﻿736 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  By 
  way 
  of 
  illustrating 
  the 
  growth 
  and 
  decline 
  of 
  the 
  business 
  

   of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  canals 
  from 
  about 
  1835-36 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  

  

  time, 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  tonnage 
  of 
  all 
  freight 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  canals, 
  ascending 
  and 
  descending, 
  and 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  same 
  for 
  certain 
  years 
  from 
  1837 
  to 
  1902, 
  inclusive, 
  is 
  presented: 
  

  

  Table 
  no. 
  93 
  — 
  Total 
  tonnage 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  canal 
  freight, 
  1837 
  

  

  to 
  1902 
  

  

  Tons 
  Value 
  

  

  1837 
  1,171,296 
  155,809,288 
  

  

  1840 
  ' 
  1,416,046 
  66,303,892 
  

  

  1845 
  1,977,565 
  100,629,859 
  

  

  1850 
  3,076,617 
  156,397,929 
  

  

  1855 
  4,022,617 
  204,390,147 
  

  

  1860 
  4,650,214 
  170,849,198 
  

  

  1865 
  4,729,654 
  256,237,104 
  

  

  1870 
  6,173,769 
  231,836,176 
  

  

  1875 
  4,859,958 
  145,008,575 
  

  

  1880 
  6,457,656 
  247,844,790 
  

  

  1885 
  4,731,784 
  119,536,189 
  

  

  1890 
  5,246,102 
  145,761,086 
  

  

  1895 
  3,500,314 
  97,453,021 
  

  

  1896 
  3,714,894 
  100,039,578 
  

  

  1897 
  3,617,804 
  96,063,338 
  

  

  1898 
  3,360,063 
  88,122,351 
  

  

  1899 
  3,686,051 
  92,786,712 
  

  

  1900 
  3,345,941 
  84,123,772 
  

  

  1901 
  3,420,613 
  83,478,880 
  

  

  1902 
  3,274,610 
  81,708,453 
  

  

  Without 
  analyzing 
  the 
  figures 
  in 
  detail, 
  it 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  point 
  

   out 
  that 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  as 
  popularly 
  supposed, 
  that 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  

   ought 
  to 
  be 
  maintained 
  as 
  a 
  medium 
  of 
  competition 
  with 
  the 
  

   railways, 
  the 
  figures 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  annual 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  

   chief 
  competitor 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  conclusive 
  that 
  

   the 
  competition 
  has, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  been 
  a 
  failure. 
  The 
  railway, 
  

   developed 
  as 
  a 
  private 
  enterprise, 
  has 
  not 
  only 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  carry 
  

   freight 
  as 
  cheaply 
  as 
  the 
  canal, 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  charge 
  for 
  

  

  