History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 27

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Massachusetts > History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I > Part 27

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A number of Dutch capitalists who had been interested in the work, alarmed by these proceedings, sold their shares and abandoned the enterprise, and the stock soon fell into the hands of comparatively a few individuals.

The knowledge of constructing locks and machinery for the passage of boats and rafts was exceedingly crude at that date, and, though the system has long been abandoned, a brief de- scription of it may be worthy of preservation. The following account is from Dr. Holland's " History of Western Massachu- setts," and is no doubt substantially correct :

" At the point where boats were to be lowered and elevated was a long inclined plane, traversed by an immense car of the width of the canal, and of sufficient length to take in at boat or a section of a raft. At the top of this inclined plane were two large water-wheels, one on either side of the canal, which furnished, by the aid of the water of the canal, the power for elevating the car, and for balancing and controlling it in its descent. At the foot of the inclined plane the car descended into the water of the canal, becoming entirely sub- merged. A boat ascending the river, and passing into the canal, would be floated directly over and into the car, the brim of the latter being gauged to a water-level by its eleva- tion aft in proportion to the inclination of the angle of the traverse-way. The boat being secure in the car, the water was let upon the water-wheels, which, by their common shaft, were attached to the car through two immense cables, and thus, winding the cables, the car was drawn up to a proper point, when the boat passed out into the canal above. The

reverse of this operation, readily comprehended by the reader, transferred a boat or the section of a raft from above down- ward."

As business on the river increased, it became obvious that the volume of water afforded by the wing-dam was insufficient for the demand, and it was finally resolved to petition the Legislature for relief, in the shape of a lottery for the purpose of raising twenty thousand dollars, to enable the company to increase the volume of water by deepening the canal-bed four feet through its whole extent. On the 25th of February, 1802, the Legislature granted the petition, and Thomas Dwight, Justin Ely, Jonathan Dwight, Joseph Lyman, Jr., and John Williams were appointed managers of the scheme; each being hound in the sum of five thousand dollars for the faithful discharge of the trust. The grant extended to a period of four years.

The matter was duly advertised in the papers, the plan succeeded, and about the elose of the year 1804 the work was completed. The engineer of this improvement was one Ariel Cooley, a man of great ingenuity and energy. Under his direction the old plan of inclined planes, water-wheels, and elevating apparatus was laid aside, and the simple lock system substituted.

Upon the completion of the improvements Mr. Cooley of- fered to take charge of the canal and locks, keep them in re- pair, survey the craft passing through, and collect the tolls for a period of fifty years, for one-fourth the amount of tolls. A contract was accordingly drawn and signed, and he entered upon his duties at once ; thus relieving the corporation from nearly all care in the premises.

In 1814 he deemed it necessary, for the more perfect working of the canal, to build another dam, and the work was partially completed when the spring flood of 1815 swept it away ; but during the same year he completed a new one, which stood until 1824, when it was swept away. In the mean time Mr. Cooley had died, and his administrators rebuilt the dam, which was still standing when the great dam of the Hadley Falls Company was built, about 1849; a slight ripple marking its location. These dams were indicted as nuisances at the instance of those engaged in the shad fishery, but the indictment of the first was stopped by the agreement of Mr. Cooley to build a fish-way, by which the shad could pass the obstruction.

He accomplished this work in a unique and ingenious man- ner, through his thorough knowledge of the habits of the fish.

Below and near the dam, on the eastern side, he constructed an ohlique wing-dam, extending for some distance into the stream. This arrested the water from the main dam, produ- cing an eddy, in which the fish could find a quiet stopping- place after passing the rapids below.

Opposite this wing-dam he cut down the main dam for the width of a few planks, making a passage through which, notwithstanding the velocity of the gushing water, the fish could dart into the pond above.

The second indictment brought on an extensive lawsuit, which employed nearly all the attorneys then living in the county on one side or the other, and resulted in the rebuild- ing of the fish-way. The contract entered into by the con- pany and Mr. Cooley was eventually surrendered by his administrators, and the canal was utilized, more or less, for manufacturing purposes, until it was purchased by the Ilad- ley Falls Company, who were empowered to build the present dam, " subject to an equitable indemnification of the fishing rights above."

