Show TOUGH MEN An interesting article on The Erie Canal and Transportation Is In the current North American Review When it was first completed from Albany Al-bany to Buffalo it was justly esteemed a national event A waterway had been opened between the great lakes and the sea and New York City was confident that no other city on the continent could ever become her rival The sagacity of De Witt Clinton who had fathered tho enterprise was praised over all the Republic I was a great enterprise I was opened In i 1825 and this article tells of the result The first boats were of sixty tons burden bur-den They superseded the wagons that had bee used and the freights between Albany and Buffalo dropped from 10 per ton to 510 per ton Then in 1S3C tho canal was enlarged and boats carrying 240 tons superseded those of sixty tons and freights fell to 3 per ton Despite the railroads the canal carried Its maximum freights up to 18SO Up to that time 0 New York Central train could carry 200 tons of freight But between 1SSO and 1885 1 now departure wna made by l the road I I laid heavier track bull heavier I engines en-gines and cars and It now frequently carries 2000 tons fn a trainload Then the work of the canal fell off and now the Question Is being agitated of mol ing oC it a ship canal large enough to transport ocean steamers from the lakes to the sea the estimated cost to be 250000000 That Is liable to bean be-an accomplished fact in the next few years But what will the railroads be doing The heaviest grades are light on tho New York Central I It has Increased I In-creased the weight of train loads from r 200 to 2000 tons In tho past twenty years what Is I to prevent doubling the cur capacity and tho engine capacity and carrying 4000 tons But that was not in mind when this article wan begun Rather we were thinking or the old descriptions of the digging of that first canal There was no i explosive except oldfashioned gunpowder gun-powder the laborers vwcro n tough formation At different point they I I would camp for c year at u time for I no steam dredges no excavators were I I known In l those days I way all l done j I by hand and by main strength Whisky was worth three shilllnga per gallon The wives of the workers would go 0I I r = with their jugs In tho afternoon of I Saturday and buy the whisky on which I be licked It was said they were to by Sunday The troubles of the week were settled on Sunday and 1 there was never more savage lighting than took place along all that canal from Albany to Jluffalo No weapons were ever used I or thought of It was Just fistlight 1 lag but It was something terrible I 1 common never relaxed cither I was from Sunday to Sunday and wlwn one who had become the champion of oie I another gang met the ihamplon of than business was suspended until It could be established which was chief Never since the Stono Age were n hcr called together The tougher company caled same spirit was later seen in the Old West and South but then men began to use weapons tuid tho fights were briefer More men were more careful about engaging In them They were fairer fights too as a rule for the revolver is no respecter of persons and before them the big bully has no advantage over a weak brother The country has much advanced Nowhere now In the Republic can as tough a race of men be called together togeth-er as was that race that llrst constructed con-structed the Erie canal |