the paths of inland commerce-第25章

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eople　by　the　panic　year　of　1837。　So　absorbed　were　these　Chicago　folk　in　the　building　of　their　canal　and　in　wresting　from　their　lake　firm　foothold　for　a　city　（reclaiming　four　hundred　feet　of　lake　bed　in　two　years）　that　the　panic　affected　their　town　less　than　it　did　many　a　rival。　Although　the　canal　enterprise　came　to　an　ominous　pause　in　1842；　after　the　expenditure　of　five　millions；　the　pledge　of　the　State　stood　the　enterprise　in　good　stead。　Local　financiers；　together　with　New　York　and　Boston　promoters；　advanced　about　a　quarter　of　a　million；　while　French　and　English　bankers；　notably　Baring　Brothers；　contributed　about　three…quarters　of　a　million。　With　this　assistance　the　work　was　carried　to　a　successful　ending。　On　April　10；1848；　the　first　boat　passed　over　the　ninety…mile　route　from　Chicago　to　Ottawa；　and　the　Great　Lakes　and　the　Mississippi　Basin　were　united　by　this　Erie　Canal　of　the　West。　Though　its　days　of　greatest　value　were　soon　over；　no　one　can　exaggerate　the　importance　of　this　waterway　in　the　growth　and　prosperity　of　Chicago　between　1848　and　1860。　By　1857　Chicago　was　sending　north　and　south　annually　by　boat　over　twenty　million　bushels　of　wheat　and　corn。

The　awakening　of　the　lands　behind　Lake　Erie；　Lake　Huron；　and　Lake　Michigan　brought　forth　innumerable　demands　for　roads；　canals；　and　railways　to　the　ports　of　Buffalo；　Cleveland；　Toledo；　Detroit；　Milwaukee；　and　Chicago。　There　were　actually　hundreds　of　these　enterprises　undertaken。　The　development　of　the　land　behind　Lake　Superior　was　particularly　spectacular　and　important；　not　only　because　of　its　general　effect　on　the　industrial　world　but　also　because　out　of　it　came　the　St。　Mary's　River　Ship　Canal。　Nowhere　in　the　zone　of　the　Great　Lakes　has　any　region　produced　such　unexpected　changes　in　American　industrial　and　commercial　life　as　did　the　region　of　Michigan；　Wisconsin；　and　Minnesota　contributory　to　Lake　Superior。　If；　as　the　story　goes；　Benjamin　Franklin　said；　when　he　drew　at　Paris　the　international　boundary　line　through　Lake　Superior；　that　this　was　his　greatest　service　to　America；　he　did　not　exaggerate。　The　line　running　north　of　Isle　Royale　and　thence　to　the　Lake　of　the　Woods　gave　the　United　States　the　lion's　share　of　that　great　inland　seaboard　and　the　inestimably　rich　deposits　of　copper　and　iron　that　have　revolutionized　American　industry。

》From　earliest　days　rumors　of　deposits　of　bright　copper　in　the　land　behind　Lake　Superior　had　been　reported　by　Indians　to　fur　traders　who　in　turn　had　passed　the　story　on　to　fur　company　agents　and　thus　to　the　outside　world。　As　a　result　of　her　〃Toledo　War〃　as　her　boundary　dispute　was　calledMichigan　had　reluctantly　accepted　the　northern　peninsula　lying　between　Lake　Superior　and　Lake　Michigan　in　lieu　of　the　strip　of　Ohio　territory　which　she　believed　to　be　hers。　If　Michigan　felt　that　she　had　lost　by　this　compromise；　her　state　geologist；　Douglass　Houghton；　soon　found　a　splendid　jewel　in　the　toad's　head　of　defeat；　for　the　report　of　his　survey　of　1840　confirmed　the　story　of　the　existence　of　large　copper　deposits；　and　the　first　rush　to　El　Dorado　followed。　Amid　the　usual　chaos；　conflict；　and　failure　incident　to　such　stampedes；　order　and　system　at　last　triumphed　and　the　richest　copper　mines　of　the　New　World　were　uncovered。　Then　came　the　unexpected　finding　of　the　mammoth　iron…ore　beds　by　William　A。　Burt；　inventor　of　the　solar　compass。　The　circumstance　of　this　discovery　is　of　such　national　importance　that　a　contemporary　description　by　a　member　of　Burt's　party　which　was　surveying　a　line　near　Marquette；　Michigan；　is　worth　quoting：

〃I　shall　never　forget　the　excitement　of　the　old　gentleman　when　viewing　the　changes　of　the　variation。　He　kept　changing　his　position　to　take　observations；　all　the　time　saying　〃How　would　they　survey　this　country　without　my　compass〃　and　〃What　could　be　done　here　without　my　compass。〃　At　length　the　compassman　called　for　us　all　to　〃come　and　see　a　variation　which　will　beat　them　all。〃　As　we　looked　at　the　instrument；　to　our　astonishment；　the　north　end　of　the　needle　was　traversing　a　few　degrees　to　the　south　west。　Mr。　Burt　called　out　〃Boys；　look　around　and　see　what　you　can　find。〃　We　all　left　the　line；　some　going　to　the　east；　some　going　to　the　west；　and　all　of　us　returned　with　specimens　of　iron　ore。〃

