Delaware and Hudson Canal
-
Upload
milton-inca -
Category
Documents
-
view
62 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Delaware and Hudson Canal
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 1/12
Delaware and Hudson Canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Delaware and Hudson Canal
A remaining section of the canal in Sullivan
County, N, used as a linear park
Speci!cations
"ength #$% miles &#'( km)
"ocks #$%
*a+imum heightaove sea level
#,$'- ft &./% m)
StatusClosed, partially
in!lled
Navigation authority
Delaware and Hudson Canal
01S1 National 2egister of Historic 3laces
01S1 National Historic "andmark
4overning ody
State, various
county and local
governments,
private landowners
N2H3 2eference 5 6%$$$$-#7#8
Signi!cant dates
Added to N2H3 Novemer /(,
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 2/12
#96%7#8
Designated NH"Novemer /(,
#96%7/8
History
:riginal owner
Delaware and
Hudson Canal
Company
Construction egan #%/-
Date of !rst use #%/%
Date closed #9$/
4eography
Start point Honesdale, 3A
;nd point <ingston, N
=he Delaware and Hudson Canal was the !rst venture of the Delaware
and Hudson Canal Company, which would later uild the Delaware
and Hudson 2ailway1 >etween #%/% and #%99, the canal?s arges
carried anthracite coal from the mines of Northeastern 3ennsylvania
to the Hudson 2iver and thence to market in New ork City1
Construction of the canal involved some ma@or feats of civil
engineering, and led to the development of some new technologies,
particularly in rail transport1 ts operation stimulated the city?s growth
and encouraged settlement in the sparsely populated region1 0nlike
many other canals of that era, the canal remained a pro!tale private
operation for most of its e+istence1
For these reasons, the canal was declared a National Historic
"andmark in #96%17/8
=he canal was aandoned in the early /$th century, and much of it
was suseBuently drained and !lled1 A few fragments remain in New
ork and 3ennsylvania, and are in use as parks and historic sites1
History
>efore the canal
n the early #9th century, 3hiladelphia usinessman William Wurtsoften would leave his aairs aside for weeks at a time to e+plore the
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 3/12
thensparsely populated northeastern region of the state1 He egan
noticing, mapping, and researching lackish rock outcroppings,
ecoming the !rst e+plorer of the anthracite !elds that have since
ecome known as the Coal 2egion1 He elieved they could e a
valuale energy source, and rought samples ack to 3hiladelphia fortesting17.8
Anthracite coal
;ventually, he convinced his rothers Charles and *aurice to come
along with him and see for themselves1 Starting in #%#/, they egan
uying and mining large tracts of ine+pensive land1 =hey were ale to
e+tract several tons of anthracite at a time, ut lost most of what they
tried to ring ack to 3hiladelphia due to the treacherous waterways
that were the main method of transportation in the interior1 While thesouthern reaches of the Coal 2egion were already eginning to supply
3hiladelphia, they realiEed that the areas they had een e+ploring and
mining were wellpositioned to deliver coal to New ork City, which
had e+perienced an energy crunch after the War of #%#/, when
restrictions were placed on the import of >ritish coal1 nspired y the
new and successful ;rie Canal, they envisioned a canal of their own
from 3ennsylvania to New ork, through the narrow valley etween
the Shawangunk 2idge and the Catskill *ountains, to the Hudson
2iver near <ingston, a route followed y the :ld *ine 2oad, America?s!rst longdistance transportation route17.8
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 4/12
DH Canal map, showing feeder railroads and competition, circa #%6-
After several years of loying y the Wurtses, the Delaware and
Hudson Canal Company was chartered y separate laws in the state
of New ork and commonwealth of 3ennsylvania in #%/., allowing
William Wurts and his rother *aurice to construct the Delaware and
Hudson Canal1 =he New ork law, passed April /., #%/., incorporated
G=he 3resident, *anagers and Company of the Delaware and Hudson
Canal CompanyG, and the 3ennsylvania law, passed *arch #. of the
same year, authoriEed the company G=o mprove the Navigation of the
"ackawa+en 2iverG1 =he company hired >en@amin Wright, who had
engineered the ;rie Canal, and his assistant ohn >1 ervis to survey
and plan a route1 A primary challenge was the 6$$foot &#%. m)
elevation dierence etween the Delaware 2iver at "ackawa+en and
the Hudson at 2ondout1 Wright?s initial estimated cost of I#1/ million
