by Gary Emerson
On October 15, 1873, throngs gathered along the Erie Canal in Syracuse to inspect the five steam canal boats tied up at the docks. People had come from around the state to witness the competition of the steamers for a $100,000 prize offered by the New York State Legislature for the fastest and most practical steam canal boat. Each boat would haul a load of 200 tons from Syracuse to Utica, the 52-mile route known as the long level because it included few locks.
Changing with the times
When we think of the Erie Canal in the 19th century, we envision boats gliding silently and slowly on the water being pulled by horses or mules. But the 19th century was the age of steam and innovative minds sought to hasten shipping on the canal by converting to steam-powered boats. Almost as soon as the Erie Canal was completed, steam-powered canal boats began making appearances on the canal, but none proved superior to animal power.
By the 1870s, the growth of railroads threatened to take freight away from the canal. The New York Central Railroad raised capital to construct a double track to devote more cars to carrying freight. The speed and year-round service of railroads posed an existential threat to the canals of the state. Animal-powered canal boats typically took two weeks to haul freight from Buffalo to New York City. Steam-powered boats had the potential to cut that time in half. Canal boats run by steam offered a way for the Erie Canal to better compete with railroads.
In 1871, the New York State Legislature decided to incentivize the development of steam power on the Erie Canal by offering a $100,000 prize to whoever could construct an efficient steam-powered canal boat that met certain requirements. The winning boat had to be able to haul at least 200 tons at an average speed of three miles per hour, be able to run both forward and in reverse, and the technology had to be adaptable to existing canal barges.
The plan called for competing boats to complete three round trips between Buffalo and New York City during the 1872 canal season to prove they could meet the requirements. But at the end of the season, the state legislature decided the trials were not conclusive and decided to sponsor a competition in 1873 that would hopefully produce a winner. The competition called for the boats to navigate from Syracuse to Utica, a 52-mile route with few locks that could allow the steam canal boats to demonstrate their speed. Each boat would haul 200 tons. Agents of the state canal commission would ride along with each boat to monitor its operation, use of coal and speed.
The contenders
As the sun rose on October 15, 1873, crews of the five boats prepared to start the race that all thought would decide the future of boating on the Erie Canal. The steam canal boats were given a staggered start in 30-minute intervals. The first boat off was the William Baxter at 6:23 a.m. Named for its builder and owner, the Baxter was built specifically for the contest and was powered by a screw propeller. The boat performed well in the 1872 season, and many considered it the favorite to claim the prize.
The C. C. Pope was scheduled to leave next. It was an ordinary canal boat refitted with a steam engine powering a screw propeller. A mechanical problem delayed the start of the C. C. Pope, and time was lost repairing the valves on its engine. It did not depart until 11 a.m.
Although slated to start third, the Port Byron would take the place of the C. C. Pope. The boat was a regular horse-drawn boat modified to run on steam. Built in Rochester, the Port Byron had a paddle-wheel in the stern with an opening running from bow to stern allowing water to pass down the middle of the boat. The idea was to limit the amount of wash to minimize erosion along the canal banks. It was suddenly discovered at the start of the race that the Port Byron somehow had 10 tons too much freight on board, and time was lost lightening its load down to the required 200 tons. It was 9:15 a.m. before the Port Byron began its trip.
The Central City launched an hour later. Built in Syracuse, the “central city” in the state, it featured twin paddle-wheels on either side of the boat. The experiment proved to be inefficient. The Central City had difficulty entering locks due to the paddle-wheels on its sides. Both paddle-wheel boats, the Port Byron and the Central City, were the slowest of the competitors.
The final boat to start the race was the William Newman, nearly five hours after the Baxter had departed. Built in Watkins on Seneca Lake, the Newman was named for a popular builder in that village. Powered by a screw propeller, it was a modified canal boat with a double deck allowing for the separation of different cargoes. The Newman performed well in the 1872 trials, and many thought the race was between the Baxter and the Newman.
With so much at stake for the $100,000 prize, competitors didn’t want to leave matters to chance. The crew of the C. C. Pope believed their mechanical difficulties at the start of the race was due to tampering. The William Newman had a fast start, quickly overcoming and passing the C. C. Pope and Central City, but suddenly began losing steam. The Newman began the race using coal acquired at Buffalo. Once the crew began using extra coal purchased at Syracuse. it did not burn as well; the coal had been left sitting on the dock overnight and apparently someone had doused it with salt water. Once the boat got to Rome, it loaded on fresh coal and its speed improved.
The Baxter made it to Utica well ahead of the other boats, which arrived the following day. The great steam canal boat race was over. The boat owners anxiously awaited as the commissioners weighed the data they collected to decide which boat would win the $100,000.
The final results
After evaluating the data, the commissioners finally announced their decision to not award the prize. They ruled that none of the boats met the criteria to win the $100,000. The only boat to achieve an average of three miles per hour was the William Baxter, but the Baxter was built specifically to compete for the prize and its plan was not adaptable to existing canal barges. The boat owners, who had invested a lot in their boats to compete, lobbied the state legislature to be compensated for their efforts. The legislature compromised by agreeing to award payments to some of the boats, provided their owners put more steam-powered boats on the canal during the following year.
William Baxter received $35,000 for putting seven more steam canal boats on the Erie Canal. David Dobbins, owner of the William Newman, was paid $15,000 for producing three new steam canal boats. Theodore Davis, who owned the Central City, was compensated $5,000 for constructing another steam canal boat modeled on the Central City.
The steam canal boat race ended without a clear path to replace animals as the motive power for canal boats. Boats pulled by mules and horses continued to dominate traffic on the canals. The steam canal boat competition demonstrated that the main impediment preventing a transition to steam power on the canal was the canal itself. The canal was too shallow and too narrow to accommodate steam canal boats. The locks were too small to handle the large boats. A deeper canal would make greater speed possible. A wider canal would make it easier for boats to pass one another. Larger locks would allow multiple boats to lock through at the same time.
Although the steam canal boat contest seemed to be a failure, it succeeded in exposing the drawbacks of the Erie Canal. The canal needed motor-powered boats to compete with the railroads, and enlargement was the answer. New York State voters authorized construction of the barge canal in 1903. Completed in 1918 at a cost of nearly $97 million, the barge canal was engineered to be 12 feet deep and 120 feet wide. The much larger locks were 45 feet wide and 328 feet long. Motorized steel barges, capable of carrying 2,000 tons and moving at faster speed, replaced the animal powered boats. The barge canal still serves the public today, and the steam canal boat race of 1873 helped pave the way for the modifications that carried the canal into the 21st century.
Gary Emerson of Odessa, is a retired high school teacher. He taught history at Newfield Central School and currently serves as the Schuyler County historian. He received a B.A. in history from St. Bonaventure University in 1977, an M.A. in history from Binghamton University in 2000 and a PhD from Binghamton University in 2024.
