Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-10-12
BRATTLEBORO LOCAL.
ALONG OUR OWN CONNECTICUT.

tus
"Early Traffic on the Connecticut River u
The author of the article is Rev. Collins
g. Burnham of Chlcopee, who enters into
carefnl historical record of the early
work of navigation on the Connecticut
river, with special reference to the efforts
TO establish transportation by steamboats,
as lar north as what is now known as
Wells River. The original idea was to
Dulld canals around the falls and rapids in
the course OF the river, and in the latter
part OF the last century "canal" became
the watchword along the river uutposts.
Under the impetus of this movement ca
nails were built at South Hadley, Enfie d,
Turner's Falls and Bellows Falls. Mr..
Burnham says that "the author of a DE.
scriptive Sketch of the Present State of
Vermont (London, 1900 foresaw in the
completion Of the canal at Bellows Falls
water communication with the River
Thames-a glorious prospect for both
countries and source of commerce and
wealth 10 draw still closer between them
the ties of amity' We cannot affirm when
this canal was opened, but the glorious
prospect was vain imagining" Foreign
capital was interested in the building of
the Massachusetts canals. The dutch
houses" owned quarter of the original
proprietary rights. The Enfield canal
was not opened until November, 1929.
There was proper celebration of the
event, and the steamboat "Vermont' car
rled party of prominent men through
the canal from Hartford to Springfield and
return. The Barnet" was one of the
earliest boats on the river and she made
triumphal progress as far north as Bel
lows Falls, arriving at that place upon the
18th of December, 1925.
At that time the enthusiasts of the day
saw water transportation opened between
tide water at the mouth of the Connect
cut and Lake Memphremagog by means of
channels through the Connecticut and Pas
sumpsic rivers and canal across country.
'In August, 1929, a second attempt to
prove the river navigable by steamboats,
was made by the Vermont The towns
above Bellows Falls watched the progress of
the boat with deep interest. The Vermont
passed through the canal at Bellows Falls,
while the Barnet could not do so. In the
middle of August ii was plying between
CharlestOwn, N. H., and Bellows Falls,
while Windsor people were anxious to
know if the boat could get to them. 1t
was not till the middle of October and the
completion of improvements of the bar at
the mouth of Little Sugar river, that Wind
sor was reached and the well-remembered
form of welcome of ringing bells and fir
ing cannon and banquets was received by
Captain Blanchard. The locks of Water
Queechy were too narrow to admit the
Vermont and Windsor marks practically
the limit of the trip"
The high tide of this experimental
stage was reached in 1881 when the Con
necticut Valley Steamboat company laid
out scheme of transportation by means
of light-draft boats operated over five
reaches or level stretches on the river, and
around the rapids by canals. 1.-The first
was between Hartford and South Hadley
canal; the second ended at Turner's Falls;
Bellows Falls was the end of the third;
the fourth extended to Water Queechy,
and Wells River was the terminus OF the
last one. The company had feet of six
steamboats,. Three of these were built re-
spectively on the reach upon which each
was destined TO run. The Adam Duncan
was built at White River; the David Por-
ter at Hartland, Vt; and the William
Holmes at Bellows Falls"
This venture was not successful and evil
IDENTIFY ended in financial failure, but local
companies continued for 10 or Is years
more an effort to keep up steam naviga-
ton on the lower part of the river. The
writer of the New England Magazine
article says that on the first visit of
Charles Dickens to this country he made
the trip from Springfield to Hartford by
the steamer Massachusetts" during the
first week of February, 1912, and records
the facts in his american Notes."
Mr.. Burnham's article is illustrated with
several river views, and antique reproduce
tons. The views on the upper Connect
cut inclnde two at Bellows Falls and one
at White River Junction.
The Old Pole Boats.
There was one interesting and import
ant feature of the early traffic of the Con-
necticut river which Mr.. Burnham's arti-
Gle does not cover. This was the days of
the old pole boats. These boats were of
light draft, looking much like the canal
boats of today, but having short masts on
which sails were raised when the wind
was favorable. For a long term of years
all the heavy freights for Brattleboro from
Hartford and other Connecticut river
points we're brought here on those boats,
and the boats went to Bellows Falls and
through the canal there and up the river
to Windsor and Hartford.
1t was impossible to pole the boats up
the rapids below the present Hinsdale
bridge at BrattleborO, and capstan was
arranged at what was then the east end of
the bridge, and by means of a rope the
boats were drawn up through the rapids.
The landing was about where the electric
light station now is. The part of the
river between the mouth of the Ashue-
lot and West Chesterfield was known as
swift water, and at West Chesterfield lived
"swift. water men" who used to go back
and forth to help pole the boats over this
| section.
This pole boat traffic continued until
the railroad came to Brattleboro in 1849.
The last of the boats was left at what is
now known as Smiths or Gilson's ferry on
the Chesterfield side, and the high water
crowded it over into the bushes where it
lay and went to decay. 1t is still we'll re-
membered by older residents in that vlcin-
| ity.