There were many kinds of boats but the packet boat wasthe queen of the Erie. It traveled day and night only going three milesan hour because it was pulled by mules and the mules were controlled byhoggees. The packet boat, having very tight space, had to carry passengerson top of the boat and had the cargo stored in the tight space left. Thatis also the reason it got its name, 'packet boat'. In 1825, the packetboats were being pulled from Albany to Lake Erie, going through Clyde andNewark and other new settlements dropping off cargo at every stop. Theyentertained themselves by singing 'low bridge, everybody down' whenthey were going through a town.People traveled on the packet boat to setto the new west and start fresh.In 1877 the railroad was being built. Thismethod of traveling soon replacedthe canal it's faster and they could travelyear round.