Transportation

Transportation. The Miami and Erie Canal. , “Transportation,” Murray seemed to be talking to himself, “transportation you gotta have. No use raisin’ a thousand bushels of wheat if you gotta carry it on your back two bushels at a time all the way to Dayton or Cincinnati to sell it. You know, man, that what makes Saint Marys such a good spot for us. We got the transportation now, and we’ll even be better when the canal is built. Imagine what it will be like, a man-made river fifty feet and straight as an arrow for miles, no rapids, no fallen trees, no zig-zagging around and an even flow of water all the time. Even going upstream, they say there’s hardly any difference. We’ve had the Saint Marys River and it’s been good travel much of the time, but it goes for miles to get a short distance and you can’t depend on even flow. It goes from flood to stale.”, Excerpt from “The Saint Marys Story,” by Frank B. Shuffelton, 1973, , illustrating dialogue about the coming canal that might have been spoken by Charles Murray, one of St. Marys’ founders., As early as 1787, Thomas Jefferson suggested the idea of a man-made interior transportation route connecting the Ohio River to Lake Erie as part of a larger national system. However, the United States Congress would not favorably consider funding the construction of transportation infrastructure before 1823. Ohio Governor Allen Brown is often called the “father of Ohio canals” because in 1818, he proposed building a canal to connect the Ohio River and Lake Erie in order to help Ohio farmers market large farm surpluses. The Ohio General Assembly then passed an act to survey land in Ohio for potential canals, and routes for two canals were chosen – one from Cleveland to Portsmouth and the other from Cincinnati to Dayton, with a future extension to Toledo. On July 21, 1825, in Middletown, Ohio, construction on the canal from Cincinnati to Dayton began, and the extension to Toledo, which resulted in a local canal length of 24 miles, opened in 1845. The canal was not officially called the Miami and Erie Canal until 1849., Many Irish and German immigrants were hired to construct the canal. Workers were typically paid 30 cents per day, sunrise to sunset, plus board and lodging. By comparison, city workers typically earned 75 cents a day on average. At the time, the wages plus food and lodging 9and also by many accounts, a jigger of whiskey each day) were attractive to many men. However, the work was physically demanding, and workers often suffered from malaria, typhoid, cholera, or smallpox., A major challenge in engineering the canal was solving the problem of how to supply water at the summit levels. Three man-made reservoirs, including, Grand Lake St. Marys, were created by damming rivers and swamps to retain water that would be directed through feeder canals to the main canal. Other structures located along the canal to facilitate transportation included 103 lift locks, 3 guard locks, and 19 aqueducts., The completion of the canal opened up the East Coast markets to Ohio farmers. As a result, agricultural prices and wages rose. From 1826 to 1835, the cost of a barrel of flour rose from approximately $3 to $5. Cargo boats would carry up to 100 tons of merchandise each. The cost of moving a ton of freight declined from $125/ton overland to $25/ton via canal., The canal also stimulated industry. Manufacturing facilities, especially mills, linseed oil refineries, machine shops, foundries, distilleries, and woolen and cotton factories, were established along the canal where they could utilize the waterpower that was now available to run equipment., Passenger transportation was facilitated by the canal system as well. Special boats called packet boats could carry 40 to 60 passengers across the state for individual fares that were cheaper than taking the same trip on horseback. Leisure trips on the canal that often included fishing stops became popular during the Canal Era., Shortly after construction was complete on the Miami and Erie Canal, railways expanded in Ohio, bringing a faster and more economical means of transporting goods to the state. Canal activity peaked in 1851, and in 1856 expenses exceded revenue for the first time. Despite competition from the railroads, the canal remained in operation both as a transportation route and as a generator of energy for industry until the early 1900’s. However, from March 23 through March 26, 1913 a significant rain event occurred that caused massive flooding throughout the state. This event remains the single largest weather disaster recorded in Ohio history. The floods caused such expensive damage to the canal that repairs were not feasible. While a few sections of cnals in Ohio continued to operate aftwr 1913, much of the canals disappeared at this time., This section of the Miami and Erie Canal through the City of St. Marys remains intact as it was in the 1800’s. Follow the towpath north to see a replica canal boat in Memorial Park, the restored Lock 13, and the Canal Tumble., Source: “Canals of Ohio, 1825- 1913” Marilyn G. Hood, The Ohio Historical Society