388.
Bissell, Amos A., of New London,
381; removes to Lockport, 382; to
Buffalo, 383.
Bissell, Herbert P., canal champion,
178.
Bissell, John, canal shipper, 383.
Bissell & Bridgeman, 273.
Black, Frank S., governor of New
York, appoints State Commerce
Commission, 36, 42, 44, 137, 155,
160, 189; appoints commission to
inquire into work on canals, 189.
Black Rock, N. Y., strife for canal
terminus, 238, 242, 387-388; an-
nexed to Buffalo, 258; interna-
tional bridge to Fort Erie, 265;
forwarding trade, 377-379; canal
boats owned at, 383-384 note; in-
vited to participate in opening of
canal, 385-386; leases boat for
opening celebration, 386-387.
Black Rock Business Men's Associa-
tion, 14.
Blackmar, A. T., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.INDEX.
417
Blackmar, Abel E., assists in drafting
barge canal bill, 56, 58, 61; at
hearing on bill, 63; speaks at Ca-
nal Association dinner, 71-72; coun-
sel of New York Produce Exchange
in complaint against Joint Traffic
Association, 87, 89; speaks at Syra-
cuse convention, 164; on committee
to solicit Gov. Odell’s support for
referendum bill, 171; attends Buf-
falo conference, 174; Albany con-
ference, 175; at canal hearing, 176.
Blackwell Ship canal, 255.
Blanchard, George R., vice-president
Erie railroad, testimony before the
Hepburn committee quoted, 146;
testimony before Inter-state Com-
merce Commission, 155.
Blancon, P. C., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Blunt, Lieut.-Col. C. E., surveys for
canal, 132.
Boards of Trade, earliest organiza-
tions in the United States, 254.
Boas, Emil L., member of executive
committee for banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; of finance and sub-
executive committees of Canal As-
sociation of Greater New York, 47;
of Canal committee of Produce Ex-
change, 93, 107 note; letter to H.
B. Herbert, 94; treasurer of Canal
Association of Greater New York,
97-
Boat builders, 381-383.
Boat-men’s Association, 383.
Boats, list of canal boats and masters,
383-384 note.
Bodman, E. C., member of Canal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 107 note.
Bogert, H. Myers, 107 note.
“Bolivar,” boat, 384 note.
Bond, Edward A., state engineer and
surveyor, 43, 54; member of State
Committee on Canals, 110, 190;
makes surveys for barge canal, 118;
at Buffalo conference, 172.
Bond, Hugh L., attorney for Balti-
more & Ohio system, 90.
Bonnar, Dr. John D., speaks at Buf-
falo convention, 29; delegate to
Utica convention, makes address,
162.
Boody, David A., speaks at meeting
of New York Produce Exchange
Canal League, 70, 104; signs ap-
peal to voters, 105.
Boonville Board of Trade. 14.
Boston, discrimination in freight rates
to, 87; Board of Trade organized,
254; commercial rival of New York,
37i*
Bostwick, Charles F., introduces
barge canal bill in Assembly, 61;
speaks at meeting of New York
Produce Exchange Canal League,
70, 104; at Cooper Union meeting,
74*
Bowring, Charles W., 107 note.
Brace, Lester, leases boat for open-
ing of Erie canal, 386-387.
Brainard, J., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250.
Brainerd, Frank, member of State
and Executive committees, Syracuse
convention, 17; of State committee,
Buffalo convention, 23; of Canal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 37, 93, 107 note; of
committee to consider route of ca-
nal, 54; of Canal Improvement
State committee, 68, 102, 176; let-
ter to, from J. A. Fairlie, 90; guest
of G. K. Clark at dinner, 98; presi-
dent of Produce Exchange, vice-
president, 107 note; at Albany con-
ference, 1901, 167; on committee
to confer with Gov. Odell, 169;
calls on Gov. Odell, 169, 170; sup-
ports referendum bill of 1902, 170;
on committee to solicit aid of Gov.
Odell, 171; to attend Republican
state convention, 172; at Buffalo-
conference, 174; canal champion,
178; on commission to inquire into
work on canals, 189.
Brant, Joseph, 342.
Breed, James L., of Syracuse, 382.
Brewster, Henry C., of Rochester,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 23.
Bridge, H. P., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Bridge-man, J. W., & Co., canal ship-
bS,38c3- C. origi nal member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Broadhead, Charles C., engineer, sur-
vey of eastern division of Erie ca-
nal, 335-345.
Brock way, Charles M., boat master,
383 note.
Bromley, Drayton, boat master, 384
note.
Bronx river, 361.
Bronxville, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
Brookfield, William, on executive
committee for banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43.
Brooklyn, N. Y., anti-canal bureau,
177; votes for canal appropriation,
1894, 188.
Broome co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.
Brown, H. H., 01 Spencerport, mem-
ber of # State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo convention,.
23-
Brown, Harvey W., of Rochester*
treasurer of Syracuse convention,.
17; member of Executive commit-
tee, 18; treasurer of Buffalo con-
vention, 23; member of barge ca-
nal committee, Utica convention*
162, 163.
Brown, Copt. James J. H., at canal
hearing, delegate to Utica conven-
tion, 161; to Syracuse conventions,
164, 167; member of canal com-418
INDEX.
mittee of Buffalo Merchants* Ex-
change, 164, 166; at Buffalo con-
ference, 172; canal champion^ 178;
guest of H. J. Smith at dinner,
185; president of Buffalo Chamber
of Commerce, 329.
Brown, James W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Brown, John G., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Brown, William O., subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273.
Browne, Warren C., 185.
Brownell & Boyd, 274.
Browns’ elevator, 258.
Brunswick and Trenton canal, 227.
Bryant, Warren, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Buck, R. R., 270.
Bucklin, E. M., of Ithaca, member of
State committee, Buffalo convention,
23, 169; calls on Gov. Odell, 169.
Buffalo, N. Y., elevator facilities, 7;
represented at Utica convention, 14;
convention, 1901, 21-33, 39, 183:
fifth port of the world, 136; steel
plant, 154; elevator interests op-
pose Raymond plan, 159; hearing
on the canal question, 1899, 161;
conference, 1902,	171-172; press
supports barge canal project, 178,
191; votes for canal appropriation,
1894, 188; canal meetings, 1816,
212-213 note; distance to New
York, Montreal and New Orleans,
217; cost of transportation to New
York, 219; streets of Buffalo, 238-
241; strife for canal terminus, 238,
387-388; wharves, 240-241; busi-
ness development, 242; lake ton-
nage, 1844, 253; harbor enlarge-
ment, 254-255; communication with
Pittsburg, 256; first elevators, 257,
258; Black Rock annexed, 258;
convention, 1892, 306; Old Home
Week, 326; traffic, 373;374J boat-
building firms, canal shippers, 383*
boats owned at, 383-384 note; open-
ing of canal, 385-394.
“Buffalo,” boat, 384 note.
Buffalo & Hornellsville Railroad, 250
note.
Buffalo & Washington Railroad, 280.
Buffalo Board of Trade, “Historical
Sketch,” by F. H. Severance, 237-
329; organization, 243-244; first
building, 244-247; pioneer organi-
zation in Great Lakes region, 254;
brings about dredging of St. Clair
Flats, 258-262; incorporation, 264;
new rooms on Central Wharf, 266-
270; annual statement of trade
and commerce of Buffalo, 269;
commercial circular, 270; new by-
laws, 270; adopts a regiment, 272-
279; finances, 279-285; the move
up-town, 285-295; Merchants* Ex-
change incorporated, 289; Seneca
street building, 289-291; canal pol-
icy, 303-308; relations with other
organizations, 311-324; opposes Ni-
agara ship canal, 312; membership
in National Board of Trade, 314;
new building, 1905, 325; presi-
dents, 328; meeting on removal of
E. H. Walker to New York, 370.
Buffalo Business Men’s Central Coun-
cil, 13.
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, “His-
torical Sketch,” by F. H. Sever-
ance, 324-329; semi-centennial cele-
bration dinner, 325-326; advocate
of canal improvement, 326; presi-
dents, 329.
Buffalo Commercial Advertisert ac-
count of first meeting of Board of
Trade quoted, 247; description of
Board of Trade rooms quoted, 263;
report of Board of Trade banquet
cited, 268; editorial by E. H.
Walken quoted, 367-370.
Buffalo Courier, 265.
Buffalo creek, 239, 240, 258.
Buffalo Creek Railway Company, 255,
Buffalo Daily Republic, 265.
Buffalo Democracy 265.
Buffalo Evening News, strong posi-
tion on canal question, 172, 181.
Buffalo Express, series of articles on
canals, 189; article by Mrs. Keller,
cited, 245 note; article by R. W.
Haskins, 390-392.
Buffalo Fire & Marine Insurance
Company, 252.
Buffalo Gazette, quoted, 211-212 note.
Buffalo Harbor Company, 241.
Buffalo Historical Society, “Publica-
tions,” cited, 197 note, 211 note,
268 note, 309 note, 349 note; meet-
ing in 1864, 251 note; clearance
books owned by, 383-384 note; ca-
nal documents in archives, 385-394;
receives medal commemorative of
opening of canal, 392; proceedings
46th annual meeting, Jan. 14, 1908,
403-413; meetings, season 1907-
1908, 413-414.
Buffalo Journal, 391.
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, repre-
sented at Utica convention, 13;
proposes resolutions at Buffalo con-
vention, 31; sends committee to
New York, 50; conference with
committee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 51, 54; canal
committee appointed, 164; commit-
tee to solicit funds, 164-165; canal
bureau, 165-166; work for the
barge canal, 164-178; meeting of
canal committee, 166, 173; appoints
committee to meet Gov. Odell, 174;
appoints canal committee, 183;
“Historical Sketch of the Mer-
chants’ Exchange,” by F. H. Sever-
ance, 289-324; incorporated, 289;
new building, 289-291; revised by-
laws, 293-294; rules and regula-
tions, 295-296; work in connection
with Pan-American Exposition, 297;
philanthropies, 297-298; Gratuity
fund, 298-299; work for the canals,
305-308; grade crossings campaign,
308-310; action concerning variousINDEX.
419
national and state bills, 318-319;
Transportation committee, 319-320;
Niagara Frontier Freight Bureau,
320; various activities, 321*324;
Bureau of Conventions and Indus-
tries, 323; distinguished guests,
323-324; name changed to Chamber
of Commerce, 324; presidents, 328-
329-
Buffalo Morning Advertiser, 261 note.
Buffalo Plains, 389.
Buffalo Real Estate Association, 327.
Buffalo Retail Merchants* Board, 327.
Buffalo river, deepening of, 326.
Buffalo Savings Bank, 251 note.
Bugbee, Oliver, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250; di-
rector, 263.
Bull, Absolum, of Black Rock, 386.
Bull, J. B., director of Board of
Trade, 250.
Burgess, Edward G., president of
New York Produce Exchange, 57,
107 note; vice-president, 107 note.
Burr, Prof. William H., member of
Advisory Board of Engineers, 63;
statement before Joint Canal Com-
mittee, 64.
Burt, David, 386.
Burton, Theodore E., quoted, 149-150.
Burwells, 251 note.
Bush, Myron P., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250; in-
corporator, 264; subscription to
100th Regiment fund. 274.
Busher, Copt. Martin, lake weighmas-
ter, 302.
Butler, Samuel, 278 note.
Butler, Theodore, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250.
Butterworth bill, 318.
Cady, B. F., of Lockport, 382.
Cady, F. L. A., of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 283.
Camden, N. Yv represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Camp, Major John G., member of
Buffalo Harbor Company, 241; ex-
cavates west end of canal, 388-390.
Campbell, Capt. Charles, speaks at
Buffalo convention, 29.
Campbell, J. D., attorney for Phila-
delphia & Reading R. R. Co., 90.
Campbell, M. Robert, speaks at Coo-
per Union meeting, 74; signs ap-
peal to voters, 105; mentioned, 178.
Campfield, A. B., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Canada, commercial rivalry, 515; en-
largement of canals, 38, 371.
Canada Creek, 201.
Canajoharie, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14; incident of
early days, 342.
Canal and Harbor Union, New York,
14.
Canal Association of Greater New
York, organized, 46-47, 97; reso-
lutions approving barge canal bill,
48-50; committee visits Buffalo, 51,
54; report of committee on route
of canal, 55; dinner to New York
editors, 55, 70.
Canal Boat Owners* Association of
the State of New York, represented
at Utica convention, 13; at canal
meeting, New York, 1899, 40; co-
operates in banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 42; on organization of Canal
Association of Greater New York,
46; in resolutions favoring barge
canal bill, 49-
Canal boats, list of boats and mas-
ters, 383-384 note.
Canal conventions. See Conventions.
Canal Enlargement Association, Buf-
falo, 14, 307.
Canal Forwarders’ Association, 46.
Canal Improvement League of the
Produce Exchange. See New York
Produce Exchange Canal League.
Canal Improvement State Committee,
campaign for barge canal, 68-75,
176-180; personnel, 102, 176.
“Canal Improvement Union,** by F.
S. Gardner, 1-11.
Canal locks, enlargement of, 13 3-134.
“Canal Memorial of 1816/^ 211-233.
“Canal Primer,’’ issued by Commit-
tee on Agitation, 67.
Canal street, Buffalo, 239; fire, 258.
Canals, of Canada, 38, 150; of Eu-
rope, 149-151, 225-227; cost of va-
rious canals, 225-229; era of canal
construction, 255.
Canals, of New York, “The United
States Government and the New
York State Canals,” by T. W.
Symons, 121-134; history, 1895-1903,
157-180; Second report of the
Western Inland Lock Navigation
Company, 197-208; Canal Memorial
of 1816, 211-233. See also Barge
canal, Erie canal, and names of
other canals.
Canastota, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Canastota Business Men’s Association,
13-
Canfield, Capt. —, 261 note.
“Cantor bill,” 318.
Capen, T., boat master, 384 note.
Capronj Oliver, boat master, 383 note.
Carnegie, Andrew, letter to Gen.
Greene, quoted, 45; address at ca-
nal dinner, quoted, 52; guest of
G. K. Clark, 98; letter to H. B.
Herbert, quoted, 101; open letter,
cited, 154.
Carnegie Steel Company, at Conneaut,
52.
Carpenter, Col. —, employer of Can-
vass White, 354, 355.
Carpenter, R. P., of New Rochelle,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17.
Carpenter, A. S., & Co., canal ship-
pers, 383.
Carroll, P. V., canal shipper, 383.
Carroll Bros., boat builders, 383.
Carroll street, Buffalo, 242.
Cartoon of barge canal campaign, 186.420
INDEX.
Cary, Samuel, subscription to iooth
Regiment fund, 273.
Caryl, A. H., director of Board of
Trade, 250, 251.
Caryl, Benjamin, 340.
Case, Niles, subscription to iooth
Regiment fund, 274; on canal com-
mittee of Buffalo Board of Trade,
304.
Casler, Philip W., of Little Falls, 178.
Catlin, —, artist, emblematic picture
of Gov. Clinton, 390-392.
Caswell, H. A., of Rome, 170.
Catskill river, tide ascends above, 215.
Cattaraugus, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
Cattaraugus co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Caughnewaga, N. Y., 342, 343.
Cawcroft, Ernest, of Jamestown, 178.
Cayuga and Seneca canal, 26.
Cayuga co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.
Cayuga lake, 204, 382.
Central Wharf, Buffalo, 242, 291-293,
374*
Chadwick, Charles N., of Brooklyn,
member of State committee, Buf-
falo convention, 23, 169; speaks at
Buffalo convention, 28.
Champlain canal, improvement recom-
mended by State Commerce conven-
tion, 15; bill providing for survey
drawn, 41; improvement providea
for in barge canal bill, 61-62, 130;
estimated cost of improvement, 117-
118; included in referendum bill
of 1902, 170.
Chapin, O. N., 274.
Chapin, Theodore, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Chapin, Col. W. W., 388.
Chard, W., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Charleston, S. C., earthquake, 297.
Chautauqua co., N. Y., pro-canal sen-
timent, 191; vote on barge canal
question, 192.
