Part 15 (1/2)

A manufactory of this hydraulic cement or water-lime is now established on the bank of the canal, on a scale capable of supplying the United States with this much-valued material for all works in contact ater or exposed toto harden in the water; the grout used on the locks of the canal is already _harder_ than the _stone_ used in their construction

After passing through the stratum which was commonly called the water-lime, about ten feet in thickness, the workray lireat depth In many parts of the excavation masses of a bluish white flint and hornstone were found enclosed in or incrusting the fetid lie quantities of arrow-heads and other rude formations of this flint stone, it is evident that it wastheir weapons for war and hunting; in one place aether and buried below the surface of the ground

The existence of iron ore in considerable quantities was exhibited in the progress of the excavation of the canal, by nuushed out, and continued to flow during the time that the rock was exposed, chiefly in the upper strata of limestone--_Louisville Directory for 1835_--FLAGG

[7] A circumstance, too, which adds not a little of interest to the spot, is the old Indian tradition that here was fought the last battle between their race and the former dwellers in Kentucky--the _white mound-builders_--in which the latter were exterminated to a man True or false, vast quantities of hues of the Ohio, been found upon the shores of Sandy Island, one raveyard once existed in the vicinity of shi+pping-port--FLAGG

[8] _Kentucke_ is said to have a siht by soists to be a corruption of the Iroquois word, ”Ohionhiio,””beautiful river,” which the French rendered as La Belle Riviere; see also cu's _Tour_, in our volue of twenty-five, Henry M Shreve (1785-1854) was captain of a freight boat operating on the Ohio In 1814 he ran the gauntlet of the British batteries at New Orleans, and carried supplies to Fort St Phillip The following year, in charge of the ”Enterprise”

he made the first successful steamboat trip from New Orleans to Louisville Later he constructed the ”Washi+ngton,”stone brought suit against hiation of J C Calhoun, then secretary of war, Congress appropriated seventy-five thousand dollars (not 105,000, as Flagg says) for the purpose of re obstructions from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers

As early as 1821, Shreve had invented a device for res and sawyers from river beds But it was not until after two years'

fruitless trials with a scheme devised by John Bruce of Kentucky, that Barbour, at Calhoun's suggestion, appointed Shreve superintendent of improvements on Western rivers (December 10, 1826) This position he held until September 11, 1841, when he was dis opposition Shreve constructed (1829) with governht a ation on the Ohio and Mississippi Fro the Red River ”raft” for a distance of a hundred and sixty ation For a good biography of Shreve, see the _Democratic Review_, xxii (New York, 1848), pp 159-171, 241-251 A fair estiained fros alone, of property on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, including steaoes, amounted to 1,362,500; the like loss froh the volureatly increased--ED

[11] The ”Balti in 1828; the ”Roanoke” (100 tons), at Wheeling in 1835 It is reported that from 1831 to 1833, of the sixty-six steaed, fifteen burned, and five destroyed by collision with other boats See James Hall, _Notes on the Western States_ (Philadelphia, 1838), p 239--ED

[12] The keel-boat Hindoo, with merchandise to the amount of 50,000, is a late instance--FLAGG

[13] Brown's Island, two reatest width, is located six or seventhe course of the river--ED

[14] The keel-boat was usually frohteen broad at bea from bow to stern, and had a draft of twenty to thirty inches When descending the stream, the force of the current, with occasional aid fro the stream, however, sails, poles, and almost every known device were used; not infrequently the vessel was towed by from twenty to forty th attached to theat a cost of two to three thousand dollars each

The barge was constructed for narrow, shalloater As a rule it was larger than the keel-boat; but of less draft, and afforded greater accoenerally applied to the Mississippi and Ohio flat-boat, which e or the keel-boat It was a large, unwieldy structure, with a perfectly flat bottoth It was used only for descending the stream

”The earliest iue, an invention of the whites Like the canoe, this is hewed out of the solid log; the difference is, that the pirogue has greater width and capacity, and is composed of several pieces of tithwise into two equal sections, and a broad flat piece of tireater breadth of beam to the vessel” Hall, _Notes on the Western States_, p 218--ED

[15] Flint--FLAGG

[16] For an account of the first steamboat on the Ohio, see Flint's _Letters_, in our volume ix, p 154, note 76--ED

[17] Latrobe--FLAGG

_Comment by Ed_ Charles J Latrobe (1801-75) visited the United States in 1832-33 His _Rambles in North America in 1832-3_ (New York, 1835) and _Rambles in Mexico_ (New York and London, 1836) have much value in the history of Western travel

[18] The first steamer upon the waters of the Red River was of a peculiar construction: her stea perpendicularly from the hurricane deck, projected from the bow, and terminated in the form of a serpent's head As this monster ascended the wilds of the strea forth steaave her the poetic and appropriate name of _Pinelore_, ”the Fire-Canoe”--FLAGG

[19] This quotation is from _Botanic Gardens_, book i, chapter i, by Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802)--ED

[20] For Rome, see Maximilian's _Travels_, in our volu in central Kentucky, floest through the coal fields to its junction with the Big Barren; thence it turns north, and empties into the Ohio ninewith 1808 the state legislature expended large suation on Green River As a consequence small steamboats may ascend it to a distance of th of the stream is estimated at three hundred and fifty miles--ED

[22] Diamond Island, densely wooded, is located thirty-six miles below the mouth of Green River, and seven miles above Mount Vernon Its na and one and a half wide--ED

[23] For note on Hendersonville, see cu's _Tour_, in our volume iv, p 267, note 175--ED

[24] John J Audubon, born in Louisiana (1780), was a son of a wealthy French naval officer; his mother was a Spanish Creole Educated in France, he returned to A his time to the study of birds In 1808 he est and until 1824 made fruitless attempts to establish himself in business in Kentucky and Louisiana He issued in London (1827-38) his noted publication on the _Birds of A 1832-39 he published five voluraphies_ Audubon died in 1851 See M R Audubon, _Audubon and his Journals_ (New York, 1897)--ED