Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-11-17
SELECTIONS.
Instrasl Improvement increased facilities Of
intercourse and frarciling IN the 1. States.
rsoa the pALTiMoRE AMERICAN.


from the American Almanac for 1887. than which
we know of no work more admirable In ITS way.
Had any Of u, been told, forty year, since, that
the results huIe given could have come within the
compass of possibility, in 80 short space OF time,
we should have regarded the statement as an Ut
tempt to play upon our efedulit, -
The great AMI rapid improvement which ha'
taken place m the condition and circumstances ol
the People of the United States slnco the Amori-
Nan Revolution is SIriklngy illustrated by the IA
creased facilities Of travelling and intercourse be
tween the different parts ol tho country, bN
means Of turnpike roads, canals, railroad carr, all
Of which were, Al tina, time, wholly unknown brre
with tho exception of stage COACHES, which hid
boon established o. two 81 three >hort Routes. But
il is since the close OF lie At with Grcat Br-
tan that tho spit OF enterprise with respect 10 IN
terna improvement, has been chiefly manlicstcd
IL Is at the present tine especially active, and
promises, should nothing happen ~ check II, plo
rreS. 10 accom- lsb much more Ia the leu succeed
ing years tan .,.s oern effected IN twlee the NUM-
her of any years thnt are plst.
Tho present ilciitie. OF intercourse are alio-
yether beyond what not onle the first settlers Of
the country. but also inhabitants no more than
Hftv ycnts 400. could have conceived 10 be posi-
Die. The following >a'emeut of Gov. Eve
retI, ~ ~" lat. centennial celebration of the set
tlen,rnt az Springfield Massachusetts, IS scarce
" an esagg'r ration " Such was the din
Guilty Of crossing the pahess wilderness which
las between them the first settlers of Mas
saehuseus ard the coast, that man may
now 20 from Boston To New Orleans, by way
of Pittsburg, distance Of moro than 500 miles,
in about us many DAYS II look tho first settlers
10 reach the banks of Connecticut river
IL the year 1854, a convention of delegate. from
the English American colonies met n Albany tor
the purpose OF forming plan Of UNION and II
WITS proposed that, ii the plan we're carried into
effect, Phladcp Aa should be the place VI meet
M. The reasons IN favor OF the city were stated
BY DR.. Franklin, IA member OF the convention, who
was evidently disposed 10 give III. most favorable
representation ofIho facilities al intercourse which
the case admitted, as follows,
" philadelphia was named, ms being near the CEN
tire ofthe colonies, where the commissioner, would
be well and cheaply accommodated. The high
roads through the whole extent are, for the most
part, very good, IN which forty fifty miles day
niay yer. well be, aud frequently are, travelled.
Great part of the way may likewise be gone by
water. In summer time, tho passages are fire.
qaentlv performed in II week from Charleston TO
Philadelphia and New York. and from Rhode Is
land to New York. through the Sound, in two or
1hroe DAYS, and from New York 10 phii,dc-
phla, by water and land, in two DAYS, by stage
boats, and wheel carriages that set out every other
daN- he lVuHcY lrDm Charleston 10 Pmladcl-
phia niny likewise be facilitated by boats Running
up Chesapeake Bay, three hundred miles But il
the whole Journey be performed on horseback
the most distant members. VIZ the two from
New Hampshire aud South Carollna, may pro-
badly render themselves AT Philadelphia in IS OF
~ DAYS; the majority may be there in much less
time"
Dnt sucha change has taken place, that one
may travel with ease from Concord, the capital OF
New Hampshire, to phiiadel phia, or II ON Boston
to the eiy Of Washington, all the way ia railroad
cars aud steamboats,, distance OF abont $50 miles,
IN less than is hours and the passage between
New York and Philadelphia is performed in from,
to hours,
Stage were very liulu known in this
country ,lIa period subsequent to the close OF the
revolutionary war, and Tor some time after they
wero introduced, they did not often 20 more than
about 40 miles In day. Ia England, in l7O6
the Stage cosch was -four days in going from Lon
don To York. a distance Of about 200 miles whicl
has, for some years past, been travelled in ahon
~ hours. The first stage coach drawn BY iuu
horses IN Massachusetts,, of which we have an,
knowledge, was established IN IVA, running be-
tween Boston, Salem and Newburyporr. An intel
ligent gentleman who travelled in the first STAGE
coach from Boston to Wosccster. makes the follow
Ing statement: Lrmuel PeaSc, Of Shrewsbury
established the first line ui stages between Boston
and Worcester, IN 1872 afterwards extended to
Hartford, and subsequently, to New York. Before
that time, the public mail carried on
horseback by Messrs. Hyde and Adams, alternate
", every thing being conveyed in pair Of saddle
bags, and one mail a werk only coming from the
South. After New York was evacuated by the
English, in 1888. the mail extended 10 iha
cary; but the principal Intercourse from the Nortl
was by water. In 1856. Mr.. Ballard set up til,
hrst hack in Boston. Ii was a chase, and was
stationed by the old e-house. A coach wa,
soon after added
The first Turnpike Corporation in Massachu-
setts was granted in 1895; the Oldest canals in the
United States Of any considerable magnitude are
tile Saniee canal and the Middlcsrx canal, tho for
mer Of wiich was completed in 1902, and the lat
Ter III 1903. The oldest canal viii h has been
much USED fur conveying passengers, is the Erie
canal, winch was completed in 1925. The oldest
rallroad IN the United States, the Quincy railroad
IN Massachusetts, only three miles in length, was
finished IN 1927. The railroad which was FIRST
used ~ the United States for conveying passen-
gers is the Baltimore and ONO railroad, (not yet
hoisl'ed,) Which was opened for passengers from
Baltimore to Ellicou's Mills, l3 miles, in 1880.
Tie first steamboat that used in any part Of
the world, for conveying passengers, was one
which commenced sailing on the Hudson, between
New York and Albany, in 1907.
I he first post Office in America wa, established
at New York in l7l0. IN 1890 the number OF
post Sihces an the Cnilcd States WAS only IS, and