Chemung canal, abandoned, 157.
Chemung co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Chenango canal, abandoned, 157.
Chenango co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 99; vote on barge canal ques-
tion, 192.
Chester, Thomas, 288.
Chicago, commercial position in 1816,
218; in 1844, 253; River and Har-
bor convention, 1847, 262; fire,
297; National Ship-Canal conven-
tion, 1863, 311.
Chicago Board of Trade, organized,
254; subscribes toward dredging St.
Clair Flats, 261.
“Chili,” boat, 384 note.
Chippewa street, Buffalo, 238.
Chittenango, N. Y., survey of canal
through, 337; boat-building, 382.
Christiana and Elk canal, 227.
“Christopher Columbus,” boat, 384
note.
Churchyard, Joseph, 308.
Cincinnati Board of Trade, organized,
254.
“Citizen,” boat, 384 note.
Citizens’ Association of Buffalo, 321.
Citizens’ Union, advocates canal im-
provement, 70.
“City of Buffalo,” steamer, 322.
Clapp, Almon M., secretary of Na-
tional Ship-Canal convention, 311.
Clapp, Otis, boat master, 383 note.
Clark, Archibald, boat master, 383
note.
Clark, Charles F., 98.
Clark, Cyrus, subscription to iooth
Regiment fund, 273.
Clark, F. Bv of Oswego, 175.
Clark, Gardiner K., Jr., member of
finance committee of Canal Asso-
ciation of Greater New York, 47;
gives dinner for discussion of ca-
nal question, 51-53, ,97-98; on com-
mittee to confer with Gov. Odell,
60-61; member of Canal committee
of Produce Exchange, 107 note;
supports referendum bill of 1902,
170; solicits support of Gov. Odell
for bill, 171.
Clark, Grosvenor, original member of
Board of Trade, 251.
Clark, Isaac, vice-president, Syracuse
convention, 16.
Clark, James A., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Clark, Thomas, subscription to tooth
Regiment fund, 273.
Clark, W. A., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Clark, Capt. William C., of Constan-
tia, active in canal campaign, 162;
press agent, 187. '
Clark & Skinner canal, 255.
Clarke, Cyrus, 259, 260; member of
committee on reorganization of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 282; submits
minority report, 282-283; suggests
appointment of weighmaster, 302;
on canal committee of Board of
Trade, 304; president of Board of
Trade, 328.
Clarke, Frederick O., of Oswego, 63;
member of Canal Improvement
State committee, 102, 176.
Clarkson, Edward M., member of Ca-
nal committee of Produce Exchange,
107 note; supports referendum bill
of 1902, 170.
Clay, Henry, tribute to Canvass
White* 363*364.
Cleary, William E., 6; on executive
committee for banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; at canal hearing,
1898, 160; member of barge canal
committee, Utica convention, 162;
speaks at hearing on 450-ton canal,
168; supports referendum bill of
1902, 170; on committee to present
resolutions to Republican state con-
vention, 173; at canal hearing,
175; canal champion, 178.
Clement, Stephen M., 290.INDEX.
421
Cleveland, Grover, appoints canal
commission, 130; member of Buf-
falo Merchantsr Exchange, 293.
Cleveland, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Cleveland, O., lake tonnage, 1844,
253; Board of Trade organized,
254; International Deep Waterways
Association convention, 306.
Clinton, DeWitt, governor of New
York, memorial to the Legislature,
quoted, 135; drafts memorial, 211
note; leader of Erie canal policy,
334; meets Canvass White, 365;
letter concerning White’s discovery
of hydraulic cement, quoted, 356;
connection with early canal legisla-
tion, 350; first trip through Erie
canal, 390; emblematic picture, by
Catlin, 390-391.
Clinton^ Georgy, of Buffalo, president
of Canal Improvement Union. 2;
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23; assists in drafting
barge canal bill, 58, 61; at canal
hearing, 63; speaks at Canal As-
sociation dinner, 71; congratulatory
message to H. B. Herbert, 106; se-
cures appropriation for lengthening
locks, 157; at canal hearing, 1898,
160; speaks at Utica convention,
162; at Syracuse convention, 164;
member of canal committee or Buf-
falo Merchants' Exchange, 164, 166,
182; of committee to solicit funds,
165; at Albany meeting, 1901, 166;
delegate to Syracuse convention,
1901, on committee to confer with
Gov. Odell, 167; speaks at hearing
on, 450-ton canal, 108; supports ref-
erendum bill of 1902, 170; at Buf-
falo conference, 1902, 171; on com-
mittee for Albany conference, dele-
gate to Republican state convention,
172; non-partisan policy, 174, 179;
at Buffalo conference, on committee
to meet Gov. Odell, 174; at Al-
bany conference, at canal hearing,
175; canal champion, 178, 179, 188;
opposition to iooo-ton barge canal
plan at Syracuse convention, 182;
guest of H. J. Smith at dinner,
i8§; member of commission to in-
quire into work on canals, 189;
chairman of Union for the Improve-
ment of the Canals of the State of
New York, 305; activity in behalf
of canals, 306, 307; president of
Buffalo Merchants' Exchange, 329.
Clinton, Judge George W., 391.
Clinton, Ohio, 219.
Clinton co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.
Clothier's Association of New York,
29.
Clyde, N. Y., 384 note.
Clyde river, 38.
Coats, Giles K., secretary of Board of
Trade, 250, 251, 302.
Cobb, Ansel R., boat master, '384
note.
Cobb, Carlos, incorporator of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 264.
Cobb, Harvey, boat master, 384 note.
Cobb & Co., 273.
Cody, Joel, boat master, 384 note.
Coffee Exchange, 42.
Cohoes, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Cohoes Business Men's Association,
13-
Cohoes Falls Company, 345.
Coit, George, last of those engaged in
early forwarding trade, 377 and
note.
Coit, G. C., & Son, 273.
Coit Slip, 255.
Cold Spring Business Men's Associa-
tion, Buffalo, 14.
Cole, —, of North Bay, N. Y., boat-
builder, 382.
Coler, Bird S., speaks at Cooper
Union meeting, 74; signs appeal to
voters, 105; canal champion, 178.
Columbia co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 99; vote on barge canal ques-
tion, 192.
Cominsky, Frank W., 107 note.
“Commerce,” boat, 383 note.
Commerce, decline of, in New York,
35-36, 137-
Commercial Slip, Buffalo, 239, 240,
„ 254-	.
Commercial street, Buffalo, 239, 241.
Conkling, Roscoe, canal advocate, 145;
letter to William Thurstone, 305
note.
Conneaut, Ohio, development of steel
business, 52.
“Connecticut,” boat, 384 note.
Connecticut river, improvement, 362.
Constantia, N. Y., Board of Trade,
32.
Conventions, Utica,
9-i6, 39, 161-162,
1900, 16-21, 39,
1885, 2;	1899,
... 182; Syracuse,
-	.	,	182; 1901, 21, 183;
Buffalo, 1901, 21-33, 39, 183.
Cook, Robert H., of Whitehall, 162.
Cooley, Lyman E., 98.
Cooley, T. M., member of commission
on railroad rates, 77, 80.
Coolidge, Thomas S., of Glens Falls,
Copper Union, mass-meeting, 74.
Corbi£, Charles P., of New York,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23.
“Corn Planter,” boat, 383 note.
Cornell, S. G., & Co., 274.
Cornwall Board of Trade, 13.
Cornwell, William C., of Buffalo, 165.
Cortland, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Cortland co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 99; vote on barge canal ques-
tion, 192.
Cortland co., N. Y., Board of Super-
visors, 14.422
INDEX.
Corwine, William R., member of State
committee, Buffalo convention, 23,
169; cn committee for banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; on sub-execu-
tive committee of Canal Association
of Greater New York, 47; visits
Buffalo, 51; on' committee to con-
sider route of canal. 54; at canal
hearing, 63; at Albany meeting,
1901,	167; calls on Gov. Odell,
169; supports referendum bill 01
1902,	170; on committee to solicit
aid of Gov. Odell, 171; attends
conference at Buffalo, 171.
Costello, Thomas M., of Altmar, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 23.
Cotton Exchange, N. Y., 42; cooper-
ates in banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
42; in organization of Canal Asso-
ciation of Greater New York, 46:
in resolutions favoring barge canal
bill, 49; joins in “Campaign of Ed-
ucation/* 97.
Courier and Republican, article on the
origin of the Erie canal, 349.
Cowing, H. O., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Coxsackie, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Coxsackie Board of Trade, 13.
Coykendell, S. D., of Rondout, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo Convention,
23; on executive committee for ban-
quet to Gov. Roosevelt, 43; on
finance committee of Canal Asso-
ciation of Greater New York, 47;
guest of G. K. Clark at dinner, 98.
Crandall, Orville A., delegate to Utica
convention, 161.
Crane, Monroe, of New York, Prod-
uce Exchange, 86.
Craw & Knapp, boat builders, 382.
Credit Men’s Association, Buffalo, 298.
Crimmins, John D., 105.
Crittenden, Myron L., 288.
Crocker, Leonard, boat master, 383
note.
Cross street, Buffalo, 239.
Croton river, 361.
Cummin, Joseph W., 17.
Cumming, C. M., attorney for Erie
System, 90.
Cunneen, John, secretary of Utica
convention, 13; of Syracuse con-
vention, 17; member of State com-
mittee, 17; secretary of Buffalo con-
vention, 23; member of State com-
mittee, 23; delegate to canal con-
ference, New York, 50; to Utica
convention, 161; at meeting of ca-
nal committee of Buffalo Merchants*
Exchange, at Albany meeting, 166;
delegate to Syracuse convention,
1901, 167; on committee to confer
with New York canal people, 169;
delegate to Albany conference, 172;
canal champion, 178.
Curtiss, Charles G., 283; president
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 314,
328; welcomes the National Board
of Trade, 315.
Curtis®, Peter, 379.
Curtiss & Root, 379.
Cutter, A. W., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Cutting, R. Fulton, 105.
Daggett, Hollis, boat master, 384 note.
Dale, John G., 79.
Dana, George S., of Utica, vice-presi-
dent of Utica convention, 23.
Dandy, Col. George B., colonel of the
1 ooth Regiment, 276; address be-
fore the Board of Trade, quoted*
277; made his regiment best in the
Department of Virginia, 279.
Daniels, George H., opposition to ca-
nals, 146.
Dare, Fred V., of New York Produce
Exchange, 86; member of board of
managers, 107 note.
Darrison, John T., of Lockport, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Dart, Joseph, Jr., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251;
builds first elevator, 257, 258, 374.
Davidson, W. C., 274.
Davis, George, director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 250, 251.
Davis, George A., introduces in Sen-
ate bill tor enlargement of canal
locks, 53; bill defeated, 54> 98;
introduces barge canal bill, 61;
calls on Gov* Odell, supports refer-
endum bill- of 1902, 170, 171; at
Buffalo conference, 172.
Davis, Gherardi, at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43.
“Davis-Bostwick bill/* provisions of,
61-62.
Daw, Alfred D., secretary of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 302.
Daw, Henry, original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250, 251; sub-
scription to 1 ooth Regiment fund,
274; president of Board of Trade,
328.
Day, Harry B., of New York Produce
Exchange, 84, 86.
Day, Thomas, gift of building lots
for 1 ooth Regiment fund, 272, 274.
Dean, Benjamin S., of Jamestown,
178.
Deasey, Timothy, of Little Falls, 17;
vice-president of Buffalo conven-
tion, 22.
Deep Waterways Commission, report
quoted, 122-123.
De Forest, R. W., attorney for Cen-
tral R. R. of N. J., 90.
Delahunt, Edward, & Co., 383.
Delaware and Chesapeake canal, 228.
Delaware and Raritan canal, 363.
Delaware co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western
Railroad improvements, 66; tracks
in Buffalo, 240.INDEX.
423
De Long, Tames, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Demming, C., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Democratic Party, platform pledging
canal improvement, 56, 173.
Depe w, Chauncey M., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; remark on
freight rates, 145; speech at El-
mira, quoted, 146, 147.
Depopulation of various counties of
New York, 99-100.
Derrick, S. W., 273.
Deshler, John G., 260; subscription
to 100th Regiment fund, 273; on
recruiting committee, 275.
Detroit, Mich., commercial position,
1816, 218; lake tonnage, 1844, 253;
Board of Trade organized, 254; Ni-
agara Ship Canal convention, 312.
“Detroit,” boat, 384 note.
Deuther, George A., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
DeWaltearrs, S., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
De-Witt, Jerome, of Binghamton, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23.
“De Witt Clinton,” boat, 383 note.
Dexter, Seymour, of Elmira, vice-
president of Buffalo convention, 22.
Dickinson, Charles, of Lockport, 170,
178.
Dickson, William, 273.
Diehl, Conrad, mayor of Buffalo, mem-
ber of State and Executive commit-
tees, Syracuse convention, 17; dele-
gate to Utica convention, member
of Canal committee, 162.
Differential rates. Action of New
York Produce Exchange relative to,
77-93; report of Advisory Commis-
sion on, 81.
Diven, J. M., of Elmira, vice-presi-
dent of Syracuse convention, 17.
Dobbins, Capt. D. P., 252; on canal
committee of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 304.
Dodge, Col. —, 355.
Dodge, Leonard, congratulatory mes-
sage to H. B. Hebert, 105; canal
champion, 178; guest of H. L.
Smith at dinner, 185; president of
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, 324,
329-
Dodge, William^ E., chairman of ban-
quet to Gov. Roosevelt, address
cited, 43-44; guest of G. K. Clark
at dinner, 98.
Dold, Jacob, 309.
Doran, Michael, of Durhamville, 382.
Dorr, Capt. Ebenezer P., 252, 280;
delegate to meetings of National
Board of Trade, and American
Cheap Transportation Association,
316; president of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 328.
Dorrity, Thomas, speaks at Buffalo
convention, 29.
Douglas, C. N., of Albany, 170.
Douglas, Herbert H., of Oneida, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17-
Douglas, William H., member of Ca-
nal committee of Produce Exchange,
107 note.
Downey, Robert, of Oswego, 175.
Dows, Meech & Carey, 393.
Doyle, James, 107 note.
Doyle, Nathaniel, 107 note.
Doyle, Peter C., president of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 329.
Drake, Marcus M., member of State
committee, Syracuse convention, 17;
Buffalo convention, 23; speaks at
Buffalo convention, 28; delegate to
Utica convention, member of canal
committee, 162; delegate to Syra-
cuse conventions, 164, 167; sup-
ports referendum bill of 1902, 170;
at Buffalo conference, 1902, 171;
delegate to Albany conference, 172;
canal champion, 178, 306.
Dresser, D. LeRoy, vice-president of
Buffalo convention, 22; guest of
G K. Clark, 98; delegate to Re-
publican state convention, 172.
Dudley, Thomas J., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
“Dunkirk,** boat, 384 note.
Du Puy, Capt. —, of New York, 160.
Durant, Edward A., of Albany, vice-
president of Buffalo convention, 22.
Durfee, Philo, commission merchant,
243; director of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 250, 251; president of Board
of Trade, 328.
Durhamville, N. Y., boat-building
town, 382.
Dutchess co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.
Eames, John C., member of finance
committee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47; delegate to
Syracuse convention, 164.
Eames, M. R., 274.
Easton, Fred, of Albany, 170.
Eckley, D., Jr., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Eckley, Joseph S., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Eckley, William H. E., original mem-
ber of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
“Eclipse,** boat, 384 note.
Eddy, Thomas, agent of Western In-
land Lock Navigation Company,
349-350.
Edes, A. B., boat builder, 383.
Edson, Franklin, of New York, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22;
member of committee of New York
Produce Exchange, 79; of Canal
committee, 93, 107 note; at canal
hearing, 1898,	160; member of
commission to inquire into work on
canals, 189.
Efner, Elijah D., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.424
INDEX.
Elevators, charges, 78-79; first eleva-
tors in Buffalo, 257, 258.
Ellesmere canal, 226.
Ellicott, Joseph, 238.
Ellison, N. B., of Rochester Trans-
portation Co., 382.
