Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Canal News 1820-1822/a

Submitted by Richard Palmer

Cayuga Republican, March 8, 1820

FOR SALE.
Montezuma Village Lots.
____
The lots in the village of Montezuma are now offered for sale,
being surveyed of different sizes to suit purchasers. The natural
advantages of this village are supposed to be greater than any
village possesses on the Canal from Lake Erie to Utica. It must be
the place of deposit for the produce from the Cayuga Lake, the Seneca
lake, the Canandaigua lake and outlet, Mud creek and the Seneca
river. Its inexhaustible sources of soft water, of a far superior to
that at Salina, will always render it a place of importance for the
manufacture of that necessary and useful article.

Its clay for making the different kinds of ware has been found
to be excellence; and it is expected that the abundant supply of
water to the Canal will afford a sufficiency of waste water for mill-
seats, and all other necessary hydraulic purposes. The bridge over
the Seneca river is now building, connecting it with a Turnpike road
to the east and west, which with the rapid progress of the settlement
in its immediate vicinity, must inevitably render it a place of the
first importance in the western country.

An opportunity is now afforded for persons to purchase, who
wish to settle in a growing village, or to vest their money in the
purchase of property which will rapidly increase in value. More than
fifty village lots have been sold this spring, and purchasers who
wish to have a choice of stands are requested to call soon.

Enquire of Comfort Tyler and Peter Clarke, Esq's. at Montezuma,
where a map of the village may be seen, or of Joseph Otis, James
Lovatt or James B. Clarke, New-York, committee for said company.
Montezuma, March 10, 1819. 39tf


Geneva Gazette, Wed. May 10,1820

Canal Navigation
____
The navigation on the middle section of the great western canal has
commenced. The passage boat Montezuma was to have started on her
regular trips from Seneca river to Utica, a distance of 94 miles on
the 1st inst.

Carthage Bridge. We are informed that the elegant single arch Bridge,
erected at an enormous expense over the Genesee river at Carthage,
fell down a few days ago. Fortunately, no person was passing over at
the time.


Cayuga Republican, Auburn, N.Y., Wed., May 31, 1820

GRAND CANAL.

On Thursday morning last, a respectable number of the citizens
of this village, went to Bucksville about 7 to meet the Montezuma, a
new passage-boat on the Canal, having His Excellency DeWitt Clinton
and General Stephen Van Rensselaer on board. The boat arrived at
Bucksville from Montezuma about 7 o'clock. The morning was fine, and
our citizens went on board and continued as far as Jordan, a distance
of 10 miles. During the short passage, a breakfast was served up in
handsome style, and every attention was given by the managers of the
boat to the convenience and pleasure of the party. Our passengers
returned in a small boat to their carriages delighted with their
excursion.
A PASSENGER.


Cayuga Republican, May 31, 1820

Post Office Notice.

A POST OFFICE is established at Montezuma, by the name of
Montezuma Post-Office, and Richard Smith is appointed Post-Master.
R. SMITH, P.M.
Montezuma, May 25, 1820.


Cayuga Republican, Wed., Aug. 15, 1821

[Communication]

Mr. Editor,

Sir, - I send you a cop of a card, signed by some gentlemen
passengers, in the Canal-Boat Montezuma, with the addition of their
places of residence. Various reports are in circulation respecting
the conveyance of passengers on that section of the Canal between
Utica and Montezuma, should you give this an insertion, it may be a
satisfaction to the public, and some advantage to the Erie Canal
Navigation Company.

A PASSENGER.
__
WE the undersigned, having passed from Utica to Weed's Basin, on
the Canal, a distance of eight-eight miles, in the in the Passage
Boat Montezuma, Capt. Joseph Swan, very cheerfully declare the great
satisfaction we have experienced, both from that mode of conveyance
and the uniform civility and obliging deportment of the Captain, and
all the persons attached to the Boat.

We fared very well a the table of the boat and felt no
inconvenience either from the heat or smell of the kitchen, and
reached our destination without fatigue, about twenty minutes before
the time appointed. Several of us had Ladies of our party, some of
whom were in delicate health, and they all found it an agreeable and
easy conveyance.

