L'AMBIE DE! 75 R.TELFER SC RAILROAD CURVATURE NEAR READING. presence and social intercourse with the citizens, was subsequently felt upon the society and general tone of the place, which is now, indeed, noted for its substantial, liberal, and comprehensive spirit, no less than the social good feeling, hospitality, and intelligence of its citizens, individually; for while the people of the county cannot generally be complimented for their intelligence, it must not be inferred that Reading is included with them. Nothing would be more unjust-for while it is true that the people are somewhat influenced by the tone of the country sentiment, it is equally true that the latter is also very much directed by the city; so that, considering their mutual dependency, and the equilibrium existing between them, it is owing principally to the popular sentiment of Reading that the people of the county have progressed, as far as they have, in education and the usages of modern society. Reading possesses, to a very remarkable extent, all the requisites for great industrial enterprise. The agricultural resources of the county-of which it is the judicial seat-are truly enormous. The soil is drained by numerous streams of large volume, which, following the narrow alluvial valleys intervening between the mountain ranges, afford water-power of unlimited extent, and applicable to every description of manufacture. Iron ore, of various qualities, abounds throughout the whole county, and there are several rich deposits in the vicinity of Reading. The calcareous conglomerate, previously alluded to as appearing in the red shale deposits along the Mine Ridge and Blue Mountain ranges, in this county lies near the Schuylkill, in the vicinity of Reading. It is known as the "Potomac marble," and when not too hard to polish, must be considered as very valuable. Copper ore also occurs at several points, but generally in such small quantity, and so mixed with iron, as to render the expediency of working it rather doubtful. But what is most important to this city, and which has given it, within the last few years, an impulse of great industrial vigor, is the coal trade, from whose beds it is distant thirtysix miles. Added to this, is its accessibility, by canal, to the Susquehanna, and by both railroad and canal to Philadelphia and Pottsville, giving it a commanding interior position, which must ultimately be used to its great and permanent benefit. The Union Canal, which unites with the Schuylkill Navigation at Reading, was the first canal route ever surveyed in this country, and a brief notice of some of the persons and circumstances associated with it, will probably not be without interest. George W. Smith, Esq., in an article first published in Hazard's Register, says that William Penn, in his proposals for a second settlement in the province of Pennsylvania, promulgated in 1690, alludes to the practicability of effecting a communication by water between the Susquehanna and the Schuylkill. Canals and turnpikes were unknown at this period, even in Great Britain. Numerous interesting letters of distinguished citizens are extant, which prove that the Union is indebted to this State for the first introduction of canals and turnpikes to public attention. Their views were regarded at that early period, (1750 to 1760) with but little interest in England, and excited the attention of but few in the colonies. At the present day it is difficult to determine to whom we are chiefly indebted for introducing the subject to public attention. If our information be correct, we may attribute to David Rittenhouse (the astronomer), and Dr. Wm. Smith, provost of the University of Pennsylvania, the credit of being the first laborers in this hitherto untrodden field. Afterwards Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution, and still later Robert Fulton, the engineer, and inventor of steamboats, of whom Pennsylvania is justly proud, lent their powerful assistance. The writings of Turner, Comac, Wm. J. Duane, and Samuel Breck, Esqrs., and subsequently of Gerard Rallston, Richard Peters, Jr., Matthew Carey, Samuel Mifflin, Wm. Lehman, John Sergeant, and others, are too well known to require enumeration. In 1762, David Rittenhouse, (and Dr. Smith, above mentioned, associated with him,) surveyed and levelled a route for a canal to connect the Susquehanna with the Schuylkill, by means of the Swatara and Tulpehocken creeks-the former emptying into the Susquehanna at Middletown, twelve miles below Harrisburg, and the latter emptying into the Schuylkill near Reading. The Union canal, which has since accomplished this object, passes over a portion of the route thus surveyed-and this is the first region ever surveyed in the colonies for a canal. The views of the projectors of this work were, if the difficulties of that period be duly considered, far more gigantic and surprising than have been entertained by their successors in any part of the Union. They contemplated nothing less than a junction of the eastern and western waters of Lake Erie and of the Ohio with the Delaware, on a route extending 582 miles! The Alleghany mountain was deemed to offer an insuperable obstacle to a continuous navigation-and to overcome this a portage was accordingly recommended;-an expedient which we, at a very recent period, were compelled to adopt, but which now, in the full era of steam locomotion, will soon be proudly overcome by our iron horses. Duly to appreciate the enterprise of that age, we ought to consider that the great valley of the Ohio and Mississippi was almost one boundless forest, uninhabited but by the beasts of the forest, and the Indians. Attainable monied capital was then almost unknown in the colonies; the very term "engineering" was equally unknown in the vocabulary of those days. No canal was then in existence in England. Public opinion, even then, had yet to learn that canals were not visionary undertakings. The sneers of many were to be encountered; nevertheless, under all these trying discouragements, the earliest advocates for inland navigation commenced their efforts in Pennsylvania. In 1769 they induced the American Philosophical Society to order a survey for a canal to connect the Chesapeake bay with the Delaware-a work long since in successful operation. The provincial legislature, about the same period, authorized a survey of a route, extending five hundred and eighty-two miles, to Pittsburg and Erie. This survey was performed, and a report made strongly recommending the execution of the project. The adoption of the plan was only postponed in consequence of the Revolution. After the termination of that struggle, several works were commenced in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. The canal through the Dismal Swamp, connecting the Chesapeake bay and Albemarle Sound, with the works on the Potomac, James, and Rappahannock rivers, were commenced