Ellsworth, Timothy E., effective sup-
port of barge canal survey bill, 163,
180.
Elm street, Buffalo, 238.
Elmira Advertiser, leading anti-canal
paper, 190.
Elmwood avenue, Buffalo, 327.
Ehr, W. Caryl, 326.
“Emigrant,” boat, 383 note. «\
Ernslie, Peter, 308.
England, canals, 226-227.
Enos, Laurens, 273.
Ensign, Charles, subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 272, 274.
“Envoy,” boat, 384 note.
Erie, Pa., ordnance from naval sta-
tion used in canal opening celebra-
tion, 392-393-
Erie basin, 255.
Erie Boatmen’s Transportation Co., 6.
Erie canal, improvement recommended
by State Commerce convention, 15;
unable to compete with railroads,
36, 37; improvement plan of 1895,
37; depth of fourteen feet advo-
cated by New York Produce Ex-
change, 38; bill providing for sur-
vey drawn by F, S. Gardner, 41;
provisions of Davis-Bostwick bill,
61-62; improvement urged by Prod-
uce Exchange, 95; improvement act
of 1895, 121; bill in Congress for
widening locks, 125; contribution
to the wealth of New York, 136;
various routes discussed, 220-224;
estimated cost, 228-229; enlarge-
ment, 255; work of Buffalo Board
of Trade and Merchants’ Exchange
in behalf of, 303-308; “Reminis-
cences of Surveys in 1816-17,” by
W. C. Young, 331-347; . Secret
History of Incipient Legislation,”
349-351; Canvass White’s services
as engineer of canal, 355-359; route
"" H. Walkers work
of canal, 357; E. H.
‘Recollections
for canal, 367-372;
of the Early Forwarding Trade,
by L. F. Allen, 377*379; Notes on
the Canal Forwarding Trade,” by
L. Porter Smith, 381-384; memen-
toes of opening of the canal, 385-
394; narrative of beginning of com
struction, by William Hodge, 387-
390; gun-telegraph, at opening cele-
bration, 392-394-
Erie co., N. Y., vote on barge canal
question, 116, 192.
Erie, Lake, commerce, 217; elevation
above Lake Ontario, 223; above
tide waters of Hudson, 224; sup-
position that water of Lake Erie
would flow to Albany, 339.
Erie Railroad, improvements, 66;
rates lowered by canal influences,
146.
Erie street, Buffalo, 238.
Essex co., N. Y., loss of population,
99; vote on barge canal question,
192.
Evans, A. M., of Herkimer, 178.
Evans, Charles W., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251;
subscription to 100th Regiment
fund, 274.
Evans, Edwin T., 272; member of
building committee of Buffalo Board
of Trade, 288.
Evans, James C., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250, 251;
member of committee for improving
St. Clair Flats, 260; incorporator
of Board of Trade, 264; steamef
excursion for benefit of 100th Regi-
ment fund, 272.
Evans, J. C.} & E. T., subscription to
1 ooth Regiment fund, 274.
Evans, John B., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Evans & Dunbar’s elevator, 258.
Evans Slip, 255.
Evarts, William M., canal advocate,
145-
“Exchange,” boat, 383 note.
Fairchild, Ben L., counsel for Com-
merce Commission, 189.
Fairlie, John A., at dinner to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; secretary of State
Committee on Canals, 190.
Fairoaks, battle of, 271.
Falley, —, mayor of St. Louis, 311.
Fargo, William G., 264; estate, 286.
“Farmer,” boat, 384 note.
Farmington canal, 362.
Farr, Rinaldo, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Farrelly, Patrick, 6.
Farrington, W. C., 171.
Fassett, Theodore S., member of State
committee, Syracuse convention, 17;
Buffalo convention, 23, 169; dele-
gate to canal conference, New York,
50; to Utica convention, 161; on
committee to confer with New York
canal people, calls on Gov. Odell,
169, 170; supports referendum, bill
of 1902, 170; on committee to so-
licit support of Gov. Odell, 171;
delegate to Albany conference, 172;
on committee to meet Gov. Odell,
174; at Albany conference, 175;
canal champion, 178; represents
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange at
Democratic state convention, 184.
Favill, Josiah M., member of Canal
committee of Produce Exchange,
107 note.
Ferris, Peter J., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273; vice-president
of Merchants’ and Manufacturers*
Building Association, 288.
Fetterolf, A. C., of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 107 note.
Field, Cyrus W., 277 note.
Filkins, George, canal shipper, 383.INDEX.
425
Filkins, Stanley E., of Medina, vice-
president of Buffalo convention, 22;
speaks at convention, 28; supports
referendum bill of 1902, 170; dele-
gate to Republican state convention,
172, 173; canal champion, 178.
Fillmore, Millard, 251 note; at Buf-
falo Board of Trade banquet, 267,
268 and note; remarks at opening
of Board of Trade rooms cited, 293
note.
Fillmores, 251 note.
Fink, Albert, quoted, 146.
Finlay, Samuel L., 107 note.
Finn, Albert, of Lockport, 382.
Finn, Sidney, of Lockport, 382.
Fish, Hamilton, Sr., canal advocate,
145-
Fish, Henry L., mayor of Rochester,
382; president of Boat-men^s Asso-
ciation, 383.
Fish, Robert J., of Oneida, vice-presi-
dent of Buffalo convention. 23.
Fish, Silas H., president of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 328.
Fish & Armstrong, 274.
Fish & Avery, 274.
Fisher, John W., member of Canal
Improvement State committee, 102,
176.
Fisher, William A., attorney for Bal-
timore Chamber of Commerce, 90.
Fish’s elevator, 258.
Fiske, Frank W., 314.
Fiske, William, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Flagg, Samuel D., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Fleeharty, J., original member of the
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Fleming, William, director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 263.
Flower, Roswell P., governor of New
York, 319, 321.
Folwell, Mrs. Sarah Hey wood, 250
note.
Folwell, William W., of Minneapolis,
250 note.
Ford, Ansel, boat master, 383 note.
Ford, John, at banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
Forestport, N. Y., 142, 152, 153, 154.
Forestry Bureau, established in Buf-
falo, 3 22.
Forman, Joshua, 334.
Fort Erie, international bridge, 265.
Fort Herkimer, 203.
Fort Plain, N. Y., 14.
Fort Newport, 202.
Fort Schuyler, N. Y., Canal of West-
ern Inland Lock Company, 197-208.
Forward, Oliver, member of Buffalo
Harbor Company, 241.
Forwarding trade, recollections of, by
L. F. Allen, 377-379; notes on, by
L. Porter Smith, 381-384.
Fosbinder, Harris, delegate to Syra-
cuse conventions, 164, 167; mem-
ber of canal committee of Buffalo
Merchants’ Exchange, 166; trustee
of Gratuity fund, 299.
Foster, Wm. C., & Co., 273.
Fowler, Anderson, member of finance
committee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47; of New
York Produce Exchange committee
on railroad rates, 79; guest of G.
K. Clark at dinner, 98.
Fox, Watson A., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251; pro-
poses stock company for dredging
St. Clair Flats, 259; chairman of
committee on improving Flats, 259;
vice-president of Board of Trade,
263.
Fox, Winthrop, 292.
Foy, Robert T., 252.
France, canals and railroads, 149.
Frankfort, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14; canal-boat building,
381.
Frankfort Board of Trade, 14.
Franklin, P. A. S., of New York
Produce Exchange, 107 note.
Franklin co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Fraser, Maj. Donald, of Black Rock,
388.
Freer, William H., of Troy, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 23.
Freight rates, unjust discrimination,
27; action of New York Produce
Exchange relative to, 77-92; “The
Function of New York’s Barge Ca-
nals in Controlling Freight Rates,”
by J. D. Kernan, 135-156; ocean,
lake, railroad and canal rates com-
pared, 143-144.
Freight steamers, cost of construction
and operation, 95-96, 138.
French, George A., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
French, Henry C., trustee of Gratuity
Fund, 299.
French, S. O., boat master, 384 note.
Frink, H. A., 273.
Front street, Buffalo, 239-241, 242.
Fuller, George A., of Watertown,
vice-president of Buffalo conven-
tion, 23.
Fulton co., N.- Y., vote on barge canal
question, 192.
“Function of New York’s Baige Ca-
nals in Controlling Freight Rates,”
by J. D. Kernan, 135-156.
Gallatin, Albert, “Report on roads
and canals,” cited, 223, 227, 228.
Gamble, Hamilton R., governor of
Missouri, 311,
“Ganges,” boat, 383 note.
Gardner, Frank S., “The Canal Im-
provement Union,” 1-11; secretary
of Canal Improvement Union, 2;
secretary of Utica convention, 9,
12, 13; of Syracuse convention,
member of State committee, 17; of
Executive committee, 18; secretary
of New York Board of Trade ana
Transportation, 21; of Buffalo con-
vention, 23, 169; member of State426
INDEX.
committee, 23: drafts bill providing
for survey of canals, 41; at ban-
quet to Gov. Roosevelt, 43; mem-
ber of sub-executive committee of
Canal Association of Greater New
York, 47, 51; member of committee
to consider route of canal, 54;
secretary of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 97; organizes
State Commerce convention, 161;
member of barge canal committee,
162; organizes Syracuse convention,
164; at Albany meeting, 1901, 167;
calls on Gov. Odell, 169; supports
referendum bill of 1902, 170; at-
tends conference at Buffalo, 1715
Republican state convention, 172;
at Albany conference, 175; canal
champion, 178.
Gardner, John W., 274*
Garfield, James A., memorial service,
Buffalo Board of Trade, 293.
Garrett, H., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Garrett, John W., president of Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad, 80.
Gates, Justin, boat master, 384 note.
Geddes, James, engineer, 333, 346,
357.
Gelston, S. F., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Genesee co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.
Genesee river, aqueduct, 229.
Genesee street, Buffalo, 238.
Genesee valley canal, abandoned, 157.
German Flats, N. Y., 203, 207, 208.
Germany, canals and railroads, 149.
Gilpin, Joshua, quoted, 228.
Gibson, C. D., 203.
Gilbert, Edwin, subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Gilson, George D., at canal hearing,
1899, delegate to Utica convention,
161.
Glens Falls feeder, 357.
Gloucester Point, Va., presentation of
flag to 100th Regiment, 276.
Golden Age, 370.
Gorman, Charles A., of Medina, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17.
Gould, Thomas R., member of Con-
gress, 334.
Gowen, Francis I., attorney for Le-
high Valley R. K. Co., 90.
Grade Crossings Commission of Buf-
falo, 308-310.
Grady, Thomas F., speaks at Cooper
Union meeting, 74; supports barge
canal survey bill, 163, 180; canal
champion, 178.
G. A. R. Encampment, Buffalo, 1897,
322.
Grand Island, bridge to, 322.
Grand Junction canal, 226.
“Granite Block,” Buffalo, bought by
Board of Trade, 325.
Gratwick, William H., president of
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 326,
329-
Graves, Delos, canal shipper, 383.
Graves, John C., president of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 328.
Gray, D. F., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Great Lakes, commerce, 217-218.
Green, Andrew H., at dinner to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; _ member of Com-
merce Commission, 160, 189.
Green, Ashbel, attorney for West
Shore R. R. Co., 90.
Green, Douglas N., of Syracuse, 17.
Green, E. S., of Cohoes, 162.
Green, George E., member of State
Committee on Canals, 110, 160, 190;
canal champion, 178, 191.
Green, James W., of Gloversville,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Green & Wicks, architects, 325.
Greene, Gen. Francis V., chairman of
State Committee on* Canals, 5, 39,
160, 100, 307; speaks at canal meet-
ing, New York, 1899, 41; present
at banquet to Gov. Roosevelt, 43;
address cited, 45; speaks at Canal
Association dinner, 70-71; confer-
ence with New York Produce Ex-
change, 93-94; guest of G. K. Clark
at dinner, 98; “Inception of the
Barge Canal Project,** 109-120;
member of barge canai committee,
Utica convention-, 162; canal cham-
pion, 178.
Greene, George C., attorney for L.
S. & M. S. Ry. Co., 90.
Greene, William H., 280.
Greene Commission. See New York
state, Committee on Canals.
Greene co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
192.
Greenman, J. L., canal shipper, 383.
Gregory, J. H., of Kingston, 17, 162.
Gridley, A. G., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Griffin, A. L., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273; canal shipper,
Griffin, F. B., of Clinton, 178.
Griffin, John B., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, .263; delegate to
meeting of American Cheap Trans-
portation Association, 316.
Griffin & McDonald, 273.
Griffin, John M., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Griffiths, of Troy, 378.
Grote, Aug. R., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Gruber, Abraham, 178.
Guilford, Simon, letter to C. B.
Stuart, concerning Canvass White,
quoted, 358-359; engineer of middle
division of Union canal, 360.
Gun-telegraph, at opening of canal,
392-394-
Gurley, William F., of Troy, 17.
Guthrie, S. Sturges, subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273; on ca-
nal committee of Buffalo Board ofINDEX.
427
Trade, 304; president of Board,
328, 370.
Hadfield, Robert, 304.
Hagemeyer, Frank E., member of
Produce Exchange canal committee,
107 note; supports referendum bill,
170.
Hagemeyer & Brunn, letter to H. B.
Hebert, concerning differential rates,
88.
Hager, John F., canal shipper, 383.
Haines, Alfred, member of State com-
mittee, Buffalo convention, 23, 169;
member of canal committee 01 Buf
falo Merchants’ Exchange, 50, 164
166; of legislative committee, 63
at canal hearing, 1899, 161; im
portant work for barge canal, 165
at Albany meeting, 1901, 166; dele
gate to Syracuse convention, 167;
on committee to confer with New
York people, calls on Gov. Odell,
169; supports referendum bill of
1902, 170; on committee to solicit
aid of Gov. Odell, 171; at Buffalo
conference, 1902, 171, 174; dele-
gate to Albany conference, to Re-
publican state convention, 172; on
committee to meet Gov. Odell, 174;
at Albany conference, 175; raises
funds for canal campaign, 179;
president of Buffalo Merchants* Ex-
change, 329.
Hall, A. M., of Oswego, vice-presi-
dent of Syracuse convention, 17;
of Buffalo convention, 23.
Hall, Gordon W., speaks at Buffalo
convention, 29; at canal hearing,
1899, 161; supports referendum bill
of 1902, 170; at Buffalo conference,
1902, 171; delegate to Republican
state convention, 173; canal cham-
pion, 178.
Hall, Nathan K., at Buffalo Board of
Trade banquet, 267.
Hamilton, William, of New York
Produce Exchange, 107 note.
Hamilton co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Hanna, Mark, guest of Buffalo Mer-
chants* Exchange, 324.
Hanover street, Buffalo, 239; site of
first “Merchants’ Exchange,*’ 244-
246.
Hare, JT. Montgomery, on executive
committee for banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43.
Harmon, Justin, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Harrison, James C., 273.
Harrison, Jonas, member of Buffalo
Harbor Company, 241.
Hart, Ithel, boat master, 384 note.
Harvey, Alexander W., 274.
Haskell, W. M., of Glens Falls, 17.
Haskins, R. W., “A Lost Work of
Art,** article in the Buffalo Express,
390*393.
Hatch’s elevator, 258.
Hawes, S. W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hawley, Jesse, essays regarding the
origin of the Erie canal, cited, 349
note.
Hawley, Merwin S., original member
of Buffalo Board qf Trade, 251;
president, 263, 328; subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 274.
Hay and Straw Dealers’ Association,
14.
Hayden, Albert, director of Board of
Trade, 250, 251.
Hayes, Edward, secretary of Boat-
men’s Association, 383.
Hayward, E., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Hayward, H. C., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hazard, George S., president of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 259, 264, 267,
276, 328, 374; appoints committee
on improvement 01 St. Clair Flats,
260 ; treasurer of improvement fund,
261; speech at Board of Trade
banquet, quoted, 267-268; member
of committee on inspection of grain,
270; subscription to 100th Regi-
ment fund, 273; on recruiting com-
mittee, 275; welcomes regiment
home, 277; letter to Major Otis,
cited, 278; speaks at opening of
new building, 291; unique service
as president of Board of Trade,
300; death, 300 note; delegate to
National Ship-Canal convention,
311; address at St. Louis, quoted,
311-312; delegate to International
Commercial convention, Baltimore,
313-3*4» at meeting of Dominion
Board of Trade, Ottawa, 314; speaks
at National Board of Trade meet-
ing, 315*316; appreciation of E. H.
