the paths of inland commerce-第17章
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ed men of less heroic mold。 Every conceivable trial and test which nature and machinery could seemingly devise was a part of their day's work for twelve years struggles with grades； locomotives； rails； cars。 As Rumsey； Fitch； and Fulton in their experiments with boats had floundered despondently with endless chains； oars； paddles； duck's feet； so now Thomas and Brown in their efforts to make the railroad effective wandered in a maze of difficulties testing out such absurd and impossible ideas as cars propelled by sails and cars operated by horse treadmills。 By May； 1830； however； cars on rails； running by 〃brigades〃 and drawn by horses； were in operation in America。 It was only in this year that in England locomotives were used with any marked success on the Liverpool and Manchester Railroad； yet in August of this year Peter Cooper's engine； Tom Thumb； built in Baltimore in 1829； traversed the twelve miles between that city and Ellicott's Mills in seventy…two minutes。 Steel springs came in 1832； together with car wheels of cylindrical and conical section which made it easier to turn curves。
The railroad was just beginning to master its mechanical problems when a new obstacle confronted it in the Potomac Valley。 It could not cross Maryland to the Cumberland mountain gateway unless it could follow the Potomac。 But its rival； the canal； had inherited from the old Potomac Company the only earthly asset it possessed of any valuethe right of way up the Maryland shore。 Five years of quarreling now ensued； and the contest； though it may not have seriously delayed either enterprise； aroused much bitterness and involved the usual train of lawsuits and injunctions。
In 1833 the canal company yielded the railroad a right of way through the Point of Rocksthe Potomac chasm through the Blue Ridge wall； just below Harper's Ferry on condition that the railroad should not build beyond Harper's Ferry until the canal was completed to Cumberland。 But probably nothing but the financial helplessness of the canal company could have brought a solution satisfactory to all concerned。 A settlement of the long quarrel by compromise was the price paid for state aid； and； in 1835 Maryland subsidized to a large degree both canal and railroad by her famous eight million dollar bill。 The railroad received three millions from the State； and the city of Baltimore was permitted to subscribe an equal amount of stock。 With this support and a free right of way； the railroad pushed on up the Potomac。 Though delayed by the financial disasters of 1837； in 1842 it was at Hancock； in 1851； at Piedmont； in 1852； at Fairmont； and the next year it reached the Ohio River at Wheeling。
Spurred by the enterprise shown by these Southerners； Pennsylvania and New York now took immediate steps to parallel their own canals by railways。 The line of the Union Canal in Pennsylvania was paralleled by a railroad in 1834； the same year in which the Allegheny Portage Railway was constructed。 New York lines reached Buffalo in 1842。 The Pennsylvania Railroad； which was incorporated in 1846； was completed to Pittsburgh in 1854。
It is thus obvious that； with the completion of these lines and the building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway through the 〃Sapphire Country〃 of the Southern Alleghanies； the new railway era pursued its paths of conquest through the very same mountain passageways that had been previously used by packhorseman and Conestoga and； in three instances out of four； by the canal boat。 If one motors today in the Juniata Valley in Pennsylvania； he can survey near Newport a scene full of meaning to one who has a taste for history。 Traveling along the heights on the highway that was once the red man's trail； he can enjoy a wide prospect from this vantage point。 Deep in the valley glitters the little Juniata； route of the ancient canoe and the blundering barge。 Beside it lies a long lagoon； an abandoned portion of the Pennsylvania Canal。 Beside this again； as though some monster had passed leaving a track clear of trees； stretches the right of way of the first 〃Pennsylvania；〃 and a little nearer swings the magnificent double…tracked bed of the railroad of today。 Between these lines of travel may be read the history of the past two centuries of American commerce； for the vital factors in the development of the nation have been the evolution of transportation and its manifold and far…reaching influence upon the expansion of population and commerce and upon the rise of new industries。
Thus all the rivals in the great contest for the trade of the West speedily reached their goal； New York with the Erie and the New York Central； and Pennsylvania and Maryland with the Pennsylvania and the Baltimore and Ohio。 But what of this West for whose commerce the great struggle was being waged？ When the railheads of these eager Atlantic promoters were laid down at Buffalo on Lake Erie and at Pittsburgh on the Ohio they looked out on a new world。 The centaurs of the Western rivers were no less things of the far past than the tinkling bells borne by the ancient ponies of the pack…horse trade。 The sons of this new West had their eyes riveted on the commerce of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley。 With road； canal； steamboat； and railway； they were renewing the struggle of their fathers but for prizes greater than their fathers ever knew。
New York again proved the favored State。 Her Mohawk pathway gave her easiest access to the West and here； at her back door on the Niagara frontier； lay her path by way of the Great Lakes to the North and the Northwest。
