the paths of inland commerce-第6章

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tion　that　was　enjoyed。〃　As　for　the　road　between　the　Potomac　and　the　Cheat　or　the　Monongahela；　the　records　at　hand　do　not　show　that　the　money　voted　for　that　enterprise　had　been　used。

The　Potomac　Company　nevertheless　had　accomplished　something：　it　had　acquired　an　asset　of　the　greatest　valuea　right　of　way　up　the　strategic　Potomac　Valley；　and　it　had　furnished　an　object　lesson　to　men　in　other　States　who　were　struggling　with　a　similar　problem。　When；　as　will　soon　be　apparent；　New　York　men　undertook　the　improvement　of　the　Mohawk　waterway　there　was　no　pattern　of　canal　construction　for　them　to　follow　in　America　except　the　inadequate　wooden　locks　erected　along　the　Potomac。　It　is　interesting　to　know　that　Elkanah　Watson；　prominent　in　inland　navigation　to　the　North；　went　down　from　New　York　in　order　to　study　these　wooden　locks　and　that　New　Yorkers　adopted　them　as　models；　though　they　changed　the　material　to　brick　and　finally　to　stone。

Pennsylvania　had　been　foremost　among　the　colonies　in　canal　building；　for　it　had　surveyed　as　early　as　1762　the　first　lock　canal　in　America；　from　near　Reading　on　the　Schuylkill　to　Middletown　on　the　Susquehanna。　Work；　however；　had　to　be　suspended　when　Pontiac's　Rebellion　threw　the　inland　country　into　a　panic。　But　the　enterprise　of　Maryland　and　Virginia　in　1785　in　developing　the　Potomac　aroused　the　Pennsylvanians　to　renewed　activity。　The　Society　for　Promoting　the　Improvement　of　Roads　and　Inland　Navigation　set　forth　a　programme　that　was　as　broad　as　the　Keystone　State　itself。　Their　ultimate　object　was　to　capture　the　trade　of　the　Great　Lakes。　〃If　we　turn　our　view；〃　read　the　memorial　which　the　Society　presented　to　the　Legislature；　〃to　the　immense　territories　connected　with　the　Ohio　and　Mississippi　waters；　and　bordering　on　the　Great　Lakes；　it　will　appear。。。　that　our　communication　with　those　vast　countries　（considering　Fort　Pitt　as　the　port　of　entrance　upon　them）　is　as　easy　and　may　be　rendered　as　cheap；　as　to　any　other　port　on　the　Atlantic　tide　waters。〃

Pennsylvania；　lying　between　Virginia　and　New　York；　occupied　a　peculiar　position。　Her　Susquehanna　Valley　stretched　northwestnot　so　directly　west　as　did　the　Potomac　on　the　south　and　the　Mohawk　on　the　north。　This　more　northerly　trend　led　these　early　Pennsylvania　promoters　to　believe　that；　while　they　might　〃only　have　a　share　in　the　trade　of　those　＇the　Ohio＇　waters；〃　they　could　absolutely　secure　for　themselves　the　trade　of　the　Great　Lakes；　〃taking　Presq'　Isle　＇Erie；　Pennsylvania＇　which　is　within　our　own　State；　as　the　great　mart　or　place　of　embarkation。〃

The　plan　which　the　Society　proposed　involved　the　improvement　of　water　and　land　routes　by　way　of　the　Delaware　to　Lake　Ontario　and　Lake　Otsego；　and　of　eight　routes　by　the　Susquehanna　drainage；　north；　northwest；　and　west。　A　bill　which　passed　the　Legislature　on　April　13；　1791；　appropriated　money　for　these　improvements。　Work　was　begun　immediately　on　the　Schuylkill…Susquehanna　Canal；　but　only　four　miles　had　been　completed　by　1794；　when　the　Lancaster　Turnpike　directed　men's　attention　to　improved　highways　as　an　alternative　more　likely　than　canals　to　provide　the　desired　facilities　for　inland　transportation。　The　work　on　the　canal　was　renewed；　however；　in　1821；　when　the　rival　Erie　Canal　was　nearing　completion；　and　was　finished　in　1827。　It　became　known　as　the　Union　Canal　and　formed　a　link　in　the　Pennsylvania　canal　system；　the　development　of　which　will　be　described　in　a　later　chapter。

In　New　York　State；　throughout　the　period　of　the　Old　French　and　the　Revolutionary　wars；　barges　and　keel　boats　had　plied　the　Mohawk；　Wood　Creek；　and　the　Oswego　to　Lake　Ontario。　Around　such　obstructions　as　Cohoes　Falls；　Little　Falls；　and　the　portage　at　Rome　to　Wood　Creek；　wagons；　sleds；　and　pack…horses　had　transferred　the　cargoes。　To　avoid　this　labor　and　delay　men　soon　conceived　of　conquering　these　obstacles　by　locks　and　canals。　As　early　as　1777　the　brilliant　Gouverneur　Morris　had　a　vision　of　the　economic　development　of　his　State　when　〃the　waters　of　the　great　western　inland　seas　would；　by　the　aid　of　man；　break　through　their　barriers　and　mingle　with　those　of　the　Hudson。〃

