the paths of inland commerce-第21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！


nnsylvania；〃　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　authorized　the　survey　of　all　possible　routes　for　canals　which　would　give　Ohio　an　outlet　for　its　produce　on　Lake　Erie。　The　three　wheat　zones　which　have　been　mentioned　were　favored　in　the　proposed　construction　of　two　canals　which；　together；　should　satisfy　the　need　of　increased　transportation：　the　Ohio　Canal　to　connect　Portsmouth　on　the　Ohio　River　with　Cleveland　on　Lake　Erie　and　to　traverse　the　richest　parts　of　the　Scioto　and　Muskingum　valleys；　and　to　the　west　the　Miami　Canal　to　pierce　the　fruitful　Miami　and　Maumee　valleys　and　join　Cincinnati　with　Toledo。　De　Witt　Clinton；　the　presiding　genius　of　the　Erie　Canal；　was　invited　to　Ohio　to　play　godfather　to　these　northward　arteries　which　should　ultimately　swell　the　profits　of　the　commission　merchants　of　New　York　City；　and　amid　the　cheers　of　thousands　he　lifted　the　first　spadefuls　of　earth　in　each　undertaking。

The　Ohio　Canal；　which　was　opened　in　1833；　had　a　marked　effect　upon　the　commerce　of　Lake　Erie。　Before　that　date　the　largest　amount　of　wheat　obtained　from　Cleveland　by　a　Buffalo　firm　had　been　a　thousand　bushels；　but　in　the　first　year　of　its　operation　the　Ohio　Canal　brought　to　the　village　of　Cleveland　over　a　quarter　of　a　million　bushels　of　wheat；　fifty　thousand　barrels　of　flour；　and　over　a　million　pounds　of　butter　and　lard。　In　return；　the　markets　of　the　world　sent　into　Ohio　by　canal　in　this　same　year　thirty　thousand　barrels　of　salt　and　above　five　million　pounds　of　general　merchandise。

Ever　since　the　time　when　the　Erie　Canal　was　begun；　Canadian　statesmen　had　been　alive　to　the　strong　bid　New　York　was　making　for　the　trade　of　the　Great　Lakes。　Their　answer　to　the　Erie　Canal　was　the　Welland　Canal；　built　between　1824　and　1832　and　connecting　Lake　Erie　with　Lake　Ontario　by　a　series　of　twenty…seven　locks　with　a　drop　of　three　hundred　feet　in　twenty…six　miles。　This　undertaking　prepared　the　way　for　the　subsequent　opening　of　the　St。　Lawrence　canal　system　（183　miles）　and　of　the　Rideau　system　by　way　of　the　Ottawa　River　（246　miles）。　There　was　thus　provided　an　ocean　outlet　to　the　n