the paths of inland commerce-第10节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


on　County。　The　soil　of　the　Miami　country　was　as　〃mellow　as　an　ash　heap〃　and　in　the　first　four　months　of　1802　over　four　thousand　barrels　of　flour　were　shipped　southward　to　challenge　the　prestige　of　the　Monongahela　product。　Potters；　brickmakers；　gunsmiths；　cotton　and　wool　weavers；　coopers；　turners；　wheelwrights；　dyers；　printers；　and　ropemakers　were　at　work　here　within　the　next　decade。　A　brewery　turned　out　five　thousand　barrels　of　beer　and　porter　in　1811；　and　by　the　next　year　the　pork…packing　business　was　thoroughly　established。

Louisville；　the　〃Little　Falls〃　of　the　West；　was　the　entrepot　of　the　Blue　Grass　region。　It　had　been　a　place　of　some　importance　since　Revolutionary　days；　for　in　seasons　of　low　water　the　rapids　in　the　Ohio　at　this　point　gave　employment　to　scores　of　laborers　who　assisted　the　flatboatmen　in　hauling　their　cargoes　around　the　obstruction　which　prevented　the　passage　of　the　heavily　loaded　barges。　The　town；　which　was　incorporated　in　1780；　soon　showed　signs　of　commercial　activity。　It　was　the　proud　possessor　of　a　drygoods　house　in　1783。　The　growth　of　its　tobacco　industry　was　rapid　from　the　first。　The　warehouses　were　under　government　supervision　and　inspection　as　early　as　1795；　and　innumerable　flatboats　were　already　bearing　cargoes　of　bright　leaf　southward　in　the　last　decade　of　the　century。　The　first　brick　house　in　Louisville　was　erected　in　1789　with　materials　brought　from　Pittsburgh。　Yankees　soon　established　the　〃Hope　Distillery〃；　and　the　manufacture　of　whiskey；　which　had　long　been　a　staple　industry　conducted　by　individuals；　became　an　incorporated　business　of　great　promise　in　spite　of　objections　raised　against　the　〃creation　of　gigantic　reservoirs　of　this　damning　drink。〃

Thus；　about　the　year　1800；　the　great　industries　of　the　young　West　were　all　established　in　the　regions　dominated　by　the　growing　cities　of　Pittsburgh；　Cincinnati；　and　Louisville。　But；　since　the　combined　population　of　these　centers　could　not　have　been　over　three　thousand　in　the　year　1800；　it　is　evident　that　the　adjacent　rural　population　and　the　people　living　in　every　neighboring　creek　and　river　valley　were　chiefly　responsible　for　the　large　trade　that　already　existed　between　this　corner　of　the　Mississippi　basin　and　the　South。

In　this　trade　the　riverman　was　the　fundamental　factor。　Only　by　means　of　his　brawn　and　his　genius　for　navigation　could　these　innumerable　tons　of　flour；　tobacco；　and　bacon　have　been　kept　from　rotting　on　the　shores。　Yet　the　man　himself　remains　a　legend　grotesque　and　mysterious；　one　of　the　shadowy　figures　of　a　time　when　history　was　being　made　too　rapidly　to　be　written。　If　we　ask　how　he　loaded　his　flatboat　or　barge；　we　are　told　that　〃one　squint　of　his　eye　would　blister　a　bull's　heel。〃　When　we　inquire　how　he　found　the　channel　amid　the　shifting　bars　and　floating　islands　of　that　tortuous　two…thousand…mile　journey　to　New　Orleans；　we　are　informed　that　he　was　〃the　very　infant　that　turned　from　his　mother's　breast　and　called　out　for　a　bottle　of　old　rye。〃　When　we　ask　how　he　overcame　the　natural　difficulties　of　tradelack　of　commission　houses；　varying　standards　of　money；　want　of　systems　of　credit　and　low　prices　due　to　the　glutting　of　the　market　when　hundreds　of　flatboats　arrived　in　the　South　simultaneously　on　the　same　freshetwe　are　informed　that　〃Billy　Earthquake　is　the　geniwine；　double…acting　engine；　and　can　out…run；　out…swim；　chaw　more　tobacco　and　spit　less；　drink　more　whiskey　and　keep　soberer　than　any　other　man　in　these　localities。〃

The　reason　for　this　lack　of　information　is　that　our　descriptions　of　flatboating　and　keel　boating　are　written　by　travelers　who；　as　is　always　the　case；　are　interested　in　what　is　unusual；　not　in　what　is　typical　and　commonplace。　It　is　therefore　only　dimly；　as　through　a　mist；　that　we　can　see　the　two　lines　of　polemen　pass　from　the　prow　to　the　stern　on　the　narrow　running…board　of　a　keel　boat；　lifting　and　setting　their　poles　to　the　cry　of　steersman　or　captain。　The　struggle　in　a　swift　〃rife〃　or　rapid　is　momentous。　If　the　craft　swerves；　all　is　lost。　Shoulders　bend　with　savage　strength；　poles　quiver　under　the　tension；　the　captain's　voice　is　raucous；　and　every　other　word　is　an　oath；　a　pole　breaks；　and　the　next　man；　though　half…dazed　in　the　mortal　crisis；　does　for　a　few　moments　the　work　of　two。　At　last　they　reach　the　head　of　the　rapid；　and　the　boat　floats　out　on　the　placid　pool　above；　while　the　〃alligator…horse〃　who　had　the　mishap　remarks　to　the　scenery　at　large　that　he'd　be　〃fly…blowed　before　sun…down　to　a　certingty〃　if　that　were　not　the　very　pole　with　which　he　〃pushed　the　broadhorn　up　Salt　River　where　the　snags　were　so　thick　that　a　fish　couldn't　swim　without　rubbing　his　scales　off。〃　Audubon；　the　naturalist…merchant　of　the　Mississippi；　has　left　us　a　clear　picture　of　the　process　by　which　these　heavy　tubs；　loaded　with　forty　or　fifty　tons　of　freight；　were　forced　upstream　against　a　swift　current：

