US History before 1877, Development of Erie Canal - Research Paper Example

?“US History before 1877, Development of Erie Canal” This paper will discuss US history before 1877, with special focus on the “Development of Erie Canal” The main significance of this particular period in time is the plan for the canal. During the time, canals such as the Erie canal were extremely important because they helped create and maintain linkages to different places. The main points which this paper is going to cover are the historical perspective of the canal, construction of the canal, improvements in the plan and the financial implications of the canal project. The time era under discussion is between 1807 to 1825. Historical Perspective During the period between the late 18th and early 19th century the USA started to plan and develop the system of transportation throughout the country with special focus on the interiors areas and outside the localities from Appalachian mountainous regions. The main focus was on the linkage between Erie Lake and other big lakes in the coast of Atlantic by making canals. Initially a large number of survey and plans were laid out for the construction of the canal but most of them were not feasible and were rejected. The final plan was based on the survey which was carried out in 1816. Based on this survey the route of the canal was established. According to the plan the canal was expected to connect to the New York port at the river of Hudson close to Troy in the New York City. From Troy the flow of the canal would be towards Rome in New York. Finally it would reach to Buffalo (on the northeastern coast of Erie Lake) by passing through Syracuse and Rochester [1]. 1. Matt Rosenberg (2010), Erie Canal, The Building of the Great Western Canal. Online accession at About.com Guide (Accessed February 12th, 2011). After the development of the route plan of the Erie Canal the major issue was the arrangement of finances for the project. A bill was initially approved by the US congress for the provision of funding for the project then named as “The Great Western Canal”. The idea was found unconstitutional by The President of time J. Monroe and he vetoed it. The matter was then directly taken by the state legislature. The legislature, after extensive examination of the plan, approved for the funding of the Erie Canal project in the year 1816 with the condition that the tolls would be paid back to the government after the completion of the project. The city Mayor of New York was the chief supporter of the canal project and helped a lot for the construction and completion of the task. Fortunately he became the governor of the state in the year 1817 and was thus able to supervise the details of the plan [1]. Construction of Canal The formal construction of the canal named “Erie canal” began on 4th July, 1817. According to the plan the initial first segment was to be proceeded from the eastern side of Rome towards the river Hudson. Most of the constructors of the canal were the rich farmers who resided along the route of the canal. They were contracted to make the small portions of the project which came along their way. A large number of immigrants from Great Brittan, Germany and Ire Land supported the construction of canal in terms of manpower [2]. 1. Matt Rosenberg (2010), Erie Canal, The Building of the Great Western Canal. Online accession at About.com Guide (Accessed February 12th, 2011) 2. Christopher. M (2008). "Hints of Comeback for Nation's First Superhighway". The New York Times. (Accessed February 12th, 2011). The portions of canal were to be dug with the help of horses and shovels. At time modern earth moving specialized equipment were not available so the construction of such plans was a tedious job. The labor cost was about 85 cents to 100 cents per day. This was a heavy amount since it was about three times the pay which a laborer earned during that time. The initial 24 kilometer of the canal - from Rome to Utica - were formally opened around the year 1819. The rate of construction was visibly slow; at the speed during that time, the canal would’ve taken more than 30 more years to complete. The major issue in the construction was to clear the forest in its path which included cutting and moving of trees. The excavated soil had to be moved. Both of these tasks took longer than the expectations. However, the problem was soon solved by the builders. They threw ropes on the crown branches of the trees and winched them towards the earth as a result of which the trees fell down. The stumps were pulled out through the use of the novel stump puller. For the movement of soil from the canal way, it was shoveled into the huge barrows of wheel which were dumped into the carts pulled by using different animals, mostly by mules. The rate of construction was increased to good amount by the use of these techniques and the arrival of the new laborers. When the length of project reached the area of Montezuma Marsh a bag problem came up. More than one thousand laborers died due to the swamp fever as a result of which the construction work stopped almost completely. On the downhill the work kept its pace towards Hudson. In the winter season the marsh land was frozen and the workers completed the work across the swamps. In 1820 the middle portion of the canal which was from Utica to the Salina was finished [3]. 