Walker, 370; tribute to, by G. A.
Stringer, 373*375*
Hazeltine, Leonard, 79.
Heacock, Seth G., of Ilion, member
of State committee, Syracuse con-
vention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23; member of Canal committee,
Utica convention, 162.
Heath, E., of Rochester Transporta-
tion Co., 382.
Heath, Morse & Co., canal shippers,
383.
Hebert, Henry B., of New York,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; of Executive
committee, 18; of State committee,
Buffalo convention, 23, 169; chair-
man of canal meeting, New York,
1899, 40; on executive committee
for banquet to Gov. Roosevelt, 43;
on sub-executive committee of Ca-
nal Association of Greater New
York, 47; visits Buffalo, 51; on
committee to confer with Gov.
Odell, 60; treasurer of Canal Im-
provement State committee, 68;
speaks at meeting of New York
Produce Exchange Canal League,428
INDEX.
70, 104; presides at Canal Asso-
ciation dinner, 70; “Action of the
New York Produce Exchange rela-
tive to railroad differentials and
canal enlargement,” 77-108:	chair-
man of committee to confer with
Joint Traffic Association, 84, 86;
letter to, from Hagemeyer & Brunn,
concerning differential rates, 88;
letter to, from Oelrichs & Co., 88-
89; chairman of Canal committee
of Produce Exchange, 93, 107 note,
183; conference with State Canal
Committee, 94; president of Canal
Association of Greater New York,
97; guest of G. K. Clark at din-
ner, 98; letter to, from Gov. Odell,
99; letter to, from Andrew Car-
negie, quoted, 101; treasurer of
Canal Improvement State Commit-
tee, 102; signs appeal to voters,
105; messages of congratulation on
success of referendum measure, 105-
106; calls on Gov. Odell, 169, 170;
supports referendum bill of 1902,
170; on committee to prevent reso-
lutions to Republican state conven-
tion, 173; at Albany conference,
175; member of Canal Improve-
ment State Committee, 176; canal
champion, 178.
Heckman, G. A., 43.
Hedstrom, Eric L., trustee of Buf-
falo Merchants’ Exchange, 289;
speaks at opening of new building,
291; president of Merchants’ Ex-
change, 295, 328.
Hefford, Robert R., member of Canal
Improvement State Committee, 102;
at canal hearing, 1899, delegate to
Utica convention, 161; to Syracuse
convention, 167; supports referen-
dum bill of 1902, 170; on commit-
tee for Albany conference, delegate
to Republican state convention, 172,
173; at Buffalo conference, 174; at
Albany conference, 175:	member
of Canal Improvement State Com-
mittee, 176; canal champion, 178,
188, 306, 307; chairman of Cham-
ber of Commerce building commit-
tee, 326; president of Buffalo Mer-
chants* Exchange, 329.
Heimlich, G. J., 273.
Henderson, John J., 260; secretary
of St. Clair Flats convention, 261;
secretary of Buffalo Board of Trade,
265, 302; annual statement of trade
and commerce of Buffalo, 265, 269.
Hengerer, William, trustee of Buffalo
Merchants’ Exchange, 289.
Hentz, Henry, on executive commit-
tee for banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
43; on finance committee of Canal
Association of Greater New York,
47; signs appeal to voters, 105.
Hepburn, A. B., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; on finance committee of
Canal Association of Greater New
York, 47; remarks at meeting of
New York Chamber of Commerce,
quoted, 65-67; guest of G. K. Clark
at dinner, 98.
“Hercules,”, steamboat, 257.
Herkimer, Gen. Nicholas, home, 341.
Herkimer, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Herkimer Board of Trade, 14.
Herkimer co.? N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Hewitt, Abram S., canal advocate,
145-
Hewson, Archibald K., boat master,
383 note.
Hey wood, Daniel, 250 note.
Hey wood, Russell H., merchant of
Buffalo^ 242-243; president of Board
of Trade, 244, 250, 251, 263, 300,
328; office in Board of Trade build-
ing, 346; address at first Board of
Trade meeting, 247-249, 257; bio-
graphical sketch, 249-251 note; di-
rector of Buffalo Fire & Marine
Insurance Company, 252; incorpor-
ator of Board of Trade, 264.
Hibbard, George B., 268; legal' coun-
sel for Buffalo Board of Trade,
281; responds to toast, 315.
Hickox, Charles R., 79.
Higgins, A. Foster, 189.
Higgins, C., boat master, 383 note.
Higgins, Frank, 180.
Higgins, Joseph W., chairman of As-
sembly committee on canals, 58.
Hill, —, of Chicago, president of St.
Clair Flats convention, 261.
Hill, David B., governor of New
York, signs bill establishing state
naval militia, 318.
Hill, Henry W., introduces bill pro-
viding for survey of canals, 41; at
banquet to Gov. Roosevelt, 43; ad-
dress cited, 45; recognition of
work by New York Produce Ex-
change, 46; speaks at Canal Asso-
ciation dinner, 73-74; “Historical
Review of Waterways and Canal
Construction in New York State,”
cited, 135 note, 197 note; quoted,
211 note; struggle for canals in
constitutional convention, 158, 179;
at canal hearing, 1898, 160;	1899,
161; delegate to Utica convention,
makes address, 162; leads fight for
passage of barge canal survey bill,
163; delegate to Syracuse conven-
tion, 164; at Albany meeting, 1901,
167; calls on Gov. Odell, 170; sup-
ports referendum bill of 1902, 170,
171; at Buffalo conference, 172,
174; at Albany conference, at ca-
nal hearing, 175; canal champion,
178; guest of fi. J. Smith at din-
ner, 185; quotation from Lincoln’s
“Constitutional History of New
York,” concerning, 189.
Hills, Addison, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hitchcock, C. L., 387.
Hitchcock, Chester, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.INDEX.
429
Hitchcox, James, boat master, 384
note.
Hoar, George S., 323-
Hoar, Samuel, attorney for Boston &
Albany R. R. Co., 90.
Hoar, Sherman, attorney for Boston
Chamber of Commerce, 90.
Hodge, William, account of begin-
ning of canal construction, 387-
390; death, 387 note.
Hoffman, John T., governor of New
York, message quoted, 367-368.
Hogan, Charles W., 107 note.
Holbrook, Ora L., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Holderman, Christopher, delegate to
Utica convention, 162.
“Holland Purchase,” boat, 384 note.
Holley, Samuel J., subscription to
100th Regiment fuffd, 273; on re-
cruiting committee, 275; president
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 328.
Holley & Johnson’s elevator, 258.
Hollister, James, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hollister, Robert, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hollister, William, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hollister’s elevator, 258.
Holstein canal, 226.
Holt, A. J., 273.
Holt, George W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251; clerk
of John Scott, 292.
Holt, William, 388.
Holt, Palmer & Co., 242.
Home ^Insurance Co., 6.
Homer, Adam, boat builder, 383.
Hooker, Azel, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hoosac tunnel, 371.
Hopkins, John, engineer, 363.
Hornidge, Wm. H., speaks at Cooper
Union meeting, 74.
Horton, A. W., contribution to 100th
Regiment fund, 273; canal shipper,
383*
Hosack, Dr. David, letter to, from
Benjamin Wright, quoted, 358.
Hosley, Frank, of Chittenango, 382.
Howard, Hiram E., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251;
subscription to 100th Regiment
fund, 274; president of Board of
Trade, 328.
Howard, K. L., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Howell, David J., of Washington, 176.
Howell, Stephen W., original member
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251; sub-
scription to 100th Regiment fund,
273; on recruiting committee, 275.
Hoxie, John C., member of State com-
mittee, Syracuse convention, 17; of
Executive committee, 18; of State
committee, Buffalo convention, 23;
of Barge Canal committee, Utica
convention, 162.
Hubbard, I. M., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hudson, John T., 280.
Hudson river, advantages for naviga-
tion, 21$; importance to state, 216;
forwarding business on, 378.
Hughes, Charles E., governor of New
York, guest at Buffalo Chamber of
Commerce dinner, 326.
Humphrey, Correl, secretary of Syra-
cuse convention, 17; of Buffalo con-
vention, 23.
Humphrey, Richard, of Black Rock,
member of State and Executive
committees, Syracuse convention, 17;
of State committee, Buffalo conven-
tion, 23; delegate to Utica con-
vention, 162; at meeting of canal
committee of Buffalo Merchants*
Exchange, 166; delegate to Repub-
lican state convention, 173.
Hunt, Horace, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Hunt, S. B., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Hunter, Dexter, of Albany, 170.
Huntington, S. V. V., of New York,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Hutchinson, J. M., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Ilion, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Ilion Board of Trade, 14.
Illinois, iron and steel industry, 102.
Indiana, iron and steel industry, 102.
International Commercial convention,
Baltimore, 1871, 313-314.
International Deep Waterways Asso-
ciation, 306.
Iron industry, 101-102.
Irons, Stephen, of New London, 381.
Irwin, D. W., 273.
Italian Chamber of Commerce, New
York City, 46; joins in resolutions
favoring barge canal bill, 50.
Ithaca, N. Y., boat-building, 382.
Ives, John M., of Rochester, 177.
Jacus, W. C., & Co., canal shippers,
383.
James, Alonzo R., president of Buf-
falo Merchants* Exchange, 329.
James, Darwin R., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; on commission to inquire
into work on canals, 189.
Janvier, F. H., attorney for Lehigh
Valley R. R. Co., 90.
Jefferson co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Jerome, William, engineer, 357.
“Jerry,” boat, 384 note.
Jervis, John B., 335; distinguished
engineer, 346.
Jewell, John V., member of Canal
committee of Produce Exchange,
107 note.
Jewett, Elam R., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Jewett, H. J., president of New York,
Lake Erie & Western Railroad, 80.INDEX.
430
Jewett, John L., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 274.
Jewett, Sherman S., original member
of Buffalo Board of Tirade, 251.
Jewett, Thomas, & Co., 253.
Johnson, A. W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Johnson, Ebenezer, member of Buf-
falo Harbor Company, 241; of firm
of Johnson & Wilkeson, 378.
Johnson, Col. Guy, 341, 342, 343.
Johnson, Hiram, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Johnson, Sir John, 341, 342, 343.
Johnson, Sir William, 340, 341, 342,
343-
Johnson & Wilkeson, 378, 379.
Johnstone, A. M., 273.
Johnstown, Pa., flood, 297.
Joint Traffic Association, decision of
Interstate Commerce Commission in
case against, quoted, 73; organiza-
tion, conference with committee of
New York Produce Exchange, 84-
86; complaint of Produce Exchange
against, 87; hearings and report of
Interstate Commerce Commission,
89-92.
ones, Henry R., 283.
ones, Miles, original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Jones, Orsino E., of Jamestown, 178.
Jordon river, 338.
Joslin, Joel, boat master, 384 note.
Joslyn, John, of Buffalo, 178; asso-
ciate editor of Evening News, 185.
Journal of Commerce, New York, fa-
vors canal improvement, 191.
Joy, Thaddeus, 378, 386.
Joy, Walter, original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250, 251; vice-
president of Boatmen’s Association,
383-
oy & Webster, 292, 378.
oy, Lewis B., & Co., 273.
Keep, Charles H., at canal hearing,
1899,	161; delegate to Syracuse
convention, 164; member of canal
committee of Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange, 165, 166; secretary of
Merchants’ Exchange, 302.
Keller, Mrs. Mary E., “Buffalo Sixty
Years Ago,” cited, 245 note; quoted,
246.
Kelley, H., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 251.
Kelley, Hugh, of New York, member
of Commerce Commission, 160, 189.
Kennedy, Charles F., of Buffalo, 164.
Kennedy, Thomas F., of Amsterdam,
vice-president of Buffalo conven-
tion, 22.
Kennet and Avon canal, 226.
Kernan, John D., president of Utica
convention, 1899, 9, 13; of Syra-
cuse convention, 1900,	16,	182;
chairman of State committee, and
of- Executive committee, 17; presi-
dent of Buffalo convention, 22;
chairman of State committee, 23,
169; speaks at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 46; member of State
Commerce Commission, 47 ; counsel
for Produce Exchange in complaint
against Joint Traffic Association,
87, 89; “The Function of New
York’s Barge Canals in Controlling
Freight Rates,” 135-156; prominent
canal advocate, 135 note; speaks at
Utica convention, 162; calls com-
mittee meeting in New York, 162;
conference with Gov. Roosevelt,
163; speaks at Syracuse convention,
164, 167; attends meeting at Al-
bany, 1901,	166; calls' on Gov.
Odell, 169; supports referendum
bill of 1902, 170; appoints commit-
tee to attend Republican state con-
vention, 172; canal advocate, 178.
Kerr, John B., attorney for N. Y.,
O. & W. R. R. Co., 90.
Kessinger, A. R., of Rome, member
of State committee, Syracuse con-
vention, 17; of Executive pommit-
tee, 18; 01 State committee, Buf-
falo convention, 23; at Albany
meeting, 1901, 167; supports refer-
endum bill of 1902, 170.
Ketchum, William, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Kibbee, G., 2^1 note.
Kibbee, W. H., of Albany, 170.
Kimberly, John L., 243; director of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250, 251;
member of firm of S. Thompson &
Co., 377, 379; death, 379 note.
Kimberly, Pease & Co., 243.
King, R. S., 274.
King, William F., speaks at meeting
of New York Produce Exchange
Canal League, 70; at Cooper Union
meeting, 74; signs appeal to voters,
105; at canal hearing, 176.
Kingman, Major Dan C., member of
Advisory Board of Engineers, 63.
Kings co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 116, 192.
Kingsbury, Edward H., of Little Falls,
23.
Kingston Board of Trade, 14.
Kinkel, Albert, of New York, vice-
president of Buffalo convention, 22;
chairman of New York Produce Ex-
change Canal League, 69, 104; let-
ter to, from George B. McClellan,
104.
Kinne, H. M., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 250, 251, 263.
Kinne & Co., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Knapp, Lyman, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 251.
Kneeland, Yale, 107 note.
Knowles, George W., of Lyons, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Kolff, Cornelius G., vice-president of
Syracuse convention, 17; of Buffalo
convention, 22.INDEX.
431
Lake Carriers* Association, 317.
Lake Mohonk Conference, 317.
Lake Weighmasters, 302-303.
Langdon, Andrew, address on- “Bronze
Work in Art and History,** 397-402;
address as president Buffalo Histor-
ical Society, 1908. 403-406; donor
of bronze candelabra^ 397.
Langdon, Edwin, president Central
National Bank, 47.
Languedoc canal, .225.
Laughlin, John, of Buffalo, 164; at
Albany meeting, 1901, 166; dele-
gate to Syracuse convention, on
committee to confer with Gov.
Odell, 167; speaks at hearing on
450-ton canal, 168; calls on Gov.
Odell, 169, 170; supports referen-
dum bill of 1902, 170; at Buffalo
conference, 1902, 171; delegate to
Albany conference, to Republican
state convention, 172, 184; presents
resolutions of canal people, 173; at
Buffalo conference, on committee to
meet Gov. Odell, 174; at canal
hearing, 175; canal champion, 178.
Lautz, Frederick C. M., of Buffalo,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 22;
delegate to Syracuse convention,
164.
Laverack, William, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
“Lawrence,** boat, 383 note.
Lawton, Albert W., of Auburn, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
16; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Leavitt, James S., bookbindery, 245
note; 252.
Leavitt, Sarah, 246 note.
Leaycraft, J. Edgar, 6.
Le Boeuf, Pa., 218.
Lee, Cyrus P., 290.
Lee, Frank, 273.
Lee, John R., treasurer of Board of
Trade, 250, 252; incorporator, 264.
Lee, Oliver, original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Lee & Scofield, 273.
