Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-03-15
PETITION TO
LEGISLATURE

a petition from Danville to the
State legislature forwarded over one
/ hundred years ago and containing
among the signatures many we'll
known names has just come to light in
"A very curious way III the great New
: berry Library, of Chicago, building
famous as the repository of more old
and valuable records than are to be
found in any institution of its kind in
the country
The petition bears the date of 1902
and is Of interest as revealing how in
adequate the facilities were for trans
! portatiOn at that early day. 1t was be
| fore the days of the canal or railroad,
when the country was undcyeloped,
and there was 10 other way of getting
! the products Of the prosperous settle
ment here into the market than by
shipping by arc down the Susquehanna
or by hauling long distances over prim-
! itiye roads. which meant mountain
! climbing and the fording of streams.
As will be seen by the petition the
river even presented obstacles to trans
portation and the citizens of Danville
We're content to pray for improvements
many miles down the stream satisfied
with the advantage that would in
| directly accrue to them if this great
| common highway We're made navigable
at all seasons.
| The petition was discovered among
other old records by Mr. Philip H.
I Miller, of Chicago, who was looking
over a lot of old papers for altogether
another purpose. Now it happens that
Mr.. Miller was a native of Danville
he was at once attracted by the old
| petition and he saw of what interest it
would be to the present residents of
our town. He at once made a trans
cript of the petition which he sent TO
Il relative, Mrs W. II. Andy, this city,
together with full explanation Of all
covery. The petition is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the State of Pennsylvania
in General Assembly met.
The petition of the subscribers here
by sheweth:
That at "A time when the happy re
turn of peace has by its immediate OPP
Grafton greatly diminished the neat
value of our produce we believe it Will
well become "A wise and virtuous leg
islature to turn its attention 10 the
improvement of the roads and rivers
so that transportation may he facilitat-
ed: which the late liberal prices by
prompting industry to more eXten-
sive cultivation of new lands in the
interior of the country has very much
discovered the necessity of ;all of which
leads your petitioners TO beg leave TO
recall your attention TO the reports OF
the commissioners-Reading Howell,
William Dean aud Frederick AnteS in
the year 1890 and that of Timothy
Matlack, Samuel M'Clay and John
Album of the same year, $780, partic
ularly as they repsect that part of the
Susquehanna river at and near Me.
KEGS Falls and that part of northeast
branch of said river designated as
Crooks rifles and rifles near Ten
Mile run not because these are the
only places worth notice, but because
we are assured from full expert ence
that if those places were improved
there will scarcely be a time through
the whole summer but boat can car
ry half load from Mahoning or Dan
vile to Columbia and so great is the
quantity III produce, in wheat and flour
exported from DanviIle that all the
boats on that part of the river were
employed last season from the opening
of the winter till harvest and We're in
sufficient to transport it and by hav-
ing these places improved we presume
considerable quantity Of produce
might be transported through the
whole season. We, therefore, pray
your honors will be pleased to approp-
riate9the sums mentioned i'll the above
reports to these particular objects, not
doubling but as soon as the Governor
can command the money persons will
be found who will undertake and eX-
ecute the above Improvements much to
the advantage of the public as well rs
to your petitioners. And as duty bound
! they will ever pray.
(Signed)
William Montgomery, john Gray
William Whitaker, Henry Best, John
Montgomery, Benjamin Houck, James
| Giles, Robert Gehr, John Donaldson,
James Low, James Casterline. Samuel
| NJ Farren, Thomas Woodside, Robert
Fairman, J. Brady, John Russell, viii
liam Cott. William Sheriff, Alex Cott
| James A. Larson, John Huntingdon,
Daniel Montgomery, William Mont
| gomery, George Mccall, John Boyd,
William Cornelison, w. p. Maclay and
Daniel Montgomery, of Northumber-
| land
The above communication, the rec
ords show, was read III the Assembly
January 26, 1902, and was laid over Tor
further consideration