Weeds Basin, 10th August, 1821
Wm. H. Winder, Baltimore
D. Lenox, Philadelphia.
John Greenfield, New York
Ephraim, Ohio.
C. Tanner, Geneva



Lyons Republican, Friday, Nov. 30, 1821

On Thursday last, the citizens of this place, were gratified with a
view of the elegant Packet-Boat, Myron Holley. She arrived at the
aqueduct on Wednesday evening, having on board a large number of persons from
Palmyra and other places adjacent to the canal. This boat is well
calculated for the accommodation of passengers, and is said to
surpass any one on the whole line of the canal. It is 80 feet in length, and 13 Ω in
width. It has two convenient rooms for passengers, and will
accommodate one hundred persons. It draws but 10 inches of water when loaded, and
cost two thousand dollars.

A great number of persons assembled to witness this truly
interesting scene. Between two and three hundred embarked on board, when she started
back for Palmyra, where she safely arrived the same evening. The
banks were literally lined with anxious spectators to behold this elegant
specimen of western enterprise. Owing to the unfavorableness of the weather the lock
and aqueduct were not in a situation to let the boat pass through,
otherwise she would have come down as far as this village. Mr. Seymour
Scovel, the owner of the boat, deserves great credit for his remitted
exertions in finishing and rendering her thus commodious.

This is the first boat of any magnitude, that has navigated the
waters of the Erie Canal, on this section, and we are not a little proud of
having it said, that even the forests of the west, have yielded to the
enterprising industry of man, and that boats of burden are now gently
gliding in the midst thereof. Every one present evinced a degree of
pleasure in witnessing, what they dreamed impracticable five years
ago. The boat is expected here again next week, should the weather prove
favorable.



Cayuga Republican, April 3, 1822

BOATING AND FORWARDING
_____
The subscribers have entered into a line of FORWARDING with
John O'Hara, Esq. of Scipio, who is to have a line of Boats on the
Mohawk river, and teams on the road from Albany to Schenectady. They
will transport goods from Albany to Montezuma, or to Rochester, if
the Canal is navigable, and will transport produce to Albany, on as
good terms as any other Company that is responsible. The Boat FARMER
of Brutus, will be run by Sylvester Sheldon; Boat PERSEVERANCE, by
Elias Cady; Boat SOLACE, by Edmund B. Fellows. The boats will run on
regular days, viz: One of the above mentioned boats will leave Weed's
Basin every Monday and Thursday of each week, from the 25th April and
the 1st day of July next.
SYLVESTER SHELDON,
EDMUND B. FELLOWS,
IRA HOPKINS,
ELIAS CADY.
Brutus, March 28, 1822.


Lyons Advertiser
Sept. 23, 1822
From the Albany Argus

Erie Canal
We have recently had an opportunity of acquiring some information
respecting the progress of the eastern section of this great work,
which we presume will be gratifying to our readers. It will be
recollected that this section has, for the last and present season,
been under the immediate direction and superintendence of Mr.
Seymour. The work is prosecuted with great spirit and persevering
industry. It is estimated that there are five thousand persons at
present engaged in various employments on that section of the canal.
The Schoharie creek is to be crossed by means of a dam. The dangers
and delays incident to the construction of such a work had excited
much alarm and apprehension. This dam was completely finished last
week, and is secured in the most durable and substantial manner; it
is more than six hundred feet long, and so perfect has been its
construction, that the water falls over it in an even and unbroken
sheet.

The early completion of this dam & of the heavy & difficult jobs at
the Little and Great Nose, two promontories which present formidable
obstacles, together with the forward state of the work in general,
give the strongest assurance that the line of the canal will be
completed the present year as far eastward as Schenectady.
Great loss has been sustained during the present summer, occasioned
by a want of means to transport the produce of the country to market.

Large quantities of flour lay exposed to the weather for weeks in
succession and the owners had at last to pay from ten to twelve
shillings per barrel, to have it carried from the Little falls to
this city. If the canal, at the opening of this season, had been
completed to Schenectady, it is estimated that there would have been
a saving to the proprietors, in the transportation of the single
article of flour for this year alone, the enormous sum of one hundred
thousand dollars.

The amount of toll for the present year, will greatly exceed what was
estimated in the last yearís report.

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