Leeds and Liverpool canal, 226.
Lehigh canal, 362-363.
Lehigh Coal & Navig
362.
avigation Company,
Letchworth, Ogden P., vice-president
of Buffalo convention, 22; makes
address of welcome, 28; president
of Buffalo Merchants* Exchange,
166, 329; canal champion, 178.
Lewis, E. A., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Lewis, Thomas D., of Fulton, member
of State committee, Syracuse con-
vention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23; calls on Gov. Odell, 170.
Lewis co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
192.
Lewiston, N. Y., surveys for canal to
Schlosser’s, 131; carrying trade,
377*
Lincoln, Abraham, appoints engineer
to report on canal improvement,
132.
Lincoln, George Z., “Constitutional
History of the State of New York,*’
quoted, 189.
Linn, Capt. J. B., speech on presenta-
tion of flag to 100th Regiment, 276;
reply to Col. Dandy, 277.
Liquor Dealers’ Association, 69.
Little, Charles B., 107 note.
Little Falls, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14; portage, 198,
200; clearing of river, 203; canal
locks, 207, 225; tolls, 208; beauty
of gorge, 341.
Livermore, E. R., member of commit-
tees of New York Produce Ex-
change, 79.
Livingston co., N. Y., loss of popu-
lation, 100; vote on barge canal
question, 192.
Lockport, N. Y., 346; boat-building,
382-383; gun fired at opening of
canal, 393.
Lockport Business Men’s Association,
Loclcs, enlargement of, 133-144.
Loeser, Vincent, on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; member of Board of Man-
agers of Produce Exchange, 107
note.
Logan, James A., attorney for C. &
O. Ry. Co., 90.
“Logan,” boat, 384 note.
Loomis, Frank, attorney for N. Y.
C. & H. R. R. R. Co., 90*
Lothridge, Nelson, & Co., canal ship-
pers, 383.
Love, Thomas C., 386.
Lovering, William, Jr., original mem-
ber of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Low, Seth, mayor of New York, ad-
dress at Produce Exchange, 5 7; at
Produce Exchange Canal League,
70; signs appeal to voters, 105.
Lumber Trade Association, New York,
13; cooperates in banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 42.
Lutt, Jonathan, boat master, 383 note.
Lux, Charles A., of Clyde, 23.
Lyon, James S., 314.
McCarroll, William, speaks at Buffalo
convention, 28; signs appeal to
voters, 105.
McCausland, John, vice-president of
Buffalo convention, 22; makes ad-
dress, 29; proposes resolution, 31-
32.
McClellan, George B., letter to Albert
Kinkel, 104; signs appeal to voters,
105.
McClure, David, speaks at Utica con-
vention, 162.
McConnell, William F., tour of state
in interest of canals, 4, 19; man-
ages “cart-tail campaign,” 74, 178;
at canal hearing, 1898, 160; organ-
izes State Commerce convention,432
INDEX.
161; member of barge canal com-
mittee, 162; assists in struggle for
barge canal survey bill, 163; or-
ganizes Syracuse convention, 164;
at Albany meeting, 1901, 167; mem-
ber of State committee, Buffalo
convention, 169; supports referen-
dum bill of 1902, 170; on commit-
tee to solicit aid of Gov. Odell, 171;
champion of canal cause, 178.
McCord, Henry D., president of New
York Produce Exchange, 84, 107
note.
McDougal, Elliott C., president of
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 329.
McEchron, William, 189.
McEvoy, P. H., of Little Falls, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17.
McGee, Henry A., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
McGowan, Archibald C., 381.
McGuire, Frank I., 107 note.
McGuire, Horace, of Rochester, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
McGuire, Thomas J., 105.
McIntyre, T. A., of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 79; member of Ca-
nal committee of Exchange, 93, 107
note.
Mackinac, lake tonnage, 1844, 253.
McKinley, William, monument in Buf-
falo, 323.
McKnight, A. H., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
McKnight, F. A., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
McMahon, V. B., member of board
of managers of Produce Exchange,
107 note.
McMurrich, J. B., of Oswego, 17$.
Macomb, Capt. —, survey of St. Clair
Flats, 261 note.
McPherson, John R., 323.
McWilliams, John J., 171; on com-
mittee for Albany conference, 172;
president of Buffalo Merchants’ Ex-
change, 329.
Madison co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 100; vote on barge canal
question, 192; discovery of hydrau-
lic cement, 345, 356.
Mahany, Rowland B., introduces ca-
nal bill in Congress, 159.
Mahr, Julius D., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov.' Roose-
velt, 43-
Main, Henry C., of Rochester, vice-
president of Buffalo convention, 23;
makes address, 28; calls on Gov.
Odell, 169.
Main & Hamburg canal, 254-255.
Main street, Buffalo, 238, 239.
Malcolm, G., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Manchester ship canal, 150.
Manhattan Island, commerce, 7.
Mann, Charles J., subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273; on re-
cruiting committee, 275; on canal
committee of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 304; president of Board,
328.
Manning, John B., 286; active in or-
ganization of Merchants’ and Manu-
facturers’ Building Association, 287-
288; trustee of Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange, 289; on executive com-
mittee for National Board of Trade
meeting, 314; delegate to Washing-
ton meeting, 316; president of
Board of Trade, 328.
Manufacturers’ Association of New
York, 13; proposes resolution at
Buffalo convention, 32-33; cooper-
ates in banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
42; in organization of Canal Asso-
ciation of Greater New York, 46;
in resolutions favoring barge canal
bill, 49.
Marcellus, Charles, of New London,
381.
Marine hospital, Buffalo, 323.
Maritime Association of the Port of
New York, represented at Utica
convention, 13; at canal meeting,
New York, 1899, 40; at conference,
1900, 41; cooperates in banquet^ to
Gov. Roosevelt, 42; in organization
of Canal Association of Greater
New York, 46; in resolutions fa-
voring barge canal bill, 49; with-
draws from Canal Association, 51.
Market House, Buffalo, 258.
Marks, Marcus M., speaks at Buffalo
convention, 28.
Marples, S. S., of New York Produce
Exchange, 84, 86.
Marsh, Phineas S., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; on
canal committee, 304; on executive
committee for National Board of
Trade meeting, 314; delegate to
meeting of American Cheap Trans-
portation Association, 316; presi-
dent of Board of Trade, 328.
Marshall, Henry, of Brooklyn, 46.
Martin, James M., member of Canal
committee of Produce Exchange,
107.
Martin, John, boat master, 384 note.
“Mary,” boat, 384 note.
Mason, F. Howard, of Buffalo, 171;
canal champion, 178; secretary of
Merchants* Exchange, 302.
Mason, James, leases boat for open-
ing of Erie canal, 386-387.
Massachusetts, iron and steel indus-
try, 102.
Massey, John G., attorney for C. &
O. Ry. Co., 90.
Matthews, J. M., & Co., subscription
to 100th Regiment fund, 273.
Maumee, first cargo of wheat from,
374-
Mead, S. Christy, on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; on sub-executive commit-INDEX.
433
tee of Canal Association of Greater
New York, 4 7; on committee to
consider route of canal, 54; at Al-
bany meeting, 1901, on committee
to confer with Gov. Odell, 167, 171;
attends conference at Buffalo, 171.
Meade, Major-Gen. George G., 278
note.
Meadows, William, trustee of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 289.
Meech," Asa ■ B., 378, 379 and note,
393-
Meech, Samuel L., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Memorial of 1816, 211-233.
Memphis, Tenn., 297.
Mercantile Exchange, New York, co-
operates in banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 42; in organization of Canal
Association of Greater New York,
46; in resolutions favoring barge
canal bill, 49.
“Merchant,** steamer, 272.
Merchants* & Manufacturers* Board
of Trade, New York, represented at
Utica convention, 13; at canal
meeting, New York, 1899, 40; co-
operates in banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 42.
Merchants* . & Manufacturers’ Build-
ing Association, 286-288.
Merchants* Association of Catskill, 13.
Merchants* Association of New York,
represented at canal meeting, 1899,
40; at conference, 1900, 4.1; coop-
erates in banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
42; in organization of Canal As-
sociation of Greater New York, 46;
in resolutions favoring barge canal
bill, 49.
“Merchants Line” of canal boats, 378.
Middlesex canal, 228.
Mifflin, Samuel, president of Union
Canal Company, 359.
Miles, Charles, boat master, 384 note.
Miller, A. D. A., original member of
Buffalo .Board of Trade, 252.
Miller, H. W., of Utica, 162.
Miller, Henry B., subscription to
tooth Regiment fund, 273.
Miller, Nathan L., N. Y. state comp-
troller, 136.
Milmine, George, member of Canal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 93» 107 note.
Milwaukee Board of Trade, 261.
Mississippi river, navigation, 218-220;
system of transportation, 369.
Mitchel, O. M., of New York Produce
Exchange, 84, 86.
Mitchell, James H., of Cohoes, mem-
ber Of State and Executive commit-
tees, Syracuse convention, 17; of
State committee,'Buffalo convention,
23.
Mixer, Knowlton, of Buffalo, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; supports referendum bill of
1902, 170.
Mixer & Smith, 273.
Mohawk river, 38; on route of barge
canal, 61; early surveys, 197, 199;
first canal to Wood Creek, 201-203;
improvement of river, 206-207; sur-
vey of canal, 339.
Mohawk valley, 340-342.
Monroe, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14.
Monroe co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 116, 192.
Monroe co., N. Y., Board of Super-
visors, 14.
Monteith, William, 274.
Montezuma, N. Y., 305, 339.
“Montezuma,” boat, 383 note.
Montgomery, Robert, 274.
Montgomery co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 192.
Montreal, importance of seaport, 38;
commercial rival of New York, 217-
220, 222, 371.
Moore, George A., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Morgan, G. H., of Lockport, 170.
Morgan, Samuel, director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 263; earlier of
Frankfort, 381.
Morison, George S., at canal hearing,
member of Advisory Board of En-
gineers, 63; remarks at hearing,
quoted, 64.
Morrill, Justin S., 323.
Morrison, E. S., at canal hearing,
176.
Morse, C. H., 273.
Morse, John H., of Fort Edward,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17.
Morse & Nelson, 273.
Morse Telegraph Co., 246.
Morton, Dr. —, of Hartford, Conn.,
251 note.
Morton, Levi P., governor of New
York, commission appointed by, 23,
32; signs $9,000,000 bill, 306.
Mott, John T., of Oswego, member of
State committee, Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; Buffalo convention, 23;
at Albany meeting, 1901, 167.
Munger, H. C., of Herkimer, member
of State committee, Syracuse con-
vention, 17; Buffalo convention, 23.
Murray, E. F., of Troy, 162, 163.
Murray, Thomas, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Myers, Christopher, boat builder, 382.
Myers, John R., of Rouse’s Point,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23.
Myers, P. J,. boat builder, 382.
Myres, I., original member of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 252.
“N. W. Haverly, boat, 384 note.
“Napoleon,” boat, 383 note.
Nash, W. A., member of finance com-
mittee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47.
Nassau co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192.434
INDEX.
National Board of Trade, organized,
254; meeting at Buffalo, 314-316;
meeting at Washington, 316.
National Council of Commerce, 317.
National Ship-Canal convention, Chi-
cago, 1863, 311.
National Wholesale Lumber Dealers*
Association, 49.
Nelson, Absolom, 304.
Nelson, Stewart G., member of finance
committee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47.
'‘New Haven/* boat, 384 note.
New Jersey, iron and steel industry,
X02.
New London, N. Y., canal-boat build-
ing, 381; large business, 382.
New Orleans, commercial rival of
New York, 217-220, 225; Board of
Trade organized, 254.
New Rochelle Board of Trade, 14.
New York Board of Fire Underwrit-
New ’’^ork Board of Marine Under-
writers, 42.
New York Board of Trade and Trans-
portation, canal work of, 1-11; calls
state convention, 1885, 2; resolu-
tions sent to Gov. Roosevelt, 5, 39;
calls State Commerce convention,
1899, 6-9, 12, 39; 1901, 21-22; pro-
poses resolutions, at Buffalo conven-
tion, 32; represented at canal meet-
ing, New York, 1899, 40; at con-
ference, 1900, 41; cooperates in
banquet to Gov. Roosevelt, 42; in
organization of Canal Association
of Greater New York, 46; in reso-
lutions favoring barge canal bill, 49.
New York Central & Hudson River
Railroad, increase of mileage, 66;
elevator charges, 78; competitor of
canal, 374*
New York Chamber of Commerce, or-
ganized, 254.
New York city, “New York’s City's
Part in the Reconstruction of the
State’s Waterways/* by G. H.
Schwab, 35-75; decline of com-
merce, ,35-36; railroads discrimin-
ate against, 77-83; elevators, 78;
second port 01 the world, 136; press
supports barge canal project, 178;
votes for canal appropriation, 1894,
188; commercial rivalry, 217-220,
371; water supply, 361.
New York city, Board of Aldermen,
resolutions favoring barge canal, 69.
New York co., vote on barge canal
question, 116, 192.
New York Furniture Warehousemen’s
Association, 14.
New York Herald, not favorable to
barge canal, 70, 74; cited, 151.
New York Lumber Trade Association,
49-
New York Manufacturers* Associa-
tion, 40.
New York Produce Exchange, 13;
resolutions advocating fourteen-foot
canal, quoted, 37-38; meeting to
consider canal improvement, 1899,
40;	1900, 41; banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 42-46; dinner to New
York editors, 55; resolutions, Oct.,
1902, 57; decision in case against
Joint Traffic Association, quoted,
73; “Action of the New York Prod-
uce Exchange relative to Railroad
Differentials and Canal Enlarge-
ment/’ by H. B. Hebert, 77-108;
complaint, against Joint Traffic As-
sociation, 86-92; conference of Ca-
nal committee with State Canal
committee, 93*94; committee on ca-
nals, presidents, board of managers,
1896-1904, 107 note; E. H. Walker
appointed statistician, 370; extracts
from reports, 371-372.
New York Produce Exchange Canal
League, organized, 69-70; work for
canal improvement, 104; meeting
of canal committee, 173.
New York Retail Grocers’ Union, 13.
New York state, population, 99-100;
commerce, 101; iron and steel in-
dustry, 102; memorial of citizens
in favor of a canal, 1816, 211-233.
New York state, Advisory Board of
Consulting Engineers, personnel, 63-
64.
New York state, Assembly, bill pro-
viding for survey of canals intro-
duced by H. W. Hill, 41; barge
canal bill introduced by C. F. Bost-
wick, 61; $26,000,000 bill defeated,
168; referendum bill of 1902 de-
feated, 170-171; bill of 1903 passed,
176.
New York state, Commerce commis-
sion, 1898, report, cited, 36, 137,
161; guests at New York Produce
Exchange banquet, 42; obligations
of citizens to, 44; personnel, 160,
189; hearing at Buffalo, 161.
New York state, Committee on Ca-
nals, 1899-1900, appointed, 5, 20,
39, 108, 130, 137, 160, 181, 190,
307; at canal meeting, New York,
1899, 40, 41; guests at New York
Produce Exchange banquet, 42-46;
report quoted, 48-49, m-119; con-
ference with Canal committee of
Produce Exchange, 93-94? person-
nel of committee, 109-110, 160, 190;
work of committee, 110-120, 130;
recommends enlargement of Erie
canal, 138; makes report, 161.
New York state, Constitutional Con-
vention, 1894, 158.
New York state, Legislature, canal
legislation, 3; Davis Canal bill de-
feated, 53-54? barge canal survey
bill passed, 163.
New York state, Senate, barge canal
bill introduced by G. A. Davis, 61;
passes referendum bill of 1902, 170;
passes barge canal bill, 1903, 176.
New York state, State Engineer and
Surveyor, estimate of cost of barge
canal, 166, 176.INDEX.
435
New York State Canned Goods* Pack-
ers* Association, 13.
New York State Chamber of Com-
merce, report of committee on di-
version of trade from New York,
quoted, .35; represented at canal
meeting, New York, 1899, 40; co-
operates in banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 42; resolution advocating barge
canal bill, 65.