〃Wherever　a　point　projected　so　as　to　render　the　course　or　bend　below　it　of　some　magnitude；　there　was　an　eddy；　the　returning　current　of　which　was　sometimes　as　strong　as　that　of　the　middle　of　the　great　stream。　The　bargemen；　therefore；　rowed　up　pretty　close　under　the　bank　and　had　merely　to　keep　watch　in　the　bow　lest　the　boat　should　run　against　a　planter　or　sawyer。　But　the　boat　has　reached　the　point；　and　there　the　current　is　to　all　appearance　of　double　strength　and　right　against　it。　The　men；　who　have　rested　a　few　minutes；　are　ordered　to　take　their　stations　and　lay　hold　of　their　oars；　for　the　river　must　be　crossed；　it　being　seldom　possible　to　double　such　a　point　and　proceed　along　the　same　shore。　The　boat　is　crossing；　its　head　slanting　to　the　current；　which　is；　however；　too　strong　for　the　rowers；　and　when　the　other　side　of　the　river　has　been　reached；　it　has　drifted　perhaps　a　quarter　of　a　mile。　The　men　are　by　this　time　exhausted　and；　as　we　shall　suppose　it　to　be　12　o'clock；　fasten　the　boat　to　a　tree　on　the　shore。　A　small　glass　of　whiskey　is　given　to　each；　when　they　cook　and　eat　their　dinner　and；　after　resting　from　their　fatigue　for　an　hour；　recommence　their　labors。　The　boat　is　again　seen　slowly　advancing　against　the　stream。　It　has　reached　the　lower　end　of　a　sandbar；　along　the　edge　of　which　it　is　propelled　by　means　of　long　poles；　if　the　bottom　be　hard。　Two　men；　called　bowsmen；　remain　at　the　prow　to　assist；　in　concert　with　the　steersman；　in　managing　the　boat　and　keeping　its　head　right　against　the　current。　The　rest　place　themselves　on　the　land　side　of　the　footway　of　the　vessel；　put　one　end　of　their　poles　on　the　ground　and　the　other　against　their　shoulders　and　push　with　all　their　might。　As　each　of　the　men　reaches　the　stern；　he　crosses　to　the　other　side；　runs　along　it　and　comes　again　to　the　landward　side　of　the　bow；　when　he　recommences　operations。　The　barge　in　the　meantime　is　ascending　at　a　rate　not　exceeding　one　mile　in　the　hour。〃

Trustworthy　statistics　as　to　the　amount　and　character　of　the　Western　river　trade　have　never　been　gathered。　They　are　to　be　found；　if　anywhere；　in　the　reports　of　the　collectors　of　customs　located　at　the　various　Western　ports　of　entry　and　departure。　Nothing　indicates　more　definitely　the　hour　when　the　West　awoke　to　its　first　era　of　big　business　than　the　demand　for　the　creation　of　〃districts〃　and　their　respective　ports；　for　by　no　other　means　could　merchandise　and　produce　be　shipped　legally　to　Spanish　territory　beyond　or　down　the　Mississippi　or　to　English　territory　on　the　northern　shores　of　the　Great　Lakes。

Louisville　is　as　old　a　port　of　the　United　States　as　New　York　or　Philadelphia；　having　been　so　created　when　our　government　was　established　in　1789；　but　oddly　enough　the　first　returns　to　the　National　Treasury　（1798）　are　credited　to　the　port　of　Palmyra；　Tennessee；　far　inland　on　the　Cumberland　River。　In　1799　the　following　Western　towns　were　made　ports　of　entry：　Erie；　Sandusky；　Detroit；　Mackinaw　Island；　and　Columbia　（Cincinnati）。　The　first　port　on　the　Ohio　to　make　returns　was　Fort　Massac；　Illinois；　and　it　is　from　the　collector　at　this　point　that　we　get　our　first　hint　as　to　the　character　and　volume　of　Western　river　traffic。　In　the　spring　months　of　March；　April；　and　May；　1800；　cargoes　to　the　value　of　28；581　pounds；　Pennsylvania　currency；　went　down　the　Ohio。　This　included　22；714　barrels　of　flour；　1017　barrels　of　whiskey；　12；500　pounds　of　pork；　18；710　pounds　of　bacon；　75；814　pounds　of　cordage；　3650　yards　of　country　linen；　700　bottles；　and　700　barrels　of　potatoes。　In　the　three　autumn　months　of　1800；　for　instance；　twenty…one　boats　ascended　the　Ohio　by　Fort　Massac；　with　cargoes　amounting　to　36　hundredweight　of　lead　and　a　few　hides。　Descending　the　river　at　the　same　time；　flatboats　and　barges　carried　245　hundredweight　of　drygoods　valued　at　32；550。　When　we　compare　these　spring　and　fall　records　of　commerce　downstream　we　reach　the　natural　conclusion　that　the　bulk　of　the　drygoods　which　went　down　in　the　fall　of　the　year　had　been　brought　over　the　mountains　during　the　summer。　The　fact　that　the　Alleghany　pack…horses　and　Conestogas　were　transporting　freight　to　supply　the　Spanish　towns　on　the　Mississippi　River　in　the　first　year　of　the　nineteenth　century　seems　proved　beyond　a　doubt　by　these　reports　from　Fort　Massac。

The　most　interesting　phase　of　this　era　is　the　connection　between　western　trade　and　the　politics　of　the　Mississippi　Valley　which