1836.] 



FARJMERS' REGISTER. 



397 



field, a distance of nine miles, the current again 

 becomes smooth, and unbroken by impediments of 

 any iiind, wiih about the same tail as below the 

 rapids above mentioned. Enfield Falls, which lie 

 opposite the little village of Knfield, and iience 

 derive the name, are from 5 to 5}, miles from foot 

 to head ; but there being 1^ of slack water be- 

 tween the upper and lower fall, the rapid water is 

 3i miles in extent. This fill is 10 feet to tlie mile, 

 by actual njeasurement. To the eye, this iLdl is 

 remarkably well distributed ; but is said to consist 

 of a succession of pitches or strains, at different 

 intervals and ol' different strength, and to all of 

 which, as with us, the boatmen have given some 

 name, as Mad Tom, &c. Over this fill the steam- 

 boat JNla^sachusetts passes with the greatest ease, 

 — shilling its direction frequently across the cur- 

 rent, to avoid the rocks and bars which make their 

 position known to the practised eye of the pilot 

 by signs on the surface— in 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

 The rocks and sand in the bottom of the river, are 

 visible ti'om the deck of the boat in nearly the en- 

 tire extent of the fall, and in many places the 

 stream becomes so shallow, that tlie smallest peb- 

 ble may be seen with the utmost distinctness. 

 The velocity of the water on Enfield Falls having 

 been ascertained by Mr. Blanchard, by actual 

 ineasuremeut, to be between 8 and 9 miles an 

 hour, he came to the conclusion, that a super- 

 vening power of 12 miles an hour (which is the 

 power of the steamer Massachusetts upon water 

 at rest,) would overcome it at the rate of 3 miles 

 an hour. His experiment has demonstrated the 

 correctness of his reasoning, and displayed a tri- 

 umph of genius and art over tlie obstacles of na- 

 ture. In descending, little or no steam is used : 

 the progress of the boat on the falls, being as rapid 

 without it, as is consistent with safety and accu- 

 rate steering, for which purpose a long bow-oar is 

 employed, which perfectly commands the direc- 

 tion of the boat. 



I will now proceed to compare the obsta- 

 cles, which have been overcome by the power 

 of steam on the Connecticut River, and the dif- 

 ficulties to be surmounted in the Roanoke, in 

 order to have the same success. It is unneces- 

 sary for me to go very minutel}' into details on this 

 important branch of the subject. The statistics 

 on this point, have been so clearly set forth in the 

 report of E. B. Hicks, Esq. to the Superintendent 

 ofthe Roanoke Navigation Company, published in 

 the August No. ofthe Farmers' Register, and the 

 encouraging fact, that success is within our reach, 

 eo clearly derivable from the premises, that it is 

 almost needless for me to do more than refer you 

 to that very clear and circumstantial document. 

 It will be remembered that the average tail per 

 mile on the Enfield Falls is 10 feet ; while the 

 greatest amount of fall in any mile on the Roa- 

 noke, between Clarksville and Rock Landing, is 

 11.1 feet, and in no other mile does it exceed 8 feet 

 and a small fraction. And admit that the greatest 

 possible success has been reached upon this sub- 

 ject, (of which, I have no idea,) and that 10 feet 

 to the mile is the greatest amount of obstacle that 

 can be overcome by steam — this point, Eaton's 

 Falls, is below the intersection ofthe Gaston Rail 

 Road with the Roanoke, and the improvement of 

 the river, and the consequent use of steamboats to 

 that point, would immediately result in important 

 benefits to the valley of the Roanoke, and to a 



much wider extent of country which would then 

 seek the river, as an outlet for their produce. But 

 I would not stop here : I believe this improvement 

 is yet in it.s infancy — otherwise it is the first 

 the world has ever known, which reached its 

 summit at the first stride. I believe the world 

 is yet to be farther astonished and improv- 

 ed, by bolder cflbrts and more complete tri- 

 umphs of art and mechanical skill. Whether 

 the power of steam can overcome a current ot' 10 

 feet per mile, depends much upon the manner in 

 which that fall is distributed. The report made 

 by the engineer, to the Board of Public Works of 

 \nrginia preparatory to the improvement of the 

 Roanoke is silent on this head; and for the pur- 

 poses of steam navigation, it is a fact all-important 

 to know. If a fall of 4 feet to the mile, is. all in 

 one pitch, its ascent is impracticable for steam- 

 boats constructed for shallow draught. Whereas 

 a fall of 10 feet per mile, well distributed through 

 the mile can be overcome with ease. Wherever 

 then these hard strains occur, they must be distri- 

 buted by art, or passed around by lock and canal. 



For the purposes of towing freight boats, two or 

 three steam tow-boats are in use on the Connecti- 

 cut — that number beinir found sufficient for its 

 trade. They ply from Hartford to any point up 

 the river, to which freight is destined. They are 

 of 20 horse power, and ascend the river at the 

 rate of 2^ miles an hour, against a 1^ miles cur- 

 rent, having in tow, 5 ti-eight boats of 30 tons 

 each. Around Enfield Falls there is a canal and 

 locks, through which the steam tow-boats and 

 freight boats pass. At Willimansett Falls, which 

 is about 8 miles above Springfield, which is a short 

 fall of about half a mile, the boats are carried up 

 by the power of horses or oxen, by means of a 

 windlass, with ease and despatch. The descent 

 at this point is 9 feet to the mile. We were in- 

 formed by Mr. Cuvier, superintendent and mana- 

 ger of the steam tow-boats, that one of the boats 

 once passed that fall having 20 tons in tow. At 

 Hadley Falls, the descent is 50 feet in 2^ miles ; 

 but the fall is chiefly in one pitch, directly oppo- 

 site the little manufacturing village of Hadley, 

 affording fine power for driving machinery. Here 

 again there is a canal with locks, through which 

 all the freight must pass. From Hadley to Mil- 

 ler's Falls, a distance of 35 miles, there is but lit- 

 tle fall ; but the navigation is much annoyed by 

 shifting bars and new accumulations of sand and 

 gravelT Beyond this point, the navigation by 

 steam has never been carried, owing, it is thought, 

 more to a want of inducement, than any doubts 

 about its success. 



I have thus given you a succinct liistory of 

 the various obstructions to the navigation of 

 that river for a distance of seventy miles above 

 Hartford, and the means by which each has 

 been overcome. The cost of the improvement 

 from Hartford to Miller's Falls is said to liave 

 been between 3 and 8400,000. And if the public 

 spirit of the little state of Connecticut, with an ex- 

 tent of territory not larger than the counties 

 touching the Roanoke fr-om Wcldon to Danville, 

 with agricultural resources not half equal to the 

 same district, can accomplish so much, why 

 should the people of the extended and fertile val- 

 ley of the Roanoke and its tributaries, remain 

 longer slothful and inactive? This is an inquiry 

 which directs itself peculiarly and pointedly to the 



