The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-11-25
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin

is SIlll On Tie nOIIli Ddilho VI tiiS
Potomac, just about like we left 1T
last week. 1t is doubtful whether
many people of our County, all of
whom are familiar with the ditch
of the canal, the locks and aque-
ducts, and the wonderfully we'll
built dams, know about the earlier
system of water transportation, as
planned and developed by George
Washington, that is, the Potomac
Company. This company, which
existed for only little over 40 years,
cleared the River channel, marked
the channel, and built five canals
around the worst of the obstruc-
tons.
Although the work of the Potom-
&C Company is almost unknown to-
day, an intensive research on the
Canal by R. Samuel Dillon, Jr., re-
veals that 1.-THE Potomac Company
accomplished more than has been
generally supposed toward opening
a passable river navigation" Some
of their work was of rather out
standing nature In connection with
the canal through the deep cut on
the Virginia side of the River at
the Great Falls, there were two
locks "chambered out of solid rock"
These locks afforded lift of eigh-
teen feet each. This was exception
ally high, remembering that the
locks we know lifted the boats only
six feet.
Boats were able to make the en-
tire trip from Cumberland and the
coal fields The work of the Potom-
&C Company was considered "Won-
derful engineering triumph" for that
age.
This early work was accompanied
by troubles, many of them similar
to the troubles that beset the build
ers of the later canal One of the
first was getting and keeping enough
laborers, as there was tremendous
amount of labor, both unskilled, and
skilled, especially stone masons.
There were three types of workers:
hired white men; indentured white
men, whose status was practically
that of a slave; and negro slaves.
In some cases the mere fact that
these negro slaves were paid wage
comparable to that received by the
whites, caused trouble. Here is a
little note that appeared in the Alex
andria Gazette and in the Maryland
Chronicle of Feb. %, 1876:
1--WE hear that several servants
who had been purchased to work
on the Patowmac Navigation, lately
ran away, but being soon after APP
pretended, were sentenced to have
their heads and eyebrows shaved
which operation was Immediately
executed, and is to be continued
every week during the time of their
servitude, or until their behavior
evidences that they are brought tC
a sense of their duty. This notice
it is expected, will sufficiently APP
prize the country should they again
make a similar attempt"
Another source of difficulties was
the furnishing of the workers with
whiskey. And there were specia.
jobs that required skill and care
for which it was hard to find quail
fed men. One of these was the
powder blower" There was nC
dynamite, or any of the other mod
ern means of blasting, and the quail
ity of the available powder wa:
often poor, adding to the difficultie:
of using it, as we'll as making i
more dangerous. At one time MIR
Rumsey, of steamboat fame, de
scribed before in this column, WhC
had been named chief engineer O.
the Potomac Company, wrote thu
following note:
Sir: We have been much imposed
upon in the last Two weeks in The
powder way Eve had our Blowers
One Run off the other Blown up
we therefore was Obliged to hav'
two new hands put to Blowing anC
there was much attention gave t.
them least Accidents should happen
yet they used the powder Rathe
Too Extravagant, But that was no
all, they have certainly stolen
Considerable Quantity as we hav
not more by us than will last until
tomorrow noon. Our hole troop l
such Williams that we must for tn
future give the powder into Charg
of person appointed for that pur
pose to measure it to them on tn
ground by Charger. -
Throughout the years of the worl
on both the Potomac Company
waterway and the Canal, there wer
great losses of life because of di
seases, and at the times of the riot:
which will be told in later column!
quite few lives were lost throug