The construction of the dam at Montagne was originally attempted at a point some two miles below the falls at Smead's Island, under the supervision of Capt. Elisha Mack, of Mon- tague, who, according to Dr. Holland, operated either as en- gineer for the corporation or as a contractor for the work. But the project proved impracticable, chiefly on account of

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

the depth of water, and was abandoned after considerable labor and expense.

In connection with the experiments at this place, Dr. Hol- land relates an interesting incident illustrating the saying of Solomon that " there is nothing new under the sun."

" While Capt. Mack was operating at Smead's Island, an itinerant Scotchman made his appearance, who undertook to construct a sort of leathern case for the body, with a long tube attached for the purpose of respiration, and glass about the face for the use of vision.

" He succeeded in worming his way into the captain's favor, worked steadily at the curious armor, and, on a Saturday night, pronounced it complete, and appointed Monday (fol- lowing) for an experimental test. After closing work he obtained the loan of Capt. Mack's gray mare, a valuable ani- mal, for the purpose of visiting a lady, a somewhat attractive fair (one) of the times and locality. Capt. Mack conferred the favor gladly, and would have been rejoiced to see the in- genious Scotchman again ; but he never did, both mare and rider mysteriously disappearing."

Capt. Mack finally succeeded in constructing a dam at Tur- ner's Falls in 1793, which was allowed to stand one year on trial, and, contrary to many doubts, it stood the test of the spring flood. The canal was commenced in 1794, but was not completed until 1796 or, 1797. It was three miles in length.

Il. SHAD AND SALMON FISHERIES.

In the early days before the construction of dams on the Connecticut, shad and salmon were exceedingly plenty, and the fisheries formed for many years a most important industry, and it is not astonishing that the people who derived so large a share of their sustenance and means of livelihood from this source should have jealously guarded their rights, and persistently fought against all attempts to obstruct the river by artificial means.

Turner's Falls, and those at South Hadley, were famous re- sorts for the Indians, and for ages before the advent of the English they must have sought annually these prolific sources of their food supplies.

The salmon remained in the river until some time after the construction of the dam at Montague. The first season after its construction they were very plenty at Turner's Falls, and were taken. in immense numbers, as they could not pass the obstructions at that place ; but their numbers declined rapidly from year to year, until about the last seen of them were a few stragglers at South Hadley Falls, about the year 1800. The following description of the mode of capturing this magnifi- cent fish, furnished by an eye-witness, is from Dr. Holland :

" In hauling in a seine in the shad fishery they not unfre- quently formed a portion of the prey, and manifested their presence by commotions well understood by the fishermen. The common seine could not withstand their powerful strug- glos, and the fishermen were obliged to wade out and get be- hind the net, and, by kicking it and striking upon the water, drive them into the shallow water near shore, where they were grasped by the skillful, and rendered powerless by sending deftly-delivered raps upon the head.

" At that time as many as two thousand shad were fre- quently taken at a haul.

" The shad fishery has gradually declined since, owing partly, doubtless, to the actual diminution of the number of shad entering the river, and partly to the increase in the num- ber of gill-nets in the lower part of the river, which have be- come so prevalent as to operate almost as an absolute bar to their progress up the stream.

" The shad fisheries at Hadley Falls were formerly consid- ered common property, and were participated in by all who had a taste for the business. But when the fish became scarce, and consequently enhanced in value, the owners of the lands

bordering the river availed themselves of the law giving them the exclusive right of fishing thereon, and drove away the old fishermen and carried on the business themselves, thereby reaping all the benefits accruing therefrom. In the year 1853 they took out from forty thousand to fifty thousand shad, which were all disposed of at remunerative prices."

The business has, however, gradually diminished, princi- pally in consequence of the net or " pound" fisheries at the mouth of the river, which occupy the entire channel during the season, not even being removed over Sunday,-the only chance the fish have of passing them being while a net is on shore for a few hours.

Small fisheries are at present maintained at Longmeadow, Agawam, Springfield, and South Hadley, and considerable numbers of this fine fish are still taken in their season. The entire catch is disposed of in the cities and villages of the valley, a large share being sold in the Springfield markets.