was later revised to I#16 million &in #%/- dollars)17.8
=o attract investment, the rothers arranged for a demonstration of
anthracite at a Wall Street coeehouse in anuary #%/-1 =he reaction
was enthusiastic, and the stock oversuscried within hours1
Construction
4round was roken on uly #. of that year1 After three years of laor
y /,-$$ men, the canal was opened to navigation in :ctoer #%/%1 t
egan at 2ondout Creek at an area later known as Creeklocks,
etween <ingston &where the creek fed into the Hudson 2iver) and
2osendale1 From there it proceeded southwest alongside 2ondout
Creek to ;llenville, continuing through the valley of the Sandurg
Creek, Homowack <ill, >asha <ill and Neversink 2iver to 3ort ervis on
the Delaware 2iver1 From there the canal ran northwest on the New ork side of the Delaware 2iver, crossing into 3ennsylvania at
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 5/12
"ackawa+en and running on the north ank of the "ackawa+en 2iver
to Honesdale17.8
=o get the anthracite from the Wurts? mine in the *oosic *ountains
near Carondale to the canal at Honesdale, the canal company uilt
the Delaware and Hudson 4ravity 2ailroad1 =he Commonwealth of
3ennsylvania authoriEed its construction on April %, #%/61 :n August
%, #%/9, the DH?s !rst locomotive, the Stourbridge Lion, made
history as the !rst locomotive to run on rails in the 0nited States1
Success and decline
>arges awaiting coal loads at Honesdale1
>usiness took o as the Wurtses had anticipated, and in #%./ the
canal carried 9$,$$$ tons &%#,$$$ tonnes) of coal and three million
oardfeet &',$%$ mJ) of lumer1 =he company invested the pro!ts in
improving the canal, making it deeper so larger arges could e used17.8
n #%-$, the 3ennsylvania Coal Company constructed its own gravity
railroad from the coal !elds to the port at Hawley and the canal
en@oyed increased traKc, carrying over .$$,$$$ tons of 3CC coal inthe !rst season1 However, the relationship etween the two
companies soured after the canal attempted to raise tolls under the
argument that canal improvements had reduced costs for the 3CC1
=he dispute led to the courts and was decided in #%6., ut y that
time the ;rie 2ailroad constructed its e+tension to Hawley and the
3CC moved its shipments to the railroad17(8
=he DH was also developing railroads, a technology that was
continuing to improve and supplant canal transportation at the time,
to e+tend its reach into other Northeastern markets1 =he DH also
e+tended its gravity railroad from Carondale deeper into the coal
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 6/12
!elds and e+panded its capacity1 >y the time *aurice Wurts died in
#%-(, the company was reporting pro!ts of #$/(L annually and had
paid o its original det to oth states17.8
=he completion of the ;rie 2ailroad through the Delaware Malley in
#%(% and its ranch to Hawley in #%6. egan the end of the canal?s
days, although it continued to e very successful through the #%'$s
and ?%$s1 =hroughout the rest of the century, canals were perceived
as Buaint relics of preindustrial times and egan yielding to rail
across the country1 n #%9%, the Delaware and Hudson !nally @oined
them, carrying its last loads from Honesdale to <ingston, as rail could
now carry coal more directly to the city, across New ersey rather than
via <ingston1 =he following year the company dropped the GCanalG
from its name, the states authoriEing it to aandon the canal if it
deemed it suitale and concentrate on its rail interests, which it did17.8
3ostclosure
After the end of the #%9% season, the company opened all the waste
weirs and drained the canal1 Catskill rail magnate Samuel Coykendall
purchased the canal the ne+t summer, reportedly to ene!t the
2amapo Water Company for use as a water supply resource 7-8 >ut
that never came to pass1 nstead, Coykendall used the northernmost
section, from 2ondout to <ingston, to transport 2osendale cement and
other general merchandise to the river until aandoning that usinessin #9$(1768 =he canal was never used again1
As the /$th century egan, the company used some of the canal
rightofway for its e+panding rail operations some of the rest was
sold to various private companies, mainly other, smaller railroads17.8
Developing communities along the route also !lled it in as necessary
to e+pand their own neighorhoods, or for safety reasons as when a
3ort ervis man supposedly drowned in #9$$17'8
n the early /#st century residents of the town of Deerpark, north of3ort ervis, complained that the canal had een leaking water and
causing Oooding in the neighorhoods near Cuddeackville in recent
years1 :range County, which maintains it in that area, met with town
