The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-27
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Transportation In Pennsylvania
Before the Railway Era
Canal Boats Were Then In Great De
nand-The Principal Artery Of
Traf1c In the Early
Tnes-

And what primitive transportation
they did have in those old days OF 80.
to be SURE Railroads there were in the
east, and had been for full 20 years,
but not here. Pittsburgh was z far
western town then, Of but $4,000 in
ha5itants. The patient, Flooding, tow
path mule was good enough for the
Pittsburgher OF 40, who peacefully and
contentedly wendell his way TO jeans
town in 80 hours and was well salts
fed if he landed In Philadelphia IN
something less than week To Us OF
the post-bellum generation this Is hard
TO realize. The canal boat and the mule
seem relics of the misty past almost ~
unreal as the Indian with his toEa-
hawk and birch canoe. And yet there
is many a hale and hearty citizen, still
in his prime, 10 whom they are vivid
and well-remembered realities.
Practically eli the commerce OF Pitts
burgh 80 years ego was carried over the
western branch Of that famous water
way called the Pennsylvania canal Its
western terminus was Pittsburgh, Its
eastern Johnstown, the route between
the two places being as follows: Cross
ing the Allegheny river by On aqueouct
at the foot of what IS now Eleventh
street, then up the west bank of the
Allegheny to Freeport, then across the
river again by an aqueduct, up the
Kishkiminetas river 10 Salisbury.
thence up the Conemaugh 70 Johns
town.
The route OF the canal in this city
can be traced, though not vestige OF
il now remains. The basin, where most
of the loading was done, was practic.
ally the end of the canal, though tun-
mel which passed under the city almost
In the line of the present Panhandle
tunnel carried the canal through TO the
Monopgahela- There were many small
canal boats, which were used 10 bring
in the products OF numerous market
gardeners whose farms were scattered
along the fertile lowlands beside the
Allegheny river. These market boats
were called "Fannies;" just why, is not
apparent. Possibly, in earlier times.
when the first of these boats came
into use, some charming. smiling Fan
ny used to sit at the tiller and guide heI
fathers load of pumpkins and Pota-
toes into the city on market day. The
'Fannies" were hauled by one horse.
But the pride of the old canal was its
packet boats. The handsome craft
would not cut much of figure beside
the Virginia of to-day. but they were
looked upon as something elegant IN
the '4Os. This was one of the two great
highways 10 the east, this canal, and a
much-traveled highway it was. too, con
sidering the scanty population west of
the mountains in those days. People
coming up the Ohio from Cincinnati OF
elsewhere usually preferred To keep the
river. and continued up the Mononga-
hela to Brownville, and there took the
famous old national pike 10 Cumber
land. Cumberland had a railroad then,
and SO the journey TO the se.lboard was
easy from that point.
But TO return to the packet boats
They were 20 TO 50 feet long and were
drawn by four horses. They were not
much unlike the canal boats we see to-
day,when We see them at all, but heater
and more pretentious. as was fitting
for the fTst-class patronage they en-.
joyed. Many blushing bride and
groom there was that took that jour.
ney 10 the east.
and what a Journey it wasi On, Up
through the hills, by and over many
stream, TO the foot Of the Allegheny
mountains; then across that formi.
dable barrier, down into pleasant east
ern valleys, and again by the pictur
csque canal on TO the brim of the
mighty Susquehanna- Here one
seemed 10 be getting into some sort Of !
permanent civilization; FROM here III.
iron horse made the rest of the route I
easy, and ut last one was actually 1
landed at the famous city OF brOtheriy I
love, far away at the other end of the I
state. a 4OO-mile journey Journey /
like matrimony. not 20 be entered int /
lightly or unadvise,ily, but after mo /
ture consideration. II was truly grcai 4
event, that voyage TO the east.-Pitts I
burgh Dispatch.