Cobb, David (1748-1830) [Journal entry on the survey for a canal]

[draft]
D. Cobb; Journal on the survey for a Canal
On the 16.th of July 1792, I arrived at Worcester, where Capt. Hills, who is the surveyor was waiting for me, he having arrived the week before. - As our object was to connect this Canal with the upper part of Connecticut River, & as the survey at present was to begin at Worcester, but eventually to be connected [struck: with] [inserted: by] the best communication with that River, it was necessary that this communication should be thorily explor'd previous to commencing the survey from Worcester; - accordingly Capt Hills & myself took Horses at Worcester & proceeded to Maj.r Beeman's in Boylston, who lives on the Western [inserted: branch] of the Nashua River; where we gain'd such information as to induce [inserted: us] to proceed up that branch. - We pass'd thro' Princetown & lodged at Westminster, in this Town is a good pond of water, which by enquiry we found emptied into the Northern branch of the Nashua, & that none of the waters of that Town pass'd to the Westward or Northward, but that they, with the waters of Princetown pond, all pass'd into the Northern or western branches of the Nashua, and that the last mentioned branch had its source in the Western parts of the Country, - likewise, that the Northern branch proceeded [2] proceeded from Asburnham [sic], and that the Millers River, which passes into the Connecticut had its source somewhere in that neighborhood. - The next morning on this information, we proceeded to Ashburnham, (a very ruff Country) - M.r Cushing the Priest who had signified his wish to assist us, was absent; - Upon inquiry we found this Town to contain a number of ponds, that the Northern branch of the Nashua came [inserted: out] of one, & that the Millers River had its source [struck: from] [inserted: in] another of those ponds. - On veiwing [sic] these waters we found the information to be true; and that the two ponds which are the sources of these Rivers, are very near together, & their interface very low land: - this was a most charming discovery, as in my mind, it puts an end to that heretofore insurmountable barrier of happily uniting the waters that descend to the Connecticut & to Boston on the highest grounds. - From Asburnham we run down the Northern branch of the Nashua, thro' Fitchburg & Leominster into Lancaster, where waiting with the Western branch it takes a northern course & proceeds on to Dunstable where it empties into the Merrimack.
The connection of these waters, has not only given me great pleasure, but entire satisfaction, that this is the only rout to communicate with Boston [3] Boston from Connecticut River, - it is the nearest, the most natural & easy, and above all, it takes the Articles of Commerce at the very point where we would wish: - let the Canal enter the Connecticut at any place below this, & it is an useless undertaking; - but at the mouth of Millers River, above all the Falls that are at present very injurious, you have a compleat monopoly of all the Commerce of Vermont & New Hampshire, and that to an amount beyond any calculation that has heretofore been made on the subject, - indeed I was surpiz'd, [struck: from] [inserted: at] the information I receive'd in [struck: that] Country of the immence productions that - indeed I was surprized, [struck: from] [inserted: at] the information I receiv'd in [struck: that] that Country of the immence productions that pass down the River for New York: - some idea of the quantity may be ascertained by mentioning one article among the rest. - [Pot] & Pearl ashes - of these Articles no less than six hundred Tons have passed down this Spring, - and this is only a part of the general freightage; - indeed I am persuaded that near one third part of the Commerce of New York depends on Vermont and New Hampshire, - Countries, that from nature, habit & every other principal, ought, & they wish'd to be connected with Boston; but the lengthy & expensive land carriage prevents, and in a very short time will totally destroy the little remaining connection with those states. - Boston may continue its stupidity & sleep on, & like the Cities of Antiquity be deaf to the admonition of [struck: their] [inserted: its] prophets, but unless the exertions of [4] of Individuals should open this Canal, she will [sink] for want of five righteous to save her. -
On our return from Lancaster to Worcester, we call'd again on Maj.r Beeman for some information in connecting Worcester with the Nashua, as it has ever been a favorite object to connect that town with the Canal; - We then proceeded to Worcester and began the survey on the 25th. at the North end of the Long pond in that town, tracing up a brook that empties there, into Sewall's pond & spruce pond; the last of which adjoins the high lands in Boylston, that separate the Waters which fall into the Western branch of the Nashua by a little brook just above Scar Bridge; - which is seven miles from Worcester & eight from Lancaster. - In passing over the high lands from Spruce pond (up to which from the Long pond the communication was good & plenty of Water) we meet with great difficulty, for what appear'd at first view to be the fountain of the Scar bridge brook, & separated only by the high narrow road from the spruce pond, was found on surveying to be a deep bog pond surrounded with thick wood & high gravel hills, thro' which the Canal must be deeply cut near half a mile to communicate with the brook water on the other side - but as this was the most natural avenue, we continued the survey down the Brook to the Western branch, & from thence to the junction of the Northern branch of the [5] the Nashua in Lancaster. - In passing this Western branch, about five miles from Lancaster, the banks of the River begin to be very mountainous & almost perpendicular, & continue so, at intervals, for two or three miles; this circumstance will make it extremely [inserted: difficult] if not impracticable, to make any cutts on the sides of the River, if it should be found necessary to improve it.