oKcials and local residents to discuss possile solutions17%8
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 7/12
=he Delaware and Hudson Canal *useum in High Falls, N1
3reservation as historic site
=he ruins of the canal and its associated structures remained
standing1 =he Delaware Hudson Canal Historical Society was formed
in #96'798 its museum has an e+tensive education program and hosts
hundreds of area students each season1 =he Neversink Malley Area
*useum was formed in :range County New ork in #96% and the
National 3ark Service recogniEed the canal site in :range County as a
National Historic "andmark17/8 n #969, New ork?s Sullivan County
ought a (acre ,$$$ m/) portion to develop as a park17#$8 *any
other uildings and sites associated with the canal have een added
to the National 2egister of Historic 3laces and state and local
landmark lists1
Child leading mules on the canal1
Canal
=he !nished canal ran #$% miles &#'( km), from Honesdale to
<ingston &counting the tidewater portions of the 2ondout where the
canal @oined the creek at ;ddyville)1 ts #$% locks took it over
elevation changes totaling #,$'- feet &./% m), more than the ;rieCanal?s 6'- feet &/$6 m)17##8 =he channel was four feet &#// cm) deep
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 8/12
&eventually increased to si+ feet &/ m)) y ./ feet &#$ m) wide1 t was
crossed y #.' ridges and had /6 dams, asins and reservoirs17#/8
:riginally it crossed the four rivers along its course P the
"ackawa+en, Delaware, Neversink and 2ondout Creek P via
slackwater dams1 ABueducts were uilt over the rivers to replacethem y ohn 2oeling in the #%($s, cutting a few days from canal
travel time and reducing accidents that were occurring at the
Delaware crossing with loggers rafting their harvest downstream1
>arges were pulled y mules along the ad@acent towpath, a power
source employed even after the development of steam engines, since
the ow wave from a faster steamoat would have damaged the
channel1768 Children were often hired to lead the mules at !rst in the
canal?s later years grown men were employed1 =hey had to walk #-Q
/$ miles &/(Q./ km) a day, pump out the arges and tend theanimals1 For this they were paid aout I. a month17#.8
=he canal was divided into three sections for operational purposesR
the "ackawa+en, from Honesdale to the Delaware the Delaware,
along the river from there to 3ort ervis and then the Neversink, from
3ort ervis to <ingston1 A trip along its length took, initially, a week1 t
was closed on Sundays,768 and would suspend operations each winter
when the canal froEe up or was likely to1
ts primary usiness was the transport of coal and lumer from theinterior to the river1 =here was little traKc to 3ennsylvania other than
empty arges1 =he company tried oering passenger service at one
point, and Washington rving, a friend of Hone?s, made the trip in the
#%($s, ut it was ultimately given up as unpro!tale1
"egacy
>esides its historical !rsts, the canal?s most signi!cant impact was to
stimulate the growth of New ork City along with the other anthracite
canals1 Fueled y the cheap and plentiful coal arged up the canal
and down the river, the city was ale to develop and industrialiEe at
the same pace as other ;astern cities1 =here would e other ene!ts
to the city as well1 =he company?s !rst president, 3hilip Hone, served
a term as the city?s mayor during the canal?s construction1 "ater, ohn
2oeling?s e+perience uilding the canal served him well in designing
the >rooklyn >ridge1
:n the 3ennsylvania end, the interior anthracite regions were ale to
grow and develop from the rough wilderness they had een whenWilliam Wurts traveled them and mapped the coal deposits1 =he
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 9/12
viaility of its anthracite led to other markets opening up, sustaining
the region economically well into the /$th century1
Canal Scene, one of a series of paintings of the Delaware and Hudson
Canal at 3ort >en that =heodore 2oinson painted in #%9.17#(8
Along its route, the canal created many small oomtowns at freBuentstops1 *any towns took their names from canal e+ecutives1 Honesdale
took its name from 3hilip Hone, the company?s !rst president1 =he
village of 3eenpack, New ork, renamed itself 3ort ervis after the
engineer shortly after incorporating in #%-.1 Further along, the
Wurtses are rememered y Wurtsoro, New ork1 A numer of other
New ork communities with GportG in their name &3hillipsport, 3ort
:range and 3ort ackson, now Accord) reOect their origins as canal
towns1 Summitville in turn takes its name from eing the highest point
along the canal route1
