Thanks. I've been through Whitford several times, haven't seen anything
specific on boat sizes. Do you have a specific reference?
I found this recently:
Hulbert, Archer Butler, Historic Highways of America: The Great American
Canals, The Erie Canal, 1904.
Engineer N. S. Roberts in a report dated January 17, 1835, said: “The
present canal admits boats 13 1/2 feet wide, 3 feet draught, 80 feet long,
displaces 80 tons water, weight of boat 30 to 35 tons, cargo 45 tons. Size
of canal, 28 [26?] feet bottom, 40 feet surface, 4 feet depth cross section
= 136 [132?] square feet.
I believe that this, regarding the 7 1/2 foot x 61 foot Chief Engineer of
Rome, is incorrect:
Koeppel, Gerard. Bond of Union: Building the Erie Canal and the American
Empire, 2009, p. 258.
“These were the standard dimensions for the first generation of canal boats
that prevailed throughout the 1820s; they could carry a thousand bushels of
wheat, thirty tons of freight, or a hundred passengers.”
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Bill Carr" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2016 7:14 PM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [NYHIST-L] Original Erie Canal Lock Size
> See Whitford's history of the canal system.
>
> https://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_Canal_System_of_the_State.html?id=fYrVAAAAMAAJ
>
>
> On 11/9/2016 11:14 AM, Susan Hughes wrote:
>> Have you contacted the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse?
>> www.eriecanalmuseum.org
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State
>> history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chris Andrle
>> Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2016 6:01 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: [NYHIST-L] Original Erie Canal Lock Size
>>
>> I've found a large number of references online which state that the
>> original size of the Erie Canal locks was 90 feet by 15 feet, built to
>> accommodate boats of 61 feet by 7 feet. I can't find a primary source to
>> confirm this. Is it true that boats on the original (pre-enlargement)
>> canal were limited to 61 by 7 feet, and if so, why, if the locks were 90
>> by 15 feet? Thanks.
>>
>>
>> -----
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>>
>>
>
> --
> Bill Carr, Rexford, Town of Clifton Park, Saratoga County, NY
>
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>
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>
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>
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