New York State Hardware Jobbers*
Association, 13.
“New York State Canals from 1895
to 1903,” by G. H. Raymond, 157-
180.
New York Sun, opposes barge canal,
70, 74, 177, 178, 191.
New York Tax Reform Association,
13; proposes resolutions at Buffalo
convention, 30.
New York Telegram, refuses to pub-
lish letter favoring canal improve-
ment, 74.
New York Times, Berlin correspon-
dent, quoted, 149-150; attitude on
the canal question, 188; E. H.
Walker, contributor, 370.
New York Tribune, quoted, 2-3.
Newbould, Frederick W., original
member of Buffalo Board of Trade,
252.
Newcomb, Edward P., of Whitehall,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23.
Newman, John, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Newman, W. H. H., 316.
Newport News, discrimination in
freight rates, to, 87.
Niagara, lake tonnage, 1844, 253.
“Niagara,** packet, 384 note; leased
for celebration of opening of canal,
386-387.
Niagara co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192; meeting of citi-
zens, 1816, 211-212 note; petition
to the Legislature, 212-213 note.
Niagara Fans, projects for ship ca-
nal, 131-133, 311-3x3; for locks,
212 note; portage, 218, 377; elec-
tric power conveyed to Buffalo, 322.
Niagara river, proposed canal through,
221-224.
Niles, Hiram, 260; incorporator of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 264; presi-
dent, 328.
Niles, H., & Co., 274.
Nims & Gibson, 273.
Nine Million Dollar Canal Act, 3;
bill signed by Gov. Morton, 306.
Nissen, Ludwig, member of commit-
tee of New York Board of Trade
and Transportation, # 6; of State
and Executive committees, Syracuse
convention, 17; of State committee,
Buffalo convention, 23, 169; dele-
gate to Republican state convention,
172.
Nixon, Lewis, speaks at Buffalo con-
vention, 29; proposition to enlarge
locks without enlarging canal prism,
53; speaks at meeting of New York
Produce Exchange Canal League,
70; at Canal Association dinner, 72;
guest of G. K. Clark at dinner, 98;
signs appeal to voters, 105.
Nixon, S. Fred., speaker of the As-
sembly, 43; opposition to barge ca-
nal survey bill, 163.
Noble, Alfred, member of Advisory
Board of Engineers, 64.
Nolton, H. G., trustee of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 289.
Norfolk, Va., discrimination in rail-
road rates to, 87.
Norris, E. B., of the State Grange,
170.
North Side Board of Trade, New
York, 49.
North Bay, N. Y., boat-building, 382.
North Tonawanda, N. Y., represented
at Utica convention, 14.
Norton, Ebenezer F., member of Buf-
falo Harbor Company, 241.
Norwich, N. Y., 383 note.
Nottingham, Edward, of Syracuse, 17.
Noye, John T., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Noye, Richard K., 291.
Noyes, Dr. Josiah, 354.
Oakes, Frank S., of Cattaraugus,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23; member of canal com-
mittee, Utica convention, 162; ca-
nal champion, 178.
O’Brien, T. J., attorney for Grand
Rapids & Indiana R. R. Co., 90.
Odell, Benjamin B., /r„ governor of
New York, 48; guest of G. K.
Clark at dinner, 52, 97-98; message
of 1902, 53, 169; conference with
committee of Canal Association, 60;
letter to H. B. Hebert, 99; ap-
points Advisory Board of Consult-
ing Engineers, 130; address at Buf-
falo, cited, 140, 147, 148; favors
Seymour plan, 166; opposed by
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, 167;
speaks before Buffalo Merchants*
Exchange, 169; resolutions of Mer-
chants* Exchange submitted to him,
170; favors Lake Ontario route,
174; conference with canal friends,
174; quoted by J. I. Platt as op-
posed to canal legislation, 175; de-
nies statement, 176; signs barge
canal bill, 176; message of 1901,
reelected governor, 184; guest of
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, 324.
Oelrichs & Company, letter to H. B.
Hebert concerning differential rates,
88-89.
Ohio, iron and steel industry, 102;
canal construction, 256.
“Ohio,** boat, 384 note.
Ohio basin, 255, 321.
Olcott, N. Y., canal through, consid-
ered, 172, 174.436
INDEX.
Old Home Week, Buffalo, 1907, 326.
O’Malley, Edward O., of Buffalo, 168;
supports referendum bill of 1902,
170; at Buffalo conference, 172;
at canal hearing, 176; canal cham-
pion, 178.
One hundredth Regiment, New York
volunteers, adopted by the Buffalo
Board of Trade, 272-279.
Oneida, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14; on route of Erie
canal survey, 337.
Oneida Chamber of Commerce, 14.
Oneida co., ,N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 192; prominent citi-
zens,
Oneida co., N. Y., Board of Super-
visors, 14.
Oneida Historical Society, 364.
Oneida lake, on route of barge canal,
61; canal to Mohawk river, 201-
202; to Cayuga lake, 204-205; boat-
building, 382.
Oneida river, on route of barge ca-
nal, 61.
Oneida-Seneca route, favored by Ca-
nal Association, 55.
“Ontario,” packet, 384 note.
Onondaga co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 116, 192.
Onondaga lake, 337-
Onondaga river, 205.
Ontario co., N. Y., vote oh barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Ontario, Lake, canal to Lake Oneida,
205; navigation dangerous, 222; fall
from Lake Erie, 223.
“Ontario route,” opposed by Canal
Association, 55; favored by Gov.
Odell, 174: objections to, 221-224.
Orange co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Order of Acorns, advocates canal im-
provement, 70.
Oriskany, battle of, 341.
Oriskany Falls, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
Orleans co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193*
Ormiston, Thomas W., of New York,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Orr, E. A., of New York Produce
Exchange, 79.
Orr, Fred M., of Troy, 23.
Oswego, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14; lake tonnage, 1844,
253; opposes plan of improving St.
Clair Flats, 261.
Oswego Board of^ Trade, 13, 254.
Oswego canal, improvement recom-
mended by State Commerce conven-
tion, 15; bill providing for survey
drawn, 41; improvement provided
for in barge canal bill, 61-62, 130;
estimated cost of improvement, 117-
118; not included in referendum
bill of 1902, 170.
Oswego co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193.
Oswego Lumbermen’s Exchange, 14*
Oswego river, difficulty of navigation,
224; boat-builders from, 382.
Otis, Major C. N., letter to, from
G. S. Hazard, 278.
Otsego co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193*
Ottawa, Ontario, meeting of-Dominion
Board of Trade, 314.
Owasco lake, 337.
Paige, Nathaniel, of New London,
Paint, Oil and Varnish Club, New
York, 13; joins in resolutions fa-
voring barge canal bill, 50.
Palfrey, Capt. Carl F., engineer, 132.
Palmer, George, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264; estate of, 280.
Palmer, Rufus C., 243; original mem-
ber of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252;
subscription to 100th Regiment
fund, 273.
Palmer, Stephen, boat master, 383
note.
Pan-American Exposition, 297.
Paris Hill, N. Y., 249 note.
Parke, Fentoh M., secretary of Buf-
falo Chamber of Commerce, 302.
Parker, Forrest H., president of Prod-
uce Exchange Bank, 47; appoints
committee on freight rates, 79-
Parker, James F., of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 84, 86; member of
board of .managers, 107 note.
Parker, Jason, vice-president of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 263; incor-
porator, 264; member of committee
on inspection of grain, 270; sub-
scription to 100th Regiment fund,
273; president of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 328.
Parr, Beniamin, 107 note.
Parsons, P. L., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Parsons, William H., president of
Board of Trade and Transportation,
6; report of Syracuse convention,
19-21.
Partridge, John N., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; member of State
Committee on Canals, no, 190.
Patchin, A. D., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Patrick, Henry, of New London, 381.
“Patrick Henry,” boat, 384 note.
Patterson, F. W., 273.
Payne, Sereno E., bill in Congress
for canal appropriation, 133.
Peabody, J. N., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Peacock, William, surveyor, 346.
Pearl street, Buffalo, 242.
Pease, John, original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Pease, Sheldon, & Co., 274.INDEX.
437
Peck, Wilbur S., vice-president of
Buffalo convention, 23.
Peck, William E., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Peckham, B. P., boat master, 384
note.
Peckham, Cyrus, of New London, 381.
Pendleton, N. Y., 384 note, 393.
Pennsylvania, growth in population,
xoi; iron and steel industry, 10a,
freight discriminations, 145; canal
development, 256.
Pennsylvania canal, 256.
Pennsylvania Railroad, improvements,
66.
Perrin, Grenville, of New York Prod-
uce Exchange, 84.
Perrine, Henry E., subscription to
xooth Regiment fund, 272, 274.
Perry, George T., boat master, 383
note.
Perry, Commodore Oliver H., 393.
Persons, Henry H., of Buffalo, 171.
Peters, Theodore C., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Petrie, William, 381.
Petrie, Wm., & Co., contribution to
1 ooth Regiment fund, 273; canal
shippers, 383.
Pettit, Silas W., attorney for Trades
League of Philadelphia 90.
Pfarrius, E., of New York Produce
Exchange, 84, 86.
Philadelphia, freight rates to, 77, 81-
83, 8s, 87; commercial rival of
New York, 371.
Philadelphia Board of Trade, organ-
ized, 254.
Philadelphia Commercial Museums,
Philadelphia Record, cited, 145.
Phoenix, N. Y., boat-building, 382.
Pierce, Henry J., 326; president of
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 329.
Pierce, Horace G., speaks at Buffalo
convention, 28.
“Pilot Line” of canal boats, 378.
Pinney, Austin, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Pittsburgh, Pa., commercial position,
1816, 218; Board of Trade organ-
ized, 254.
Pixley, Henry D., vice-president of
Buffalo convention, 23.
Platt, John I., speaks at Utica con-
vention, 9, 162; opposes referen-
dum bill of 1902, 170; opposes ca-
nal improvement plank in Republi-
can platform, 173:	at canal hear-
ing, 175; quotes Gov. Odell as op-
posed to canal legislation, 175; at
anti-canal state Convention, 177.
Platt, Jonas, state senator, 334; con-
nection with early canal legislation,
349*350.
Platt, Thomas C., 179.
Plimpton, L. K;, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, # 232; in-
corporator, 264; subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273; on re-
cruiting committee, 275.
Pond, Ashley, attorney for Michigan
Central R. R. Co., 90.
Port Morris, 7.
Porter, Augustus, of Niagara Falls,
377-
Porter, Peter B., of Black Rock, 377.
Porter, Barton & Co., 377-378.
“Portland,” boat, 384 note.
Potter, Heman B., member of Buf-
falo Harbor Company, 241.
Potter, Orlando B., chairman execu-
tive committee of Canal Improve-
ment Union, 2.
Poughkeepsie Board of Trade, 9, 14.
Pratt, Hiram, 378, 393.
Pratt, Lucius H., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Pratt, Pascal P., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; trus-
tee of Merchants* Exchange, 289;
at opening of new building, 290.
Pratt, Samuel H., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Pratt & Meech, 378; convey guns
and ordnance from Erie to Buffalo,
393.
Pratt Bros., 382.
Pratt*s Landing, 382.
Prescott, William, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Presque Isle (Erie), Pa., naval depot,
392.
Press of New York in the canal cam-
paign, 187-193.
Prime slip, 245, 254, 255.
Prime street, Buffalo, 239, 240, 242;
site of first “Merchants* Exchange,**
244-246.
Pritchard, Emilio, 107 note.
Prosser, E. S., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273; on recruiting
committee, 275.
Pu Lun, Prince, guest of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 324.
Purdy, Lawson, speaks at Buffalo con-
vention, 28.
Purdy, Samuel, commission merchant,
243; original member of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 252.
Putnam, George L., member of finance
committee of Canal Association of
Greater New York, 47.
Putnam co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193.
Queens co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 116, 193.
Quinby, Franklin, on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; on finance and sub-execu-
tive committees of Canal Associa-
tion of Greater New York, 47; on
committee to confer with Joint
Traffic Association, 84, 86; oh Ca-
nal committee of Produce Exchange,
93, 107 note; at Albany meeting,
1901, 167.
Rafter, George W., speaks at Buffalo
convention, 28.438
INDEX.
Railroads, competition with canals, 36,
37, 141; improvements since i860,
66; differential rates, 77*93.
Rainey, Hamilton, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Ramsberger, Samuel J., supports ref-
erendum bill of 1902, 171.
Ranney, O. W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; mem-
ber of committee for improving St.
Clair Flats, 260.
Raymond, George H., of Buffalo,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23, 169; delegate to canal
conference. New York, 50; secre-
tary of Canal Improvement State
Committee, 102; congratulatory mes-
sage to H. B. Hebert, 105; ‘‘New
York State Canals from 1895 to
1903*” 157*180; plan for canal en-
largement, 158-159; at canal hear-
ing, 1898, 160;	1899, 161» dele-
gate to Utica convention, makes ad-
dress, member of canal committee,
162; assists in struggle for barge
canal survey bill, 163; speaks at
Syracuse convention, 164; member
of canal committee of Buffalo Mer-
chants* Exchange, 164, 166, 182; of
committee to solicit funds, 165;
speaks before various boards of
trade, 165-166; at Albany meeting,
1901,	160;	delegate to Syracuse
convention, 1901, on committee to
confer with Gov. Odell, 167; speaks
at hearing on 450-ton canal, 168;
visits New York, calls on Gov.
Odell, 169, 170; supports referen-
dum bill of 1902, 170; on commit-
tee to solicit support of Gov. Odell,
171; at Buffalo conference, 172,
174; delegate to Albany confer-
ence, to Republican state conven-
tion, 172, 173; on committee to
meet Gov. Odell, 174; at Albany
conference, at canal hearings, 175,
176; secretary of Canal Improve-
ment State committee, 176; canal
champion, 178.
Real Estate Exchange, New York, 42,
49*
“Red Rover,” boat, 383 note.
Redhead, E. R., of Fulton, vice-presi-
dent of Syracuse convention, 17;
of Buffalo convention, 22; calls on
Gov. Odell, 169.
Reed, Isaac H., 79.
Rensselaer co., N. Y., loss of popu-
lation, 100; vote on barge canal
question, 193.
Republican Party, platform calling for
canal enlargement, 56; state con-
vention, 1902, 172, 173.
Retail Lumber Dealers* Association of
the State of New York, 13.
Reynolds, H. S., of Poughkeepsie,
member of State committee, Syra-
cuse convention, 17; Buffalo con-
vention, 23.
Rice, Edward C., treasurer of Prod-
uce Exchange, 107 note.
Rich, G. B., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Richardson, George, 273.
Richmond, Alonzo, 304, 319; presi-
dent of Buffalo Board of Trade,
328.
Richmond, Dean, at Buffalo Board of
Trade banquet, 267; subscription
to 100th Regiment fund, 274.
Richmond, Henry A., on canal com-
mittee of Buffalo Board of Trade,
chairman of reception committee for
National Board of Trade meeting,
314*
Richmond, Jewett M., subscription to
1 ooth Regiment fund, 273; on re-
cruiting committee, 275; president
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 281,
328; chairman of building commit-
tee, 288; trustee of Merchants’ Ex-
change, 289.
Richmond co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 193.
Richmond’s elevator, 258.
Rickard, Michael, member of State
Board of Railway Commissioners,
3i9*
Riley Bros., boat builders, 383.
Ritchie, H. B., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
River and Harbor convention, Chi-
cago, 1847, 262.
Roberts, George B., president of
Pennsylvania Railroad, 80.
Roberts, Elijah P., of New London,
381.
Roberts, Nathan S., surveyor, 335,
Ro&rts? 5’A4omas P., president of
Union Canal Company, 359.
Roberts, W. Milnor, engineer, letter
regarding Canvass White, quoted,
359-361; engineer on Lehigh canal,
363.
Robinson, A., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Robinson, Herman, signs appeal to
voters, 105.
Robinson. John W., president of Buf-
falo Chamber of Commerce, 329.
Robinson, Dr. Samuel Adams, 6.
Rochdale canal, 226.