The eastern side of the Nashua River, which flows in a deep hollow, is bounded by a continued ridge of high land for near twenty miles in length, thro, or over which we must pass from thence to Boston, this ridge I reconoitr'd at different times when the Surveyor was at work on his papers, and after viewing all the avenues for fifteen miles in length, I made choice of a little stream, call'd the Mill brook that descends into the intervals of the Nashua almost opposite to the junction of [struck: the] [inserted: its] Northern & Western branches; - After surveying a mile or more up he Northern branch & down the Nashua after the junction of its branches, - We began on the 10th. of August to survey from the River across the Intervals to the Mill Brook, thence ascending very gradually for two miles, we came to the height of ground, from whence in a small Rivulet, we descended eastward the Boston Hills, - this height of Land was originally a swamp, & is now fill'd with springs, & such is its level that you can scarcely distinguish the separation between the waters descending in different directions. - As the water in this rout is too small in quantity for such an ascent, it will be necessary to make a large Reservoir [struck: on] this height; it is well fitted [6] fitted for the purpose, as the soil is very retentive & its springs with the descending Hills around will ever keep it fill'd with water; and if it should be necessary, nature has pointed out two other places for Reservoirs as you descend towards the Nashua, one of which has been a pond but is now drain'd. - In passing down eastward the little Elsebeth River, so call'd, which has its rise by the small Rivulet on the Boston hills, we are join'd by a brook coming from a deep pond, at a small distance, half a mile above which, to the westward, is a larger pond, which may be made with great ease to communicate with other, - these Ponds lie about one mile & an half eastward of Boston meeting house, upon elevated ground, & are sufficient to supply all the water that can be wanted there: - We follow'd the rout of the Little Elsebeth thro' Boston into Stow, where a branch from Harvard unites with it, thence to the lower end of Stow, where it empties into the great Elsebetth River: - the chief branch of this River i, e, the great Elsibeth, rises in Westborough, coming down thro' Marborough, receiving other streams, passes on thro' Stow & a part of Acton, and finally unites itself with the Sudbury River at the north & opposite to the Town of Concord: - I never reconoitr'd this River [inserted: above Stow] but I should suppose this would be the best rout, if practicable; by which to connect the Town of Worcester by the waters on the South side of the Great [inserted: or Long] Pond. - Into the Stow, or great Elsibeth River, about two miles above the entrance of the Little Elsibeth on the eastern side, enters a little stream that comes from Brook's pond, still further east lies a large & very deep pond call'd White pond, communicating [7] communicating with Boon, pond, from White pond likewise issues a stream which running southward crosses the great Worcester road, about two miles west of Sudbury Cross-Way, where Mills stand, and empties itself into the Sudbury River near two miles above the [s]d Cross Way; at some little distance above the entrance of the stream & on the eastern side of the Sudbury River, we may rize out of it by a Brook that comes from a large pond in [Framing] [house] & from which [struck: you] [inserted: we] may communicate with the waters of Charles River; - but as this rout would carry me further south than my present direct course with which I have been favor'd, and as the same difficulty would attend the passing down that River to Watertown that Hills meet with the last year, I conceiv'd it best to [peruse] down the Great Elsibeth or Stow River to Concord, which is more direct to Boston than the other rout; - Accordingly on the 20th of August we continued the survey down the Great Elsibeth to Concord where we arrived on the 23d; - this River is from 12 to 15 yards wide, shallow, & flows very gently - very rocky bed for near two miles, - level banks in general, as is the face of the Country, - cutts may be made on either side of the River, as is most convenient, - it is like other Rivers in irregular & uncultivated Countries, subject to violent floods in the rainy seasons, - it has three mill seats in [8] in the distance of five miles, but they raise no great height of water.
