The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-05-03

in length, with a beam of some ten
feet, and would carry from fifteen to
twenty tons burden They were pro-
PEELED by long setting poles. with
iron sockets at the ends, three men
stern. Ten or twelve miles up the
stream was considered a fair days
work.
These boats were the only means
of transportation of merchandise I'M
til the making of the Easton and
Wilkesbarre turnpike. This through
fare was completed about the year
1907 Thence, down to the time of
the canal navigation, in 1880, the
merchants of the entire valley re-
ceived all their goods, either by Dur
ham boats on the river or by wagons
on the turnpike"
It will be observed that the dimen-
sions and the mode of operation here
described differ somewhat from the
usage on the Delaware.
After an interesting passage on the
old "Conestoga' wagon, Mr.. Wright
goes on to say But in the days of
the first merchant of Plymouth, the
'COnestoga wagon was not known.
His transport was the Durham boat.
1t will be remembered that Benjamin
Harvey, that same first merchant, was
at Fort Augusta, near Sunbury, with
his boat, in December. II15. when
Col. Plunkett impressed him and his
vessel into the Proprietary service,
Immediately preceding the battle of
Nanticoke,"
1t would seem that the Susquehan-
ma was well supplied with Durham
boats at this time, but the writer has
not been able to obtain information as
to their number and origin on that
river. 1t is not at all improbable
that they were introduced from the
Delaware, during the quarter century
or more which elapsed between the
boat building of Robert Durham and
the date referred to by Wright. Where
the same style of boat came into use
on other rivers the name of course
went with it, The name may also have
been applied to other boats by reason
of general similarity and mode of
operation.
Boats of different localities will
naturally possess similar character
istics where similar conditions exist.
Thus, on a narrow water way, where
it is desirable to move in either di-
rection without turning. the boat
would naturally be made with both
ends pointed. A long steering oar
would be found desirable where wide
| movement was necessary, in descend
ing rapid streams. Oars to aid in the
downward passage and sail for up
| stream would also be likely to come
! naturally into use, and the setting
pole" would be universal for rapid
stream of suitable depth.
For any of these features it would
be difficult to assign the priority to
| any person or place, but their COM
| bination with a model SO completely
| adapted to the requirements of the
| Delaware river service, and which, as
| is asserted, could not be improved
warrants the claim of originality for
! the man who built the first Durham
boat on the banks of the river, near
] Durham furnace, in Bucks county,
| Pennsylvania.
The total disappearance of the Dur
| ham boat, on the Delaware, is readily
accounted for. 1t was not we'll
| adapted for use on the canals, which
came into use along the Delaware
about 1880. and gradually displaced
river carriage. Thus these boats
naturally fell into disuse or were, for
time. used for casual purposes to
which they could be applied. The
freshet of 1871, the highest known
prior to that of October 10th, 1903,
carried away an immense amount of
property, including many of the