COMPILATION OF CANAL TRADE ARTICLES FROM THE CUMBERLAND ALLEGANIAN and CUMBERLAND DAILY TIMES Two Cumberland, Md., newspapers and HERALD AND TORCH LIGHT A Hagerstown, Md. newspaper and THE BALTIMORE SUN A Baltimore, Md. newspaper and EVENING STAR, NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CRITIC-RECORD Three Washington, D. C. newspapers and ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE an Alexandria, Va. newspaper 1875 Compiled and Edited by William Bauman C & O Canal Association Volunteer [email protected] Revision 1, DECEMBER 2015 Revision 2, NOVEMBER 2017 Revision 3, APRIL 2019 Revision 4, May 2019 Canal Trade - 1875 A. PREFACE This compilation of newspaper articles about the C. & O. Canal is one of a series. The two Cumberland newspapers were found on microfilm at Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD. The Herald and Torch Light, Baltimore Sun, Evening Star, National Republican, Critic-Record and Alexandria Gazette newspapers were found on the Internet. In 1875, The Cumberland Alleganian was published weekly, on Wednesdays, and the Daily Times was published daily, except Sunday, as was the Evening Star and the Critic-Record. To keep the newspapers distinguished, I have marked the articles from the Cumberland Alleganian with CA, from the Cumberland Daily Times with DT, from the Herald and Torch Light with H&TL, from the Baltimore Sun with Sun, from the Evening Star with an ES, from the National Republican with NR, from the Critic-Record with a CR and from the Alexandria Gazette with AG, prior to the date. The report does offer a glimpse of life on the Canal in 1875. For the Cumberland Alleganian only the editions between 1/1/75 to 1/13/75 have been found. For the Cumberland Daily Times, the editions between 1/1/75 to 4/30/75 and then later from 11/1/75 to 12/30/75 have been found. For the Herald and Torch light, Baltimore Sun, Evening Star, National Republican and the Critic-Record, not all editions were found and not all found editions had an article on the canal, notice the near absence of information on coal carrying boats while those carrying produce to Georgetown merchants were mentioned. There were boats carrying other freight than coal on the canal. This compilation is a companion document to the Register of Boats Descending Past Lock 75 - 1875. Mr. William Holdsworth compiled the registers of canal boats passing Lock 75, ascending and descending, 1874 and 1875, into one data file, an Excel spread sheet. He then added information from the Canal Reports from the newspapers of the same two years. From that spread sheet, he has done a traffic study, reported elsewhere. For this report it became clear, for example, that Embrey should always be spelled with two "e"s, Fernsner always has two "n"s, and W. C. Merryman's first name was William, necessitating corrections. The name of every canal boat mentioned in this report was compared with the information from the spread sheet and corrections in spelling made where justified. No boats were added and no boats were deleted; the traffic study results are unchanged. However, readers looking for their ancestors should be able to find every citation with minimum risk of missing one due to a difference in spelling. This revision includes many articles from the Alexandria Gazette. Readers are encouraged to search the enclosed report for information on their ancestor as their time and interest permits. Feel free to send additional observations for the benefit of others. William Bauman Revised May 2019 [email protected] 2 Canal Trade - 1875 Canal Trade 1875 yesterday, and reports that two routes have been surveyed and the estimates for the line CA, Wed. 1/6/75, p. 3. The Canal Steamer selected amount to $27,000,000. The line Moore. - The Alexandria Gazette of recent extends from Cumberland, Md., to date contained the following interesting new slackwater on the Monongahela. item about the canal steamer Thomas Moore, remodeled and refitted at CA, Thu. 1/14/75, p. 4. Another Boat Cumberland last fall, and owned by the Burned. - We heard yesterday that news had Rochester, Pennsylvania, firm of Messrs. been received by Charles Robb, Esq., Agent Darragh, Stewart, Adams & Co.: "The steam of the American Coal Company, to the canal boat Moore, having undergone the effect that the boat "Horace Resley," regular necessary inspection, will, during the belonging to Mr. Daniel Marmaduke, and suspension of canal navigation, run on the lying at Mercerville, Washington county, Potomac river. She passed by here this had been set on fire and was entirely morning on her way to Washington with a consumed. The work doubtless of some load of wood, and though a strong ebb tide incendiary. was