to see 35 years ahead-the boats of the present day making money at 40 cts. per 100 lbs., and carrying it in three days, instead of 25. The Monongahela and Ohio Steamboat Company claimed patronage because their new crack boats could go nine miles an hour! But they were in advance of dangerous, even if possible. Those people are now, however, not quite satisfied unless the speed is equal to 25 miles in still water. The war had given a new impulse to settlements west; the more so that steam now so much facilitated travel, and freights multiplied in proportion. Thus reciprocally the improved means of travel induced more locomotion, and increased traffic more demand for vessels. The multiplying boats and more rapid passages still found a sufficiency of business, and even the old river craft were kept in requisition for tow boats. Cincinnati began to build barges of 100 tons to go to New Orleans in tow of steamers; and the Etna made the passage down in fifteen days, reflecting great glory on the commercial enterprise of that city, and its citizens became elated. having served the purpose of transporting in freights. His sanguine nature would produce, could be broken up at the place of probably have been surprised could the veil destination, and sold as lumber. These of time have been so lifted as to permit him were improved into keel boats, for the purpose of ascending the streams, and in either case were propelled by long poles in the hands of the boatmen. These, standing on the gunwale at the extreme bow of the boat, thrust the pole into the mud, and setting the shoulder against the top, pushed the boat forward with the feet in the times; that speed was thought to be walking toward the stern, which reached, they drew up the pole, walked back, and repeated the movement. In this laborious mode of travel, all the merchandise sent from the east, via New Orleans, reached its destination. It required four months to travel thus from New Orleans to St. Louis-a distance of 1,500 miles, and the cost of the goods, it may well be supposed, was enhanced by the process; while, on the other hand, the produce sent down realized but little. Thus, between the cheapness of the produce and the dearness of merchandise received in exchange, the settler realized but little for his labor. It is easy to conceive how great a blessing was steam on those waters, to enable the weary men to stem the ceaseless, downward flow of the mighty currents. In 1811 that blessing made its appearance at Pittsburg in A Cincinnati writer of 1817 the shape of a steamboat, built by Fulton, estimates the territory drained commercially and which had a considerable success. The by that city at 10,000 square miles, and regeneral progress was, however, slow, for the marks: "Supposing this settled by 40,000 reason, among others, that, as in all such families, and that each farm would give two cases, there was a large capital invested in tons annual surplus for exportation, there river craft, which would depreciate in value would be 80,000 tons to send to New Orleans, in face of the new power, and there was not or freight for 800 boats of 100 tons each." much capital to embark all at once in steam. The writer apologizes for the extravagance of It was also the case that Chancellor Living- this estimate. Commercial enterprise began ston, the partner of Fulton, claimed a mo- to seek new routes. In 1823 three keel boats nopoly of the lower Mississippi trade, and in tow passed 450 miles up the Wabash put a restraint for some years upon steam in river. It was not until 1826 that the first that region. So great a power could not, how-steamer ran up the Alleghany river. ever, but force its way. With the construc- same year the ship Illinois reached St. tion of the Enterprise, in 1815, St. Louis was Louis from New York, via New Orleans, reached in 25 days from New Orleans, and 3,000 miles, in twenty-nine days and a half, public enthusiasm was aroused. There were, and the first steamer ran up the Susquehanna however, up to 1817, still but twelve boats to Tioga. The opening of the Erie canal, in upon the western waters, of an aggregate ton- 1825, caused a great change in travel. Thus nage of 2,335 tons. The time to Pittsburg was the journey from New York to Pittsburg was 54 days, of which 36 days was running time. accomplished by canal, with only eight days These passages caused much excitement, and staging, and thence down the river to New a bold merchant predicted that the rate of Orleans. In 1824 the passage up from New freight between New Orleans and St. Louis Orleans to New York, via Pittsburg, was would fall to $3.50 per 100 lbs., but he was made in 24 days, at an expense of $90. regarded as visionary, or what they would The passage from Natchez to Philadelphia, now call in Wall-street language a "bear" 2,000 miles, was equal to 17 days. In In the FLATBOAT FROM ST. LOUIS TO NEW ORLEANS, TIME FOUR MONTHS. STEAMBOAT FROM NEW ORLEANS TO ST. LOUIS, TIME THREE DAYS The remarkable progress of steam upon the Mississippi may be estimated most readily by a table of the passages at different periods, as follows: NEW ORLEANS TO ST. LOUIS-1,300 MILES. Prior to steam...... .120 days. 1815, Steamer Enterprise. 