the paths of inland commerce-第3章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


in　advocating　the　Boston　and　Albany　Railroad。　In　effect　Washington　had　uttered　those　same　words　half　a　century　earlier　when　he　gave　momentum　to　an　era　filled　with　energetic　but　unsuccessful　efforts　to　join　with　the　waters　of　the　West　the　　rivers　reaching　inland　from　the　Atlantic。　The　fact　that　American　engineering　science　had　not　in　his　day　reached　a　point　where　it　could　cope　with　this　problem　successfully　should　in　no　wise　lessen　our　admiration　for　the　man　who　had　thus　caught　the　vision　of　a　nation　united　and　unified　by　improved　methods　of　transportation。



CHAPTER　II。　The　Red　Man's　Trail

For　the　beginnings　of　the　paths　of　our　inland　commerce；　we　must　look　far　back　into　the　dim　prehistoric　ages　of　America。　The　earliest　routes　that　threaded　the　continent　were　the　streams　and　the　tracks　beaten　out　by　the　heavier　four…footed　animals。　The　Indian　hunter　followed　the　migrations　of　the　animals　and　the　streams　that　would　float　his　light　canoe。　Today　the　main　lines　of　travel　and　transportation　for　the　most　part　still　cling　to　these　primeval　pathways。

In　their　wanderings；　man　and　beast　alike　sought　the　heights；　the　passes　that　pierced　the　mountain　chains；　and　the　headwaters　of　navigable　rivers。　On　the　ridges　the　forest　growth　was　lightest　and　there　was　little　obstruction　from　fallen　timber；　rain　and　frost　caused　least　damage　by　erosion；　and　the　winds　swept　the　trails　clear　of　leaves　in　summer　and　of　snow　in　winter。　Here　lay　the　easiest　paths　for　the　heavy；　blundering　buffalo　and　the　roving　elk　and　moose　and　deer。　Here；　high　up　in　the　sun；　where　the　outlook　was　unobstructed　and　signal　fires　could　be　seen　from　every　direction；　on　the　longest　watersheds；　curving　around　river　and　swamp；　ran　the　earliest　travel　routes　of　the　aboriginal　inhabitants　and　of　their　successors；　the　red　men　of　historic　times。　For　their　encampments　and　towns　these　peoples　seem　to　have　preferred　the　more　sheltered　ground　along　the　smaller　streams；　but；　when　they　fared　abroad　to　hunt；　to　trade；　to　wage　war；　to　seek　new；　material　for　pipe　and　amulet；　they　followed　in　the　main　the　highest　ways。

If　in　imagination　one　surveys　the　eastern　half　of　the　North　American　continent　from　one　of　the　strategic　passageways　of　the　Alleghanies；　say　from　Cumberland　Gap　or　from　above　Kittanning　Gorge；　the　outstanding　feature　in　the　picture　will　be　the　Appalachian　barrier　that　separates　the　interior　from　the　Atlantic　coast。　To　the　north　lie　the　Adirondacks　and　the　Berkshire　Hills；　hedging　New　England　in　close　to　the　ocean。　Two　glittering　waterways　lie　east　and　west　of　these　heightsthe　Connecticut　and　the　Hudson。　Upon　the　valleys　of　these　two　rivers　converged　the　two　deeply　worn　pathways　of　the　Puritan；　the　Old　Bay　Path　and　the　Connecticut　Path。　By　way　of　Westfield　River；　that　silver　tributary　which　joins　the　Connecticut　at　Springfield；　Massachusetts；　the　Bay　Path　surmounted　the　Berkshire　highlands　and　united　old　Massachusetts　to　the　upper　Hudson　Valley　near　Fort　Orange；　now　Albany。

Here；　north　of　the　Catskills；　the　Appalachian　barrier　subsides　and　gives　New　York　a　supreme　advantage　over　all　the　other　Atlantic　Statesa　level　route　to　the　Great　Lakes　and　the　West。　The　Mohawk　River　threads　the　smiling　landscape；　beyond　lies　the　〃Finger　Lake　country〃　and　the　valley　of　the　Genesee。　Through　this　romantic　region　ran　the　Mohawk　Trail；　sending　offshoots　to　Lake　Champlain　and　the　St。　Lawrence；　to　the　Susquehanna；　and　to　the　Allegheny。　A　few　names　have　been　altered　in　the　course　of　years　the　Bay　Path　is　now　the　Boston　and　Albany　Railroad；　the　Mohawk　Trail　is　the　New　York　Central；　and　Fort　Orange　is　Albanyand　thus　we　may　tell　in　a　dozen　words　the　story　of　three　centuries。

Upon　Fort　Orange　converged　the　score　of　land　and　water　pathways　of　the　fur　trade　of　our　North。　These　Indian　trade　routes　were　slowly　widened　into　colonial　roads；　notably　the　Mohawk　and　Catskill　turnpikes；　and　these　in　turn　were　transformed　into　the　Erie；　Lehigh；　Nickel　Plate；　and　New　York　Central　railways。　But　from　the　day　when　the　canoe　and　the　keel　boat　floated　their　bulky　cargoes　of　pelts　or　the　heavy　laden　Indian　pony　trudged　the　trail；　the　routes　of　trade　have　been　little　or　nothing　altered。

