the paths of inland commerce-第8节

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e　encountered　wherein　horses　were　drowned　and　loads　sank　from　sight。　Frequently　traffic　was　stopped　for　hours　by　wagons　which　had　broken　down　and　blocked　the　way。　Thirteen　wagons　at　one　time　were　stalled　on　Logan's　Hill　on　the　York　Road。　Frightful　accidents　occurred　in　attempting　to　draw　out　loads。　Jonathan　Tyson；　for　instance；　in　1792；　near　Philadelphia　saw　a　horse's　lower　jaw　torn　off　by　the　slipping　of　a　chain。

Save　in　the　winter；　when　in　the　northern　colonies　snow　filled　the　ruts　and　frost　built　solid　bridges　over　the　streams；　travel　on　these　early　roads　was　never　safe；　rapid；　nor　comfortable。　The　comparative　ease　of　winter　travel　for　the　carriage　of　heavy　freight　and　for　purposes　of　trade　and　social　intercourse　gave　the　colder　regions　an　advantage　over　the　southern　that　was　an　　important　factor　in　the　development　of　the　country。

No　genuine　improvement　of　roads　and　highways　seems　to　have　been　attempted　until　the　era　heralded　by　Washington's　letter　to　Harrison　in　1784。　But　the　problem　slowly　forced　itself　upon　all　sections　of　the　country；　and　especially　upon　Pennsylvania　and　Maryland；　whose　inhabitants　began　to　fear　lest　New　York；　Alexandria；　or　Richmond　should　snatch　the　Western　trade　from　Philadelphia　or　Baltimore。　The　truth　that　underlies　the　proverb　that　〃history　repeats　itself〃　is　well　illustrated　by　the　fact　that　the　first　macadamized　road　in　America　was　built　in　Pennsylvania；　for　here　also　originated　the　pack…horse　trade　and　the　Conestoga　horse　and　wagon；　here　the　first　inland　American　canal　was　built；　the　first　roadbed　was　graded　on　the　principle　of　dividing　the　whole　distance　by　the　whole　descent；　and　the　first　railway　was　operated。　Macadam　and　Telford　had　only　begun　to　show　the　people　of　England　how　to　build　roads　of　crushed　stonean　art　first　developed　by　the　French　engineer　Tresaguetwhen　Pennsylvanians　built　the　Lancaster　Turnpike。　The　Philadelphia　and　Lancaster　Turnpike　Road　Company　was　chartered　April　9；　1792；　as　a　part　of　the　general　plan　of　the　Society　for　the　Improvement　of　Roads　and　Inland　Navigation　already　described。　This　road；　sixty…two　miles　in　length；　was　built　of　stone　at　a　cost　of　465；000　and　was　completed　in　two　years。　Never　before　had　such　a　sum　been　invested　in　internal　improvement　in　the　United　States。　The　rapidity　with　which　the　undertaking　was　carried　through　and　the　profits　which　accrued　from　the　investment　were　alike　astonishing。　The　subscription　books　were　opened　at　eleven　o'clock　one　morning　and　by　midnight　2226　shares　had　been　subscribed；　each　purchaser　paying　down　thirty　dollars。　At　the　same　time　Elkanah　Watson　was　despondently　scanning　the　subscription　books　of　his　Mohawk　River　enterprise　at　Albany　where　〃no　mortal〃　had　risked　more　than　two　shares。

The　success　of　the　Lancaster　Turnpike　was　not　achieved　without　a　protest　against　the　monopoly　which　the　new　venture　created。　It　is　true　that　in　all　the　colonies　the　exercise　of　the　right　of　eminent　domain　had　been　conceded　in　a　veiled　way　to　officials　to　whose　care　the　laying　out　of　roads　had　been　delegated。　As　early　as　1639　the　General　Court　of　Massachusetts　had　ordered　each　town　to　choose　men　who；　cooperating　with　men　from　the　adjoining　town；　should　〃lay　out　highways　where　they　may　be　most　convenient；　notwithstanding　any　man's　property；　or　any　corne　ground；　so　as　it　occasion　not　the　pulling　down　of　any　man's　house；　or　laying　open　any　garden　or　orchard。〃　But　the　open　and　extended　exercise　of　these　rights　led　to　vigorous　opposition　in　the　case　of　this　Pennsylvania　road。　A　public　meeting　was　held　at　the　Prince　of　Wales　Tavern　in　Philadelphia　in　1793　to　protest　in　round　terms　against　the　monopolistic　character　of　the　Lancaster　Turnpike。　Blackstone　and　Edward　III　were　hurled　at　the　heads　of　the　〃venal〃　legislators　who　had　made　this　〃monstrosity〃　possible。　The　opposition　died　down；　however；　in　the　face　of　the　success　which　the　new　road　instantly　achieved。　The　Turnpike　was；　indeed；　admirably　situated。　Converging　at　the　quaint　old　〃borough　of　Lancaster；〃　the　various　routesnortheast　from　Virginia；　east　from　the　Carlisle　and　Chambersburg　region　and　the　Alleghanies；　and　southeast　from　the　upper　Susquehanna　countrypoured　upon　the　Quaker　City　a　trade　that　profited　every　merchant；　landholder；　and　laborer。　The　nine　tollgates；　on　the　average　a　little　less　than　seven　miles　apart；　turned　in　a　revenue　that　allowed　the　〃President　and　Managers〃　to　declare　dividends　to　stockholders　running；　it　is　said；　as　high　as　fifteen　per　cent。

