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Low Bridge, Everybody Down' (WITH INDEX)
“Low Bridge; Everybody Down!” Notes & Notions on the Construction & Early Operation of the Erie Canal Chuck Friday Editor and Commentator 2005 “Low Bridge; Everybody Down!” 1 Table of Contents TOPIC PAGE Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. 3 The Erie Canal as a Federal Project………………………………………….. 3 New York State Seizes the Initiative………………………………………… 4 Biographical Sketch of Jesse Hawley - Early Erie Canal Advocate…………. 5 Western Terminus for the Erie Canal (Black Rock vs Buffalo)……………… 6 Digging the Ditch……………………………………………………………. 7 Yankee Ingenuity…………………………………………………………….. 10 Eastward to Albany…………………………………………………………… 12 Westward to Lake Erie………………………………………………………… 16 Tying Up Loose Ends………………………………………………………… 20 The Building of a Harbor at Buffalo………………………………………….. 21 Canal Workforce……………………………………………………………… 22 The Irish Worker Story……………………………………………………….. 27 Engineering Characteristics of Canals………………………………………… 29 Early Life on the Canal……………………………………………………….. 33 Winter – The Canal‘sGreatest Impediment……………………………………. 43 Canal Expansion………………………………………………………………. 45 “Low Bridge; Everybody Down!” 2 ―Low Bridge; Everybody Down!‖ Notes & Notions on the Construction & Early Operation of the Erie Canal Initial Resource Book: Dan Murphy, The Erie Canal: The Ditch That Opened A Nation, 2001 Introduction A foolhardy proposal, years of political bickering and partisan infighting, an outrageous $7.5 million price tag (an amount roughly equal to about $4 billion today) – all that for a four foot deep, 40 foot wide ditch connecting Lake Erie in western New York with the Hudson River in Albany. It took 7 years of labor, slowly clawing shovels of earth from the ground in a 363-mile trek across the wilderness of New York State. Through the use of many references, this paper attempts to describe this remarkable construction project. Additionally, it describes the early operation of the canal and its impact on the daily life on or near the canal‘s winding path across the state. -
Some Notes on the State-Owned Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad*
SOME NOTES ON THE STATE-OWNED COLUMBIA AND PHILADELPHIA RAILROAD* By HUBERTIS CUMMINGS r IGURATIVELY speaking, on the subject of the Columbia F and Philadelphia Railroad one could go riding off-as did the Leacockian hero-in all directions. If one could adopt and adhere to one line of travel for it, the journey might not be, according to twentieth-century ideals of railway convenience and luxury, very comfortable. The state-built and state-owned railroad between William Penn's great city on the Delaware and the river town on the Susquehanna long known as Wright's Ferry emerged from a dilemma, and it was its eventual destiny to be implicated in a fiasco. The course of its history was as multifarious as was its inception. In nothing is the tale of it simple. To cover the many- sided story in one brief paper, then, is impossible. For the connec- tions of the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad with the policy of public improvements adopted by the Commonwealth of Penn- sylvania in 1826 are not only connections with the canal fever of that era in the Keystone State. They are connections with both the Erie Canal in New York State and with a whole epoch of American transportation history. Historians who trace the succession of events leading to the public system of transportation and travel which was owned by Pennsylvania between 1827 and 1857, usually tell much of Wil- liam Penn,' David Rittenhouse, Provost William Smith,2 financier and promoter Robert Morris,3 and Legislator William Lehman,4 as *Paper read at the meeting of the Pennsylvania Historical Association at Dickinson College, Carlisle, October 21, 1949. -
THE READING TODAY - 1942 Huge, Short-Haul Coal Drags Keep This System’S Wheels Rolling
1935 - 2016 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 8 D ISTRICT 2 - CHAPTER WEBSITE : WWW .NRHS 1. ORG AUGUST 2016 THE READING TODAY - 1942 Huge, Short-Haul Coal Drags Keep This System’s Wheels Rolling BY BERT PENNYPACKER - COURTESY OF CHAPTER FRIEND PAUL KUTTA Fast passenger trains may be exciting, but it’s freight that brings home the bacon - over 90% of it for Reading Company. More revenue is received from transporting freight of types other than coal, but the “black diamond” traffic provides reliable and steady income that keeps the road on its feet financially. Importance of Reading as a coal-carrier may be shown by the fact that nearly half of its freight cars are coal hoppers (15,500 hoppers out of a total of 32,500 freight cars). Practically all anthracite (hard) coal transported originates on Reading lines. What’s more, the system hauls over POWER PLUS ! NO. 2017 SOUTHBOUND FROM ST. CLAIR YARDS AT PORT CARBON , PA., 80% as much bituminous (soft) coal as anthracite, . WITH A HEAVY COAL DRAG although little originates in its territory. This traffic is obtained principally from the Western Maryland and Pennsylvania railroads at Harrisburg, and New York Central at Newberry Junction. Black diamonds, which are of inestimable value to the railroad today, almost ruined the system years ago. Between 1869 and 1881, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company (P&RC&I), an associated coal organization, bought many thousands of acres of anthracite coal lands in Pennsylvania. This imposed a tremendous financial burden on the then Philadelphia & Reading Railway, and threw it into receivership several times. -
