It is likely you have heard, sang, or hummed the old song “Fifteen Miles of the Erie Canal”, with the famous refrain “Low bridge, everybody down; Low bridge, for we are a coming to a town.” The Thomas S. Allen tune was written around 1911 about the time when the era of the old Erie Canal was nearing an end. There is another song you likely haven’t heard titled “Boating on a Bullhead”, in which a young man becomes a steersman and is killed by a low bridge. The song goes; “Now the boat she was a Bull-Head, Decked up to the cabin’s top; Many canawlers now are dead, Who had no place to drop. When the bowsman he forgot to yell, “Low bridge, duck ‘er down!” The Bull-Head steersman went to hell, With a bridge string for a crown.” It is clear that low bridges were a hazard to boaters, who were often injurer or killed by getting whacked on the head, especially at night when lighting was provided by kerosene lamps, and people were sleepy. Yet in spite of all this, finding newspaper accounts of boaters being killed by hitting bridges is rare. I have never seen one. So we will come back to this.

This past week, at the urging of a friend, I stopped by the estate sale of the Cheney home. I was told that there were portraits of Cushman family members for sale and that they might be nice for the historical society collection. The Cushman name was not one I was familiar with. After speaking with the family members at the sale and hearing about how great grandma was a Cushman by marriage and that she had a son killed by a canal bridge, I made the purchase. They had no name for the lady. Of course, this had to be researched.

Being a historian, I hate to find photos of unknown people. We regularly feature unidentified photos on our Facebook page under the “Department of Missing Persons” banner, asking for help. So it is nice to have clues. I am very happy to introduce you to Ruth Cushman nee Backus. Ruth married Richard Cushman, a farmer and a man fourteen years her senior. She was 17 or 18 when she had her first daughter Susie. By 1900, the family had four daughters and one son. Richard, the father, died unexpectedly in 1906, just months after the death of her father. My interest was peaked when I learned that the eldest daughter, Susie (or later Susan) married a John Ray about 1902. The Ray name is likely very familiar to many who know the village or canal history. The Ray family operated canal boats and later worked as tug boat captains.

Oliver was the only Cushman son. He married Daisy Morgan and lived next to John and Susie on Dock Street in the village. Although Oliver is listed as a day laborer in the census, there is a strong suggestion that he was likely working for the Ray family on their canal boats. On Monday night, November 1, 1909, Oliver was at the helm as the boat was headed west. Since it was headed west, it was likely empty and riding high in the water. As the boat was passing through Rome, Oliver, fell sleep and didn’t hear the call from the driver or see the approaching bridge. He was trapped between the boat and the bridge and crushed, but not killed. Early reports of this accident state the injuries were not fatal and that he remained on the boat until it reached Syracuse. He was taken to St. Josephs Hospital, where it was found he had suffered internal injuries. By Friday, he was dead. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Mount Pleasant. I was told that Oliver’s grave was reopened and that his young daughter was buried with him after her death. Ruth is also there by Richard, and also in an unmarked grave.

Every life is full of stories. Not all stories have happy endings, and I am sure that the Cushman family would rather have had Oliver lead a full life rather than become a footnote to canal history. For me, it is kind of a happy ending as after many years of canal research, finding Mrs. Cushman led me to stumble upon my first death by low bridge.

Somewhere out there, Mr. Cushman is hanging in someone’s home, as he was purchased before I got to the sale. I would love to get a copy of the photograph so I can reunite the pair, at least in the digital world.

Thanks to the Rooker family for filling in many missing details.