the paths of inland commerce-第16节

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！


eceding　pages　bear　testimony。　The　infatuation　of　the　public　for　building　toll　and　turnpike　roads　was　now　at　its　height。　Only　a　few　years　before；　a　comprehensive　scheme　of　internal　improvements　had　been　outlined　by　Jefferson's　Secretary　of　the　Treasury；　Albert　Gallatin。　When　a　boy；　it　is　said；　he　had　lain　on　the　floor　of　a　surveyor's　cabin　on　the　western　slopes　of　the　Alleghanies　and　had　heard　Washington　describe　to　a　rough　crowd　of　Westerners　his　plan　to　unite　the　Great　Lakes　with　the　Potomac　in　one　mighty　chain　of　inland　commerce。　Jefferson's　Administration　was　now　about　to　devote　the　surplus　in　the　Treasury　to　the　construction　of　national　highways　and　canals。　The　Cumberland　Road；　to　be　built　across　the　Alleghanies　by　the　War　Department；　was　authorized　by　the　president　in　the　same　year　in　which　the　Clermont　made　her　first　trip；　and　Jesse　Hawley；　at　his　table　in　a　little　room　in　a　Pittsburgh　boarding　house；　was　even　now　penning　in　a　series　of　articles；　published　in　the　Pittsburgh　Commonwealth；　beginning　in　January；　1807；　the　first　clear　challenge　to　the　Empire　State　to　connect　the　Hudson　and　Lake　Erie　by　a　canal。　Thus　the　two　next　steps　in　the　history　of　inland　commerce　in　America　were　ready　to　be　taken。



CHAPTER　VIII。　The　Conquest　Of　The　Alleghanies

The　two　great　thoroughfares　of　American　commerce　in　the　first　half　of　the　nineteenth　century　were　the　Cumberland　Road　and　the　Erie　Canal。　The　first　generation　of　the　new　century　witnessed　the　great　burst　of　population　into　the　West　which　at　once　gave　Ohio；　Indiana；　Illinois；　Michigan；　and　Wisconsin　a　place　of　national　importance　which　they　have　never　relinquished。　So　far　as　pathways　of　commerce　contributed　to　the　creation　of　this　veritable　new　republic　in　the　Middle　West；　the　Cumberland　Road　and　the　Erie　Canal；　cooperating　respectively　with　Ohio　River　and　Lake　Erie　steamboats；　were　of　the　utmost　importance。　The　national　spirit；　said　to　have　arisen　from　the　second　war　with　England；　had　its　clearest　manifestation　in　the　throwing　of　a　great　macadamized　roadway　across　the　Alleghanies　to　the　Ohio　River　and　the　digging　of　the　Erie　Canal　through　the　swamps　and　wildernesses　of　New　York。

Both　of　these　pathways　were　essentially　the　fruition　of　the　doctrine　to　which　Washington　gave　wide　circulation　in　his　letter　to　Harrison　in　1784；　wherein　he　pictured　the　vision　of　a　vast　Republic　united　by　commercial　chains。　Both　were　essentially　Western　enterprises。　The　highway　was　built　to　fulfil　the　promise　which　the　Government　had　made　in　1802　to　use　a　portion　of　the　money　accruing　from　the　sale　of　public　lands　in　Ohio　in　order　to　connect　that　young　State　with　Atlantic　waters。　It　was　proposed　to　build　the　canal；　according　to　one　early　plan；　with　funds　to　be　obtained　by　the　sale　of　land　in　Michigan。　So　firmly　did　the　promoters　believe　in　the　national　importance　of　this　project　that　subscriptions；　according　to　another　plan；　were　to　be　solicited　as　far　afield　as　Vermont　in　the　North　and　Kentucky　in　the　Southwest。　All　that　Washington　had　hoped　for；　and　all　that　Aaron　Burr　is　supposed　to　have　been　hopeless　of；　were　epitomized　in　these　great　works　of　internal　improvement。　They　bespoke　cooperation　of　the　highest　existing　types　of　loyalty；　optimism；　financial　skill；　and　engineering　ability。

Yet；　on　the　other　hand；　the　contrasts　between　these　undertakings　were　great。　The　two　enterprises；　one　the　work　of　the　nation　and　the　other　that　of　a　single　State；　were　practically　contemporaneous　and　were　therefore　constantly　inviting　comparison。　The　Cumberland　Road　was；　for　its　day；　a　gigantic　government　undertaking　involving　problems　of　finance；　civil　engineering；　eminent　domain；　state　rights；　local　favoritism；　and　political　machination。　Its　purpose　was　noble　and　its　successful　construction　a　credit　to　the　nation；　but　the　paternalism　to　which　it　gave　rise　and　the　conflicts　which　it　precipitated　in　Congress　over　questions　of　constitutionality　were　remembered　soberly　for　a　century。　The　Erie　Canal；　after　its　projectors　had　failed　to　obtain　national　aid；　became　the　undertaking　of　one　commonwealth　conducted；　amid　countless　doubts　and　jeers；　to　a　conclusion　unbelievably　successful。　As　a　result　many　States；　foregoing　Federal　aid；　attempted　to　duplicate　the　successful　feat　of　New　York。　In　this　respect　the　northern　canal　resembled　the　Lancaster　Turnpike　and　tempted　scores　of　States　and　corporations　to　expenditures　which　were　unwise　in　circumstances　less　favorable　than　those　of　the　fruitful　and　strategic　Empire　State。

