The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-04-19

The history of civilization is large
" found in the story of the streams.
There are few great centres of popu-
lation which are not in the vicinity
of considerable streams or other
bodies of water.
Along the water courses industrial
expansion finds its way. In war and
in the peaceful arts they have always
been powerful factors.
AS n barrier to progress or as
means of easy transit, each has its
tale of adventure and of growth.
The Delaware is no exception to
this. Although, in extent of flow, 1t is
not classed with the great rivers OF
the earth, it has made it's mark in the
history of our land.
by means of this river Penn and
his predecessors found access to the
new homes sought, for the founders of
a State, and the stream became the
boundary between two prosperous
commonwealths.
Washington with his little army
followed across the Jerseys by pow
erful foe, found security only when
he had placed between him and his
pursuers the river which, in a short
time, afforded the means of approach
in his successful attack upon the same
enemys forces at Trenton.
The early navigators, entering the
Delaware, found broad bay, into
which flowed the water from a
thousand distant hills, forming a
noble stream with a tidal flow easily
navigable for more than hundred
miles, to the rocky rapids now known
as Trenton Falls from their prox-
unity to the Capital City of New Jer-
sey.
A pamphlet published in London in
164S refers to these rapids as "the
Falls of Charles River, as the Della
ware was then called in honor OF
King Charles" and describes them as
being near two hundred miles from
the ocean"
With the change of name OF the
river these rapids became known as
THE Falls of the Delaware name
nav superseded by the present desig-
nation. With their rocky channel and
fall of ten feet feet in a distance of
thirty-aye hundred. they are a for
midable impeachment to navigation
and constitute the natural division be-
tween the tidal river and the Upper
Delaware"
Above Trenton Falls is found, along
the river, a succession of rapids, of
which perhaps the most formidable
is Wells Falls. sixteen miles farther
up. where, in a distance of nearly five
thousand feet. there is a descent of
twelve feet, the most of the descent
being in the upper part, through a
tangle of rocky masses, which have
hYAnuht 81 - thngn al
the passage,
These Fails" get their name from
John Wells, who, at an early day,
held the ferry right, half a mile above,
on the Pennsylvania shore, where the
Borough of New Hope is now situated,
With the riffs and rapids, of more
or less difficult character, and inter
Voneing stretches of more quiet water,
there is a descent of one hundred and
sixty feet in the forty-nine miles be-
tween Trenton and the Forks of the
Delaware by which title the early
Corners designated the point where the
Lehigh enters. at Easton, Pa,
Above Easton there are also num-
her of places where navigation is at
tended with much risk, OF these, per-
haps the most noted Is Foul Rift"
ahbul VII tt iilltn uNiON I1tlNiutlt,
~ j.
Various have been the means of
transport on this stream Mention
is found of the Indian canoe and of
other small boats used by the early
white settlers here, but. for long
period, we hear of no navigation
worthy of the name. The current
rolled by unused until necessity led
to methods of transfer of commodi-
ties between the different localities on
the river, and, especially. to and from
the principal market. the City of
Philadelphia.
The chief means of such transfer
was found in the raft, the coal ark
and the Durham boat, of which only
the last could be used for returning
to the starting point, with goods eX-
changed for the cargoes carried down
the stream.
Demands on the lower river, for the
lumber of the forests at Head
Waters" brought naturally into use.
as on other streams, the easy trans
port by the raft,
In his History of Bucks County,"
Gen. w. W. II. Davis records that the
first raft to navigate the Delaware
started from Cochecton, some forty
or more miles above Port Jervis. in
1916 under the management of one
Skinner, aided by man named Parks.
The hazardous run of nearly two hun
dred miles brought the adventurers
to Philadelphia. Here, we are told,
that such was the importance attached
to the event. the two men were given
'the freedom of the City" of which
they doubtless made good use, and
that skinner was created (by what
authority 1t Is not stately Lord High
Admiral OF the Delaware" title
which he is said to have horne until
his death, in 1918.
Davis further states that this raft
consisted of six pine trees, or logs,
seventy feet in length, to be used as
masts of ships then building at Phila-
delphia. Holes were made through
the ends of the logs and all were
strung together ON poles, called
spindles, with pin at each end to
keep the logs from spreading apart.
This proved to be the beginning of
an enormous business. to supply an
ever increasing demand
The woodman, with his axe. invaded
the forests of the upper streams
When the winter cutting was over
and the RATS We're prepared for the
voyage. the lumberman floated away
with them on the rising waters,
swelled by the melting SHOWS.
For weeks together, during the raft
ing season, there was seldom a day
in which, at almost any time and
place, number of RATS might not
be seen floating lazily by. with, now
and then, gentle touch of the long
oars, swung on pins in front and rear,
TO keep the RATS in the proper chan
mel, or with alert and vigorous work
on nearing points where projecting
or hidden rocks threatened disaster
IL was the business of those who
were engaged in running the river"
to be familiar with all the difficulties
to be encountered, and to many of
the rocks the watermen caves names,
which were usually derived from
some relation to the current or other
features of the navigation.
At Easton, in boating times. the
Forty Barrel" rock and the sixty
Barrel" rock each indicated, when
covered with water, the number of
barrels Of whiskaV that a Durham