the paths of inland commerce-第5章

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ion。　Without　delay　they　fortified　the　Allegheny　and　began　to　coerce　the　natives。　Driving　away　the　carpenters　of　the　Ohio　Company　from　the　present　site　of　Pittsburgh；　they　built　Fort　Duquesne。　The　beginning　of　the　Old　French　War　ended　what　we　may　call　the　first　era　of　the　pack…horse　trade。

The　capture　of　Fort　Duquesne　by　the　English　army　under　General　Forbes　in　1758　and　the　final　conquest　of　New　France　two　years　later　removed　the　French　barrier　and　opened　the　way　to　expansion　beyond　the　Alleghanies。　Thereafter　settlements　in　the　Monongahela　country　grew　apace。　Pittsburgh；　Uniontown；　Morgantown；　Brownsville；　Ligonier；　Greensburg；　Connellsvillewe　give　the　modern　namesbecame　centers　of　a　great　migration　which　was　halted　only　for　a　season　by　Pontiac's　Rebellion；　the　aftermath　of　the　French　War；　and　was　resumed　immediately　on　the　suppression　of　that　Indian　rising。　The　pack…horse　trade　now　entered　its　final　and　most　important　era。　The　earlier　period　was　one　in　which　the　trade　was　confined　chiefly　to　the　Indians；　the　later　phase　was　concerned　with　supplying　the　needs　of　the　white　man　in　his　rapidly　developing　frontier　settlements。　Formerly　the　principal　articles　of　merchandise　for　the　western　trade　were　guns；　ammunition；　knives；　kettles；　and　tools　for　their　repair；　blankets；　tobacco；　hatchets；　and　liquor。　In　the　new　era　every　known　product　of　the　East　found　a　market　in　the　thriving　communities　of　the　upper　Ohio。　As　time　went　on　the　West　began　to　send　to　the　East；　in　addition　to　skins　and　pelts；　whiskey　that　brought　a　dollar　a　gallon。　Each　pony　could　carry　sixteen　gallons　and　every　drop　could　be　sold　for　real　money。　On　the　return　trip　the　pack…horses　carried　back　chiefly　salt　and　iron。

Doddridge's　〃Notes〃；　one　of　the　chief　sources　of　our　information；　gives　this　lively　picture：

〃In　the　fall　of　the　year；　after　seeding　time；　every　family　formed　an　association　with　some　of　their　neighbors；　for　starting　the　little　caravan。　A　master　driver　was　to　be　selected　from　among　them；　who　was　to　be　assisted　by　one　or　more　young　men　and　sometimes　a　boy　or　two。　The　horses　were　fitted　out　with　packsaddles；　to　the　latter　part　of　which　was　fastened　a　pair　of　hobbles　made　of　hickory　withes；a　bell　and　collar　ornamented　their　necks。　The　bags　provided　for　the　conveyance　of　the　salt　were　filled　with　bread；　jerk；　boiled　ham；　and　cheese　furnished　a　provision　for　the　drivers。　At　night；　after　feeding；　the　horses；　whether　put　in　pasture　or　turned　out　into　the　woods；　were　hobbled　and　the　bells　were　opened。　The　barter　for　salt　and　iron　was　made　first　at　Baltimore；　Frederick；　Hagerstown；　Oldtown；　and　Fort　Cumberland；　in　succession；　became　the　places　of　exchange。　Each　horse　carried　two　bushels　of　alum　salt；　weighing　eighty…four　pounds　to　the　bushel。　This；　to　be　sure；　was　not　a　heavy　load　for　the　horses；　but　it　was　enough；　considering　the　scanty　subsistence　allowed　them　on　the　journey。　The　common　price　of　a　bushel　of　alum　salt；　at　an　early　period；　was　a　good　cow　and　a　calf。

Thus；　with　the　English　flag　afloat　at　Fort　Pitt；　as　Duquesne　was　renamed　after　its　capture；　a　new　day　dawned　for　the　great　region　to　the　West。　Beyond　the　Alleghanies　and　as　far　as　the　Rockies；　a　new　science　of　transportation　was　now　to　be　learnedthe　art　of　finding　the　dividing　ridge。　Here　the　first　routes；　like　the　〃Great　Trail〃　from　Pittsburgh　to　Detroit；　struck　out　with　an　assurance　that　is　in　marvelous　agreement　with　the　findings　of　the　surveyors　of　a　later　day。　The　railways；　when　they　came；　found　the　valleys　and　penetrated　with　their　tunnels　the　watersheds　from　the　heads　of　the　streams　of　one　drainage　area　to　the　streams　of　another。　Thus　on　the　Pennsylvania；　the　Baltimore　and　Ohio；　the　Southern；　the　Chesapeake　and　Ohio；　and　other　railroads；　important　tunnels　are　to　be　found　lying　immediately　under　the　Red　Man's　trail　which　clung　to　the　long　ascending　slope　and　held　persistently　to　the　dividing　ridges。

