Research: Topics: Transportation: Guide to Canal Records
Guide to Canal Records
State Engineer and Surveyor
Canal Contracts
B0658. Contract and specification forms regarding the Genesee Valley Canal, 1838. 0.1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
B0355. Contract proposals for the enlargement of the Erie Canal, 1847-1854, bulk 1847-1850. 1 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by date of proposal.
Finding aids: Volume list.
B0659. Notices, written explanations, blank contracts, and specifications exhibited at lettings at Rochester and Clyde, 1850. 0.2 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
B0660. Contracts and specifications exhibited and proposals received at letting in Lockport for Oak Orchard Creek Aqueduct, 1850. 0.2 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
B0661. Register of contracts, field and office books, and other matters relating to the Erie Canal enlargement, 1851. 0.1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
B0662. Index to proposals received at Albany, 1851, 18 Jan. 0.1 cu. ft. (1 volume)
B0735. Printed quantities exhibited at lettings for the western division of the Erie Canal and the Genesee Valley Canal, 1851. 0.3 cu. ft.
B0734. Contract specimens pertaining to the 1854 enlargement of the State's canals, 1854-1859. 0.3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
B0710. Letting records regarding various canals and locations of the western division, ca. 1860-1868. 0.3 cu. ft. (1 volume)
B0663. Index to contractors' proposals for work on the western division, ca. 1850-1901. 0.2 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
B0687. Contract specifications, engineers' estimates, and related documents pertaining to the Nine Million Dollar Canal Improvement, 1892-1905. 1 cu. ft. (6 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological.
Finding aids: Volume list.
B0395. Contract plans relating to improvement of the Erie and Oswego canals, ca. 1895-1898. 36 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Numerical by contract number.
These plans, made up in part of maps, drawings, specifications, and related forms of material, show proposed work for which contracts were let during the "Nine Million Dollar Improvement" of the Erie and Oswego canals in accordance with legislation of 1895 (Chapter 79), 1896 (Chapter 794), and 1897 (Chapters 43 and 569). Multiple sheets exist for each contract, including some or all of the following: blueprint copies of letting plans, grouped into sets containing many different forms of material; original maps, drawings, or tracings on architect's linen; hand drawn plans or diagrams on graph paper; preliminary specifications, both handwritten and print annotated; and printed contract specifications.
The graphic representations in the blueprint plans typically cover particulars of a job site (e.g. elevations), type of structure (e.g. bridges), or areas where work is to be undertaken; markers or other orientation aids (e.g. location of bolts set in masonry); type of material or condition of soil involved (e.g. timber or stone aprons); and proposed improvements to existing canal feeders or to specific structures (e.g. sewer lines, steel bulkheads; cement tile culverts, bridge abutments, vertical stone walls).
Sheets containing original maps, drawings, and tracings filed among the plans include such information as high water marks; location of the old and new canal bottom; condition of base rock and foundation and the improvements made to them; and a comparison of old to new construction (e.g. new wall, old wall), usually set off in colored inks. The maps sometimes show the blue line of the canal (boundary of State- owned property), buildings specifically labeled as to type of business (e.g. store, barber, mill, etc.), and name of businesses or property owners.
Finding aids: Container list.
B0230. Contractors' monthly estimates, ca. 1898-1902. 1 cu. ft.
Arrangement: By contract project, then chronological.
These "estimates of work done and material delivered" were compiled monthly by canal project contractors. The estimates, which were submitted to the State Engineer and Surveyor for verification before payment was made to the contractors, concern various pre-Barge Canal construction projects. They provide the following data: period covered by the estimate; name of contractor; date of contract; description of canal project; authorizing legislation; quantities of materials; description of items; contract price and total amount; percentage retained; amount of payment; materials delivered (quantity, description of items, contract price, and total amount); extra work performed; materials furnished by the State, if applicable; and estimate figures.
B0358. Canal contract registers, 1898-1926. 1 cu. ft. (3 volumes)
Arrangement: Chronological by year.
Finding aids: Volume list.
B0394. Barge Canal contract cross section sheets, 1916, 1922. 1 cu. ft. (2 volumes)
Finding aids: Volume list.
B0391. Barge Canal contract location maps, ca. 1904-1905. 2 cu. ft. (18 volumes consisting of one colored map in numerous sections on 18 sheets)
The series consists of cut up sections of a printed U.S. Geological Survey topographic map of New York State that has been annotated to locate the areas covered by Barge Canal contracts. The map sections are undated but the series apparently complies with specific requirements of section four of the Barge Canal Law (Laws of 1903, Chapter 147). This law directed that all authorized canal work be done by contract, and that before any contract could be made the State Engineer must divide the whole work into sections suitable for contracting, and make maps, plans, and specifications for the work to be done.
Each of the three canal divisions and the separate canals on each division were divided into residencies, with work in each residency done under the direction of a resident engineer or an assistant engineer in charge. In 1904 the canal line was divided into 15 sections or residencies for conducting work in the field; the presence of residency numbers dates the series from approximately that time.
Annotations are by hand and in color, and were apparently made on a single topographic map of the entire State that was subsequently cut up. Contract numbers and the area covered by each contract are marked in red, with the names of respective contractors marked below them in black. Maps also provide residency numbers and these areas are marked by bars of color that remain constant throughout all map sections.
B0236. Walters Act administrative files, 1918-1919. 1 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Numerical.
In 1918, the legislature passed an act (Chapter 585) to alleviate the heavy financial losses faced by canal contractors due to the economic uncertainty created by America's entry into World War I. The State Engineer and Surveyor was charged with the proper administration of this law, known as the Walters Act. These files document the actions taken by the State Engineer and Surveyor in dealing with contractors applying for assistance under the provisions of this act. The series includes correspondence, memoranda, journals, financial statements submitted by contractors, cost estimates, and inventories of construction materials.
Indexes: Series B0241, Card Index to the Walters Act Administrative Files (page 37), provides name and subject access to this series.
B0241. Card index to the Walters Act administrative files, 1918-1919. 0.3 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by last name of correspondent or subject.
These 3" x 5" cards serve as a name and subject index to series B0236, Walters Act Administrative Files, described above (page 36).
