The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-08

When next you pass through Harris
burg on one of the Pennsylvania's ex-
press trains, take brief retrospect over
the past one hundred years. At the be-
ginning OF the century the ferry was
crowded by carriers with their pack
horses. going westward laden with salt.
iron and merchandise. These pack
horses travelled in divisions OF twelve
or fifteen. going single file. each horse
carrying about two hundred weight
one man proceeded and one brought up
the rear of the file. Later on the car
riers in their bitter indignation, were
supplanted by the Conestoga wagons,
with their proud six horse teams, with
huge belled collars. the wagon stored
with groceries, linens. calico, rum, mo-
lasses. and hams, four or five tons Of
load; by law none Of these wagons had
less than four-inch tires on their wheels.
In those early days" says Dr. Egle.
In his History Of Dauphin county,
'turnpikes were not he miserable apol-
ogies for which grand jury after grand
jury report as nuisances, and all in
vain. but there were we'll graded,
rounded from the centre to cutters on
each side, with all the necessary eros
sings for water and most thoroughly
macadamized. All along the great
highways at distances of ten and twelve
miles from public houses-large two
story frame buildings and here the
teamsters would stop to feed and water
their horses. They, carried a long feed
box with them. This was placed length
wise OF the tongue, and the horses
placed on either side. Later still came
tne fennsylvan!a canal; and in 1856 the
Harrisburg and Lancaster railroad was
completed as far as Middletown. A
small open four-wheeled car was built
and in September of that year a locomo-
tive was brought from the state road
through the canal to Middletown, and
thereafter the good folk of Harrisburg
went on excursions every Sunday in
that one small ocen car drawn by the
small black English locomotive, called
the John Bull. though not the original
John Bull locomotive which went into
use In New Jersey In 1881 and was ex-
h1blted In Chicago in 1898. The trip to
Middletown occupied about two hours
Nowadays the shortest schedule time is
ID minutes; the longest about go"
The first stage in the Alleghenies dat
ed from 1908. The stage "Experiment"
began running to Alexandria that year,
the route being afterward extended to
III
burg with the stage from Philadelphia.
The rare was six cents mile, and pas
sengers were allowed fourteen pounds
OF baggage: the mails We're carried
three times week. In 1882 the stages
were running faster than the railroads
and canals did later on, for the mail
reached Pittsburg on the evening OF the
third day from Philadelphia.
ANOTHER RETROSpECT
The traveller may well look back, too,
to the record of travel on the Susque-
hanna, beginning with the primitive
dugouts OF colonial days. and ascend
ing through the tlatboats to the keel
boats. which ran down the river to
Mlddletown carrying produce. and were
laboriously poled UP the stream again
Mt the rate of q mile or two an hour,
lightly laden with groceries. A sup
posed Improvement on these was q boat
whose poles were put in motion by
horsepower. but these were aband-
oned after being given a trial.
Very unfortunate was the history of
the steamboat traffic on the SUsQuehan-
na., however. Three steamboats, had
been built in 1925. The Codorous, the first
to navigate the river, was laid aside on
the report OF her commander that navi-
cation Of the Susquehanna by steam
was impracticable: the second. the Sus-
quehanna. burst her boiler in 1925, kill
Ing and wounding several persons, and
the Pioneer" the third boat, was also
abandoned after an adverse report from
her officers. Another "Susquehanna"
was abandoned In 1885. after breaking
her shaft. the wyoming" in 1851 and
the Enterprise" in the same year. In
this connection may be noted the at
tempt to establish a shipyard at
Wilkes-Barre. which ended in disaster
with the wrecking of the "Luzerne" on
her way to tide-water in 1912.
Great were the rejoicings over the
early canals along the Susquehanna;
there were laying of corner stones,
breaking Of ground by gaiiy decorated
plows, beer and cider drinking and fsti-
cuffs.
When the canal system was complete
trade sprung up at once and the wagon
ers began to sing:
May the devil catch the fellow who first
invented the plan
To make a railroad or canal,
For they ruin our plantation wherever
they do cross,
And they spoil our markets that we can't
sell hoss.
Chorus-Cant sell hoss.
Where now were their majestic
wagons. with the red wheels and the
ing bells? The march of time was hur-
rying on and the hand of fate was upon
them. But they live in memory.