Within the past fifteen years arrangements have been made for restocking the Connecticut with several varieties of fish, among them the salmon and the delicious black bass of the Western lakes and rivers, and the latter are now taken in con- siderable numbers.

It is a question, however, whether the salmon can ever again be persuaded to inhabit their former home. In addition to the dams on the Connecticut and the immense amount of chemical refuse of various kinds which finds its way into the stream from the great manufacturing establishments, all the smaller streams, where they formerly swarmed in thousands, are entirely debarred from them by innumerable dans, con- structed without provision for their passage.

111. THE CONNECTICUT RIVER.

The following interesting reminiscences of the Connecticut River were furnished to the Connecticut Valley Historical Society in a series of articles by T. M. Dewey, Esq., and pub- lished in the Springfield Republican in 1872. Mr. Dewey has obligingly furnished copies for this work :

"Eurly Narigation of the Connecticut Rirer .- The Connecti- cut River has its sources in New Hampshire and the moun- tainous tracts of Lower Canada or Canada East .* Its general course is south. It is navigable for vessels of considerable burden for a distance of fifty miles, to Hartford, Conn., and to Middletown, about thirty miles from the Sound, for vessels of twelve feet draft. It is the Quoncktacut of the Indians, said to signify ' Long River,' or, as it is rendered by others, the ' River of Pines.' Its western branch forms the boundary line between the United States and Canada, and the main river, dividing Vermont and New Hampshire, erosses the western part of Massachusetts, passes through the central part of Connecticut, and, after a fall of about sixteen hundred feet in its whole length of four hundred and ten miles, enters Long Island Sound in about 41º north latitude. At Middle- town, Conn., it bears off considerably to the east. In its course it passes through a beautiful country and by many flourishing towns, among which may be mentioned Haver- hill, Orford (particularly beautiful to me), Hanover, Walpole, and Charlestown, in New Hampshire; Windsor, Newbury, and Brattleboro', in Vermont; Greenfield, Hadley, Northamp- ton, and Springfield, in Massachusetts; and Hartford, Middle- town, and the Haddams, in Connecticut. Its width varies from one hundred and fifty feet at its entrance between Ver- mont and New Hampshire to four hundred feet at Orford and twelve hundred feet at Springfield. The navigation of its upper course was improved by means of locks and canals, which secure boat-navigation to the mouth of Wells River in Vermont, a distance of two hundred and fifty miles above Hartford. The falls of most celebrity are Bellows Falls, Queechee, and White River Falls, in New Hampshire and Ver-

* Now Province of Qneber.

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

mont, Turner's and South Hadley Falls in Massachusetts, and Enfield Falls in Connecticut. The descent of the river between White River Falls and the foot of Enfield Falls, where it meets tide-water, is above three hundred and seventy feet.

"Since the clearing up of the forests along its banks and adjoining country the channel of the river has materially changed, and notably at the ' Ox-Bow,' at Newbury, Vt., at Old Hadley, and at Hockanum. At this last place it has within a few years eut its way directly across the neck of the bow, which shortens the distance three and one-half or four miles. At Hadley, where it takes a bend of six miles to gain only one, it has worn its way into those beautiful meadows at the ' upper side' more than its whole width, so that a well which once stood in Hadley, on the east side, is now quite a distance from the river-bank, in Hatfield, on the west side of the river !

" The canal at South Hadley Falls was made by the Hol- landers, probably as early as 1790, or thereabout, and the boats were passed up and down upon an inclined plane. The locks at this place were built by Ariel Cooley about the year 1796. This inclined plane is very much of a tradition at this time, as I can find no one living who can describe it in any- thing like detail. The opinion of the oldest men at South Hadley Falls is that a triangular box was sunk under the boat, and, as the whole was drawn forward out of the water, the boat itself would rest level on the box as it ascended. It is supposed that the power, fixed at the upper end of the plane, was a windlass with sweeps and carried around by horses, thus winding up the rope or chain. How the boat was again launched into the canal above I have not learned .*

" In the early part of the present century, and before the locks and canals at Enfield were built, the boats used for the transportation of freight were quite small. A ten-ton boat was considered a large one at that time. These boats, bound for Springfield or above, were propelled, unless the wind was favorable for sailing, by the laborious process of poling,-a process which, with other details of river navigation, will be described in another chapter. A number of men called falls- men kept themselves in readiness at the foot of the falls-that is, at Warehouse Point-to assist in 'poling over the falls' the hoats carrying six or eight tons. The article of rum con- stituted quite a large proportion of the freight in those days.