The Louisa Railroad (1836-1850) Charles W
University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Honors Theses Student Research 1937 The Louisa Railroad (1836-1850) Charles W. Turner Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Turner, Charles W., "The Louisa Railroad (1836-1850)" (1937). Honors Theses. 1051. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1051 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITYOF RIC HMONDLIB RARIES llllll~llll~~iililllllllm~llll~IIIIII _ . 3 3082 01028 3231 THE· 'LOUISA RAILROAD (1836-1850) History Thesis May 24 ,1937. Presented by Charles w. Turner. (In this paper, there will be found facts concerning the lives of many of the characters connected with the railroad.) BIBLIOGRAPHY Books 1. Freeman, D.S., R. E. Lee, Vol. II, III, IV, Charles Scribners Sons, NewYork, N. Y., l934-36. 2. Harris, Malcohn H., ~ History of Louisa County, Virg~n1a, The Dietz Presa, Ric~mond, V1rg1n1a, 1937. 3. Morton, R. L., Historx of V1r5lnia, Vol. III, Amertcan Historical Society, New York, N. Y. 1924. 4. Nelson, James P., Hlstor~ of the c. and o. Ra11 a~ Co., I.ew1e Printing Company, R1cnmond, -VirginTa, -r~ 7. -- Newspapers and Magazines 6. Reli6ious He~ald, ~eb. 13, 1873~ 7. Richmond Ingui-rer, 1835-50• 8. Stanard, W. G. ed., Virginia Historical Magazine, Vol. XXIX, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, 1921. · 9. Stanard, w. -
Canvass White and Natural Cement, 1818-1834 Author(S): Harley J
Canvass White and Natural Cement, 1818-1834 Author(s): Harley J. Mckee Source: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Dec., 1961), pp. 194-197 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Society of Architectural Historians Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/988044 Accessed: 01-09-2016 02:10 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Society of Architectural Historians, University of California Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians This content downloaded from 128.59.222.107 on Thu, 01 Sep 2016 02:10:18 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 194 Canvass White and Natural Cement, 1818-1834 HARLEY J. MCKEE Concrete is one of the most essential architectural materials in use today but it has had scant attention from historians. Robert W. Lesley, History of the Portland Cement in the United States (Chicago, 1924) is important but not architecturally oriented. Peter Collins, in Concrete, the Vision of a New Architecture (London, 1959) has little to say about the early development in the United States. -
Guide-Book of the Lehigh Valley Railroad And
t.tsi> GUIDE-BOOK OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD AND ITS SEVERAL BRANCHES AND CONNECTIONS; WITH AN ACCOUNT, DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL, OF THE PLACES ALONG THEIR ROUTE; INCLUDING ALSO A HISTORY OF THE COMPANY FROM ITS FIRST ORGANIZA- TION. AND INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE COAL AND IRON TRADE IN THE LEHIGH AND WYOMING REGIONS. HANDSOMELY ILLISTEATED FROM RECENT SKETCHES, PREFIXED TO WHICH IS A MAP OF THE ROAD AND ITS CONNECTIONS. PHILADELPHIA: A J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1873. flS^ Cn Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by WILLIAM H. SAYRE, In the OfBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by WILLIAM H. SAYRE, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. RELIABLE CONNECTIONS FREIGHT. QUICK TIME Tlic facilities of the Lehigh Valley Double Track Uailroad LAST HXPRLSS TRAINS, for the prompt dispatch of all kinds iif Merchandise Krciglils are iHU'i|ualed. NEW YORK, Fast PHILADKLlMllA, DOUBLE TRACK SHORT LINE, Frhigi IT Trains BALTIMUKK, WIN n.Ml.V liKTWKKN AND RUNNING TO ANU FROM ALL POINTS IN TlIK New WASHINGTON, York, Mahanoy City, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Marrc, DAILY (Suiidi y» ox.,o,)U)cJ) for Belhlohein, Pittslon, Allcntown, Auburn, .MIdUowii, Maiich CliunU, Rodu-St.T, MAHAIOY,BEAyER MEADOW, HAZLETON &WYOMING I'iiiilra, Glen Onoko, and tlu Buffalo, Mauch Clumk, Ithaca, Switch-back, Niagara Falls, Hazleton, Owego, Catawissa, The Canadas, COAL FIELDS, Catawissa, Auburn, Sunbui^, Dunkirk, Danville, Rochester, Wilkcs-Ban-e, Erie, . Pittston, Oil Regions, AND THROUGH THE .Sunbury, Buffalo, Hazleton, Cleveland, Danville, Toledo, ,\Ni) Al.l, I'OIN-IS IN Till'; Mahanoy City, 1 )etroit. -
