History of Steam on the Erie Canal | Page 4

lightness gives help to cargo, and her sharp bow and stern to
speed. But her construction and model were long since abandoned by
canal-boat builders.
The Wm. Newman is a common propeller and double-deck boat, and
carries two hundred and ten tons. She is much like the Ruggles of 1858,
but has less steam capabilities.
The Charles Hemjee was built upon the Western Division, with a
tunnel-shaped encasement to her propeller. Of course she is reported as
"very slow."
The John Durston had a propeller built in with her rudder, and driven
with a vertical shaft, extending down through a cylindrical rudder-post,
but was unfit for service.
PADDLE WHEELS.
The Port Byron is a stern, paddle-wheel boat, with vertical or eccentric
acting paddles, and is like the Viele of 1858. She has a recess the entire
length of her bottom of several square feet area, intended to facilitate a
flow of water from the bow, but the flow does not occur; the
mechanical currents of the wheel will be from the nearest water, and
not from ninety feet forward.
The Montana is a similar stern-wheeler, without the recess.
The Success consists of two sections, to be disconnected for passing the

locks, with paddle-wheel machinery at the bow. Her wheel, inside of
the paddles, is a drum or cylinder, filled with cork, to be buoyant, and
the hull has an easy, scow bow, for the water to pass under the boat.
Practically, the large drum makes her a horizontal, cylindrical-bowed
boat, and she mechanically throws the water therefrom against the
scow-shaped bow, and so that the cylinder displacement with the
mechanical currents, and the scow-bow displacement, combine to make
her very slow. With her two sections she brought one and a half cargoes
of corn.
The Excelsior has a horizontal, eccentric-acting paddle wheel, and was
built of light iron at Green Point. She had a recess at the bow for her
submerged wheel, and, when thus tried, found the retarding effects of
the mechanical currents at and against the bow so great, as to cause her
original bow-propulsion to be made stern-propulsion, when she was
much improved. She was tried with cargo for a short distance on the
canal, and withdrawn.
The Fountain City is a common boat, with machinery at her stern. She
has two submerged horizontal, excentric-acting paddle-wheels, each of
small diameter. These are placed under her quarters, in the rudder
cross-section, and she is steered by her machinery. The characteristics
of these wheels are like the Excelsior's, and the eccentric variations of
both--together with the Byron's, Montana's and Viele's--are known as
old devices of secondary merit on river, lake and ocean steamers.
The Santiago is a scow-boat, with a recess, or flume, the whole length
of her bottom, to a stern propeller. Her steam was soon abandoned.
An endless-chain propulsion was tried upon the Western Division,
without success.
A common canal-boat has been experimented with at Brooklyn to
propel her by the reaction of a powerful blower or fan. This was driven
first by a ten-horse, and next by a forty-horse stationary engine, and
afterwards by a forty-horse oscillator. Each failed to move her from her
slip, and the conception proved an absurdity.

In addition to these, local steamers have been run between different
cities for local purposes, more or less, since 1858, and steam-tugs have
been brought into requisition occasionally.
OBSERVE:
This review presents the important fact, that NO NEW MECHANICAL
SYSTEM HAS BEEN INTRODUCED.
The screw-propellers and paddle-wheels are multiplications from the
former era. The variations from the common propeller and
paddle-wheel, in the miscellaneous devices, are all under reductions of
merit.
All the bow-propulsions, and all the variations from the Viele,
Sternburg and Ruggles of the former, and the Byron, Baxter and
Newman of the present era, are inferior, whether viewed practically or
scientifically.
Hence, steam has received no mechanical advancements since 1858;
and the efforts of 1872 are as positive and determinate failures as those
of 1862.
THE TRIALS OF STEAM IN 1872 LESS ECONOMICAL THAN IN
1858 TO 1862.
It should be observed that the first trials of steam in 1858 were made
during a season of low water, and when the Canal Board had limited
the loading of boats to four and three-fourths feet draught of water,
which, later in the season, was increased to five feet, and in subsequent
years to six feet, as continued to the present time.
Among the most successful trials of the first era of steam on the canals,
may be mentioned the H. K. Viele, P. L. Sternburg, and S. B. Ruggles.
Each could carry three-fourths cargo and tow a full cargo, and each
exceed the speed of horse-boats.
Among the most successful trials of the present era may be mentioned

the Port Byron, Baxter, and Newman. Each can