By Water to the Columbian Exposition | Page 8

higher and higher; and

when quitting the last of them, she had been lifted up to an elevation of
sixty feet by these five locks, and if we had not observed the busy
hands working for our ascent, we might have been inclined to imagine
that an invisible cloud was slowly carrying us to unknown regions on
high.
We made Lockport our resting-place for the night; since the sun had
wheeled his broad disk already down into the west and the heavens
were brightened only by the parting smiles of the day.
Going on shore, we visited Lockport, a prosperous city with about
20,000 inhabitants, which is the center of a large paper and pulp
industry.
A five hours' journey on Saturday morning, July 29th, past Pendleton,
Picardsville, Martinsville, Tonawanda and Lower Black Rock,
completed our charming trip on the Erie Canal, which has from
Schenectady to Buffalo a length of 323 miles.
The construction of this great artificial waterway, in all nearly 350
miles long, having an elevation of about 500 feet above tide water,
made by seventy-two locks, was commenced in 1817, and its
completion took place in 1825. Although this immense undertaking has
caused an expense of $50,000,000, the State of New York has made an
excellent investment with that sum of money; since by means of the
Erie Canal the domestic trade between the large western inland towns
and the eastern seaports, especially the metropolis, is considerably
facilitated. This traffic will receive a still greater importance, and can
be more advantageously carried on, when the plan of utilizing the
electric current for the driving power of canal-boats--a project recently
tested by experiments--has been successfully executed.
Prior to 1857, this waterway was used for both trade and passenger
transportation. Since the introduction of railroad communication,
however, the canal has been the medium of conveying merchandise
only; wherefore, our interesting trip on the steam-yacht "Marguerite" is
one of a few exceptions to the ordinary routine of the Erie Canal.

CHAPTER II
.
SOJOURN IN BUFFALO AND VISIT TO NIAGARA FALLS,
FROM JULY 29TH, 1.30 P.M., TO AUGUST 2ND, 7 A.M.
It was a bright and sunny day; the atmosphere being purified by a
strong but refreshing breeze. As the noonday sun poured his brilliant
rays on the towering hills which adorn the luxuriant banks of the canal,
it was announced that in the distance there could be discerned the dark
line which indicated our approach to the verdant tract encompassing the
thriving city of _Buffalo_, the terminus of our voyage on the Erie
Canal.
While the boat was speeding along, this point upon which our attention
was chiefly fixed, became more cognizable with every minute. Rising
upwards to our left we could perceive domes of the most graceful
proportions, towering structures, for number and form beyond my
power to describe. On the other side, there lay spread before us, in vast
expanse, the unrivaled water front which skirts the city of Buffalo,
extending two and one-half miles along the shore of Lake Erie and two
and one-half miles along Niagara River.
As we entered the harbor of Buffalo, which is considered the largest
and finest on the lake, we were soon made acquainted with scenes and
incidents that have no common fascination; in fact, one must be
surprised at the tremendous amount of activity displayed here. The
scores of huge grain elevators, having a total capacity of 8,000,000
bushels, and the mammoth warehouses lining the water fronts reminded
one of New York and Brooklyn.
Large steamers and sailing vessels, of every description, are being
loaded and discharged; powerful steam-hoists in operation on the docks;
immense quantities of freight and merchandise in process of transfer to
and from the railroad cars; and bustle everywhere; while hundreds of
pleasure-boats and small crafts, of every conceivable variety, may be
seen as far as the eye can reach. There we saw the trim and dainty shell,
with its arrow-like prow, darting through the quiet coves; the saucy
catamaran shooting, half submerged, out before the wind; the cozy little
steam-launches, all ready to take their passengers to some suburban

pleasure-ground; excursion steamers, with flying banners and bands of
music going and coming, and mammoth propellers destined to carry
thousands of tourists to the El Dorado on Lake Michigan's blue waters.
It will not be difficult to understand why Buffalo has attained
commercial supremacy in Western New York, if you add to this never
ceasing activity, betokening business, the enormous canal traffic; for it
is here where innumerable canal-boats are weighted with the rich
products of the west, carrying a large floating population of boatmen's
families.
Before selecting our mooring place in Buffalo Creek, which can be
navigated for about one mile, we sailed to the breakwater, a solid wall
several feet high, having a length of