﻿720 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  an 
  improvement 
  of 
  Erie 
  canal 
  was 
  authorized 
  at 
  a 
  cost 
  

   of 
  19,000,000. 
  Later, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  cost 
  would 
  he 
  

   116,000,000 
  instead 
  of 
  f 
  9,000,000, 
  as 
  originally 
  expected. 
  On 
  this 
  

   basis, 
  and 
  throwing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  account 
  former 
  expenditures, 
  we 
  

   may 
  say 
  that 
  Erie 
  canal 
  will 
  cost 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  

   York 
  annually 
  at 
  least 
  $1,230,000. 
  Assuming 
  a 
  traffic 
  for 
  the 
  

   canal 
  of 
  5,000,000 
  tons 
  per 
  annum, 
  carried 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  200 
  

   miles, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  1,000,000,000 
  ton-miles 
  per 
  annum, 
  on 
  

   which 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  must 
  pay 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  

   of 
  interest 
  and 
  cost 
  of 
  maintenance 
  and 
  operation 
  about 
  1.25 
  

   mills 
  per 
  ton-mile, 
  while 
  canal 
  freights 
  now 
  average 
  about 
  1.2 
  

   mills 
  per 
  ton-mile; 
  hence 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

   will 
  be 
  obliged 
  to 
  pay 
  under 
  the 
  new 
  conditions 
  over 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  total 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  transportation. 
  At 
  present 
  the 
  local 
  

   canal 
  freights 
  are 
  only 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total. 
  

  

  Early 
  history 
  of 
  canals 
  in 
  'New 
  York. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  water 
  com- 
  

   munication 
  between 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  west 
  via 
  the 
  valley 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  favored 
  one 
  with 
  the 
  statesmen 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   century; 
  the 
  early 
  projects, 
  however, 
  were 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  im- 
  

   provement 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  water 
  channels 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  include 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  artificial 
  channels 
  further 
  than 
  such 
  channels 
  

   might 
  be 
  necessary 
  as 
  connecting 
  links. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  learned, 
  the 
  earliest 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  route 
  

   between 
  Albany 
  and 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  made 
  in 
  1724 
  

   by 
  the 
  Surveyor 
  General 
  to 
  Governor 
  Burnet, 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Gov- 
  

   ernor 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  Surveyor 
  General 
  

   describes 
  the 
  watercourses 
  and 
  carrying 
  places 
  between 
  Albany 
  

   2nd 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  with 
  about 
  as 
  much 
  accuracy 
  as 
  they 
  cam 
  be 
  

   described 
  today. 
  The 
  carry 
  between 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  river 
  and 
  Wood 
  

   creek 
  he 
  describes 
  as 
  " 
  a 
  portage 
  only 
  three 
  miles 
  long, 
  except 
  

   in 
  very 
  dry 
  weather, 
  when 
  the 
  goods 
  must 
  be 
  carried 
  two 
  miles 
  

   further." 
  He 
  also 
  describes 
  the 
  passage 
  down 
  the 
  Oswego 
  river 
  

   to 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  showing 
  that 
  freight 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  from 
  

   Albany 
  to 
  that 
  lake 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk, 
  Oneida 
  and 
  Oswego 
  

   rivers, 
  cheaper 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  conveniently 
  than 
  they 
  were 
  then 
  

   transporting 
  it 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson, 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  and 
  the 
  

   River 
  St 
  Lawrence. 
  

  

  