86 Internal Improvements of the State of Pennsylvania. 
The first appropriation for the Pennsylvania canals was made 
February 25th, 1826. The first contracts are dated June 1826, and 
the first ground was broken July 4th of the same year. . 
The works are distinguished by the names, Main line aad Branch- 
es. The chain connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburg, is dignified 
by the first title ; the Branches are those canals diverging rine the 
main trunk up the Delaware, Susquehannah, North Branch, West 
Branch, Beaver and French creek. 
Tue Main Linz, commences in the heart of Philadelphia, by a 
rail-road, which crosses the Shcuylkill five miles above the City, and 
runs westward, through the.counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, 
Delaware, Chester and Lancaster, to Columbia on the Susquehannah 
river, a distance of eighty-one miles and three quarters. At this 
place the canal begins, and proceeds north west along the river, to 
~ Duncan’s Island, at the mouth of the Juniata, where the Susquehan- 
nah is crossed by a towing path bridge, and the canal extends up the 
valley of the Juniata river to Hollidaysburg, one hundred and seven- 
ty-two miles, through the counties of Lancaster, Dauphin, Perry, 
Juniata, Mifflin and Huntingdon. At Hollidaysburg, the canal joins 
the Alleghany Portage Rail Road, which crosses the Alleghany 
mountains at Blair’s Gap, and meeting the Little Conemaugh, follows 
it to its junction with Stony creek in Johnstown or Conemaugh; 
having crossed portions of Huntingdon, Bedford and Cambria coun- 
ties. The length of the Portage is thirty-six miles and two-thirds. 
At Johnstown, the canal again commences, and pursues the vallies of 
the Conemaugh and Kiskiminitas rivers to the mouth of the latter; 
then crossing the Alleghany river on an aqueduct, i it keeps on the 
western bank to Pittsburg, where it re-crosses in a similar manner, 
and passing through Grant’s Hill, by a tunnel; debouches into the 
Monongahela, one hundred and four miles from Johnstown, having 
eut through Cambria, Indiana, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Butler, 
and Alleghany counties. . 
_ The whole length of the main line is three hundred and ninety-five 
miles, of which two hundred and seventy-six are canals, and one 
hundred and nineteen, rail roads. Exclusive of all side cuts and 
branches, the canals overcome 1178 feet of ascent and descent, and 
the rail roads, 3416 feet. Total 4594 feet. 
The annexed table may be useful in a topographical point of view, 
and was drawn up by me from authentic sources. It shows the 
height of the most important places on the main line above tide, and 
