Read Online The Delaware Canal by Marie Murphy Duess - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marie Murphy Duess
Ads: Link
an article printed on November 23, 1852, a sad report was published:
Morris Masten, aged about fourteen years, son of John Masten of Plumstead, was drowned in the Canal, eighteen miles above Easton, on the 28th ult [sic]. He fell off a Canal Boat unnoticed, and when discovered, he was beyond the reach of assistance in time to save his life. His remains were brought to his fatherâs residence, and thence carried to the Plumstead Mennonite burying ground and interred on the Sunday following . 38
Once the boats passed all of the locks on the canal and reached Bristol, they went through an outlet lock in the Delaware River and were towed by steam tugs to Philadelphia. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company owned three side-wheel steamboats, which towed the canalboats to Philadelphia and other tide points. They could pull twenty boats in strings of three side by side. Then they would come back to Bristol and start up the canal on their way back to Easton.
The locks are no longer in use and the lock tendersâ houses, what is left of them, are privately owned; yet some of the lock keepers left a part of themselves behind in different ways. In the Bristol Pilot , published on September 17, 1998, in an article titled âDelaware Canal Brought a Growing Business to Bristol,â Paul Ferguson of the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation is quoted as saying:
At the first lock there was Abel VanZant. He operated lock one with his wife Mary. Mary had children. Every time VanZant had children he would plant a black willow tree. Today we can see thirteen black willow trees which we presume are descended from the willows . 39
Bristol was the final stop on the boatmenâs journey before turning around to ascend the canal. The basin is located behind the children in this image. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Canal Society Collection, National Canal Museum, Easton, PA .
The locks in New Hope were the halfway point between Easton and Bristol. Courtesy of the New Hope Historical Society .
Even years after the end of the canal age, the Delaware Division Canal has taken lives. Several young children have meandered away from their backyards along the canal and slipped under its idle waters. A businessman from York, Pennsylvania, took a wrong turn in his car and drowned in the canal. In October 1983, well-known NBC television news anchor Jessica Savitch was having dinner with a close friend, Martin Fischbein, the president of the New York Post , at Chez Odetteâs in New Hopeâa historic tavern that was a popular boatmenâs stop. It was raining when they left the restaurant. Savitchâs dog, Chewy, was in the car with them when they took a wrong turn from the parking lot and drove along the towpath rather than on the road. The car veered left, went over the edge and turned upside down in the shallow water of the canal. The station wagon sank into the mud, sealing the doors shut. Savitch, Fischbein and the dog were trapped inside as water poured into the car. All three drowned.
Chapter 5
Beside the Busy Canal
The building of the Delaware Canal introduced opportunities for other businesses, and industrious Bucks Countians could make an ample living beside the waterway. Numerous businesses emerged near the canalâtaverns, hotels, stores and stables for the mules. Mule trading and stabling became lucrative businesses, as did boatyards, quarries and mills.
From Bristol to Easton, taverns at canal level provided an eveningâs respite from the boredom of the mule-drawn trip from lock to lock. Tavern fare back then was hardy, if not fancy. Meals varied according to the season, but the most commonly served were ham, bacon, beefsteak and fowl. Breads were a staple, of course, as were fruit pies and apple butter. Eggs, butter and cheese were all served, along with a varied selection of vegetables that included potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, beets, onions and cabbage. And for those places that werenât
Morris Masten, aged about fourteen years, son of John Masten of Plumstead, was drowned in the Canal, eighteen miles above Easton, on the 28th ult [sic]. He fell off a Canal Boat unnoticed, and when discovered, he was beyond the reach of assistance in time to save his life. His remains were brought to his fatherâs residence, and thence carried to the Plumstead Mennonite burying ground and interred on the Sunday following . 38
Once the boats passed all of the locks on the canal and reached Bristol, they went through an outlet lock in the Delaware River and were towed by steam tugs to Philadelphia. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company owned three side-wheel steamboats, which towed the canalboats to Philadelphia and other tide points. They could pull twenty boats in strings of three side by side. Then they would come back to Bristol and start up the canal on their way back to Easton.
The locks are no longer in use and the lock tendersâ houses, what is left of them, are privately owned; yet some of the lock keepers left a part of themselves behind in different ways. In the Bristol Pilot , published on September 17, 1998, in an article titled âDelaware Canal Brought a Growing Business to Bristol,â Paul Ferguson of the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation is quoted as saying:
At the first lock there was Abel VanZant. He operated lock one with his wife Mary. Mary had children. Every time VanZant had children he would plant a black willow tree. Today we can see thirteen black willow trees which we presume are descended from the willows . 39
Bristol was the final stop on the boatmenâs journey before turning around to ascend the canal. The basin is located behind the children in this image. Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Canal Society Collection, National Canal Museum, Easton, PA .
The locks in New Hope were the halfway point between Easton and Bristol. Courtesy of the New Hope Historical Society .
Even years after the end of the canal age, the Delaware Division Canal has taken lives. Several young children have meandered away from their backyards along the canal and slipped under its idle waters. A businessman from York, Pennsylvania, took a wrong turn in his car and drowned in the canal. In October 1983, well-known NBC television news anchor Jessica Savitch was having dinner with a close friend, Martin Fischbein, the president of the New York Post , at Chez Odetteâs in New Hopeâa historic tavern that was a popular boatmenâs stop. It was raining when they left the restaurant. Savitchâs dog, Chewy, was in the car with them when they took a wrong turn from the parking lot and drove along the towpath rather than on the road. The car veered left, went over the edge and turned upside down in the shallow water of the canal. The station wagon sank into the mud, sealing the doors shut. Savitch, Fischbein and the dog were trapped inside as water poured into the car. All three drowned.
Chapter 5
Beside the Busy Canal
The building of the Delaware Canal introduced opportunities for other businesses, and industrious Bucks Countians could make an ample living beside the waterway. Numerous businesses emerged near the canalâtaverns, hotels, stores and stables for the mules. Mule trading and stabling became lucrative businesses, as did boatyards, quarries and mills.
From Bristol to Easton, taverns at canal level provided an eveningâs respite from the boredom of the mule-drawn trip from lock to lock. Tavern fare back then was hardy, if not fancy. Meals varied according to the season, but the most commonly served were ham, bacon, beefsteak and fowl. Breads were a staple, of course, as were fruit pies and apple butter. Eggs, butter and cheese were all served, along with a varied selection of vegetables that included potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, beets, onions and cabbage. And for those places that werenât
Similar Books
