Excerpt from The Port of Philadelphia

The opening of the Erie Canal caused a decline in the commerce of Philadelphia, while it greatly stimulated that of New York, since it increased immensely the territory tributary to that centre. It did not violate the general law relative to the location of the proper site for our city, viz: at the point of transfer between land and water carriage, or at the head of navigation, but it modified the conditions and enabled both New. York and Chicago to surpass us, in consequence of their terminal positions, on a line of less resistance, reaching a larger territory.

The reason for the locus of transfer being found at the head of navigation for ocean vessels, will become apparent upon a moment's reflection. While land and water traffic are reciprocal, it must be remembered that'the water pro duces comparatively nothing while the cost of movement over it is much less than that on land. Hence the more land there is surrounding a navigable channel to the sea, the greater will be the commerce. A city on the border of an extended and straight coast-line, as Norfolk, for instance, will have but a semi-circular area to draw from; one which is on a reentrant angle, like New York, will have three fourths of the circle tributary to her port; while one that is in the heart of a continent, as Chicago, will have nearly the full circle, and hence for equal land rates of transportation and an equivalent population, the latter will have a great advantage as a shipping point. If there were a deep draught channel from Chicago to the sea, wh ersby the break of bulk at Buffalo and New York might be avoided, the water rate would be still lower, and the advantage of the terminals be even greater.

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