In　the　conception　of　both　the　roadway　and　the　canal；　it　should　be　noted；　the　old　idea　of　making　use　of　navigable　rivers　still　persisted。　The　act　foreshadowing　the　Cumberland　Road；　passed　in　1802；　called　for　〃making　public　roads　leading　from　the　navigable　waters　emptying　into　the　Atlantic；　to　the　Ohio；　to　said　State　Ohio　and　through　the　same〃；　and　Hawley's　original　plan　was　to　build　the　Erie　Canal　from　Utica　to　Buffalo　using　the　Mohawk　from　Utica　to　the　Hudson。

Historic　Cumberland；　in　Maryland；　was　chosen　by　Congress　as　the　eastern　terminus　of　the　great　highway　which　should　bind　Ohio　to　the　Old　Thirteen。　Commissioners　were　appointed　in　1806　to　choose　the　best　route　by　which　the　great　highway　could　reach　the　Ohio　River　between　Steubenville；　Ohio　and　the　mouth　of　Grave　Creek；　but　difficulties　of　navigation　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　Three　Sister　Islands　near　Charlestown；　or　Wellsburg；　West　Virginia；　led　to　the　choice　of　Wheeling；　farther　down；　as　a　temporary　western　terminus。

The　route　selected　was　an　excellent　compromise　between　the　long　standing　rival　claims　of　Pennsylvania；　Maryland；　and　Virginia　to　the　trade　of　the　West。　If　Baltimore　and　Alexandria　were　to　be　better　served　than　Philadelphia；　the　advantage　was　slight；　and　Pennsylvania　gained　compensation；　ere　the　State　gave　the　National　Government　permission　to　build　the　road　within　its　limits；　by　dictating　that　it　should　pass　through　Uniontown　and　Washington。　In　this　way　Pennsylvania　obtained；　without　cost；　unrivaled　advantages　for　a　portion　of　the　State　which　might　otherwise　have　been　long　neglected。

The　building　of　the　road；　however　satisfactory　in　the　main；　was　not　undertaken　without　arousing　many　sectional　and　personal　hopes　and　prejudices　and　jealousies；　of　which　the　echoes　still　linger　in　local　legends　today。　Land…owners；　mine…owners；　factory…owners；　innkeepers　and　countless　townsmen　and　villagers　anxiously　watched　the　course　of　the　road　and　were　bitterly　disappointed　if　the　new　sixty…four…foot　thoroughfare　did　not　pass　immediately　through　their　property。　On　the　other　hand；　promoters　of　toll　and　turnpike　companies；　who　had　promising　schemes　and　long　lists　of　shareholders；　were　far　from　eager　to　have　their　property　taken　for　a　national　road。　No　one　believed　that；　if　it　proved　successful；　it　would　be　the　only　work　of　its　kind；　and　everywhere　men　looked　for　the　construction　of　government　highways　out　of　the　overflowing　wealth　of　the　treasury　within　the　next　few　years。

In　April；　1811；　the　first　contracts　were　let　for　building　the　first　ten　miles　of　the　road　from　its　eastern　terminus　and　were　completed　in　18191。　More　contracts　were　let　in　1812；　1813；　and　1815。　Even　in　those　days　of　war　when　the　drain　on　the　national　treasury　was　excessive；　over　a　quarter　of　a　million　dollars　was　appropriated　for　the　construction　of　the　road。　Onward　it　crawled；　through　the　beautiful　Cumberland　gateway　of　the　Potomac；　to　Big　Savage　and　Little　Savage　Mountains；　to　Little　Pine　Run　（the　first　〃Western〃　water）；　to　Red　Hill　（later　called　〃Shades　of　Death〃　because　of　the　gloomy　forest　growth）；　to　high…flung　Negro　Mountain　at　an　elevation　of　2325　feet；　and　thence　on　to　the　Youghiogheny；　historic　Great　Meadows；　Braddock's　Grave；　Laurel　Hill；　Uniontown；　and　Brownsville；　where　it　crossed　the　Monongahela。　Thence；　on　almost　a　straight　line；　it　sped　by　way　of　Washington　to　Wheeling。　Its　average　cost　was　upwards　of　thirteen　thousand　dollars　a　mile　from　the　Potomac　to　the　Ohio。　The　road　was　used　in　1817；　and　in　another　year　the　mail　coaches　of　the　United　States　were　running　from　Washington　to　Wheeling；　West　Virginia。　Within　five　years　one　of　the　five　commission　houses　doing　business　at　Wheeling　is　said　to　have　handled　over　a　thousand　wagons　carrying　freight　of　nearly　two　tons　each。　The　Cumberland　Road　at　once　leaped　into　a　position　of　leadership；　both　in　volume　of　commerce　and　in　popularity；　and　held　its　own　for　two　famous　decades。　The　pulse　of　the　nation　beat　to　the　steady　throb　of　trade　along　its　highway。　Maryland　at　once　stretched　out　her　eager　arms；　along　stone　roads；　through　Frederick　and　Hagerstown　to　Cumberland；　and　thus　formed　a　single　route　from　the　Ohio　to　Baltimore。　Great　stagecoach　and　freight　lines　were　soon　established；　each　patronizing　its　own　stage　house　or　wagon　stand　in　the　thriving　towns　along　the　road。　The　primitive　box　stage　gave　way　to　the　oval　or　football　type　with　curved　top　and　bottom；　and　this　was　displaced　in　turn　by　the　more　practical　Concord　coach　of　national　fame。　The　names　of　the　important　stagecoach　companies　were　quite　as　well　known；　a　century　ago；　as　those　of　our　great　railways　today。　Chief　among　them　were　the　National；　Good　Intent；　June　Bug；　and　Pioneer　lines。　The　coaches；　drawn　by　four　and　sometimes　six　horses；　were　usually　painted　in　brilliant　c