1823, 1826, 1828, 1860, 46 .... 25 46 average passages.. 12 9 9 ... running time.... 3 66 the same year a remarkable voyage was pro- | answer in narrow and shallow streams. The jected from Charleston to Green Bay. It regular steamers have their main decks was a sloop of six tons, with six passengers, within four or five feet of the water, and the and it reached Rochester in 15 days from guards overhanging the bow give them the Charleston. The passage of a gentleman appearance of a New York ferry-boat. The from Detroit to Washington and back in 16 paddle wheels are generally much further aft days was regarded as a miracle. than in the eastern steamers. The after part of the main deck is devoted to freight. Above the main deck from 10 to 18 feet is the saloon deck, which extends nearly over the whole of the main deck. The saloon is surrounded with state-rooms, which open into it, as well as on to a promenade which goes entirely round the outside of the boat. "12 hours. The saloon is from 150 to 250 feet long. Above this deck is a promenade deck, upon which is a long tier of state-rooms, and this, in its turn, is surmounted by another promenade deck, which has the pilot-house at its front, and which is usually 50 feet from the water. But formerly, when there was no restraint upon reckless steam pressure, or the explosive qualities of the boiler, its height, as well as that of the decks, was very uncertain. The "crack boats" are now built from 300 to 400 feet, with 36 to 40 feet beam, eight feet hold, and draught of water, light two feet, and loaded four feet. These steamers are now free from those reckless races which formerly so endangered life, when the safety-valve was fastened down, the furnace stuffed with tar and pitch, and the captain, rifle in hand, ready to shoot down the pilot of the opposing boat at the critical moment when the least deviation in steering would lose him the race. Those barbarous times have passed with the frontier manners of the passengers. Their sporting, drinking, gambling, fighting, have given place to business, temperance, prudence, and refinement, while wealth rolls up in the cities as a result of the speedy and cheapened transportation which the steamers have effected. The time between New Orleans and St. Louis was thus diminished under the various improvements suggested by experience in the form and mode of running steamers. A boat of 350 tons when fitted out will now cost some $50,000, and will carry 500 tons down stream, or 1,500 bales of cotton on deck. Twenty years ago the freight of cotton down from Memphis was $2 per bale, and below Natchez $1 per bale. The charge for freight up from New Orleans to Natchez was 75 cts. per 100 lbs. As the business increased, larger boats were built. Of these the Eclipse was the type. She carried 1,200 tons, but was too large to pay; and boats are now constructed of a less dimension. The Mississippi boats are large flat-bottomed boats, drawing from 15 to 50 inches of water. The speed depends upon the circumstances of the channel. That of the Memphis, recently built for the St. Louis and Memphis trade, is 18 miles in still water per hour. With light draught and great pressure, a speed equal to 24 miles in still water has been attained. The Altoona ran between Alton and St. Louis, 25 miles, in one hour and forty-five minutes, and in one hour down; average down and up, one hour and twenty-five minutes. Eighteen miles is said to be the time of the western boats. Those rivers flow with gentle currents in mostly shallow water; and Cincinnati there have been various changes in the Pittsburg. fashion of the boats. The stern-wheel boat, Louisville we believe, is peculiar to those rivers. Instead Nashville. of having two wheels paddling, one on each Wheeling side, one wheel, 20 feet in diameter, is placed Vicksburg directly at the stern, athwart ships, and by its revolutions pushes the boat ahead. These boats are not remarkable for their speed, but It is a matter of course that when the speed of these vessels has increased in the manner indicated, their efficiency