and partially finished between the years 1786 and 1791. The great project of Pennsylvania was allowed to slumber until the 29th of September, 1791, about a century after William Penn's first prophetic intimation, when the Legislature incorporated a company to connect the Susquehanna and Schuylkill by a canal and slack-water navigation. Robert Morris, David Rittenhouse, Wm. Smith and others, were named as commissioners. The intention of connecting the eastern and northwestern parts of the State is distinctly expressed in this, and a subsequent act of the 10th of April, 1792. By the terms of this last act a company was incorporated to effect a junction of the Delaware with the Schuylkill river, by a canal extending from Norristown to Philadelphia—a distance of seventeen miles, which has already been alluded to. The Schuylkill river, from the former city to Reading, was to be temporarily improved, and thus form, with the works of the Susquehanna and Schuylkill Company, an uninterrupted water communication with the interior of the State; with the intention of extending the chain to Lake Erie and the Ohio river. Experience soon convinced the two companies that a greater length of canal was requisite, in consequence of the difficulties of improving the channels of the rivers; hence the company last mentioned determined (in compliance with the suggestions of Mr. Weston, a British engineer, whom they had imported,) to extend their canal from river to river, a distance of seventy miles. In conjunction with the former company, they nearly completed fifteen miles of the most difficult parts of the two works, comprising much rock excavation, heavy embankments, deep cuttings, and several locks, which were constructed with bricks. In consequence of commercial difficulties, (in which, it is known, some of the chief stockholders were shortly after involved—including the patriot, Morris, who was, in fact, on one occasion, imprisoned for debt!) both companies were compelled to suspend their operations, after having expended upwards of $450,000. The suspension of these works, and, some time after, that of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, had a very disastrous effect on every similar enterprise which was projected for many years after. Frequent abortive attempts were made, from the year 1795, to resume operations; and notwithstanding the subscription of $300,000 stock, subsequently tendered by the State, these companies continued in a languishing condition. In 1811 the two bodies were united, and re-organized as the Union Canal Company, which has ever since been the style of the company. They were specially authorized to extend their canal from Philadelphia to Lake Erie, with the privilege of making such further extension, in any other part of the State, as they might deem expedient. In 1819 and 1821 the State granted further aid by a guarantee of interest, and a monopoly of the lottery privilege. The additional subscriptions obtained in consequence of this legislative enactment, enabled the managers to resume operations in 1821. The line was re-located, the dimensions of the canal changed, and the whole work finished in about six years from this period; after thirty-seven years had elapsed from the date of the first work, and sixty-five from the date of the first survey. It is ninety miles in length, including the branch extending to the coal region at Pine Grove, in Schuylkill county. That portion between Pine Grove and Middletown, was enlarged in 1851, and is now equal to the capacity of boats running on the State canals; but the other section can pass boats of twenty-five tons only. The summit of this canal, about six miles in length, passes over a limestone deposit, and in consequence of the fissures abounding in this rock, a large portion of the water was lost. A number of experiments were tried to overcome this loss, such as lining it with clay, planking, &c. The difficulty was, we believe, entirely remedied on the occasion of its enlargement, last year, and the work may hereafter be regarded as complete in all its arrangements and in all the details of its construction, while the coal trade alone will probably soon make it a paying concern. The Schuylkill Navigation, already alluded to in connection with the Union Canal, was incorporated as a separate and distinct concern in 1814, without mining and trading privileges, and hence it has ever been the interest of the company to invite tonnage from all sources, and in every quarter. It was originally designed for the products of the forest, the field, and the mine-all of which abounded in the counties drained by the river and its numerous tributary streams. The forests, especially, were at that period remarkable for the quality of their timber, and the height and symmetrical proportions of the trees; and, among intelligent and sagacious men, little doubt was entertained of the future importance of the coal trade, then without any existence whatever. The Schuylkill Navigation is one hundred and eight miles in length, extending from Philadelphia to Port Carbon, in Schuylkill county. It was erected at a cost of nearly three millions of dollars. It was sufficiently complete, in 1818, to allow the descent of several boats, and tolls to the amount of two hundred and thirty dollars comprised the receipts for the season. From this year to 1825, no account was kept of the different articles for which tolls were received, and we are unable, therefore, to determine the amount of tonnage on coal descending the valley during this period. The Navigation, however, owing to the imperfection of the structure, was not in a favorable condition for the prosecution of business during any portion of this period. This arose from the obvious inexperience of the people of that day in canal-building: and obstructions of every description were of course to be expected. Of these, the most frequent were breaks in the banks of the canal, which would not only retard the progress of boats, and render the business extremely hazardous and uncertain, but subjected the Company to heavy expenses for repairs. The revenue to the stockholders was of course very limited; and at no season, we believe, previous to 1830, was it sufficient to yield a dividend of over one-half per cent. -while quite as often a loss would be experienced at the close of the business season. A few years afterwards, however, (1830,) when the coal trade began to assume some importance, the stock of the Navigation yielded very handsome dividends, and continued annually to do so, until it encountered a formidable rival in the railroad, which was extended to Pottsville in 1842. From this period, the coal trade became immensely important, and the canal company determined, in 1846, to deepen the channel, and otherwise enlarge and improve their works. The canal was sufficiently enlarged to float boats of 180 tons burthen, while the |