308 



F A R JM E R S ' REGISTER. 



[No. 5 



ever, you have Williamansett falls, being not quite 

 «uch hard water as upp"r Enfield falls. Hadlej"^ 

 ialls have a descent of 50 feet in 2h miles, around 

 which thereare locks and a canal through which, all 

 boats and raits are obliged to pass. From the head 

 of Handley falls to Miller's falls is 35 miles— with 

 sand and "gravel bars — having by actual admea- 

 eurement, only between 8 and 9 feet tall in the 

 whole distance. Above Miller's fiills there is more 

 rapid water, where steam boats have been tried 

 without much success — owing, it would seem, 

 more to the want of employment, than to their in- 

 ability to navigate the river. 



But to return to Enfield falls (where we have 

 actual experiments and well attested facts for our 

 guide) — several boats were put on the river and 

 abandoned, before they got one to succeed. There 

 are now two passage boats, and I believe two tow 

 boats. The passage boats, are the Vermont and 

 Massachusetts — tlie former, intended to run in low 

 water, is 75 ii^et long — including wheel, 13 feet 

 wide — draws 19 inches. The Massachusetts is 

 97A feet long, including wheel (which is in her 

 etern) 13^ feet wide — draws 22 inches of water 

 when laden, and has two engines of 17| horse 

 power, each. Aboard of this boat I passed over 

 Enfield falls, three times. She can carry 75 pas- 

 sengers, has no accommodations for night or meals 

 — but comfortable cabins tor both ladies and gen- 

 tlemen. In ascemling the lower rapid 2^ miles, 

 she cleared them handsomely and with ease, in 42 

 minutes ; and she went up the upper th.\ls (being 

 exactly one mile) in 23 minutes by my watch, 

 descending, little or no steam is used — ascending, 

 the boat is quite obedient to the helm ; but when 

 the current is extra strong, poles are used to keep 

 her steady — descendingshe is also steered bj' a tow 

 oar. She makes a daily trip from Hartford to 

 Springfield, 26 miles, and back — going up in 5 

 hours, and returning in 2| hours — has run with 

 regularity and entire success, for four years ; and 

 is considered as good property, as any in New 

 England. She, as well aa the Vermont, was 

 built by Thomas Blanchard. Her crew consists of 

 5 hands, including captain and pilot — her ex- 

 penses are about SlOO a month; and cost about 

 J^GOOO ; but owing to the advance in labor and 

 materials, it is probably that such a boat, would 

 now cost more. 



Around Enfield flills as well as the other falls on 

 the river, there are locks and a canal, through which 

 the fi-eight and tow boats pass — though the tow 

 boats have gone up Enfield falls, it is found to be best 

 to go tlirough the canal. These two boats can carry 

 150 tons, at the rate of 2h miles an hour — against 

 the current of l.V miles an hour; but experience 

 proves, that towing less than that, is much better. 

 The William Hall, one of the tow boats, has as- 

 cended a rapid of 9 feet in the mile, towing up 20 

 tons — her engine is 20 horse power, and she cost 

 between four and five thousand dollars. At Had- 

 ley falls, after the freight boats get through the ca- 

 nal, they are taken in tow by another tow boat, at 

 the head of the falls, and carried up to Miller's fiills. 



Before steam boats were used on this river, 

 above the fiills, the trade was carried on by means 

 of freight boats of 25 tons, Avith a sail, to be used 

 when the wind was fair. When these boats as- 

 cended Enfield falls, they took in additional hands, 

 so as to have one hand to the ton, when they were 

 propelled by polcB; and I was told that it was as 



hard labor as men could endure : it frequently con- 

 sumed the whole day to get one of them over the 

 falls, 5^ miles. Here, steam has succeeded, both 

 as applied to passage and tow boats — and it could 

 seem from this, that where a man can push a ton 

 up a current, by means of a pole, steam can be 

 employed with success, profit and regularity. 



The Connecticut, upon an average, can only be 

 used for navigation seven months in the year — it is 

 ice-bound for three months and a half, (last year 

 much longer.) and the water is too low for one and a 

 half months in the summer. I saw Mr. Goddard 

 in Hartlbrd, who is the proprietor of the steam- 

 boats on the Altamaha, Ockmulgce, and Ockcnee 

 rivers, who informed me that they were entirely 

 successful. I was also informed by Mr. D. Cope- 

 land, of Hartford, that he had succeeded in putting 

 a steam-boat on the St. Lawrence, where the fall 

 was much greater than at Enfield : but I was un- 

 able to get the particulars in consequence of Mr. 

 Copeland's being obliged to leave Hartlbrd for N. 

 York, unexpectedly. Mr. C. is an engine maker 

 of high reputation, and a man of high standing. 

 Mr. Blanchard has also succeeded, (though not to 

 the same extent that he has on the Connecticut,) in 

 putting steain-boafs on the Kennebeck, Genesee, 

 and Susquehanna rivers: in the latter, he informed 

 me that he had ascended some half a dozen mill 

 dams. This boat, however, did not run long, and 

 she has not been repaired, or replaced by another. 



Here, perhaps, with strict propriety, my commu- 

 nication should close; but some opinions must ne- 

 cessarily have grown out of what I have seen and 

 heard — and I hope I shall be pardoned for expres- 

 sing a few of them. This, however, considering 

 the position of things, may do little else than draw 

 forth a denial of the facts stated, and unfriendly 

 criticisms on the conclusions and reasons which I 

 shall give. The improvements made by the Roan- 

 oke Compan}', have brought into existence so 

 many rival schemes for monopolizing the trade of 

 the upper country, that almost any opinion which 

 may be expressed, will be charitably ascribed to a 

 wish, to promote one, or put down another. I have 

 what to me is a considerable interest in the Roan- 

 oke Company; and I am entirely unconnected with 

 any other of the various and conflicting interests 

 on, or pertaining to the river. I have looked at 

 this subject exclusively as a stock-holder of the 

 Company — and every thing I have done, and 

 what I shall say, will have no other end in view, 

 but the advancement of its interest. 



The most important conclusion I have come to, 

 is, that steam-boats can be put on the Roanoke 

 and its two principal tributaries, with profit and 

 success — whether they will be able to navigate 

 the whole of the Roanoke, Dan and Staunton, re- 

 mains to be tested by actual experiments; but that 

 they can be successfully and profitably employed 

 on a large part of all three rivers, and that too, 

 without the Company's incurring much expense 

 in further improvements of the beds of" the rivers, 

 I have as little doubt as I can have of any thing 

 not yet demonstrated. The facts above stated,! 

 think, abundantly warrant this conclusion. There 

 is but one liiU on the Roanoke o:reatcr than that of 

 Enfield; there is not one on Dan or Staunton, for 

 a considerable distance up both streams so great. 

 Why, then, (it may be asked,) may we not as- 

 cend our rapids as well as they do those on the 

 Connecticut ? 



