Descriptions of the Canals in Massachusetts; with emphasis on the MOMONTAGUENTAGUE CANCANALAL as published in THETHE AMERICANAMERICAN UNIVERSALUNIVERSAL GEOGGEOGRAPHYRAPHY 11912912 And Dickinson's View of MASMASSACHUSETTSSACHUSETT S PROPEPROPERR 19191313 compiled with annotations by Ed Gregory 12.12.201612.12.2016 Both publications are tenant in the Historical Library of Ed Gregory 11 2 THE AMERICAN UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY; _A VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE 7 +. OF ALL “THE KINGDOMS, ero eS, AND COLONIES HE KNOWN WORLD. IN vWwo. VOLUMES. THE FIRST VOLUME scription of the reteag AmericanAa * ‘Coritlia ious Introd ‘to the eee oo roved urea THE SECOND VOLUME : ical Science—a brief Geography of the i, Sonttinnn y of the EasternCort Earth—a general Description a oie in King an Ancoant of North Aanetees onine and aia mine “Account of is rious Divisions, particularly of the Uni loms and riptio Stater—a general ‘Acetiint of the West- 2 Asia, faking cea general Dex ieee ; = the i = a {sands 2% Ariens ithe umeros feds ay ic are naturally div rn Geographers ler | Hraimte Aecoint of the several | Ilaids— names of ‘Austral san eral Description -A meriea, ote Heotipion 0a, i te ‘ticular. Account of its various of ate Stat Bates + and ProeietorrF ed. a brief De- Wade ‘ it -1o et / | TO WHICH ane ADDED ay. ABRIDGEMENT OF THE LAST CENSUS O¥ THE UNITED STATES A CHRONOLOG CAL TABLE OF REMARKABLE EVENTS FROM xa5 2 _ CREAT . THIS TIME—AN IMPROVED LIST OF. AN-: CIENT AND MODERN LEARNED AND EMINENT MEN i AND A COPIOUS INDEX TO THE WHOLE WORK: — “THE WHOLE COMPREHENDING A COMPLETE = SYSTEM OF MODERN laid oth, EOS ae ¥. o h _AGoOMPANIED BY A NEW AND ELEGANT. ¥ ick i bi aga fees Ala of: the Werth ——_eo = BY JEDIDIAH ‘sonde, D. D. F. A.A. St 8 : Minister of the Congregational Chrarch in Charlestown, ° - SIXTH EDITION. Arranged on a new plan, and improved in every part by a laborious pee vera of most of the late respectable Vo;pyaare and Travels, in Europe and Asia, use of the information in the Abri gement of Pinkerton’s excellent Gengtauhy, andand by the late admirable Statistical Tables of Hassel. VOLUME I. ___—X—KKK—KXXKK—K——X—X__—o—kRKeF[a[[_ BOSTON : PUBLISHED BY THOMAS & ANDREWS, AND SOLD, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, AT THEIR BOOKSTORE, No, 45, NEWBURY-STREET—-MAY, 1812, % 7. BUCKINGHAM, PRINTER, WINTER-STRERT. 3 THE AMERICAN UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY; OR A VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE OF ALL THE KINGDOMS, STATES, AND COLONIES IN THE KNOWN WOULD. IN TWO VOLUMES. THE FIRST VOLUME Contains a copious Introduction, adapted scription of the regaining American Isl- to the present improved statestate of Astronom- ands. ical ScienceScience—a—a brief Geography of the THE SECOND VOLUME EarthEarth—a— a general Description of AmericaAmerica—— Contains a Geography of the Eastern Con- an account of North America, and its va- tinent—atinent—a general Description of Europe, rious Divisions, particularly of the United and a minutminutee account of its various King- StatesStates—a—a general account of the West- doms and StatesStates—a—a general Description of IndiesIndies, , and of the four groupes of Islands Asia, its Kingdoms, Provinces, and Islands into which they are naturally divided, and Account of the numerous Islands arrang- a minute Account of the several IslandsIslands—— ed by modern Geographers under the a general Description, of South-America names of AustAustralral Asia and Polynesia-a and a particular Account of its various general DesDescriptioncription of Africa, and a a partic- States and ProvincesProvinces—and—and a a brief De- ular Account of its various States and Islands. TO WHICH ARE ADDED AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE LAST CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATESSTATES—— A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF REMARKABLE EVENTS FROM THE CREATION TO THISTHIS’ TIME----ANTIME----ANIMPROVED IMPROVED LIST OF AN- CIENT AND MODERN LEARNED AND EMINENT MENMEN-------- AND A COPIOUS INDEX TO THE WHOLE WORK. THE WHOLE COMPREHENDING A COMPLETE SYSTEM Of MODERN GEOGRAPHY. ACCOMPANIED BY A NEW AND ELEGANT General Atlas of the World, CONTAINING (IN A SEPARATE QUARTO VOLUME,) SIXTY THREE MAPS, Comprising, as far as they could be obtained, all thethe latest Discoveries tothe present time. BY JED1IDIAHJED1DIAH MORSE, D. D. F. A. A. S. H. $.§. Minister of the Congregational Church in CharlestownCharlestown. SlXTHSIXTH EDITION Arranged on a new plan, and improved in every part bbyy a laborious examination of most of the late respectable Voyages and Travels, in Europe and Asia, by a free use of the information iu the Abridgement of Pinkerton's exexcellentcellent Geography, and by the late adadmirablemirable Statistical Tables of Hassel. VOLUME I. BOSTON: PUBUPUBULISHEDLISHED BY THOMAS & ANDREWS, AND SOLD, WHOLESALE AND RRTAIL AT THEIR BOOKSTORE, NO, 45, NEWBURY-STREETNEWBURY-STREET—-— - MAY, 1812.1812. J. T. BUCKINGHAM, PRINTER, WINTER-STREET 4 323 CanalsCanals.’