Elkanah　Watson　was　in　many　ways　the　Washington　of　New　York。　He　had　the　foresight；　patience；　and　persistence　of　the　Virginia　planter。　His　〃Journal〃　of　a　tour　up　the　Mohawk　in　1788　and　a　pamphlet　which　he　published　in　1791　may　be　said　to　be　the　ultimate　sources　in　any　history　of　the　internal　commerce　of　New　York。　As　a　result；　a　company　known　as　〃The　President；　Directors；　and　Company　of　the　Western　Inland　Lock　Navigation　in　the　State　of　New　York；〃　with　a　capital　stock　of　25；000；　was　authorized　by　act　of　legislature　in　March；　1792；　and　the　State　subscribed　for　12；500　in　stock。　Many　singular　provisions　were　inserted　in　this　charter；　but　none　more　remarkable　than　one　which　stipulated　that　all　profits　over　fifteen　per　cent　should　revert　to　the　State　Treasury。　This　hint　concerning　surplus　profits；　however；　did　not　cause　a　stampede　when　the　books　were　opened　for　subscriptions　in　New　York　and　Albany。　In　later　years；　when　the　Erie　Canal　gave　promise　of　a　new　era　in　American　inland　commerce；　Elkanah　Watson　recalled　with　a　grim　satisfaction　the　efforts　of　these　early　days。　The　subscription　books　at　the　old　Coffee　House　in　New　York；　he　tells　us；　lay　open　three　days　without　an　entry；　and　at　Lewis's　tavern　in　Albany；　where　the　books　were　opened　for　a　similar　period；　〃no　mortal〃　had　subscribed　for　more　than　two　shares。

The　system　proposed　for　the　improvement　of　the　waterways　of　New　York　was　similar　to　that　projected　for　the　Potomac。　A　canal　was　to　be　cut　from　the　Mohawk　to　the　Hudson　in　order　to　avoid　Cohoes　Falls；　a　canal　with　locks　would　overcome　the　forty…foot　drop　at　Little　Falls；　another　canal　over　five　thousand　feet　in　length　was　to　connect　the　Mohawk　and　Wood　Creek　at　Rome；　minor　improvements　were　to　be　made　between　Schenectady　and　the　mouth　of　the　Schoharie；　and　finally　the　Oswego　Falls　at　Rochester　were　to　be　circumvented　also　by　canal。　All　the　objections；　difficulties；　and　discouragements　which　had　attended　efforts　to　improve　waterways　elsewhere　in　America　confronted　these　New　York　promoters。　They　began　in　1793　at　Little　Falls　but　were　soon　forced　to　cease　owing　to　the　failure　of　funds。　Under　the　encouraging　spur　of　a　state　subscription　to　two　hundred　shares　of　stock；　they　renewed　their　efforts　in　1794　but　were　again　forced　to　abandon　the　work　before　the　year　had　passed。　By　November；　1795；　however；　they　had　completed　the　canal　and　in　thirty　days　had　received　toll　to　the　amount　of　about　four　hundred　dollars。

The　total　actual　work　done　is　not　clearly　shown　by　the　documents；　but　it　is　evident　that　the　measure　of　success　achieved　was　not　equaled　elsewhere　on　similar　improvements　on　a　large　scale。　From　1796　to　1804　the　tolls　received　at　Rome　amounted　to　over　fifteen　thousand　dollars；　and　at　Little　Falls　to　over　fifty…eight　thousand　dollarsa　sum　which　exceeded　the　original　cost　of　construction。　Dividends　had　crept　up　from　three　per　cent　in　1798　to　five　and　a　half　per　cent　in　1817；　the　year　in　which　work　was　begun　on　the　Erie　Canal。

No　struggle　for　the　mastery　of　an　American　river　matches　in　certain　respects　the　effort　of　the　Lehigh　Coal　and　Navigation　Company　to　bridle　the　Lehigh　and　make　it　play　its　part　in　the　commercial　development　of　Pennsylvania。　The　failures　and　trials　of　the　promoters　of　this　company　were　no　less　remarkable　than　was　the　great　success　that　eventually　crowned　the　effort。　In　1793　the　Lehigh　Coal　Mine　Company　was　organized　and　purchased　some　ten　thousand　acres　in　the　Mauch　Chunk　anthracite　region；　nine　miles　from　the　Lehigh　River。　It　then　appropriated　a　sum　of　money　to　build　a　road　from　the　mines　to　the　river　in　the　expectation　that　the　State　would　improve　the　navigation　of　the　waterway；　for　which；　it　has　already　been　noted；　an　appropriation　had　been　made　in　1791；　in　accordance　with　the　programme　of　the　Society　for　Promoting　the　Improvement　of　Roads　and　Inland　Navigation。　Nothing　was　done；　however；　to　improve　the　river；　and　the　company；　after　various　attempts　at　shipping　coal　to　Philadelphia；　gave　up　the　effort　and　allowed　the　property；　which　was　worth　millions；　to　lie　idle。　In　1807　the　Lehigh　Coal　Mine　Company；　in　another　effort　to　get　its　wares　before　the　public；　grant