﻿798 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  canal, 
  over 
  aqueducts, 
  structures, 
  etc., 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in. 
  the 
  canal 
  

   reaches, 
  and 
  to 
  lengthen 
  the 
  locks 
  by 
  changing 
  the 
  gates 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  allow 
  their 
  use 
  by 
  boats 
  115 
  feet 
  long, 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  width, 
  

   and 
  drawing 
  8 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  This 
  follows 
  the 
  present 
  route 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  This 
  would 
  enable 
  ordinary 
  boats 
  to 
  carry 
  400 
  tons 
  of 
  freight, 
  

   and 
  a 
  four-boat 
  steam 
  fleet 
  would 
  carry 
  1500 
  tons 
  of 
  freight, 
  or 
  

   about 
  50,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  wheat. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  known 
  no 
  definite 
  

   estimate 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Mr 
  Adams 
  of 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  additional 
  

   work 
  proposed. 
  The 
  estimated 
  cost, 
  however, 
  of 
  this 
  plan, 
  as 
  

   made 
  by 
  the 
  Canal 
  Committee, 
  was 
  $15,068,048. 
  This 
  includes 
  

   new 
  quadrant 
  buffer 
  steel 
  gates, 
  with 
  the 
  necessary 
  masonry 
  at 
  

   each 
  lengthened 
  lock, 
  and 
  the 
  unlengthened 
  locks 
  to 
  be 
  improved 
  

   to 
  correspond, 
  and 
  all 
  structures 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  such 
  depth 
  as 
  will 
  

   admit 
  their 
  use 
  by 
  boats 
  drawing 
  8 
  feet 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  an 
  estimate 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Canal 
  

   Committee 
  the 
  cost 
  per 
  ton 
  for 
  carrying 
  freight 
  on 
  this 
  canal 
  

   from 
  Buffalo 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  would 
  be 
  50 
  J 
  cents; 
  the 
  cost 
  per 
  

   bushel 
  would 
  be 
  1.51 
  cents, 
  and 
  the 
  cost 
  per 
  ton 
  mile 
  would 
  be 
  

   1 
  mill. 
  

  

  New 
  Erie 
  canal 
  proposed 
  by 
  Canal 
  Committee. 
  In 
  considering 
  

   the 
  enlargement 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  to 
  9 
  feet, 
  the 
  Canal 
  Committee 
  

   proposed 
  that 
  the 
  principal 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  

   follows 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  The 
  prism 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  to 
  be 
  left 
  at 
  its 
  present 
  width 
  

   generally, 
  but 
  to 
  be 
  deepened 
  to 
  9 
  feet 
  throughout, 
  at 
  aqueducts 
  

   and 
  structures 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  canal 
  levels, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  put 
  into 
  

   condition 
  for 
  use 
  by 
  boats 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  width 
  and 
  drawing 
  

   8 
  feet. 
  

  

  2) 
  Three 
  important 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  route 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  to 
  be 
  

   adopted. 
  The 
  first 
  and 
  greatest 
  change 
  is 
  to 
  deflect 
  the 
  canal 
  

   from 
  a 
  point 
  just 
  east 
  of 
  Clyde 
  into 
  the 
  Seneca 
  river, 
  follow 
  down 
  

   the 
  river 
  to 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  Oneida 
  river, 
  thence 
  follow 
  up 
  

   the 
  Oneida 
  river 
  to 
  Oneida 
  lake, 
  through 
  Oneida 
  lake, 
  and 
  thence 
  

   by 
  canal 
  up 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Wood 
  creek 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  Erie 
  

   canal 
  near 
  New 
  London, 
  making 
  several 
  river 
  cut-offs 
  to 
  shorten 
  

   distance 
  and 
  give 
  better 
  alignment. 
  

  

  