CHAPTER X。 cv As one stands in imagination at the early railheads of the West on the Ohio River at the end of the Cumberland Road； or at Buffalo； the terminus of the Erie Canalthe vision which Washington caught breaks upon him and the dream of a nation made strong by trans…Alleghany routes of commerce。 Link by link the great interior is being connected with the sea。 Behind him all lines of transportation lead eastward to the cities of the coast。 Before him lies the giant valley where the Father of Waters throws out his two splendid arms； the Ohio and the Missouri； one reaching to the Alleghanies and the other to the Rockies。 Northward； at the end of the Erie Canal； lies the empire of the Great Lakes； inland seas that wash the shores of a Northland having a coastline longer than that of the Atlantic from Maine to Mexico。
Ships and conditions of navigation were much the same on the lakes as on the ocean。 It was therefore possible to imagine the rise of a coasting trade between Illinois and Ohio as profitable as that between Massachusetts and New York。 Yet the older colonies on the Atlantic had an outlet for trade； whereas the Great Lakes had none for craft of any size； since their northern shores lay beyond the international boundary。 If there had been danger from Spain in the Southwest； what of the danger of Canada's control of the St。 Lawrence River and of the trade of the Northwest through the Welland Canal which was to join Lake Ontario to Lake Erie？ But in those days the possibility of Canadian rivalry was not treated with great seriousness； and many men failed to see that the West was soon to contain a very large population。 The editor of a newspaper at Munroe； New York； commenting in 1827 on a proposed canal to connect Lake Erie with the Mississippi by way of the Ohio； believed that the rate of Western development was such that this waterway could be expected only 〃some hundred of years hence。〃 Even so gifted a man as Henry Clay spoke of the proposed canal between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in 1825 as one relating to a region beyond the pale of civilization 〃if not in the moon。〃 Yet in twenty…five years Michigan； which had numbered one thousand inhabitants in 1812； had gained two hundredfold； and Ohio； Indiana； and Illinois had their hundreds of thousands who were clamoring for ways and means of sending their surplus products to market。
Early in the century representatives of the Fulton…Livingston monopoly were at the shores of Lake Ontario to prove that their steamboats could master the waves of the inland sea and serve commerce there as well as in tidewater rivers。 True； the luckless Ontario； built in 1817 at Sackett's Harbor； proved unseaworthy when the waves lifted the shaft of her paddle wheels off their bearings and caused them to demolish the wooden covering built for their protection； but the Walk…in…the…Water； completed at Black Rock （Buffalo） in August； 1818； plied successfully as far as Mackinac Island until her destruction three years later。 Her engines were then inherited by the Superior of stronger build； and with the launching of such boats as the Niagara； the Henry Clay； and the Pioneer； the fleet builders of Buffalo； Cleveland； and Detroit proved themselves not unworthy fellow…countrymen of the old seafarers of Salem and Philadelphia。
But how were cargoes to reach these vessels from the vast regions beyond the Great Lakes？ Those thousands of settlers who poured into the Northwest had cargoes ready to fill every manner of craft in so short a space of time that it seems as if they must have resorted to arts of necromancy。 It was not magic； however； but perseverance that had triumphed。 The story of the creating of the main lakeward…reaching canals is long and involved。 A period of agitation and campaigning preceded every such undertaking； and when construction was once begun； financial woes usually brought disappointing delays。 When a canal was completed after many vicissitudes and doubts； traffic overwhelmed every method provided to handle it： locks proved altogether too small； boats were inadequate； wharfs became congested； blockades which occurred at locks entailed long delay。 In the end only lines and double lines of steel rails could solve the problem of rapid and adequate transportation； but the story of the railroad builders is told elsewhere。*
* See 〃The Railroad Builders；〃 by John Moody （in 〃The Chronicles of America〃）。
Ohio and Illinois caught the canal fever even before the Erie Canal was completed； and the Ohio Canal and the Illinois…Michigan Canal saw preliminary surveying done in 1822 and 1824 respectively。 Ohio particularly had cause to seek a northern outlet to Eastern markets by way of Lake Erie。 The valleys of the Muskingum； Scioto； and Miami rivers were producing wheat in large quantities as early as 1802； when Ohio was admitted to the Union。 Flour which brought 3。50 a barrel in Cincinnati was worth 8 in New York。 There were difficulties in the way of transportation。 Sometimes ice prevented produce and merchandise from descending the Ohio to Cincinnati。 At other times merchants of that city had as many as a hundred thousand barrels awaiting a rise in the river which would make it possible for boats to go over the falls at Louisville。 As these conditions involved a delay which often seemed intolerable； the project to build canals to Lake Erie met with generous acclaim。 A northward route； though it might be blocked by ice for a few months each winter； had an additional value in the eyes of numerous merchants whose wheat； sent in bulk to New Orleans； had soured either in the long delay at Louisville or in the semi…tropical heat of the Southern port。
The Ohio Legislature in 1822
