the paths of inland commerce-第6部分

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！


ce；　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；　granted　to　Rowland　and　Butland；　a　private　firm；　free　right　to　operate　one　of　its　veins　of　coal；　but　this　operation　also　resulted　in　failure。　In　1813　the　company　made　a　third　attempt　and　granted　to　a　private　concern　a　lease　of　the　entire　property　on　the　condition　that　ten　thousand　bushels　of　coal　should　be　taken　to　market　annually。　Difficulties　immediately　made　themselves　apparent。　No　contractor　could　be　found　who　would　haul　the　output　to　the　Lehigh　River　for　less　than　four　dollars　a　ton；　and　the　man　who　accepted　those　terms　lost　money。　Of　five　barges　filled　at　Mauch　Chunk　three　went　to　pieces　on　the　way　to　Philadelphia。　Although　the　contents　of　the　other　two　sold　for　twenty　dollars　a　ton；　the　proceeds　failed　to　meet　expenses；　and　the　operating　company　threw　up　the　lease。

But　it　happened　that　White　and　Hazard；　the　wire　manufacturers　who　purchased　this　Lehigh　coal；　were　greatly　pleased　with　its　quality。　Believing　that　coal　could　be　obtained　more　cheaply　from　Mauch　Chunk　than　from　the　mines　along　the　Schuylkill；　White；　Hauto；　and　Hazard　formed　a　company；　entered　into　negotiation　with　the　owners　of　the　Lehigh　mines；　and　obtained　the　lease　of　their　properties　for　a　period　of　twenty　years　at　an　annual　rental　of　one　ear　of　corn。　The　company　agreed；　moreover；　to　ship　every　year　at　least　forty　thousand　bushels　of　coal　to　Philadelphia　for　its　own　consumption；　to　prove　the　value　of　the　property。

White　and　his　partners　immediately　applied　to　the　Legislature　for　permission　to　improve　the　navigation　of　the　Lehigh；　stating　the　purpose　of　the　improvement　and　citing　the　fact　that　their　efforts　would　tend　to　serve　as　a　model　for　the　improvement　of　other　Pennsylvania　streams。　The　desired　opportunity　〃to　ruin　themselves；〃　as　one　member　of　the　Legislature　put　it；　was　granted　by　an　act　passed　March　20；　1818。　The　various　powers　applied　for；　and　granted；　embraced　the　whole　range　of　tried　and　untried　methods　for　securing　〃a　navigation　downward　once　in　three　days　for　boats　loaded　with　one　hundred　barrels；　or　ten　tons。〃　The　State　kept　its　weather　eye　open　in　this　matter；　however；　for　a　small　minority　felt　that　these　men　would　not　ruin　themselves。　Accordingly；　the　act　of　grant　reserved　to　the　commonwealth　the　right　to　compel　the　adoption　of　a　complete　system　of　slack…water　navigation　from　Easton　to　Stoddartsville　if　the　service　given　by　the　company　did　not　meet　〃the　wants　of　the　country。〃

Capital　was　subscribed　by　a　patriotic　public　on　condition　that　a　committee　of　stockholders　should　go　over　the　ground　and　pass　judgment　on　the　probable　success　of　the　effort。　The　report　was　favorable；　so　far　as　the　improvement　of　the　river　was　concerned；　but　the　nine…mile　road　to　the　mines　was　unanimously　voted　impracticable。　〃To　give　you　an　idea　of　the　country　over　which　the　road　is　to　pass；〃　wrote　one　of　the　commissioners；　〃I　need　only　tell　you　that　I　considered　it　quite　an　easement　when　the　wheel　of　my　carriage　struck　a　stump　instead　of　a　stone。〃　The　public　mind　was　divided。　Some　held　that　the　attempt　to　operate　the　coal　mine　was　farcical；　but　that　the　improvement　of　the　Lehigh　River　was　an　undertaking　of　great　value　and　of　probable　profit　to　investors。　Others　were　just　as　positive　that　the　river　improvement　would　follow　the　fate　of　so　many　similar　enterprises　but　that　a　fortune　was　in　store　for　those　who　invested　in　the　Lehigh　mines。

The　direct　result　of　the　examiners'　report　and　of　the　public　debate　it　provoked　was　the　organization　of　the　first　interlocking　companies　in　the　commercial　history　of　America。　The　Lehigh　Navigation　Company　was　formed　with　a　capital　stock　of　150；000　and　the　Lehigh　Coal　Company　with　a　capital　stock　of　55；000。　This　incident　forms　one　of　the　most　striking　illustrations　in　American　history　of　the　dependence　of　a　commercial　venture　upon　methods　of　inland　transportation。　The　Lehigh　Navigation　Company　proceeded　to　build　its　dams　and　walls　while　the　Lehigh　Coal　Company　constructed　the　first　roadway　in　America　built　on　the　principle　later　adopted　by　the　railwayof　dividing　the　total　distance　by　the　total　descent　in　order　to　determine　the　grade。　Not　to　be　outdone　in　point　of　ingenuity；　the　Lehigh　Navigation　Company；　then　suffering　from　an　unprecedented　dearth　of　water；　adopted　White's　invention　of　sluice　gates　connecting　with　pools　which　could　be　filled　with　reserve　water　to　be　drawn　upon　as　navigation　required。　By　1819　the　necessary　depth　of　water　between　Mauch　Chunk　and　Easton　was　obtained。　The　two　companies　were　immediately　amalgamated　under　the　title　of　the　Lehigh　Coal　and　Navigation　Company　and　by　1823　had　sent　over　two　thousand　tons　of　coal　to　market。

As　most　of　the　efforts　to　improve　the　rivers；　however；　met　with　indifferent　success　and　many　failures　were　recorded；　the　pendulum　of　public　confidence　in　this　aid　to　inland　commerce　swung　away；　and　highway　improvement　by　means　of　stone　roads　and　toll　road　companies　came　into　favor　in　the　interval　between　the　nation's　two　eras　of　river　improvement　and　canal　building。



CHAPTER　IV。　A　Nation　On　Wheels

In　early　days　the　Indian　had　not　only　followed　the　watercourses　in　his　canoe　but　had　made　his　way　on　foot　over　trails　through　the　woods　and　over　the　mountains。　In　colonial　days；　Englishman　and　Frenchman　followed　the　footsteps　of　the　Indian；　and　as　settlement　increased　and　trade　developed；　the　forest　path　widened　into　the　highway　for　wheeled　vehicles。　Massachusetts　began　the　work　of　road　making　in　1639　by　passing　an　act　which　decreed　that　〃the　ways〃　should　be　six　to　ten　rods　wide　〃in　common　grounds；〃　thus　allowing　sufficient　room　for　more　than　one　track。　Similar　broad　　〃ways〃　were　authorized　in　New　York　and　Pennsylvania　　in　1664；　stumps　and　shrubs　were　to　be　cut　close　to　the　ground；　and　〃sufficient　bridges〃　were　to　be　built　over　streams　and　marshy　places。　Virginia　passed　legislation　for　highways　at　an　early　date；　but　it　was　not　until　1669　that　strict　laws　were　enacted　with　a　view　to　keeping　the　roads　in　a　permanently　good　condition。　Under　these　laws　surveyors　were　appointed　to　establish　in　each　county　roads　forty　feet　wide　to　the　church　and　to　the　courthouse。　In　1700；　Pennsylvania　turne