LOCOMOTION BY RIVER AND RAILWAY. 



communication by the Potomac and the Hudson. A line of inland 

 steamers is established between the Potomac and New York by 

 Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware, the Chesapeake and Delaware 

 canal, the Delaware and Rariton canal, and the Rariton river, and 

 by these means the same line of communication is extended to the 

 shores of New England and Long Island Sound. 



A project is introduced, and likely to be carried into effect, for 

 enlarging the Great Erie canal, so as to admit of steamers. 

 When this shall be effected, the entire extent of the States, from 

 Washington, by New York, Albany, the great Northern Lakes, 

 and the Mississippi, to New Orleans, will be surrounded by a con- 

 tinuous chain of inland steam-navigation. The importance of this 

 internal communication in the event of a war must be apparent. 



The form and structure of these river-steamers, as described in 

 general terms in the last chapter, will be more easily understood 



Fig. 2. 



by figure 1, which represents a cross section of the hull with 

 one-half of the platform, which is placed upon it, and which 



supports the upper cabins 

 and saloons. This hull is 

 constructed with a perfectly 

 flat bottom and perpendi- 

 cular sides, and is rounded 

 at the angles. At the bow 

 or cutwater they are made 

 very sharp. 



The split paddle-wheel, 

 which until very lately was 

 exclusively used in these 

 boats, is represented in 

 fig. 2, and is formed as 

 if by the combination of 

 two or more common 

 paddle-wheels, placed one 

 outside the other, on the 

 same axle, but so that 

 the paddle-boards of each 



