TILE ERIE ('ANAL, connecting the Hudson River at Albany and Troy with Lake Erie at Buffalo, is 363 miles in length. it was begun in ISI7 and completed in IS25, at a east of $7,602,000. Its construction was due chiefly to the foresight and energy of De \\ itt Clinton. The enterprise was undertaken nail carried through by the State of New York. Clinton being Governor during nearly all the period of its progress. As its route lay chiefly through an uninhabited wilderness, it opened for settlement an immense territory. It was subsiluently enlarged, and is now 70 feet broad at the surface and 56 feet at the hut tom, with a depth of 7 feet. except as hereafter noted. The locks, 72 in number, 57 of which are double, and 15 single. are II() feet long and IS feet wide. It is earrii.d by great stone aqueducts across sev eral streams, and in sonic places it is eat through solid rock. It is supplied with water from Lake Erie for 140 miles from Buffalo to Seneca liver. Most of the 110W of water is from the west toward the east, the only exception being. between Lodi and the Seneca River, where there is a fall west ward through live locks. At Borne, • little west of Utica, a supply of water is received from the Mad: River Canal. Between Rome and Syra euse, water is drawn from Cazenovia Lake and other reservoirs, while at Syracuse the Erie ('anal supplies water to the Oswego Canal. Buf
falo is 56$ feet above the level of the Hudson at Albany, the differenee being overcome by locks at various points. The canal has been immensely successful. contributing largely to the growth of ,Ne• York. Buffalo. and intermediate pimps. and serving lor many year- a- the great artery of passenger as well as freight traffic the northeastern sections of the United States and the newly settled States of what was then the \Vest. Light packet boats. drawn by frequent lelays of horses, which were made to proceed at a trot, made the trip from Albany to Buffalo in three and a half days. In 1S96 it was esti mated that the cost of construction nail im provements had aggregated $52,540,600. An ex penditure of $0,000,000 more for enlargement was authorized by popular vote in that year. Work was begun on this enlargement in the win ter of 1896-97 and resumed again during the winter of 1S97-95. In the spring of IS9S all of the $9,000,000 had been consumed and only a part of the projected deepening to !) feet was completed. No further money for continuing the work was forthcoming. and in 1900 an investiga tion Was set on foot to determine the cost and prepare plains for a much greater enlargement which would permit the use of 1000 to 1200 ton boats.