History of Steam on the Erie Canal | Page 5

hour. But these limitations must cover a superior economy of freight transportation to that by the former trials with steam. Else, they are worthless; else, they are failures, as in 1862, and their general introduction impracticable.
As in the steamers Byron, Baxter and Newman, there is nothing mechanically new, in variation from the Viele, Sternburg and Ruggles--these trios being respectively mechanical counterparts of each other; the paddle-wheels of the Byron and Viele, the twin-propellers of the Baxter and Sternburg, and the common propellers of the Newman and Ruggles, being respectively identical--the economical features are easily considered.
The first trio can carry 200 tons at good speed; the second can carry 180 tons, and tow 240 tons; total, 420 tons, at good speed.
To the first trio, two boats of each class must be altered; two sets of machinery must be furnished; two corps of engineers maintained, and coal for two round trips must be supplied, with incidental expenses to two steamers, to move 400 tons of freight.
To the second trio, only one boat of each class is to be altered; one set of machinery furnished; one corps of engineers maintained, and coal for one round trip supplied, with the incidental expenses, to move 420 tons of freight.
The costs of alterations and adaptations of the first trio are two-fold those of the second; the cost of machinery greater to the first trio than to the second; the costs of engineers two-fold to the first trio; the costs of coal about the same to each, with greater incidental expenses to the first than to the second per tons of freight moved.
The differences in the two trios are in their steam capabilities and in their times; the second requires about one day extra on the canal, as possibly due to the locking of the tow, though no extra time is required where both locks of the pair are ready. But the extra twenty tons of freight more than pays the extra time.
The times of transit or rates of speed to the two eras are very nearly alike, the steamers of the first having greater steam capabilities, as due to their boat in tow, whilst those of the present era have reduced their steam capabilities to increase their cargoes from the 180 tons to 200 tons.
The times of transit, or rates of speed, are given in the following miscellaneous record, and as published, from time to time, from 1858 to 1862:
The Wack was 7 days, total time, with boat in tow, from Buffalo to Troy.
The Wack was 4 days 16 hours, net time, with half freight, from Troy to Buffalo.
The Sternburg was 28 hours, total time, with boat in tow, from Buffalo to Rochester, 93 miles, averaging 3-1/3 miles per hour.
The Ruggles was 5-1/2 days, net time, with boat in tow, from Buffalo to Troy, and 6 days 14 hours, net time, from Buffalo to New York.
The Eclipse was 7-1/2 days, total time, without tow, from Buffalo to Troy, and 5-1/2 days, total time, without tow, from Troy to Buffalo.
The Gold Hunter was 7 days 5 hours, total time, without tow, from Buffalo to Troy.
The Rotary was 4 days 4 hours, total time, with half freight, from Troy to Buffalo, and 3 days 16 hours, net time.
The Bemis, a screw-tug, with three boats, was 5 days and 8 hours, net time, from Buffalo to Schenectady, 321 miles, average 2-1/2 miles per hour.
The Washington, do., with 3 boats, was 5 days 2 hours, net time, from Buffalo to Cohoes, 340 miles, average 2-3/4 miles per hour.
The Dan Brown, do., with three boats, was 6 days, net time, from Buffalo to Albany, 351 miles, average nearly 2-1/2 miles per hour; and was 7 hours from Buffalo to Lockport, 31 miles, averaging 4-2/3 miles per hour.
YEARS 1871 AND 1872, AS PUBLISHED.
The Dawson and the Cathcart have both made and repeated through trips from Buffalo to Troy, with 5/6 of horse cargoes, in about 7 days, total time.
The Port Byron was 5 days 10-1/2 hours, total time, and 4 days 7 hours, net time, with 117 tons of freight, from Troy to Buffalo, from Oct. 29th to Nov. 4th. The more important down time was not published.
The Baxter was 5 days 14 hours, total time, and 4 days 9 hours, net time, with half freight, from Troy to Buffalo, from Oct. 29th, in the morning, to Nov. 3d; from Sept. 30th to Oct. 5th she was 5 days on her up trip, and early in September was 5 days, also, from Troy to Buffalo.
On her first trip down she left Buffalo Sept. 12th, and arrived at West Troy, the 19th, in 7 days 4 hours, total time, and reached New York the 21st, in 8 days 13 hours, total time, with 200 tons of freight. In some way she reduces her