264 Journal. [Part IIL 



nongahela thick and muddy, and it is not for a conside- 

 rable distance that they entirely mingle. The sides of 

 the river are beautiful; there are always rich bottom 

 lands upon the banks, which are steep and pretty high, 

 varying in width from a few yards to a mile, and skirted 

 with steep hills varying also in height, overhanging with 

 fine timber. 



480. June Ith. — Floating down the Ohio, at the rate 

 of four miles an hour. Lightning, thunder, rain and 

 hail pelting in upon us. The hail-stones as large as 

 English hazel-nuts. Stop at Steubenville all night. A 

 nice place ; has more stores than taverns, which is a 

 good sign. 



481. June 8<A.*— Came to Wheeling at about 12 

 o'clock. It is a handsome place, and of considerable 

 note. Stopped about an hour. Found flour to be about 

 4 to 5 dollars a barrel ; fresh beef 4 to 6 cents per lb., 

 and other things (the produce of the country) about the 

 same proportion. Labourers' wages, 1 dollar a day. 

 Fine coals here, and at Steubenville. 



482. June 9th.' — Two fine young men join us, one a 

 carpenter and the other a saddler, from Washington, in 

 a skiff that they have bought at Pittsburgh, and in which 

 they are taking a journey of about 700 miles down the 

 river. We allow them to tie their skiff to our ark, for 

 which they very cheerfully assist us. Much diverted to 

 see the nimbleness with which they go on shore some- 

 times with their rifles to shoot pigeons and squirrels. 

 The whole expenses of these two young men in floating 

 the 700 miles, will be but 7 dollars each, including skiff 

 and every thing else. 



4R3. This day pass Marietta, a good looking town 

 at the mouth of the Muskingham River. It is, how- 

 ever, like many other towns on the Ohio, built on too 

 low ground, and is subject to inundations. Here I ob- 

 serve a contrivance of great ingenuity. There is a 

 strong rope put across the mouth of the river, opposite 

 the town, fastened to trees or large posts on each side ; 

 upon this rope runs a pulley or block, to which is at- 

 tached a rope, and to the rope a ferry-boat, which, by 

 moving the helm first one way and then the other, is 

 propelled by the force of the water across the river 

 backwards or forwards. 