As automoiles egan to displace the railroads that had once done
the same to the canal, its corridor and towpath saw new life as
highway routes1 0S 6 and 3A -9$ follow part of the route etween
Honesdale and Hawley, with -9$ running along the towpath7'8 and
nowdry ed as it continues east along the "ackawa+en1 =he New ork
section of 0S /$9 links the same communities in that state as the
canal did, and intersects or runs closely parallel to its remnants in
several areas1 Within towns, Canal Street follows the route in 3ort
ervis, as does =owpath 2oad in ;llenville and the =own of Wawarsing1
=he canal led to improvements in other technologies as well1 =he
2osendale cement discovered while e+cavating the canal ed near
that town in #%/- would not only provide the canal itself with a cheap
uilding material ut created an industry that sustained the region for
some time17#-8 ervis turned his e+pertise to designing locomotives,
and the (/$ type is commonly called the GervisG in his honor1
=he canal today
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 10/12
Following its National Historic "andmark designation, interest grew in
preserving what remained of the canal in the late #96$s1 =he canal,
its infrastructure and associated uildings survive in many areas
along its length1
3ennsylvania
HonesdaleR =he terminal asin site has a state historical marker, and
traces of the gravity railroad route can still e seen1 Some stretches of
the ed are visile along 2outes 6 and -9$ as they approach town
from the south1
"ower "ackawa+en valleyR 2oute -9$ follows the ed and towpath in
some areas, and =owpath 2oad picks up the route in 3ike County?s
"ackawa+en =ownship1
2oeling?s Delaware ABueduct, still in use today
"ackawa+en and >arryville, New orkR 2oeling?s Delaware ABueduct,
the only one of the four on the canal still in use today and a National
Civil ;ngineering "andmark as the oldest wire suspension ridge in
the 0nited States, was restored y the National 3ark Service and still
carries automoiles over the Delaware etween the two states1 ust
north of the ridge, a former company oKce has een converted into
a ed and reakfast1
New ork
3ort ervisR A portion of the old towpath near 3ark Avenue &N (/9')
on the north end of the city has een paved and is used as a city
park1 Canal Street is the former ed, now !lled1 Fort Decker, the
oldest uilding in the city, was used to house canal workers during
construction1
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 11/12
ABueduct autment on Neversink near Cuddeackville
CuddeackvilleR :range County has developed a county park along
the Neversink here, @ust south of Hamilton >icentennial ;lementarySchool o 2oute /$91 =he footings of 2oeling?s aBueduct still stand,
and a portion of the ed and towpath persist in the ad@acent woods1
=he Neversink Malley *useum, also located in the park, has some
e+hiits related to the canal17#68
=own of *amakatingR Sullivan County maintains the largest remaining
fragment of the canal, some of which is still wet, as Delaware and
Hudson Canal "inear 3ark1 Hiking, crosscountry skiing and @ogging
and !shing are permitted along the .1- mile &-16km), (- acre &#% ha)
section near Summitville, north of Wurtsoro1 *uch of the land iseginning to return to its natural state due to the long years since the
canal was aandoned1 Some locks and other structures can e found
from two dierent access points along 2oute /$97#$8
WoodridgeR Silver "ake Dam, some distance from the canal mainline,
was uilt during the #%($s e+pansion to provide a reliale reservoir
for the summit section of the canal1
;llenvilleR =owpath 2oad follows the old route from 2oute /$9 south of
the village to Canal Street &N -/) within it, and a wet section of theed remains @ust north of Canal in the woods o >erme 2oad @ust
opposite the village?s !rehouse1
NapanochR A dry section of ed is located etween ;astern
Correctional Facility and the 2ondout, right ne+t to the old :ntario and
Western railroad station1
7/17/2019 Delaware and Hudson Canal
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/delaware-and-hudson-canal 12/12
"ock No1 #6 at High Falls
1
High FallsR Several old locks are located here, near the site of the last
of 2oeling?s aBueducts, as well as the canal museum1 =he downtown
area was heavily developed as a result of the canal1
2osendale =he empty ed of the canal runs parallel to N /#. etween its crossing of the 2ondout and 2osendale Millage1
CreeklocksR =he northernmost lock still e+ists, as does the !nal
section efore the canal Oowed into the 2ondout1
=he former port of 2ondout, now preserved and restored as a historic
district1