But　it　was　not　enough　that　this　Aladdin's　Land　in　the　Northwest　should　revolutionize　the　copper　and　steel　industry　of　the　world；　for　as　soon　as　the　soil　took　to　its　bosom　an　enterprising　race　of　agriculturists　it　bade　fair　to　play　as　equally　important　a　part　in　the　grain　industry。　Copper　and　iron　no　less　came　out　of　the　blue　of　this　cold　northern　region　than　did　the　mighty　crops　of　Minnesota　wheat；　corn；　and　oats。　In　the　decade　preceding　the　Civil　War　the　export　of　wheat　from　Lake　Superior　rose　from　fourteen　hundred　bushels　to　three　and　a　quarter　millions　of　bushels；　while　in　1859　nearly　seven　million　bushels　of　corn　and　oats　were　sent　out　to　the　world。

The　commerce　of　Lake　Superior　could　not　await　the　building　of　a　canal　around　the　foaming　rapids　of　the　St。　Mary's　River；　its　one　outlet　to　the　lower　lakes。　In　the　decade　following　the　discovery　of　copper　and　iron　more　than　a　dozen　ships；　one　even　of　as　much　as　five　hundred　tons；　were　hauled　bodily　across　the　portage　between　Lake　Huron　and　Lake　Superior。　The　last　link　of　navigation　in　the　Great　Lake　system；　however；　was　made　possible　in　1852　by　a　grant　by　Congress　of　750；000　acres　of　Michigan　land。　Although　only　a　mile　in　length；　the　work　proved　to　be　of　unusual　difficulty　since　the　pathway　for　the　canal　had　to　be　blasted　throughout　practically　its　whole　length　out　of　solid　rock。　It　was　completed　in　1855；　and　the　princely　empire　〃in　the　moon〃　was　in　a　position　to　make　its　terms　with　the　coal　fields　of　Pennsylvania　and　to　usher　in　the　iron　age　of　transportation　and　construction。

It　is　only　in　the　light　of　this　awakening　of　the　lands　around　the　Great　Lakes　that　one　can　see　plainly　the　task　which　fell　to　the　lot　of　the　successors　of　the　frail　Walk…in…the…Water　and　sturdier　Superior　of　the　early　twenties。　For　the　first　fifteen　years　the　steamboat　found　its　mission　in　carrying　the　thousands　of　emigrants　pouring　into　the　Northwest；　a　heterogeneous　multitude　which　made　the　Lake　Erie　boats　seem；　to　one　traveler　at　least；　filled　with　〃men；　women　and　children；　beds；　cradles；　kettles；　and　frying　pans。〃　These　craft　were　built　after　the　pattern　of　the　Walk…in…the…Waterside…wheelers　with　a　steering　wheel　at　the　stern。　No　cabins　or　staterooms　on　deck　were　provided；　and　amid　such　freight　as　the　thriving　young　towns　provided　were　to　be　found　the　twenty　or　thirty　cords　of　wood　which　the　engines　required　as　fuel。

The　second　period　of　steamboating　began　with　the　opening　of　the　Ohio　Canal　and　the　Welland　Canal　about　1834　and　extended　another　fifteen　years　to　the　middle　of　the　century；　when　it　underwent　a　transformation　owing　to　the　great　development　of　Chicago；　the　completion　of　the　Illinois　and　Michigan　and　St。　Mary's　canals；　and　the　new　railways。　This　second　period　was　marked　by　the　building　of　such　steamers　as　the　Michigan；　the　Great　Western；　and　the　Illinois。　These　were　the　first　boats　with　an　upper　cabin　and　were　looked　upon　with　marked　suspicion　by　those　best　acquainted　with　the　severe　storms　upon　the　Great　Lakes。　The　Michigan；　of　475　tons；　built　by　Oliver　Newberry　at　Detroit　in　1833；　is　said　to　have　been　the　first　ship　of　this　type。　These　boats　proved　their　seaworthiness　and　caused　a　revolution　in　the　construction　of　lake　craft。　Later　in　this　period　freight　transportation　saw　an　equally　radical　advance　with　the　building　of　the　first　propellers。　The　sloop…rigged　Vandalia；　built　by　Sylvester　Doolittle　at　Oswego　on　Lake　Ontario　in　1842；　was　the　first　of　the　propeller　type　and　was　soon　followed　by　the　Hercules；　the　Samson；　and　the　Detroit。

One　very　great　handicap　in　lake　commerce　up　to　this　time　had　been　the　lack　of　harbors。　Detroit　alone　of　the　lake　ports　was　distinctly　favored　in　this　respect。　The　harbors　of　Buffalo；　Cleveland；　Milwaukee；　and　Chicago　were　improved　slowly；　but　it　was　not　until　the　great　Chicago　convention　of　1846　that　the　nation's　attention　was　focused　on　the　needs　of　Western　rivers　and　harbors；　and　there　dawned　a　new　era　of　lighthouses　and　buoys；　breakwaters　and　piers；　and　dredged　channel