for traffic has progressed in the same ratio. In the 25 days that were formerly required to go from New Orleans to St. Louis, a steamer of the present day will make eight passages, and will carry more freight. Hence, the number of tons does not indicate the growth of the trade. If the number of tons is three times greater, the business is 30 times larger. The effect of the great reduction in the freight on goods may be illustrated by a single example. Thus, in 1815 cotton cloth was 30 cts. per yard, and 100 yards weighed 25 lbs., which would consequently be worth $30. The transportation of this at that time from New Orleans to St. Louis would cost $5, or 17 per cent. of the cost. The same quantity of cloth is now worth $9.00, and the transportation from New Orleans to St. Louis 40 cts., or 4 per cent. of the cost. These figures speak of the greater money value realized for products, and the increased quantities of merchandise procured for that money value. The war of 1812, by interrupting trade on the Atlantic, had induced a large migration to the west, when steam was opportunely developed to facilitate trade and traffic at the same time. The return of peace found a large population west of the mountains in the full tide of prosperity, and in the Atlantic states great excitement in regard to steam, with multiplying manufactures, which sought a market in the growing west. Under such circumstances the old canal projects for opening up the communication were revived in full force, the more so that the war had nearly destroyed the usual water communication. Instead of transporting merchandise in sloops and schooners along the coast, now no longer safe from the enemy, recourse was had to wagons over roads not the best in the world. This was necessarily very slow and costly. The traffic between New York and Philadelphia, for instance, was carried on in a Conestoga wagon, drawn by four horses, and that which covered the distance of 90 miles in three days was known as "the flying machine," and the value of goods at either end of the round showed great fluctuations, enhanced by the expense. This extra expense for the whole coast alone, it was asserted, would have paid the whole cost of a system of internal navigation from Maine to Georgia. It was then that the enterprises to which the great minds of the Revolution had given birth at the peace of 1783 began to be realized, and two objects were sought, viz.: a safe inland water communication along the whole Atlantic border, to operate in case of war, and another was to connect the waters of the west with the east, and the public began to regard with more favor the project of uniting the lakes to the Hudson river. Mr. Morris, who had suggested it at the close of the Revolution, wrote an able report in its favor in 1812, when the war gave new interest to it. The undertaking was formidable, and New York applied to the federal government and other states for aid, but her application was met with jeers and ridicule. The result was the determination of the state to undertake it alone, when the return of peace allowed of more facility for its execution; accordingly, on the 4th of July, 1817, the Erie canal was commenced with great ceremony, Governor De Witt Clinton turning the first earth, and it was completed October, 1825. The event was celebrated with the greatest pomp along the whole line, and in the city of New York. The canal is 363 miles long, 40 feet wide at top, 4 feet deep, and the capacity of boats, 80 tons. The construction cost $7,143,789, or $19,679 per mile. This immense work gave the longwished-for communication between the great lakes and the tide waters of the Atlantic. In the same year, viz., October, 1817, a canal connecting the waters of Lake Champlain with the Erie canal some miles from Albany was commenced. This Erie and Lake Champlain or Northern canal is 63 miles long, and was completed at the close of 1823, at a cost of $1,257,604, or $19,962 per mile. The Erie canal proved to be the most successful work of the kind in the world, and within 10 years discharged in full the debt created for its construction. The great success of the work not only gave an impulse to canal building in other states, but induced the state of New York to embark in new undertakings of the same nature, which have not proved so successful. These were what are called the lateral canals, draining the country on either side, into the grand canal. The Oswego canal runs 38 miles from Lake Ontario to the Erie canal, at Syracuse. It cost $55,437, and was finished in 1838. The Cayuga and Seneca lake runs 23 miles from those lakes to the Erie canal at Mon |