The　Lancaster　Turnpike　is　interesting　from　three　points　of　view：　it　began　a　new　period　of　American　transportation；　it　ushered　in　an　era　of　speculation　unheard　of　in　the　previous　history　of　the　country；　and　it　introduced　American　lawmakers　to　the　great　problem　of　controlling　public　corporations。

Along　this　thirty…seven…foot　road；　of　which　twenty…four　feet　were　laid　with　stone；　the　new　era　of　American　inland　travel　progressed。　The　array　of　two…wheeled　private　equipages　and　other　family　carriages；　the　stagecoaches　of　bright　color；　and　the　carts；　Dutch　wagons；　and　Conestogas；　gave　token　of　what　was　soon　to　be　witnessed　on　the　great　roads　of　a　dozen　States　in　the　next　generation。　Here；　probably；　the　first　distinction　began　to　be　drawn　between　the　taverns　for　passengers　and　those　patronized　by　the　drivers　of　freight。　The　colonial　taverns；　comparatively　few　and　far　between；　had　up　to　this　time　served　the　traveling　public；　high　and　low；　rich　and　poor；　alike。　But　in　this　new　era　members　of　Congress　and　the　elite　of　Philadelphia　and　neighboring　towns　were　not　to　be　jostled　at　the　table　by　burly　hostlers；　drivers；　wagoners；　and　hucksters。　Two　types　of　inns　thus　came　quickly　into　existence：　the　tavern　entertained　the　stagecoach　traffic；　while　the　democratic　roadhouse　served　the　established　lines　of　Conestogas；　freighters；　and　all　other　vehicles　which　poured　from　every　town；　village；　and　hamlet　upon　the　great　thoroughfare　leading　to　the　metropolis　on　the　Delaware。

Among　American　inventions　the　Conestoga　wagon　must　forever　be　remembered　with　respect。　Originating　in　the　Lancaster　region　of　Pennsylvania　and　taking　its　name　either　from　the　horses　of　the　Conestoga　Valley　or　from　the　valley　itself；　this　vehicle　was　unlike　the　old　English　wain　or　the　Dutch　wagon　because　of　the　curve　of　its　bed。　This　peculiarly　shaped　bottom；　higher　by　twelve　inches　or　more　at　each　end　than　in　the　middle；　made　the　vehicle　a　safer　conveyance　across　the　mountains　and　over　all　rough　country　than　the　old　straight…bed　wagon。　The　Conestoga　was　covered　with　canvas；　as　were　other　freight　vehicles；　but　the　lines　of　the　bed　were　also　carried　out　in　the　framework　above　and　gave　the　whole　the　effect　of　a　great　ship　swaying　up　and　down　the　billowy　hills。　The　wheels　of　the　Conestoga　were　heavily　built　and　wore　tires　four　and　six　inches　in　width。　The　harness　of　the　six　horses　attached　to　the　wagon　was　proportionately　heavy；　the　back　bands　being　fifteen　inches　wide；　the　hip　straps　ten；　and　the　traces　consisting　of　ponderous　iron　chains。　The　color　of　the　original　Conestoga　wagons　never　varied：　the　underbody　was　always　blue　and　the　upper　parts　were　red。　The　wagoners　and　drivers　who　manned　this　fleet　on　wheels　were　men　of　a　type　that　finds　no　parallel　except　in　the　boatmen　on　the　western　rivers　who　were　almost　their　contemporaries。　Fit　for　the　severest　toil；　weathered　to　the　color　of　the　red　man；　at　home　under　any　roof　that　harbored　a　demijohn　and　a　fiddle；　these　hardy　nomads　of　early　commerce　were　the　custodians　of　the　largest　amount　of　traffic　in　their　day。

The　turnpike　era　overlaps　the　period　of　the　building　of　national　roads　and　canals　and　the　beginning　of　the　railway　age；　but　it　is　of　greatest　interest　during　the　first　twenty…five　years　of　the　nineteenth　century；　up　to　the　time　when　the　completion　of　the　Erie　Canal　set　new　standards。　During　this　period　roads　were　also　constructed　westward　from　Baltimore　and　Albany　to　connect；　as　the　Lancaster　Turnpike　did　at　its　terminus；　with　the　thoroughfares　from　the　trans…Alleghany　country。　The　metropolis　of　Maryland　was　quickly　in　the　field　to　challenge　the　bid　which　the　Quaker　City　made　for　western　trade。　The　Baltimore…Reisterstown　and　Baltimore…Frederick　turnpikes　were　built　at　a　cost　of　10；000　and　8；000　a　mile　respectively；　and　the　latter；　connecting　with　roads　to　Cumberland；　linked　itself　with　the　great　national　road　to　Ohio　which　the　Government　built　between　1811　and　1817。　These　famous　stone　roads　of　Maryland　long　kept　Baltimore　in　the　lead　as　the　principal　outlet　for　the　western　trade。　New　York；　too；　proved　her　right　to　the　title　of　Empire　State　by　a　marvelous　activity　in　improving　her　magnificent　strategic　position。　In　the　first　seven　years　of　the　nineteenth　century　eighty…eight　incorporated　road　companies　were　formed　with　a　total　capital　of　over　8；000；000。　Twenty　large　bridges　and　more　than　three　thousand　miles　of　turnpike　were　constructed。　The　movement；　indeed；　extended　from　New　England　to　Virginia　and　the　Carolinas；　and　turnpike　companies　built　all　kinds　of　roadsearth；　corduroy；　plank；　and　stone。

In　many　cases　the　kind　of　road　to　be　constructed；　the　tolls　to　be　charged；　and　the　amount　of　profit　to　be　permitted；　were　laid　down　in　the　charters。　Thus　new　problems　confronted　the　various　legislatures；　and　interesting　principles