﻿730 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  f 
  1,125,983. 
  This 
  increase, 
  as 
  stated 
  by 
  the 
  commissioners, 
  was 
  

   due 
  to 
  change 
  of 
  prism 
  and 
  structures. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  State 
  canals 
  were 
  in 
  progress 
  the 
  Seneca 
  Lock 
  

   Navigation 
  Company, 
  authorized 
  by 
  chapter 
  144 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  

   1813, 
  had 
  been 
  engaged 
  in 
  constructing 
  a 
  canal 
  between 
  Seneca 
  

   and 
  Cayuga 
  lakes, 
  including 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  locks 
  at 
  Seneca 
  Falls. 
  

   On 
  June 
  14, 
  1818, 
  a 
  loaded 
  boat 
  from 
  Schenectady, 
  16 
  tons 
  burden, 
  

   passed 
  the 
  newly 
  constructed 
  locks 
  at 
  Seneca 
  Falls. 
  Along 
  the 
  Mo- 
  

   hawk 
  river 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  boats 
  of 
  this 
  size 
  was 
  effected 
  through 
  

   the 
  locks 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  Navigation 
  Company, 
  Erie 
  

   canal 
  not 
  being 
  open 
  for 
  navigation 
  at 
  that 
  date. 
  The 
  locks 
  at 
  

   Seneca 
  Falls 
  cost 
  $60,000. 
  The 
  toll 
  charged 
  during 
  1818 
  was 
  

   equivalent 
  to 
  9 
  cents 
  per 
  ton 
  per 
  mile. 
  

  

  Champlain 
  canal 
  was 
  opened 
  for 
  navigation 
  November 
  24, 
  1819, 
  

   from 
  the 
  Hudson 
  at 
  Fort 
  Edward 
  to 
  Lake 
  Champlain. 
  The 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  cost 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  was 
  $250,000, 
  but 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  chang- 
  

   ing 
  its 
  dimensions 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  the 
  revised 
  

   estimate 
  amounted 
  to 
  $333,000. 
  The 
  canal 
  was 
  finally 
  completed 
  

   from 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  to 
  Albany 
  on 
  September 
  10, 
  1823. 
  

  

  Work 
  on 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  proceeded 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  from 
  1820 
  to 
  

   1825, 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  year 
  94 
  miles 
  being 
  in 
  operation 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  363. 
  It 
  was 
  finally 
  completed 
  from 
  Albany 
  to 
  Black 
  Rock 
  

   on 
  October 
  26, 
  1825, 
  on 
  which 
  day 
  the 
  first 
  boat 
  ascended 
  the 
  

   Lockport 
  locks 
  and 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  mountain 
  ridge 
  into 
  Lake 
  

   Erie. 
  LTninterrupted 
  navigation 
  was 
  thus 
  obtained 
  from 
  that 
  

   lake 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  ocean 
  for 
  boats 
  of 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  about 
  40 
  

   tons 
  burden. 
  The 
  event 
  was 
  made 
  a 
  gala 
  day 
  the 
  whole 
  length 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  The 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  unbounded 
  

   perseverance 
  and 
  genius 
  of 
  one 
  man 
  — 
  Governor 
  De 
  Witt 
  Clinton 
  — 
  

   who, 
  when 
  one 
  studies 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  stands 
  

   forth 
  as 
  the 
  colossal 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  enterprise. 
  Nevertheless 
  Clin- 
  

   ton 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  actively 
  interested 
  until 
  about 
  

   1810, 
  but 
  his 
  interest 
  once 
  aroused 
  he 
  was 
  easily 
  the 
  leading 
  

   figure 
  of 
  the 
  enterprise 
  until 
  its 
  completion 
  in 
  1825. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  expenditure 
  on 
  the 
  Erie 
  and 
  Champlain 
  canals 
  to 
  Jan- 
  

   uary 
  1, 
  1826, 
  was 
  $9,474,373.14, 
  from 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  deducted 
  

   for 
  pay 
  of 
  engineers 
  and 
  commissioners, 
  the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  water 
  

   rights, 
  land 
  damages, 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  feeders, 
  repairs, 
  Black 
  

  

  