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Document 20 –

Letter from John Van Arnam to William Gooding
Concerning a Towpath Contract
 

July 11, 1846
 

Document 20
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Transcription

                Lockport July 11th 1846
Mr Wm Gooden Esqr
                     Dear Sir
I would like to put the towing path in
order from Shanahorn to Dresden
Clear off the Brush & Burn them
their are some trees that are 6 or 8 inches
in diameter it is now the best time
to Clear it as the leaves will soon
drey and be easy Burned the earth
for the Slide will work beter now
than in a wet time I Can get plenty
of help at this time and will leave
the Price to the Estimate of the
Engineers
                     I Am Sir With
                     Respect your Humble
                               Servent
                       John Van Arnam

Explanation

With this letter John Van Arnam was asking William Gooding, the canal’s chief engineer, for the contract to put in the finished towpath from present-day Channahon down to the town of Dresden, a nineteenth century canal community no longer in existence. The towpath was the road along the canal’s side on which teams of mules or horses pulled canal boats attached by ropes. Towpaths were cleared by first burning off the surface and then being leveled with a heavy slide drawn by a team of oxen.

Although Van Arnam was not awarded this particular contract, he was given another one less than a month later. He agreed to build the stone foundations for a bridge near Ottawa. Van Arnam had planned to obtain the required stone from a nearby quarry but later discovered that supplies there had been exhausted. Marseilles was the next closest source but the cost for hauling was prohibitive. Jacob Fry, the acting canal trustee, declared Van Arnam’s contract forfeited on November 19, 1846.

For a map of the completed canal route, see Exhibit A.

Points To Consider

What was John Van Arnam proposing to do?

What was a "towing path"?

How was Van Arnam going to build it?

Describe the pace of traffic once the canal was completed.

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