Rochester, N. Y., opposes barge canal,
177, 190-191; boat-building, 382;
boats owned at, 383-384 note.
“Rochester,” packet, 383 note.
Rochester Chamber of Commerce, 13;
proposes resolutions at Buffalo con-
vention, 30; opposition to barge
canal, 177, 191*
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle,
opposes barge canal, 191.
Rochester Post Express, opposes barge
canal, 191.
Rochester Transportation Company,
382.
Rock street, Buffalo, 239.INDEX.
Rockland co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question. 193.
Rogers, Henry W., speaks at Board
of Trade banquet, 268; visits St.
Louis, 311.
Rogers, William, Jr., boat master, 383
note,
Rogers, William A., of North Tona-
wanda, member of State committee,
Syracuse convention, 17; Buffalo
convention, 23; delegate to canal
conference, New York, 50; at ca-
nal hearing, 1899, 1612 member of
canal committee of Buffalo Mer-
chants’ Exchange, 164.; of commit-
tee to confer with New York ca-
nal people, 169; calls on Gov.
Odell, 169; at Buffalo conference,
delegate to Albany conference, 172.
Rome, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14; survey of canal
through, 339; important boat-build-
ing point, 381.	.	,
Rome & Watertown Railroad, 381.
Romer, Alfred, on executive commit-
tee for banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
fj; member of Canal committee of
roduce Exchange, 93» I07 note; at
canal hearing, 1898, 160.
Roop, Henry, 264.
Roosevelt, Theodore, governor of New
York, resolutions addressed to, by
New York Board of Trade, 5, 20;
appoints Canal committee, 5, 20, 39,
92, 108, 130, 137, 160, 181, 190,
307; banquet in his honor, 42-46;
address quoted, 44-45; report of
State Canal committee to, 94, 97;
supports barge canal project, 107,
166; guest of Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange, 324.
Roosevelt Commission. See New York
state. Committee on Canals.
Root, E., original member of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 252.
Root, Erastus, of Otsego co., 351.
Root, Francis H., 290.
Root, Henry, 379.
Rose, Ira M., of Buffalo, 164.
Rotterdam, N. Y., 205.
Rumrill, S. H., 273.
Rumsey, Aaron, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Rumsey, Bronson C., 264.
Russell, G., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Russell, Henry, attorney for Michigan
Central R. R. Co., 90.
Russia, canals, 150.
Ryan, John H., of Medina, congratu-
latory message to H. B. Hebert,
106.
Ryan, Thomas M., at canal hearing,
1899, 161; at meeting of canal com-
mittee of Buffalo Merchants’ Ex-
change, 166; canal champion, 178.
Sackett’s Harbor, lake tonnage, 1844,
St. %air Flats canal, 258-262.
St. Clair Flats convention, 261.
St. John, John R., boat master, 384
note.
St. Johnsville, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
St. Joseph street, Buffalo, 239.
St. Lawrence co., N. Y., vote on
barge canal question, 116, 193.
St. Lawrence County Dairymen’s
Board of Trade, 14.
St. Lawrence river, route to ocean,
217; ice locked, 219.
St. Paul’s Church, Buffalo, 251 note.
Salina, N. Y., 338, 384 note.
Salisbury, Guy H., letter to, from Or-
lando Allen, 392-394.
Salmon river, 205.
Salt Point, N. Y., 338, 378.
Saltar, Jr., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Sampson, Admiral William T., guest
of Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange,
324-	„
Samson, steamboat, 257.
Sanderson, Oswald, on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43; on finance committee of
Canal Association of Greater New
York, 47; member of Board of
managers of Produce Exchange, 107
note.
Sandrock, George, 283; member of
Board of Trade committee on grade
crossings, 309; president of Board,
328.
Sandusky, Ohio, 219; lake tonnage,
1844, 253.
Sandytown, 388.
Saratoga, N. Y„ Republican state con-
vention, 172-173; Democratic state
convention, 173.
Saratoga co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 193.
Saugerties Board of Trade, 14.
Sawyer, George P., vice-president of
Buffalo convention, 22; supports
referendum bill of 1902, 170; at
Buffalo conference, 172, 174; dele-
gate to Albany conference, 172; to
Republican state convention, 173;
on committee to meet Gov. Odell,
174; speaks at opening of Buffalo
Board of Trade building, 291.
Sawyer, James D., subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273 j member
of committee on reorganization of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 282; of
canal committee, 304; of executive
committee for National Board of
Trade meeting, 314; president of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 328.
Scatcherd, James N., trustee of Buf-
falo Merchants* Exchange, 289;
speaks at opening of new building,
291; president of State Board of
Trade, 317; of Buffalo Merchants’
Exchange, 328, 329.
Scatcherd, John W., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; member of
State Committee on Canals, no,
x6o, 190; at meeting of canal com-440
INDEX.
mittee of Buffalo Merchants’ Ex-
change, 166; canal champion, 178.
Schaeffer, Henry L., 288.
Schenectady, N. Y., represented # at
Utica convention, 14; early im-
provement of navigation between
Schenectady and Fort Schuyler,
197-208; boats owned at, 384 note.
Schenectady co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 193.
Scherp, Henry, vice-president of Buf-
falo convention, 22.
Schieren, Charles A., of Brooklyn,
vice-president of Buffalo conven-
tion, 22; speaks at meeting of New
York Produce Exchange Canal
League, 70, 104; chairman of Ca-
nal Improvement State ^Committee,
74, 178; guest of G. K. Clark at
dinner, 98; signs appeal to voters,
105; chairman of Commerce Com-
mission, 160, 189; canal champion,
178.
Schley, Admiral Winfield Scott, guest
of Buffalo Merchants’ Exchange,
Schlosser’s landing, 131, 378.
Schoellkopf, Jacob F., president of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 287; trus-
tee of Merchants’ Exchange, 289;
speaks at opening of new building,
290.
Schoharie, N. Y., improvement of
river to Schenectady, 204.
Schoharie co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 100; vote on barge canal
question, 193.
Schoharie creek, 204, 342, 343.
Schuyler, Philip, president of West-
ern Inland Lock Navigation Com-
pany, 197 note, 208.
Schuyler co., N. Y., loss of popula-
tion, 100; vote on barge canal ques-
tion, 193.
Schuyler, Fort. See Fort Schuyler.
Schuylkill Navigation Company, 361.
Schwab, Gustav H., vice-president of
Syracuse convention, 17; of Buf-
falo convention, 22; portrait, 34;
“New York City’s part in the re-
construction of the State’s Water-
ways,” 35-75; member of canal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 37; chairman- of execu-
tive committee for banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; member of sub-exec-
utive committee of Canal Associa-
tion of Greater New York, 47; of
committee to consider route of ca-
nal, 54; of committee to confer
with Gov. Odell, 60; of legislative
committee, 63; chairman Q,f Canal
Improvement State Committee, 68,
102, 176; cables James Gordon Ben-
nett regarding canal, 70; goes to
Europe, 74; member of Canal com-
mittee of Produce Exchange, 93,
107 note; guest of G. K. Clark at
dinner, 98; signs appeal to voters,
105; speaks at Syracuse conven-
tion, 164; calls on Gov. Odell, 169;
£
supports referendum bill of 1902,
170; attends conference at Buffalo,
171, 174; at Albany, 175; attends
canal hearing, 175; canal champion,
178.
Scott, John, forwarder, 292, 378.
Scott, William, delegate to Utica con-
vention, 162.
Scroggs, Gen. Gustavus A., 276.
Sears, Frank A., 280.
Sears, Richard, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Seibold, Jacob, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Seligman, I. N., guest of G. K. Clark
at dinner, 98.
Selsmer, E. P., 274.
“Seneca Chief,” boat, first trip through
Erie canal, 390-391.
Seneca co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193-
Seneca lake, 382.
Seneca river, 38; on route- of canal,
61, 339-
Seneca street, Buffalo, 242; banking
center, 285; Board of Trade build-
ing on, 288-291.
Severance, Frank H., “Historical
Sketch of the Board of Trade, the
Merchants’ Exchange and the Cham-
ber of Commerce of Buffalo,” 235-
129; reports as secretary-treasurer
'luffalo Historical Society, 1907-08,
407'414-
Sexton, Jason, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Seymour, H. R., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Seymour, H. S., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Seymour, Horatio, president of Canal
Improvement Union, death, 2; let-
ter to J. W. Higgins quoted, 58-59;
canal advocate, 145.
Seymour, Horatio, Jr., plan for canal
improvement, 158, 166, 167, 182.
Seymour & Wells’ elevator, 258.
Shattuck, Henry, boat-builder, 382.
Shaver, Jacob, Jr., 304.
Shayne, C. C., vice-president of Syra-
cuse convention, 17; at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, _ 43; member of
Commerce Commission, 160, 189.
Sheldon, F, L., 273.
Shelton, Rev. William, rector of St.
Paul’s, 251 note.
Sheltons, 251 note.
Shepard, John D., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, '250, 252.
Shepard, Sidney, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Shepard, Walter J., secretary of Buf-
falo Chamber of Commerce, 302.
Sherburne, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
Sherman, Isaac, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Sherman, Richard H., 264.
Sherman, Lieut.-Gen. W. T., 278 note.INDEX.
441
Sherwood, Albert, subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273; ^presi-
dent of Buffalo Board of Trade,
328.
Ship canal, project rejected by State
Committee on Canals, 113-114; agi-
tation for ship canal, 122-124, 139;
cost estimated bv Board 01 Engi-
neers on Deep Waterways, 124; by
Col- Symons, 128; routes consid-
ered, 127; cost of transportation
through, 128; survey for canal from
Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, 1835,
131; project favored in Rochester,
191.
Shumway, Horatio, 252.
Shumways, 251 note.
Sidway, Jonathan, 378.
Sielcken, Hermann, on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
Sill, Henry S., 299.
Simons, Nathan C., 304.
Sinclair, John, member of committee
of New York Produce Exchange,
79*
Six Mile creek, 203.
Sizer, H. H., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Skaneateles lake, 305, 337, 338.
Sloan, George B., of Oswego, 9; tem-
porary chairman of Utica conven-
tion, 1899, 13; reports from com-
mittee on canals, 15-16; member of
State committee, Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; Buffalo convention, 23;
speaks at Utica convention, 162;
at Syracuse convention, 164, 182;
at Albany meeting, 1901, 167.
Sloan, Capt. James, 379 and note.
Small, Jerry, subscription to iOoth
Regiment fund, 274.
Smith, Alexander R., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; member of
Commerce Commission, 160,	189;
supports referendum bill of 1902,
170.
Smith, E., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Smith, Edward B., trustee of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 289.
Smith, G. Waldo, chairman of Com-
mittee of New York Board of
Trade and Transportation,. 6, 12;
member of State and Executive
committees, Syracuse convention,
17; of State committee, Buffalo
convention, 23, 169,
Smith, George W., of Herkimer, 162.
Smith, H. A., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 263; incorporator,
264.
Smith, Hiram M., lake weighmaster,
302.
Smith, Howard J., delegate to second
N. Y. Commerce convention, 164;
at meeting of canal committee of
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, 166;
delegate to Syracuse convention,
167; supports referendum bill of
1902, -170; at Buffalo conference,
171; canal champion, 178; “Rem-
iniscences of the Barge Canal Cam-
paign,** 181-185; gives dinner for
leaders of canal fight, 185.
Smith, Isaac, boat master, 384 note.
Smith, James R., 299, president of
Buffalo Merchants* Exchange, 328.
Smith, Junius S., subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273; lake
weighmaster, 302.
Smith, L. Porter, at canal hearing
1899, 161; member of canal com
mittee of Buffalo Merchants* Ex
change, 164; canal champion, 178
furnishes facts for articles on ca
nal question, 181; urges appoint-
ment of canal committee of Buffalo
Merchants* Exchange, 183; “Notes
on the Canal Forwarding Trade,**
381-384.
Smith, Marshall, 388.
Smith, Solomon Porter, merchant of
New London, 381.
Smith, T. Guilford, 171.
Smith, Walter D., boat master, 384
note.
Smith & Macy, 292.
Smith, L. Porter, & Co., canal ship-
pers, 383.
Smythe, William G., of New York,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Sober, J. W., boat master, 384 note.
Spaulding, E. G., 280; at opening of
Board of Trade building, 290.
Spaulding, S. S., treasurer of Mer-
chants* and Manufacturers* Build-
ing Association, 288.
Spence, Lewis H., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
Sprague, E. Carleton, speaks at open-
ing of Buffalo Merchants* Exchange
building, 291; address quoted, 328.
Sprague, Noah P., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Squaw island, 388.
Stagg, Hy Rutgers, 386.
“Star,** boat, 384 note.
Stark, L. J. N., 3O1.
State Commerce conventions. See
Conventions.
Staten Island, 7.
Staten Island Chamber of Commerce,
represented at Utica convention, 14;
at canal meeting, New York, 1899,
40; joins in resolutions favoring
barge canal bill, 50.
Stationers* Board of Trade, New
York, 13.
Steel industry, 101-102.
Steele, A. B., of Herkimer, vice-presi-
dent of Syracuse convention, 17; of
Buffalo convention, 22.
Steele, Oliver G., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Sterling’s elevator, 258.
Sternberg, P. L., 264; subscription
to 100th Regiment fund, 273.
Steuben co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 116, 193.442
INDEX.
Stevens, Asa, 79.
Stevens, James G., 273.
Stevenson, Prof. John James, of New
York University, speaks at Produce
Exchange Canal League meeting, 70,
104.
Stewart, John A., secretary of Ca-
nal Improvement State Committee,
102, 176.
Stewart, Perez M., at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; letter of thanks to,
from New York Produce Exchange,
46.
Stewart, Graves & Co., 273.
Stimpson & Grant, 273.
Stockton, Commodore Robert F., 363.
Stone, Elias, boat master, 384 note.
Stony Point, breakwater, 323.
Storrs, Gen. Lucius, 340.
Storrs, Juba, & Co., 340.
Stowits, George H., r‘History of the
1 ooth Regiment of New York State
Volunteers,” cited, 276 note.
Straus, Oscar S., signs appeal to vot-
ers, 105.
Stringer, George A., “An Apprecia-
tion of the Work of Elmore H.
Walker,” 367-372; “George S. Haz-
ard: a Tribute,” 373-375*
Stringham, Joseph, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Strong, E. W., attorney for B. O. S.
W. Ry. Co., 90.
Strong, W. L., ex-mayor of New
York, 47-
Strong, W. R., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 274.
Stuart, C. B., engineer, 132; letter
to, from Simon Guilford, quoted
358-359.
Suez canal, traffic, 138.
Suffolk co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Sullivan, J. P., of Buffalo, delegate
to Utica convention, 162.
Sullivan co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Sumner, Charles P., of New York
Produce Exchange, 84, 86.
Swan, Adam, canal shipper, 383.
Swan & Thayer, 273.
Sweet, Charles A., petition for re-
organization of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 282; trustee of Merchants*
Exchange, 289; president of Board
of Trade, 328.
Sweet, Elnathanj member of Advisory
Board of Engineers, 63.
Swett, Albert L., of Medina, 23.
Sylvanbeach, N. Y., canal meeting,
1903* 69.
Symons, Col. Thomas W., at banquet
to Gov. Roosevelt, .43; assists in
drafting barge canal bill, 57, 58, 6x;
at canal hearing, 63; member of
Advisory Board of Consulting En-
gineers, 64, 130-131; speaks at Ca-
nal Association dinner, 71-72; mem-
ber of State Committee on Canals,
109, 130, 160, 190; analysis of
methods of canal transportation,
115; “The United States Govern-
ment and the New York State Ca-
nals,” 121-134; report on bill for
widening locks of Erie canal, 125,
159-160; makes estimate of cost of
ship canal, 126-128; submits report,
129; delegate to Syracuse conven-
tion, makes address, 164; on com-
mittee for Albany conference, 172;
at Albany conference, at canal hear-
ing* 175; canal champion, 178.
