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being all gravelly Shoals may be improved and made passible in any time
of the year at a small expence and trouble, by adopting the plan by which
severall rivers to the northward have been improved Viz. appointing over-
seers on the Shoals in the same manner as on public Roads, and allotting
to theta the Taxables contiguous and convenient to their respective Shoals
to clear and make channels through them. The greater Stones being re-
moved, the River wood in these places soon naturally wash itself into Such
channells as wood thereafter require little or no assistance; This plan
being followed and Fish and other Dams removed and every thing pre-
vented for the future, that wood any ways hinder or prejudice the passage
of Vessells up and down the River, which Dams and obstructions, our
neighbouring Colony 14 has wisely prohibited, will render it in a very short
time readily passable att all times be the river high or low. As a farther
Explanation and Proof to Show the great utility and advantage of this
improvement, it may not be improper to annex a just State and cost of the
difference of expence as it now is, of land and water carriage on a Ton
of Iron from Keep Triste Furnace to Navigation; There being so great a
difference from that place as the river now is unimproved, How much
greater must it be to persons inhabiting higher up the country, in propor-
tion to their greater distance and which wou'd be still greater if the above
obstructions were removed that Vessells might pass from one end of the
River to the other, without hindrance or Stoppage, a great part of the
e-rpences that now arises consisting in the frequent Stoppages. Portages,
and different handling of the commodities of which very few will admitt.
Was the above improvements made, any commodity whatever might be
transported with Safety and ease at a small and reasonable Expence, from
the highest landing to the lowest without shifting untill they were put
ashore at the lowest landing intended.
Thus at the expence of f,~ooo the best channell is opened for inland
trade that can be possibly had in British America. The land carriage
between the bay of Chesapeak and the mouth of the Mississippi, The Illi-
nois, three hundred miles up the Missouri and to the different lakes, by
very small Portages is reduced to Seventy miles and in time may be
reduced to a much Shorter distance, an acquisition by Oeconomy such as
is in the power of few States to attain which we do not doubt will engage
every Gentleman of public Spirit and Generous Sentiments, to foreward
an 'Undertaking so generally and extensively usefull.
The Expence of transporting a Ton of Iron by land car- Pensn. Curry
riage From Keep Triste Furnace to Navigation is f3. 15. o
The Expence of transporting a Ton of Iron down the
River Potomack as it is now unimproved, to the little
Falls is Viz
Portage from Keep triste furnace to Payne's landing, five
miles. Half a dacs Journey of a Waggon at 12/6d. pr
day the half is to. 6. 3
From Paynes landing to 11Ir Ballendines Darn at Senecca
14 See Laws of hfarylnnd, ,76S, eh. 5. " An Act to prevent any obstruction
of the Navigation in the river Potownraclc". This reference, the references
in
Johnson's letter of June r8, 1770, and the mention of the clearance of
House's
Falls " this sunnner " seem to place the date of these observations as
either summer
or fall of 1769.
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