Traversing　the　line　of　the　Alleghanies　southward；　the　eye　notes　first　the　break　in　the　wall　at　the　Delaware　Water　Gap；　and　then　that　long　arm　of　the　Susquehanna；　the　Juniata；　reaching　out　through　dark　Kittanning　Gorge　to　its　silver　playmate；　the　dancing　Conemaugh。　Here　amid　its　leafy　aisles　ran　the　brown　and　red　Kittanning　Trail；　the　main　route　of　the　Pennsylvania　traders　from　the　rich　region　of　York；　Lancaster；　and　Chambersburg。　On　this　general　alignment　the　Broadway　Limited　flies　today　toward　Pittsburgh　and　Chicago。　A　little　to　the　south　another　important　pathway　from　the　same　region　led；　by　way　of　Carlisle；　Bedford；　and　Ligonier；　to　the　Ohio。　The　〃Highland　Trail〃　the　Indian　traders　called　it；　for　it　kept　well　on　the　watershed　dividing　the　Allegheny　tributaries　on　the　north　from　those　of　the　Monongahela　on　the　south。

Farther　to　the　south　the　scene　shows　a　change；　for　the　Atlantic　plain　widens　considerably。　The　Potomac　River；　the　James；　the　Pedee；　and　the　Savannah　flow　through　valleys　much　longer　than　those　of　the　northern　rivers。　Here　in　the　South　commerce　was　carried　on　mainly　by　shallop　and　pinnace。　The　trails　of　the　Indian　skirted　the　rivers　and　offered　for　trader　and　explorer　passageway　to　the　West；　especially　to　the　towns　of　the　Cherokees　in　the　southern　Alleghanies　or　Unakas；　but　the　waterways　and　the　roads　over　which　the　hogsheads　of　tobacco　were　rolled　（hence　called　〃rolling　roads〃）　sufficed　for　the　needs　of　the　thin　fringes　of　population　settled　along　the　rivers。　Trails　from　Winchester　in　Virginia　and　Frederick　in　Maryland　focused　on　Cumberland　at　the　head　of　the　Potomac。　Beyond；　to　the　west；　the　finger　tips　of　the　Potomac　interlocked　closely　with　the　Monongahela　and　Youghiogheny；　and　through　this　network　of　mountain　and　river　valley；　by　the　〃Shades　of　Death〃　and　Great　Meadows；　coiled　Nemacolin's　Path　to　the　Ohio。　Even　today　this　ancient　route　is　in　part　followed　by　the　Baltimore　and　Ohio　and　the　Western　Maryland　Railway。

A　bird's…eye　view　of　the　southern　Alleghanies　shows　that；　while　the　Atlantic　plain　of　Virginia　and　the　Carolinas　widens　out；　the　mountain　chains　increase　in　number；　fold　on　fold；　from　the　Blue　Ridge　to　the　ragged　ranges　of　the　Cumberlands。　Few　trails　led　across　this　manifold　barrier。　There　was　a　connection　at　Balcony　Falls　between　the　James　River　and　the　Great　Kanawha；　but　as　a　trade　route　it　was　of　no　such　value　to　the　men　of　its　day　as　the　Chesapeake　and　Ohio　system　over　the　same　course　is　to　us。　As　in　the　North；　so　in　the　South；　trade　avoided　obstacles　by　taking　a　roundabout；　and　often　the　longest　route。　In　order　to　double　the　extremity　of　the　Unakas；　for　instance；　the　trails　reached　down　by　the　Valley　of　Virginia　and　New　River　to　the　uplands　of　the　Tennessee；　and　here；　near　Elizabethton；　they　met　the　trails　leading　up　the　Broad　and　the　Yadkin　rivers　from　Charleston；　South　Carolina。

To　the　west　rise　the　somber　heights　of　Cumberland　Gap。　Through　this　portal　ran　the　famous　〃Warrior's　Path；〃　known　to　wandering　hunters；　the　〃trail　of　iron〃　from　Fort　Watauga　and　Fort　Chiswell；　which　Daniel　Boone　widened　for　the　settlers　of　Kentucky。　To　the　southwest　lay　the　Blue　Grass　region　of　Tennessee　with　its　various　trails　converging　on　Nashville　from　almost　every　direction。　Today　the　Southern　Railway　enters　the　〃Sapphire　Country；〃　in　which　Asheville　lies；　by　practically　the　same　route　as　the　old　Rutherfordton　Trail　which　was　used　for　generations　by　red　man　and　pioneer　from　the　Carolina　coast。　In　our　entire　region　of　the　Appalachians；　from　the　Berkshire　Hills　southward；　practically　every　old…time　pathway　from　the　seaboard　to　the　trans…Alleghany　country　is　now　occupied　by　an　important　railway　system；　with　the　exception　of　the　Warrior's　Trail　through　Cumberland　Gap　to　central　Ohio　and　the　Highland　Trail　across　southern　Pennsylvania。　And　even　Cumberland　Gap　is　accessible　by　rail　today；　and　a　line　across　southern　Pennsylvania　was　once　planned　and　partially　constructed　only　to　be　killed　by　jealous　rivals。

These　numerous　keys　to　the　Alleghanies　were　a　challenge　to　the　men　of　the　seaboard　to　seize　upon　the