Syracuse, N. Y., convention, 1886, 2,
305; represented at Utica conven-
tion, 14; convention, 1900, 16-21,
39, 182;	1901, 21, 167, 183; con-
ference of editors, 1903, 68; oppo-
sition to barge canal, 190; water-
works bill, 305; boat-builders, 382.
Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, 13.
Targett, Alfred S., of Cohoes, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Tanner, H., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 252.
Taxation, for barge canal, 118-119.
Taylor, Edward I., of Lockport,
speaks at Buffalo convention, 29.
Taylor, Samuel, Jr., 107 note.
“Telegraph,” boat, 383 note.
Tennant, Willis H., of Mayville, mem-
ber of State committee, Syracuse
convention, 17; Buffalo convention,
23, 169; speaks at Buffalo ^ conven-
tion, 28; proposes resolution, 29;
speaks at Syracuse convention, 164;
on committee to confer with Gov.
Odell, 167; to attend Republican
state convention, 172; canal cham-
pion, 178.
Terminal facilities, improvement
needed, 151-152.
Terrace, Buffalo, 238, 241.
Tesla, Nikola, 323.
Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), 342-
Thayer, Charles, canal shipper, 383.
Thayer, William, boat master, 383
note.
Thomas, Calvin F. S., 252.
Thomas, Edwin, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Thomas, Evan, on executive commit-
tee for banquet to Gov. Roosevelt,
43*
Thompson, Harry, 377, 379 and note.
Thompson, Sheldon, original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252;
engaged in forwarding business,
377; chairman of Black Rock com-
mittee on opening of canal, 386.
Thompson, S., & Co., 292, 377, 378,
379-
Thompson’s Cut. See Prime’s Slip.
Thompson, W. A., original member
of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Three Rivers, N. Y., canal meeting,
19.03, 69.
Thurber, F. B., 6; on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-INDEX.
443
velt, 43; supports referendum bill
of 1902, 170.
Thurman, Allen G., member of com-
mission on railroad rates, 77, 80.
Thurstone, William, annual statement
of trade and commerce of Buffalo,
269; cited, 304 note; secretary of
Board of Trade, 287, 309; distin-
guished services, 300-301; letter to,
from Roscoe Conkling, 305 note;
delegate to meeting of National
Board of Trade, 316.
Tiemeyer, George H., of New York,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17.
Tierney, E. M., of Elmira, 17.
Tiffany, Louis, & Co., tablet designed
by, 364-366.
Tint, George W., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; pres-
ident of Merchants* and Manufac-
turers’ Building Association, 288.
Tifft, George W., president of Mer-
chants’ and Manufacturers’ Build-
ing Association, 288.
Tilden, Samuel J., canal advocate,
145*
Tioga co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
To’dt
canal-boat master,
Trade, organized,
Augustus,
383' note.
Toledo Board of
254.
Tolls, abolished, 1; report of sub-
committee of Canal Association op-
Y., vote on barge
193-
posing tolls, ^8-6o.
Tompkins co..
canal question,
Tonawanda, N. Y., 384 note, 393
Tonawanda creek, 346.
Tonawanda Lumberman’s Association,
14.
Toomey, Andrew J., 107 note.
Toomey, Daniel, of Dunkirk, 178.
Townsend, Charles, member of Buf-
falo Harbor Company, 241; of firm
of Townsend & Coit, 377.
Townsend & Coit, 377-378, 379.
Tracy, Albert H., member of Buffalo
Harbor Company, 241.
Treat, Curt M., secretary of Bureau
of Conventions and Industries, 323.
Tremain, Henry E., of Lake George,
vice-president of Syracuse conven-
tion, 17.
Trenor, John J. D., 47; work among
the Italians, 69; member of Canal
committee of Produce Exchange,
107 note; at Buffalo conference,
174; at Albany conference, 175;
canal champion, 178.
Troy, N. Y., represented at Utica
convention, 14; boats owned at,
384 note.
“Troy & Erie Line” of canal boats,
378.
Truesdell, John P., member of eanal
committee of New York Produce
Exchange, 37, 93, 107 note; of
executive committee for banquet to
43; of finance com-
al Association of
Gov. Roosevelt, 43
mittee of Canal
Greater New York, 47; of commit-
tee to confer with Joint Traffic As-
sociation, 84, 86; speaks at Utica
convention, 162.
Trump, E. N.» of Syracuse, 17.
Tuttle, D. N., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 263.
Tuttle, D. W., subscription to 100th
Regiment fund, 273.
Tuttle, Solomon, of New London,
381.
Tyler, John, president of the United
States, “pockets” River and Harbor
bill, 256.
Ulster co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Union canal, Pa., 359-361.
Union for the Improvement of Canals
of the State of New York, organ-
ized, 2; work of, 2-11, 305^
United Retail Grocers’ Association of
Brooklyn, 14.
United States, Board of Engineers on
Deep Waterways, appointed, report
cited, 123-124, 139.
United States, Congress, bill for wid-
ening locks of Erie canal, 125, 139.
United States, Interstate Commerce
Commission, report quoted, 27, 141,
142; decision in case of New York
Produce Exchange against railroads
quoted, 73; hearing of complaint
of Produce Exchange, 89-90; report,
90-92; Import Rate case, decision
cited, 91.
United States, Senate Committee on
Interstate Commerce, report on
waterways, quoted, 36-37.
U. S. Export Association, 6.
“United States Government and the
New York State Canals,” by T. W.
Symons, 121-134.
Urban, George, 274.
Utica, N. Y., convention, 1885, 2;
State Commerce convention, 1899,
9*i6, 39, 161-162, 182; opposition
to barge canal, 190; seal of city,
365“; boats owned at, 383-384 note.
Utica Chamber of Commerce, 13.
Utica Daily Press, 139.
Utica Dairy Board of Trade, 14.
Valiant, John, of New York Produce
Exchange, 84, 86; member of board
of managers, 107 note.
Van Buren & Co., 273.
“Vandalia,” propeller, 257.
Vanderbilt, Aaron, of New York, 167.
Vanderbilt, William H., president of
New York Central Railroad, 80.
Venderhoef, G. W., on executive com-
mittee for banquet to Gov. Roose-
velt, 43.
Van Rensselaer, William B., vice-
president, Syracuse convention, 16.
Van Schaack, H. C., of Black Rock,
386.444
INDEX.
Van Vliet, D. M., member of Canal
committee of Produce Exchange,
107; at Albany meeting, 1901,
167; supports referendum bill of
1902, 170.
Vary, C. P. H., of Newark, member
of State committee, Syracuse con-
vention, 17; Buffalo convention, 23.
Venice, Ohio, 250 note.
“Venice mills,” 242.
Vernon, N. Y., 337.
Verona, N. Y., 337.
Vollenhoven avenue, Buffalo, 238.
Voltz, John, delegate to Utica con-
vention, 162.
Vosburgh, Cornelius, subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273.
Vought, John H., member of canal
committee of Buffalo Board of
Trade, 304; delegate to meeting of
American Cheap Transportation As-
sociation, 316; president of Board
of Trade, 328.
Walbridge, George B., original mem-
ber of Buffalo Board of Trade,
252; president, 328.
Walbridge, W. D., director of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 263.
Walden, Ebenezer, member of Buf-
falo Harbor Company, 241.
Walker, Elmore H., annual statement
of trade and commerce of Buffalo,
269; subscription to 100th Regi-
ment fund, 273.; “Appreciation of
Work,” by G. A. Stringer, 367-372;
editorial on Gov. Hoffman's mes-
sage, quoted, 368-370; statistician
of New York Produce Exchange,
farewell meeting" of Buffalo Board
of Trade, 370; extracts from re-
ports, 371-372; death, 372.
Walker, H. C., 260.
Wallabout Market Merchants’ Asso-
ciation, Brooklyn, 14.
Ward, William R. L., original mem-
ber of Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Wardle, Charles A., of Catskill, mem-
ber of State and Executive commit-
tees, Syracuse convention, 17; of
State committee, Buffalo convention,
23; of Canal committee, Utica con-
vention, 162.
Wardwell, A. C., of Catskill, 167.
Warren, E. S., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Warren, Henry J., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Warren, W. C., 174.
Warren co., N. Y., vote on barge ca-
nal question, 193.
Warren co., N. Y., Board of Super-
visors, 14.
Washburn, Elihu B., member of com-
mission on railroad rates, 77, 80.
Washburn, John H., vice-president
Home Insurance Co., 6; signs ap-
peal to voters, 105.
Washington, D. C., National Board
of Trade meeting, 316.
Washington co., N. Y., loss of popu-
lation, 100; vote on barge canal
question, 193.
“Washington Line”of canal boats,
393-394-
Water street, Buffalo, 239.
Water-supply, conserved by barge ca-
nal, 156.
Watertown Times, anti-canal paper,
190.
Watford, A. B., engineer, 363.
Watson, Charles E., of Clintion, 178.
Wayne co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
Webb, William H., treasurer of Canal
Improvement Union, 2.
Webster, George B., vice-president of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 250, 252;
of firm of Joy & Webster, 378.
Weed, Smith M., 189.
Weed, William W., boat master, 384
note.
Weedsport, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14.
Weighmasters, 302-303.
Wells, David A., 301.
Wells street, Buffalo, 242.
Wentworth, David, 265, 269,
Westchester co., N. Y., vote on barge
canal question, 193.
Western Hotel, Buffalo, 286.
Western Inland Lock Navigation Com-
pany, second report, 1798, 197-208;
plan to connect Lake Ontario with
Cayuga lake, 349*350.
Western New York Canal Enlarge-
ment Association, 326.
Western Transit Co., 274.
Weston, William, engineer, quoted,
225; estimates expense of canal,
227-228.
Wetmore, Melancthoii C., boat master,
384 note.
Weymouth and Taunton canal, 227.
Wheeler, William E., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43.
White, Canvass, surveyor, 335, 345,
346; discovers hydraulic cement,
345*	356-357; “Canvass White’s
Services,” by W. P. White,. 353-
367; early years, 353*355; experi-
ences in War of 1812, 354-355; as-
sists in Erie canal survey, 355;
lays out Glens Falls feeder, 357;
tribute from Judge Wright, 358;
from Simon Guilford, 358-359; chief
engineer of Union canal, 359-361;
other engineering works, 361-363;
death, 363; personal appearance,
364; memorial tablet, 364*366.
White, F. C., letter to W. C. Young
concerning canal legislation, 349-
George C., president of White’s
bank, 266.
White, Hugh, pioneer settler at
Whitestown, N. Y., 353, 364-365.
White, Hugh, Jr., letter concerning
his brother, quoted, 364.
White, Deacon John, 353.
Whit<INDEX.
445
White, Josiah, 362.
White, R. S., congratulatory message
. to H. B. Hebert, 106.
White, William Pierrepont, vice-presi-
dent of Syracuse convention, 17;
canal champion, 178; “Canvass
, White’s Services,” 353-367.
Whitesboro, N. Y., represented at
Utica convention, 14; home of W.
C. Young, 334.
Whitestown, N. Y., 353, 364.
Whiting, S. W., director of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 263.
Whitney, G. J., 273.
Wholesale Grocers’ Association, N. Y.,
I3» 50-
Wicks, Russell H., treasurer of Utica
convention, 13.
Wilbur, E. B., 309.
WilCox, Horace, secretary of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 302.
Wilkeson, E. R., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Wilkeson, John, original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252.
Wilkeson, Judge Samuel, 238, 240;
“Historical Writings,” cited, 241
note; engaged in forwarding trade,
378; chairman of local committee
of arrangements for opening of ca-
nal* 385*386.
Wilkesons, 250 note.
Wilkins, R. P., director of Board of
Trade, 250, 252.
Williams, A. G., 275,
Williams, Frank, engineer, 261 and
note.
Williams, G. T., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Williams, Geoerge H., of New York
Produce Exchange, 107 note.
Williams, Perry P., 107 note.
Williams, Richard, 273.
Williams, William, on committee to
draft constitution of Board of
Trade, 243, 244; vice-president of
Board of Trade, 250, 252; speaks
at banquet, 268; subscription to
100th Regiment fund, 273.
Williams, Capt. W. G., surveys for
ship canal, 131.
Williams, Fareo & Co., 274.
Williamson, S. E., attorney for N.
Y., C. & St. L. Ry. Co., 90.
Williamsville, N. Y., 340.
Wilmot, Charles E., of New York
Produce Exchange, 84, 86.
Wilner, Merton M., “The New York
State Press in the Campaign for
the Enlargement of the Canals,”
187-193-
Wilson, G. R., original member of
Buffalo Board of Trade, 252; in-
corporator, 264.
Wilson, John M., estimate of cost of
lock enlargement, 133-134.
Wiman, Erastus, at canal hearing,
1898, 160; speaks at Utica conven-
tion, 162; canal champion, 178.
Windom, William, of Minnesota,
quoted, 145.
Windsor locks, 362.
Winslow, N. C., & Co., 273.
Witherbee, Frank S., at banquet to
Gov. Roosevelt, 43; member of leg-
islative committee, 63; of Canal
Improvement State Committee, 102;
signs appeal to voters, 105; mem-
ber of State Committee on Canals,
109, 160, 190; inspects European
canals, 112; member of barge ca-
nal committee, Utica convention,
162; supports referendum bill# of
1902, 170; delegate to Republican
state convention, 172; attends Buf-
falo conference, 174; member of
Canal Improvement State Commit-
tee, 176; canal champion, 178.
Wolf, Charles W., 273.
Women’s Educational and Industrial
Union, 298.
Wood creek, on route of barge canal,
61; early surveys, 197; canal to
the Mohawk, 201-203; improvement
of, 206-207, 224.
Woodford, Gen. Stewart L., speaks at
Cooper Union mass meeting, 74.
Woodruff, Franklin, 79.
Woodruff, Ralph, boat master, 384
note.
Woodruff, Timothy L., lieut.-governor
of New York, at banquet to Gov.
Roosevelt, 43; at dinner of G. K.
Clark, 98.
Woodward, J. S., of Herkimer, 178.
World’s Columbian Water Congress,
297.
Worrall, Col. James, engineer, 360.
Worthington, S. K., director of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 263; sub-
scription to 100th Regiment fund,
27 3.
Wright, Albert J., president of Buf-
falo Merchants* Exchange, 328.
Wright, Alfred P., member of com-
mittee on reorganization of Buffalo
Board of Trade, 282; of building
committee, 288; trustee of Mer-
chants* Exchange, 289; on canal
committee of Board of Trade, 304;
president of Board, 328; canal
shipper, 383.
Wright, Benjamin, engineer, 334;
sm*Vey of Erie canal, 335, 344* 355*
3«>7, 365; high rank as engineer,
344* 345* 346; statement regarding
Canvass White’s discovery of hy-
draulic cement, 356-357; letter to
Dr. Hosack, containing tribute to
Canvass White, 358; chief engi-
neer of Delaware & Chesapeake ca-
nal, 361.
Wright, John A. C., of Rochester,
speaks at Buffalo convention, 28;
leader of anti-canal forces, 191.
Wright, Peter, canal shipper, 383.
Wright, Silas, canal shipper, 383.
Wurster, Fred W., signs appeal to
voters, 105.446
INDEX.
Wyckoff, Charles W., of Ithaca, vice-
president of Syracuse convention,
17; of Buffalo convention, 22.
Wyman, William, boat master, 384
note.
Wyoming co., N. Y.. loss of popula-.
tion, 100; vote on barge canal ques-
tion, X93.
Yates co., N. Y., loss of population,
100; vote on barge canal question,
193.
Yaw, A. P., original member of Buf-
falo Board of Trade, 250.
Young, William C., “Reminiscences
of Erie Canal Surveys in 1816-
1817,” 331-347; letter to, from F.
C. White, 349-351; inventor of
modern railroad ties, 365-366.
ERRATA
Page 23, for “Nikola Tekla” read “Tesla.”
“ 43> “ “Fred S. Nixon” read “S. Fred Nixon.”
“ 80, “ “C. B. Roberts” read “G. B. Roberts.”
“ 125, line 12, for “1890” read “1896.”
“ 261, for “Capt. Caufield” read “Canfield.”
“ 288, “	“M. I. Crittenden” read “M. L. Crittenden.”