Railroad History ‐ Specific to Pennsylvania Denotes That the Book Is Available from the Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg PA
Railroad History ‐ Specific to Pennsylvania denotes that the book is available from the Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg PA. Primary Resources Company History – Annual Reports Dredge, James. The Pennsylvania Railroad: Its Organization, Construction and Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1879. Pennsylvania, General Assembly. Charters and Acts of Assembly [Relating to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Company, other companies]. n.p., 1875. Pennsylvania, Office of the Auditor General. Annual Report of the Auditor General of the State of Pennsylvania and of the Tabulations and Deductions from the Reports of the Railroad and Canal Companies for the Years (1866‐1871, 1873‐1874). Harrisburg, PA: Singerly & Myers, State Printers, 1867‐1875. Pennsylvania, Office of the Auditor General. Reports of the Several Railroad Companies of Pennsylvania, Communicated by the Auditor General to the Legislature. Harrisburg, PA: Singerly & Meyers, State Printers, 1866. Pennsylvania Railroad. Annual Report of the Board of Directors to the Stockholders of the Pennsylvania Rail Road Company (1848, 1859, 1942). Philadelphia, PA: Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The Reading Railroad: The History of a Great Trunk Line. Philadelphia: Burk & McFetridge, printers, 1892. Report on the South Pennsylvania Railroad: Also, its Charters and Supplements. Harrisburg, PA: Sieg, 1869. Richardson, Richard. Memoir of Josiah White: Showing His Connection with the Introduction and Use of Anthracite Coal and Iron and the Construction of Some of the Canals and Railroads of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1873. Shamokin, Sunbury & Lewisburg Railroad. Approximate Estimates of Adopted Line…Through Sunbury, and Adverse and Level Line Through Same Place, July 28, 1882. [n.p.], 1882. -
Reading Company Photographs 1974.330
Reading Company photographs 1974.330 This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 14, 2021. Description is written in: English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard Audiovisual Collections PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library Reading Company photographs 1974.330 Table of Contents Summary Information .................................................................................................................................... 3 Historical Note ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope and Content ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Administrative Information ............................................................................................................................ 4 Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Controlled Access Headings .......................................................................................................................... 5 Collection Inventory ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Elevating of tracks ...................................................................................................................................... -
The Erie Canal Was a Waterway That Revolutionized the Transportation Industry in the Early Nineteenth Century
Contarino 1 Paul Contarino History 498 Professor Schaaf 12 October 2007 The Erie Canal is a waterway that revolutionized the transportation industry in the early nineteenth century. Its intricate design of locks, lining, and aqueducts make it an engineering marvel. Constructing this water passage almost did not occur. Through the tenacity of DeWitt Clinton, the governor of New York State, the idea of building a waterway linking the Atlantic Ocean with Lake Erie became a reality. He was able to transcend conflicting political ideas about economics as well as ascertain proper funding for this project. The canal transformed New York State economically with the growth of major canal cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Utica, Albany, New York City and Troy. A vitally important waterway to the Erie Canal was the Hudson River, also altered by the canal’s building. As New York State developed there was growing concern about the operators and groups of people affected by this aquatic monument. As a member of the Federalist Party, DeWitt Clinton strongly believed in a federally funded canal project that linked Lake Erie with the Atlantic Ocean. In 1810 he served on a canal commission, initiated by Governor Morris, sent to Washington. The proposed bill failed to pass in the House of Representative because of the stronghold of Anti-Federalists. President James Madison personally killed the legislation. Despite this setback, Clinton did not relinquish his idea of a great waterway. To garner support of the canal, he invoked a spirit of camaraderie associated with the American Revolution. He strongly believed citizens of New York State could work together to improve their standard of living. -