"Capt. Flower, of Feeding Hills, who was master of a vessel for many years running between Hartford and Boston, would take a miscellaneous cargo to Boston in the fall of the year, and, remaining there through the winter, would return in the spring, as soon as the river opened, with a cargo of rum and mackerel! But the rum was better than it is now. Va- rious methods were employed by the boatmen above Hartford to obtain their daily rations of rum on their trips up the river. Among others, the following was the most novel and success- ful: A common junk-bottle would be filled with water, and then its nozzle inserted in the bung-hole of a full barrel or hogshead of rum, whereupon the water, being of heavier spe- cific gravity than the rum, would descend into the barrel, and the rum would consequently be forced up into the bottle. This operation was liable to be repeated until the reduced strength of the rum rendered it not only impracticable, but undesirable. The abrasion of the skin on the front of the shoulder caused by the work of 'poling' was in many cases very severe, especially in the early part of the season, and a frequent application of rum was necessary, which operated as a toughener as well as a cure ; and it was generally supposed to be a judicious plan to take a little inwardly, to keep it from striking to the stomach.

" During these years of boating over Enfield Falls the ' John Cooley Boating Company' was formed, consisting of John Cooley, Hosea Day, Roderick Palmer, Henry Palmer, James

Brewer, and the Messrs. Dwight of Springfield. A few years after (in 1820), Edmund and Frederick Palmer and Roderick Ashley joined the company, afterward Sylvester Day and the Messrs. Stebbins.

" In 1809, Springfield bridge was carried away by a freshet. Mr. Dwight, a large owner, fearing it would go, made it fast by means of a cable to a tree ; 'but', said my informant, Mr. Adin Allen, ' I guess that didn't stop it a great while.' This was in Allen's boyhood, and, living a mile or so above the falls and seeing the bridge coming, he and his brother ventured out through the floating ice with a skiff, mounted the bridge, and busied themselves in saving the iron bolts until the roar of the falls and the screams of the people ashore admonished them that they had better be getting to land, which they did by drawing their skiff across the large pieces of floating ice just in time to escape going over the falls.

" The locks and canal at Enfield were built in 1826, and there- after the freight-boats began to increase in size, as they were not obliged to climb the falls, till at last the capacity of some of the Springfield boats reached sixty or seventy tons. But be- fore this time a trial of steamboating was made. A company was formed for the purpose of the navigation of the river above Hartford, and bore the name of 'The Connecticut River Valley Steamboat Company.' Its members chiefly resided in Hartford, although a few were scattered along the line of the river. Mr. Charles Stearns, of Springfield, was a member, I think ; also Gen. David Culver, of Lyme, N. H., who after- ward became an active partner in the boating company of ' Stockbridge, Culver & Co.,' and the inventor of a number of improvements in boating machinery. This (Connecticut River Valley Steamboat Company ) was a short-lived company, oper- ating only one season, if I am correctly informed. There is no record of its incorporation, but I learn from Col. C. H. Northam, of Hartford, that Philip Ripley, of that city, was its agent, and for one year only. They built a small-sized steam- boat, which was run up the Connecticut about the year 1829, and was afterward named the ' Barnet.' The ' Barnet,' Capt. Nutt master, made its first trip up the river as far as Barnet, Vt., after which it was named. It drew a crowd of spectators from all along the river-bank. The farmer left his team, the merchant his store, the hired man shouldered his hoe and took to his heels, and even the girls and some of the mothers left their spinning-wheels and dish-pans, and eut for the river to see the first steamboat. It was a ' side-wheeler,' high pressure, with two engines of twenty-horse power each, and could make about six miles an hour up stream. I learn also that in July, 1830, Col. Clinton, son of De Witt Clinton, ran a steam- boat up the Connecticut, and that on the 4th of July, 1832, Dr. Dean, of Bath, N. H., was drowned from on board the steamboat 'Adam Duncan ;' also that in July, 1831, the ' John Ledyard' ran up, probably to Wells River. These boats were stern-wheelers. Upon the advent of the first- named ' Barnet,' Capt. Nutt master, a rollicking poem was written by a resident of Haverkill, commeneing thus :

"This is the day that Capt. Nutt Sailed up the fair Connecticut.'

