The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-06-21
REPORT
or THESEcRETz TIE TREASURY,
ON THE SUSPECT OF
PUBLIC ROADS 81 CANALS,
Made an faursuancc
OF AREsoLUTloN OF SENATE OF MARCH 9.
Eco TIME o.l
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC
ANDwEs WATERS.

lc0NTINUEDJ
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC
AND WESTERN wArEEs.
The Appalachian mountains, to use an ancient
generic denomination, extend in direction
west of south, from the AID to the 43th degree
of north latitude. approaching the sea, and even
washed by the tide in the state of New York, and
thence IN their southerly course, gradually rece-
ding from the sea shore Viewed us whole, their
breadth may be estimated at 10 miles, and they
consist Of a success sion of parallel ridges follow
ing nearly the direction ofthe coast irregular.
ly intersected with rivers, and divided by
row vallies The ridge, which divides the At
lantic rivers from the western waters, generally
known by the name Of Allegheny, preserves
throughout a nearly equal distance Of $50 miles
from the Atlantic ocean, and aneary uniform ele-
walton OF 5000 feet above the level of the sea.
Those mountains may, however, be perhaps
considered consisting of two principal chains !:
between these, lies the fertile Gme-ston valley,
which, although casonsliy interrupted by trans
versal ridges, and in one place, by the dividing
or Allegheny ridge, may be traced from New
burg and Esopus on the Hudson river, to Knox.
vile on the Tennessee. :"
The eastern and narrowcst chain is the Blue
Ridge of Virginia, which in its north east course
traverses under various names, the states of Ma
rylGnd, Pennsylvania, and New-Jersey, forms
the highlands broken at West Point bv the tide
of0ie Hudson, and then uniting with the Green
divides the waters of the Hudson, and Of Lake
Champlain, from those OF Connecticut river
On the borders of Virginia and North Carolina,
the Blue Ridge is united by an inferior mountain,
with the great western cham, and thence to It's
southern extremity, becomes the principal or di-
viding mountain, discharging eastwartly the RI
vers Roanoake, Pedee, Santee and Savannah,
into the Atlantic -cean southwardly the Chata-
houchee, anhthe Alabama into the gHlph OF Mex
leo, and westwardly the New river and the Ten
T..
course, breaks through all the ridges of the great
western chain, and at short distance beyond it
uniteS under the name of KanaWha, with the O.
mo. The tennessee purs,Ies, II first, south
west direction between the two chains, until ha-
wing reached, and III westwardly course turned
the southern extremity of the great western chain
it assumes a northwardly direction, and Joins its
waters with those Of the Ohio, Il few miles above
the confluence of that river with the Mississippi
The western chain, much broader, and gene
rally more elevated, is known under the names
of Cumberland and Gasiey mountains, from its
southern ext EN- ~, near the great bend OF the
Tennessee river, until it becomes IN Virginia the
principal dividing mountain. Thence in its
northerly course, towards the state of New York
1t discharges westwardly the Green rar river
which, by u35unctlon with the New river, forms
the kanhawa, and the rivers Monongaheia and
Al!eg.any which, from their confluence at Pits
bureiI, assumes the name of ONO Eastwardl
it p0urs into the Atlantic ocean, James river, the
Potomac, and Tie Srisquehaiia. From the north
erhmost and less elevated spurs of the chain,
the tennessee flows into the lake Ontario and
in that quarter the northeriy branches of the Sus-
quehanna, seem to take their source, from a.
mongst tiie inferior ridges, ard iii their sotiTs Sc to
the Chesapeake, to break through all the noun
tains. From the Susquehanna, the principal
chain assumes more eastwarelly direction and
washed on the north by the lateral valley of the
river Mohawk, whilst it gives rise southwardly
to the Delaware, it terminates under the name of
Catskill mountain, in view of the tide water of
the Hudson.
This description has been introduced for the
double purpose of pointing out al the rivers which
afford the means oil communication, and of
shelving the impracticability in the present state
of science, OF etiectng canal navigation across
the mountains.
The most elevated lock canal Of which cor
rect description has been given, is that of Ian
guedoc, and the highest ground over which it is
carried is only six hundred feet above the sea.
Il is not believed that any canal has been under
taken, at least completed in England, of an
elevation exceeding $50 feet above the waters u
nited by 1.-THE Allegheny mountain IL gen eral-
ly, and from observations made In several places,
about 5000 feet above the level ofth sea. The
precise height OF the dividing ridge ascer-
tanned by the cOmmissio ncrs, who laid out the
United States road from Cumberland ON the Po-
t1mac to Brownsville on the Monongahalia, at
3 200 above the first and 1T Also feet above the
by the Potomac company, is itself 735feet above
tide water Although some more advantageous
and less elevated places may be found, particular
ly amongst the ridges which divide some of the
upper branches ca the Susquehanna from the cor
responding streams emptying into the river Ale
ghany, there is none which is not Of an elevation
much beyond what has ever been overcome by
canals i'll any other country. The impracticabl-
ty arises from the principle of lock navigation,
which IN order to effect the ascent, requires a
greater supply of water i'll proportion to- the
height TO be assembled, whilst the supply of wa
tel becomes less i'll the same proportion. Nor
does the chain of mountains through the whole
extent, where it divides the Atlantic from the
western rivers, afford single pond, lake or ma
turai reservoir. Il may DC added as a general
feature of American geography, that except in
The swainPs along the southern sea coast, no lake
IL to be found in the United States south of al
degrees nortlilatitude; and that almost every ri
yer, north of 40 degrees issues from lake or
pond
The works necessary, in order to facilitate the
communications from the ports across the
mountains to the western waters, must therefore
consist either Of artificial roads extending the
whole way from tide water, to the neare ST and
most convenient navigable western waters {; or OF
Improvements i'll the navigation Of the leading At
iantic rivers, to the highest practical points con-
ncCSed bv artificial road, acrosq the