. 1 At MMiller'siller's falls,falls , in MMontague,ontague, ththee ConConnecticutnecticut descendsdescend s in a shorshort t courcoursese 6666 feefeet.t. The pprincipalrincipal fallfall is atat ththee hheadead of thethe cacanal.nal . HeHerere a ddamam hhasas beenbeen built,built, 11000000 feetfeet long,long , andand 28 feefeett highhigh ffromrom thethe top to ththee susurfacerface of ththee waterwater below.below. This rraisesaises ththee ssurfaceurface ooff ththee riverriver above,above, so highhigh as to directdirect a ppartart ooff it intointo ththee cancanal,al, which is oonn thethe east sside.ide . The canalcana l iiss cut acracrossos s a ppieceiece of land,land, anandd iiss alalmostmos t ththreeree mmilesiles llong,ong , 20 feetfeet wide,wide, andand 2½2% ddeep.eep . ThereThere aarere 1414 locks,’locks, 2 each 73 feetfeet long,long , 12120°0 3 wide,wide, anandd ddrawingrawing threethree ffeeteet water.water . TheyThey are formed byby stonstonee walls,walls, 8 feefeett ththick,ick, linleded withwith pplank.lank . The guardguard lock, at thethe headhead of ththee canal,canal, andand clcloseose to thisthis dam,dam , is susupportedpported on thethe riverriver siside,de, byby a wallwall of stonstone,e, 4400 feetfeet high,high , andand 28 feetfeet ththick;ick ; aand,nd, on lalandnd siside,de, byby a rrockyocky shorshore.e. The canalcana l entersenter s ththee riverriver againagain a few rodsrod s belowbelow tthehe mouthmouth of DDeerfieldeerfield river.river . Four miles above this dam and 250 rods below the mouth of Miller's river, is the upper dam. It reaches also across the Connecticut, is1s 330830 feet long and 8 feet high; and is built like the other, of solid timber. This raises the water in the river sufficiently to overcome the rapids at the mouth of Miller's river. Boats avoid this dam by a short canal on the east side, consisting of a single, lock, 100100 feet long and 20 wide. There are two canals at South-Hadley. The descent at the upper falls is 55 feet. At the head of the falls, a dam of solid timbertmber is built obliquely up the river, for 100100 rods, whence it strikes across the river, 60 rods. The oblique dam is 1414 feet high, but the heheightigh t of the direct dam is less. At the bottom of the dam is the guard lock, for half that distance. The canal is 2 miles long and has a narrow strip of pasture between it and the river's bank. The first mile is dug through low land; the remainder through solid rocks, to the depth of 20 and 25 feet. The width of the canal, in the narrowest place, is1s 23 feet, and generally much wider; ititss depth is 2½2% feet.* A mile below the mouth of this canal are the Willimanset falls, the whole descent of which is 1616 feet. A canal of one mile in length, leads round them, which has two locks. By these various canalscanals,t;† an immensely important inland navigation is opened the whole breadth of the state, through the rich and productive county of Hampshire. Middlesex canal connects the Merrimac with Boston harbor. The whole distance is1s 30 miles; viz. 6 miles from the MerrimMerrimacac *This“This canal has undergone some changes, with the particulars of which, the author has not been made acquainted. †+ The stock of the two companies concerned in these canals, is divided into 10081008 shares, one half of which belongs to gentlemen in Holland. The amount expended about 200,000 dollars. 1' See page 1111 (this(this paper) ⁋ 2 for more accurate canal specifications. 2* Ten (10)(10) locks. *3 Printer's error. The width is 1212 feet wide. 5 324 to Concord river, and 25 thence to Boston harbor. Concord river is a sluggish stream, and has a fall in it, in the town of Billerica, 4 miles from its mouth. The canal commences in the Merrimac a a little above Patucket falls; and, in a southeast course of 3¾3° miles, ascends, by 338 locks, 21 feet, to the level of Concord river above its fall. It crosses Concord river on its surface; and, in a southeast course of 25 miles, descends 107107 feet, by 1313 locks, to the tide water of Boston harbor. The locks are all 90 feet by 1212 of solid masonry, and excellent workmanship. The width of the canal is 24 feet, and draws 4 feet water. Both parts of the canal are fed by Concord river. From that river, southward, it prepreservesserves the same level for the first 1111 miles. In this distance it was necessary to dig, in some places, to the depth of 20 feet; to cut through two difficult ledges of rocks; and to throw several aqueducts across the intervening rivers. One of these, across the Shawshine, is 280 feet long, and 22 feet above the river. There is another across Mystic river, at Medford. At the end of the 1¾14 milesmules from Concord river, is a lock with 7 feet descent, and a mile and a half farther another of the same height.