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Fear of Speed
In 1829, Martin Van Buren, then governor of New York, wrote the
following to the president:
"The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as 'railroads.'
The federal government must
preserve our canals for these reasons:
If canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result.
Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen and lock tenders will be left
without any means of livelihood.
Canal boats are essential to our defense.
In the event of trouble with England, the Erie Canal could be the only means by which we could move supplies ...
The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel through the countryside at the breakneck speed of 15 miles per hour."
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