Engineering in American Society: 1850–1875
University of Kentucky UKnowledge History of Science, Technology, and Medicine History 1969 Engineering in American Society: 1850–1875 Raymond H. Merritt University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Merritt, Raymond H., "Engineering in American Society: 1850–1875" (1969). History of Science, Technology, and Medicine. 8. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_history_of_science_technology_and_medicine/8 Engineering in American Society 1850-1875 This page intentionally left blank Engmeering in American Society Raymond H.Mewitt The Ut~iversityPress of Kentucky Standard Book Number 8131-1 189-7 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 71-94068 Copyright @ 1969 by the University Press of Kentucky A statewide cooperative scholarly publishing agency serving Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State College, Morehead State University, Murray State University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. Editorial and Sales Ofices: Lexington, Kentucky 40506 This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface ix 1: The Functional Professional 1 2: The Functional Intellectual -
The Rise of John Bloomfield Jervis, 1795 to 1830: a History of the Construction of the Erie Canal, Delaware and Hudson Canal, and Gravity Railroad" (1963)
Lehigh University Lehigh Preserve Theses and Dissertations 1963 The rise of John Bloomfield eJ rvis, 1795 to 1830: a history of the construction of the Erie canal, Delaware and Hudson canal, and gravity railroad H. Benjamin Powell Lehigh University Follow this and additional works at: https://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Powell, H. Benjamin, "The rise of John Bloomfield Jervis, 1795 to 1830: a history of the construction of the Erie canal, Delaware and Hudson canal, and gravity railroad" (1963). Theses and Dissertations. 3143. https://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd/3143 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. - ---- THE RISE OF JOHN BLO<JMFIELD JERVIS, 1795 TO 1830: A HISTORY OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE.ERIE CANAL, DELAWARE AND HUDSON CANAL, AND GRAVITY RAILROAD .. A THESIS Pb~i~hted to the Graduate Faculty of Lehigh University ·.I .\' in Candidacy for the Degiee of \ Master of Arts ·Lehigh University 1962 ·\ J .,...:;:.::: This thesis is a:ccept~4· .and approved in partial .f.ulfillment' of the reqJ1t.·r,ements for the degree of Master of Arts. ·' ?~i; l't1 If b '3 (Date) A :.v~,(},~~c, }la Hea~f the Department - •, .. · f 5E 8 1963 ' .. , • r • J. -- • • ... ,. .. Acknowledgement:~: A great deal of effort on the part of many interested people has made this thesis possible. The author would per sonally like to thank the following people for providing i11for mation: The Jervis Library of Rome, New York, for the unpub lished autobiography of John Bloomfield Jervis; D. -
Erie Canal Readers' Theater Presents
Erie Canal Readers’ Theater presents: I’ve got a Mule and her Name is Sal- 200 Years of the Erie Canal Written by Janet Conners Parts: Narrators 1- 32 Dewitt Clinton Judge Richardson Benjamin Wright Canvass White Digger 1 Digger 2 Digger 3 ************************************************** Narrator 1- Our readers’ theater play is called, “I’ve got a mule and her name is Sal- 200 years of the Erie Canal” All: Sing the first verse of the Erie Canal Song (Note that the original lyric was: 15 years, not miles) I've got a mule, Her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal. She's a good old worker And a good old pal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal. We've hauled some barges in our day Filled with lumber, coal and hay And ev'ry inch of the way I know From Albany to Buffalo. 1 Low Bridge, ev'rybody down, For it's Low Bridge, We're coming to a town! You can always tell your neighbor, You can always tell your pal, If you've ever navigated On the Erie Canal. N1- For centuries, the Haudenosaunee (hoe duh nuh show knee), or Iroquois, had used the waterways of New York State to travel through their land as they traveled to trade with other Native Americans to obtain natural resources that were not available to them in their area. One important resource was ocean shells used to make wampum beads. N2- One Haudenosaunee (hoe duh nuh show knee) route was along the Mohawk River and then the Hudson River used when trading with the Algonquians.