734 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



regulated the canals quite as much or more than the canals have 

 regulated the railways. Indeed, the railways must be considered 

 as having the better of it, because the State has been obliged 

 absolutely to do away with all tolls on the canals in order to 

 insure their obtaining business at all. 



In illustration of the value of the water resources afforded by 

 the Great Lakes in conjunction with the New York State internal 

 navigation system, the following statement of receipts of flour, 

 wheat, corn, oats, barley, and rye at Buffalo for certain years, 

 from 183G to 1903, inclusive, is given. 



Table no. 92 — Number of bushels of grain carried by Erie canal from 



183G to 1903 



YEAR 



Flour 



Wheat 



Corn 



Oats 



Barley 



Rye 



(1) 



(2) 



(3) 



(4) 



(5) 



(6) 



(7) 





Barrels 



Bushels 



Bushels 



Bushels 



Bushels 



Buslicls 



1836. . . . 



139,178 



304,990 



204,355 



28,640 



4,876 



1,500 



1840. . . . 



597,142 



1,004,561 



71,337 







1845.... 



746,750 



1,770,740 



54,200 



23,300 







1850. . . . 



1,103,039 



3,681,347 



2,593,378 



357,580 



3,627 





1855. . . . 



937,761 



8,022,126 



9,711,430 



2,693,222 



62,304 



' 299,591 



I860.... 



1,122,335 



18,502,615 



386,217 



1,209,594 



262,158 



80,822 



1865.... 



1,788,393 



13,437,888 



19,840,901 



8,494,799 



820,563 



877,676 



1870.... 



1,470,391 



20,556,722 



9,410,128 



6,846,983 



1,821,154 



626,154 



1875.... 



1,810,402 



32,987,656 



22,593,891 



8,494,124 



916,889 



222,126 



1880.... 



1,317,911 



40,510,229 



62,214,417 



649,351 



335,925 



743,451 



1885.... 



2,993,280 



27,130,400 



21,028,230 



767,580 



577,230 



309,370 



1890.... 



6,245,580 



14,868,630 



44,136,660 



13,860,780 



5,165,700 



1,281.030 



1895. ... 



8,971,740 



46,848,510 



38,244,960 



21,943,680 



10,253,440 



787,340 



1896. . . . 



10,384,184 



54,411,207 



47,811,010 



40,107,499 



16,697,744 



4,404,354 



1897. . . . 



12,440,617 



56,565,610 



56,932,625 



64,140,618 



14,548,100 



7,213,650 



1898.... 



10,371,653 



83,872,837 



67,950,073 



45,501,233 



11,391,332 



6.821,694 



1899.... 



9,088,873 



48,008,014 



53,843,327 



26,469,401 



15,110,672 



2.260,865 



1900. . . . 



11,463,079 



47,820,458 



63,192,660 



28,422,256 



9,868,196 



1,314,743 



1901.... 



11,053,439 



61,294,248 



30,539,848 



21,438,545 



7,687,239 



1,256,284 



1902.... 



12,026,616 



62,452,696 



22,487,454 



15,891,387 



8,969,865 



3,716.628 



1903.... 



11,243,027 



40,455,328 



43,364,579 



30,976,088 



10,681,655 



3,216,983 



A comparison of the statistics of railroad and canal traffic 

 shows at once the vast preponderance of freight carried by the 

 several railways centering at New York in comparison with that 

 carried by Erie canal. In spite of the fact that the canal was 

 made free in 1883, figures indicate that since that time there has 

 been a continual decrease in the amount of freight carried on the 

 canals. Probably no feature of (his change is more significant 