3. Whiteford and Noble. (1922). History of the Barge Canal of New York State. J. B. Lyon Company. p p. 14. (Accessed February 12th, 2011). Travel on the portion of the completed canal initiated right away. The 400 kilometers line from the Brockport towards Albany was inaugurated on 10th September, 1823. Before the completion of canal in the year 1824, a pocket guide for the help of travelers and the tourists was published so that the travel across the canal could be done with easy and comfort. This was possibly the first tourist’s guide of America. Finally the canal work was completed on 26th October, 1825. The occasion was observed as a grand celebration statewide. Canal Features The dimensions of canal were as follows: Total length = 584 km (363 miles), Width = 12 meters (40 feet) Depth = 1.2 meters (4 feet) There were total 85 locks for the management of 150 meters elevation from river Hudson towards Buffalo [4] Fig: Representation of Original Erie Canal Plan [4] 4. Frank E. Sadowski Jr. Dragon Design Associates. Copyright © 2000-2010 http://www.eriecanal.org/index.html (Accessed February 12th, 2011). Financial Implications of the Project The total construction cost of the Eric Canal was about $7.5 million. The success of the canal can be gauged from the fact that the total cost of the canal was repaid in the period of just nine years. This would include not just the state loans; the income from the canal went onto finance many canal branches in the area. At that time the Erie Canal had a significant part in the financial development of the country. It was considered as an instant financial and economical achievement. The boats of the canals were able to carry almost 25 to 35 tons of products which is far greater than the road vehicles like wagons. The cost of transportation was decreased to tremendous amount i.e. from about $100/ton to even less than $12/ton. As the access to market became very easy the settlers migrated towards the upstate of New York and the territories along the western sides. More than 80% of the New York Population resided in the rural areas before 1825 (when Erie Canal was not there). As the canal became functional the rural to urban population ratio changed significantly [5]. Lively trade and commerce was developed in the towns of Buffalo and Rochester which was mainly based on the canal travel. The two way trade opened as the manufactured products were carried from cities of the eastern side towards the town and villages on the western sides. 5. Shaw and Ronald E. (1990).  Erie water west: a history of the Erie Canal, 1792-1854 online edition (Accessed February 12th, 2011). Improvements in the main plan The main plan was designed for the annual transport of 1.5 to 2 million tons of goods but this plan was soon changed. A new plan for the improvement of the Erie Canal was laid down and work started in 1834. During this huge event of construction the main plan was changed considerably; this change was known as “The first Extension.” The width of the canal was increased to 21 meters and the depth was increased to 2.2 meters. The width of the locks was also increased at some places and at other places they were rebuilt. The route of the canal was also altered at few places and straightened at some places. This resulted in the desertion of some small segments of the initially built canal in the year 1825. The first modification to the original canal was accomplished in the year 1962. It was further altered a smaller extent in the later years [5]. Current Status of the Erie Canal The Erie Canal is now the part of the Canal System of New York. It was designated as a national heritage corridor by the US Congress in the year 2000 in order to recognize its importance as one of the most magnificent man-made water ways in the history. It stands as the proud achievement of human engineering and design in history. The Erie Canal itself and other small canals of the system are now used for recreational activities like boating, trailing etc [6]. 5. Shaw and Ronald E. (1990).  Erie water west: a history of the Erie Canal, 1792-1854 online edition (Accessed February 12th, 2011). 6. Sheriff and Carol. (1996). The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862, by New York : Hill and Wang. Biblography 1. Matt Rosenberg (2010), Erie Canal, The Building of the Great Western Canal. Online accession at About.com Guide (Accessed February 12th, 2011). 2. Christopher. M (2008). "Hints of Comeback for Nation's First Superhighway". The New York Times. (Accessed February 12th, 2011). 3. Whiteford and Noble. (1922). History of the Barge Canal of New York State. J. B. Lyon Company. p p. 14. (Accessed February 12th, 2011). 4. Frank E. Sadowski Jr. Dragon Design Associates. Copyright © 2000-2010 http://www.eriecanal.org/index.html(Accessed February 12th, 2011). 5. Shaw and Ronald E. (1990).  Erie water west: a history of the Erie Canal, 1792-1854 online edition (Accessed February 12th, 2011). 6. Sheriff and Carol. (1996). The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862, by New York : Hill and Wang. Read More