Even　this　necessarily　brief　survey　shows　plainly　how　that　preeminently　American　institution；　the　ridge　road；　came　about。　East　and　west；　it　was　the　legitimate　and　natural　successor　to　the　ancient　trail。　With　the　coming　of　the　wagon；　whose　rattle　was　heard　among　the　hills　as　early　as　Braddock's　campaign；　the　process　of　lowering　these　paths　from　the　heights　was　inevitably　begun；　and　it　was　to　the　riverways　that　men　first　looked　for　a　solution　of　the　difficult　problems　of　inland　commerce。　Eventually　the　paths　of　inland　commerce　constituted　a　vast　network　of　canals；　roads；　and　railway　lines　in　those　very　valleys　to　which　Washington　had　called　the　nation's　attention　in　1784。



CHAPTER　III。　The　Mastery　Of　The　Rivers

It　would　perhaps　have　been　well；　in　the　light　of　later　difficulties　and　failures；　if　the　men　who　at　Washington's　call　undertook　to　master　the　capricious　rivers　of　the　seaboard　had　studied　a　stately　Spanish　decree　which　declared　that；　since　God　had　not　made　the　rivers　of　Spain　navigable；　it　were　sacrilege　for　mortals　to　attempt　to　do　so。　Even　before　the　Revolution；　Mayor　Rhodes　of　Philadelphia　was　in　correspondence　with　Franklin　in　London　concerning　the　experiences　of　European　engineers　in　harnessing　foreign　streams。　That　sage　philosopher；　writing　to　Rhodes　in　1772；　uttered　a　clear　word　of　warning：　〃rivers　are　ungovernable　things；〃　he　had　said；　and　English　engineers　〃seldom　or　never　use　a　River　where　it　can　be　avoided。〃　But　it　was　the　birthright　of　New　World　democracy　to　make　its　own　mistakes　and　in　so　doing　to　prove　for　itself　the　errors　of　the　Old　World。

As　energetic　men　all　along　the　Atlantic　Plain　now　took　up　the　problem　of　improving　the　inland　rivers；　they　faced　a　storm　of　criticism　and　ridicule　that　would　have　daunted　any　but　such　as　Washington　and　Johnson　of　Virginia　or　White　and　Hazard　of　Pennsylvania　or　Morris　and　Watson　of　New　York。　Every　imaginable　objection　to　such　projects　was　advancedfrom　the　inefficiency　of　the　science　of　engineering　to　the　probable　destruction　of　all　the　fish　in　the　streams。　In　spite　of　these　discouragements；　however；　various　men　set　themselves　to　form　in　rapid　succession　the　Potomac　Company　in　1785；　the　Society　for　Promoting　the　Improvement　of　Inland　Navigation　in　1791；　the　Western　Inland　Lock　Navigation　Company　in　1792；　and　the　Lehigh　Coal　Mine　Company　in　1793。　A　brief　review　of　these　various　enterprises　will　give　a　clear　if　not　a　complete　view　of　the　first　era　of　inland　water　commerce　in　America。

The　Potomac　Company；　authorized　in　1785　by　the　legislatures　of　Maryland　and　Virginia；　received　an　appropriation　of　6666　from　each　State　for　opening　a　road　from　the　headwaters　of　the　Potomac　to　either　the　Cheat　or　the　Monongahela；　〃as　commissioners。。。　shall　find　most　convenient　and　beneficial　to　the　Western　settlers。〃　This　was　the　only　public　aid　which　the　enterprise　received；　and　the　stipulated　purpose　clearly　indicates　the　fact　that；　in　the　minds　of　its　promoters；　the　transcontinental　character　of　the　undertaking　appeared　to　be　vital。　The　remainder　of　the　money　required　for　the　work　was　raised　by　public　subscription　in　the　principal　cities　of　the　two　States。　In　this　way　40；300　pounds　was　subscribed；　Virginia　men　taking　266　shares　and　Maryland　men　137　shares。　The　stock　holders　elected　George　Washington　as　president　of　the　company；　at　a　salary　of　thirty　shillings　a　year；　with　four　directors　to　aid　him；　and　they　chose　as　general　manager　James　Rumsey；　the　boat　mechanician。　These　men　then　proceeded　to　attack　the　chief　impediments　in　the　Potomac　the　Great　Falls　above　Washington；　the　Seneca　Falls　at　the　mouth　of　Seneca　Creek；　and　the　Shenandoah　Falls　at　Harper's　Ferry。　But；　as　they　had　difficulty　in　obtaining　workmen　and　sufficient　liquor　to　cheer　them　in　their　herculean　tasks；　they　made　such　slow　progress　that　subscribers；　doubting　Washington's　optimistic　prophecy　that　the　stock　would　increase　in　value　twenty　per　cent；　paid　their　assessments　only　after　much　deliberation　or　not　at　all。　Thirty…six　years　later；　though　729；380　had　been　spent　and　lock　canals　had　been　opened　about　the　unnavigable　stretches　of　the　Potomac　River；　a　commission　appointed　to　examine　the　affairs　of　the　company　reported　〃that　the　floods　and　freshets　nevertheless　gave　the　only　navigation　that　was　enjoyed。〃　As　for　the　road　between　the　Potomac　and　the　Cheat　or　the　Monongahela；　the　re