But I have not been able to find the rest of the poetry.

" This was about the time that Allen began to pilot boats over Enfield Falls, and he was employed to run the ' Barnet.' One day a boat was seen coming down the river having three sails,-main and topsails and a sail above them. Its name was not known. But it seems it was only an experiment, and probably never was tried again.

" The act incorporating the ' Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canal' (Turner's Falls) was passed in the winter of 1792. The first dam at the falls was built in 1793 by Capt. Maek, and in the course of the year following the canal was com- menced. The locks were built by my grandfather, Capt. Hophni King, of Northfield, Mass. They are of sufficient size to pass boats and boxes thirteen feet wide and sixty-eight

* See ante.

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

or seventy feet long. Capt. King was the first builder to 'lay out' the frame of a building by the ' square rule.' Mr. Timo- thy Billings, of South Deerfield, who was his apprentice, in- formed me that people came from great distances to see a building framed in that way. The manner of framing had, up to this time, been by the ' scribe rule.'

" There was in operation at this time a line of small steamers running between Springfield and Hartford, first started by James Blanchard, of this city. The first was the ' Springfield,' a side-wheel steamer ; then the 'Vermont,' a stern-wheeler, built by Blanchard ; then the ' Massachusetts,' 'Agawam,' and the 'Phoenix.' The captains of the boats were Peck, Mosely, and Hoyt. Capt. Peck was not exactly the same on all occasions,-at times pleasant, bland, and cour- teous to his passengers, then again crusty and sarcastic. Capt. Mosely was jovial, social, and gentlemanly, and the best tenor singer then in the whole valley. Capt. Hoyt was the prince of story-tellers, and always drew a crowd. Mr. Adin Allen was the pilot, and stood at his post through wind and calm, storm and shine.

" The Connecticut River has borne on its bosom so many pilgrims during the earliest settlements of this country in search of a permanent home, from Windsor, Hebron, and other towns in the State of Connecticut to the upper counties in Vermont and New Hampshire, and has become so incorpo- rated and interwoven into our history and progress, that any incident in which it bears a prominent part should not be passed over unnoticed in our historical researches. In the spirit of this sentiment, therefore, I claim for it the honor of bearing upon its waters the first steamboat ever built in America. The justice of this claim is established by the fol- lowing article, which was written by Rev. Cyrus Mann, after careful investigation of the subject, and was printed in the Boston Recorder in 1858 :

"' Who was the original inventor of the steamboat ? The credit of the original invention of the steamboat is commonly awarded to Robert Fulton ; but it is believed that it belongs primarily and chiefly to a far more obscure individual. So far as is known, the first steamboat ever seen on the waters of America was invented by Capt. Samuel Morey, of Orford, N. II. The astonishing sight of this man ascending the Con- nectieut River, between that place and Fairlee, in a little boat just large enough to contain himself and the rude machinery connected with the steam-boiler and a handful of wood for a fire, was witnessed by the writer in his boyhood and by others who yet survive. This was as early as 1793 or earlier, and before Fulton's name had been mentioned in connection with steam navigation. Morey had his mind set upon the steam- boat, and had actually brought it into operation, although in a rude and imperfect state, at that period. He had corre- sponded with Prof. Silliman, of New Haven, and been encour- nged by that distinguished patron of the arts and sciences. Many of the writings of this correspondence are still extant. Soon after a few successful trips in his boat on the river, Morey went with the model of it to New York, where he had frequent interviews with Messrs. Fulton and Livingston, to whom he exhibited and explained his invention. They ad- vised to have the engine in the side or centre of the hoat, in- stead of the bow or forepart, to which it had been assigned hy Morey. That they were highly pleased with what he had ex- hibited is manifest from the offer made of one hundred thou- sand dollars if he would return home and make the alteration suggested, so as to operate favorably. They treated him with great respect and attention. Taking a friendly leave, he re- turned to his distant residence to make the alteration.

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History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 27

Author: L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts Number of Pages: 700

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700