The Town of Concord is built on very flat & level ground, fifteen or sixteen feet higher than the surface of its Rivers, with extensive meadows on the south towards the Town of Lincoln & Weston, & continuing east as far as Lexington; on the West towards Acton & Stow, half a mile from the Town a large [inserted: bridge] crosses the Sudbury River, & one mile from thence on the same road, another bridge crosses the Stow or great Elsibeth River, these two Rivers, the last of which making a circuitous rout, finally unite on the north side of the Town of Concord, as was before observ'd, & about one mile below where the Bridge crosses the first mentioned River; after this junction it assumes the name of the Concord River, passes on to the North & empties into the Merrimack at Cramsford.
- The General direction of the waters here being to the North & Boston to east, it will be necessary to take out the water of Stow [inserted: River] at the distance of one mile or more above the bridge which crosses that River on the West road from Concord, and conduct it thro' the hollow way near a mile across to the Sudbury, [inserted: River] just above where Concord west bridge crosses it, thence on an elevation of at least ten feet it cross that River in an [aquaduct] bridge on to the plane of Concord where it meets a Rivulet descending in [inserted: a] hollow from the plane to the River, about half a mile South west from the Town; - this level [9] level is continued on the place & extensive meadows before mentioned, thro' Concord & part of the Towns of Lincoln and Bedford to the borders of Lexington, where descending by a Lock of six or eight feet you intersect & arrest a pretty stream, the main branch of Shawsheen] [inserted on the lower portion of the page: The Shawsheen River rises in sundry little streams from the North side of the highlands of Lexington, & from the extensive meadows of Bedford, Lincoln & Lexington, descends northerly, passing thro' Andover & empties there into the Merrimack] River, & pass on that level to Frask's meadows, [inserted: near] two mile north of Lexington Meeting House. - If the water of Stow River which is bro't across the Sudbury on to the plane & springy meadows of Concord, is not sufficient for the supply of this beautiful level Canal for near ten miles in length, the large pond in Lincoln which lies only one mile & an half south, elevated forty feet at least, & which runs into these meadows, will do it aboundantly; even if the waters of the meadows, which are within one foot of their surface, & the unumerable little springs & brooks that flow from the high lands, were totally unimproved. - In passing these meadows from Concord, just within the bounds of the Town of Bedford, we may easily correct the Canal with Concord River, by a cutt of half a mile only; by this communication the produce coming down the extensive Merrimack, the Falls of which are now removing, will find a [10] a nearer & better markett, thro' this Canal to Boston than down the River to Newbury Port -
From Trask's meadows, in the course of two miles south, we ascend near seventy feet, by stream that issues from a Pine swamp on the height of Land, a little West of Lexington Meeting House, by the road & on the right as you pass to Concord, from thence we cross the road into the adjoining meadow, & a down one of the little streams issuing there form, which recrosses the road half a mile east of the Meeting House, and gently decends into meadows, which, with this brook, give rise to another branch of the Shawsheen, and from which, thro' a small gravel bank of thirty feet in width & six or seven feet deep, are pass to the head of the stream that gently descends thro meadows, along the road, thro' the lower part of Lexington, the upper [inserted: part] of Campbridge call'd Menotomy, into Mystick Pond, the source of Mystick River, & one mile west [struck: of] [inserted: from] the Town of that name. - Another rout may be persued from Frask's meadows without ascending to the Pine swamp near Lexington Meeting House, & that is, by ascending the small stream that comes from the [11] the Northeast into those meadows, & crossing much less elevated ground than the Pine swamp, into other streams that unite with the last mentioned branch of the Shawsheen, and by which we gently ascend to that little gravel bank that seperates the stream that empties into Mystick Pond; - but this rout being more circuitous, at least four miles, than the other, I conceiv'd it would be more convenient & far less expensive to excavate the Pine Swamp for a Reservoir, by which means that ascent may be sufficiently supplied with water, than to pass the other way: - another reason why this rout was prefer'd, - after crossing the road from the pine swamp into the opposite meadow, one of the streams that rises there, passes on to the south thro' Waltham Pond, thence descending across Waltham plane, empties into the Charles River just above the Town of Watertown; that if Watertown is at present prefer'd to Mystick, altho' at least three miles further, it may pass by this rout that way; or if in any future time it is tho't necessary, Watertown [12] Watertown may easily communicate with the Canal by this rout thro' the Pine swamp