running, was making pretty good time. She is an ordinary canal boat equipped with AG, Tue. 1/12/75, p. 3. Canal Boat a steam propeller." Burned – Duffields, Jefferson Co., W. Va., Jan. 9. – A fire took place at Bridgeport, just ES, Fri. 1/8/75, p. 1. Shipments of across the Potomac from Shepherdstown at Cumberland Coal in 1874 – The shipments the canal lock, last night, at 3 a. m., which at of Cumberland coal during the year 1874 one time bid fair to burn up the entire lot of amounted to 2,323,195 tons 12 cwt., a canal boats there tied up for the winter. decrease compared with the year 1873 of There were twenty-six boats at Bridgeport at 241,559 tons 7 cwt. By Chesapeake & Ohio the time, filling up the canal for a hundred canal, decrease 12,383 tons 15 cwt.; by yards or more, all closely fixed together, and railroads, decrease 244,244 tons 12 cwt. but one family were all who had been on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, decrease boats since the suspension of navigation, 196,882 tons 4 cwt.; Pennsylvania railroad, and they belonged to a boat from decrease 47,361 tons 8 cwt. Total shipments Cumberland, and they were obliged to stop during the year by canal, 767,097 tons 8 for the winter, having become ice bound at cwt.; by Baltimore and Ohio railroad, Bridgeport. The fire was the work of an 1,488,415 tons 5 cwt.; by Pennsylvania incendiary, as when first discovered, two railroad, 67,082 tons 19 cwt. boats belonging to Oliver Shearman were found to be on fire, though these boats were CA, Wed. 1/13/75, p. 3. Canal Receipts. thirty yards apart from each other, and a The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal receipts for dozen boats between the two. The fire the last four days of the year 1874 were engine from Shepherdstown soon put an end $5,176.87, divided as follows: Cumberland, to the fire, not, however, till the two boats of $622.19; Georgetown, $4,541.99; Hancock, Mr. Shearman and one of Mr. Poffenberger $12.69. were consumed. Great excitement prevailed in Shepherdstown this morning, as the NR, Wed. 1/13/75, p. 1. P. C. Pendleton, bridge across the Potomac was at one time connected with the surveying party of the in great danger, and this structure had but Chesapeake and Ohio canal, arrived here recently been rebuilt, the original bridge 3 Canal Trade - 1875 having been burned when Gen. Johnston Receipts for 1874, $513,313.17; for 1873, occupied Harper’s Ferry in 1861. Mr. $507,644.09; increase for 1874, $5,688.48. Shearman offers $500 and Mr. Poffenberger Since the close of navigation, the usual $50 for the arrest and conviction of the winter repairs have commenced, and will be incendiary. B. pushed forward so as to have the entire line in complete order for navigation by the 1st of NR, Sat. 1/16/75, p. 4. CHESAPEAKE March next. AND OHIO CANAL. - Report of the President. - The president and board of CA, Tue. 1/26/75, p. 4. CIRCUIT COURT directors of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal - THE BOATMEN, Monday, January 25. - met at Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday. Court convened at nine o'clock, with Chief The president submitted his report, showing Judge Alvey and Associate Judges Pearre the total tonnage during the month of and Motter on the bench; Josiah H. Gordon, December to have been 17,102 tons - an Esq., State's Attorney; Theo Lumen, Esq., increase over the corresponding month of Clerk, and James C. Lynn, Esq., Sheriff. 1873 of 8,056 tons. The receipts for the The case of State vs. James treasury for revenue were $16,235.78; Hitechew, Thos. O'Donnell, Taylor Reid, N. miscellaneous receipts, $4,500; total, A. Long, Peter Wolf, and Charles Atwell, $20,736.78; and the expenditures were indicted for conspiring to affect the rate of $18,271.95; net revenue, $2,264.83. The freights on the transportation of coal on the expenses, as compared with December, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal occupied the 1873, show the following results: Total attention of the Court during the entire expenses, December, 1872, $21,599.08; session. The indictment charged the parties total expenses, December, 1874, with conspiring together to raise the rate of $18,271.95; decrease in favor of December, freights, and with intimidating and 1874, $3,327.13. The coal tonnage for the preventing other persons engaged in the year 1874 was 836,997 tons, which is an same business from freighting on or at a less increase over the tonnage of 1873 of 39,159 price than that agreed by the Boatman's tons, viz: Coal tonnage, 1874, 856,997 tons; Union. Of the traversers, Peter Wolf and 1873, 797,838 tons; increase in favor of Taylor Reid were not present to answer, in 1874, 39,159 tons.