At the December meeting of the Institute I had the honor of reading a paper on " Modern Railroad Facilities," and, from the comments of the press, both at home and abroad, it would appear that certain statements made therein are not generally known or admitted. I therefore propose to present a few leading facts bearing on the subject of this paper, in the order of their occurrence.
CAh'A LS.
Pennsylvania may properly claim the credit of being the mother of the Internal Improvements of the United States, which commenced one hundred years ago.
In the year 1787 authority was asked of the Provincial Legislature for the right to open a water communication between the Schuylkill and Susquehanna rivers, which was granted for what is known as the Union Canal.
In 1791 this work was commenced, and in 1794 one of the western sections, four miles in length, was completed and opened to navigation. From this period the further prosecution of the work was suspended, and it was not again resumed until the year 1816, when a newly organized company assumed its management, under whose direction the canal was completed, and open to traffic in 1824. This is, briefly, the history of the "Union Canal."
It is interesting, and some of my hearers may be amused to know that the origin of the canal system, which has attained such astonishing growth in the United States, can be traced to the little insignificant canal, of about three-fourths of a mile in length, formed by cutting off the bends and deepening the channel of Dock Creek, in Philadelphia. This work, which modern improvements have entirely obliterated, was executed more than one hundred and fifty years ago, and was the first canal executed in Pennsylvania, or in the Colonies.-~ Read at the Stated Meeting of the Franklin Institute, May 20, 1885. t In connection with the history of the progress of internal improvements in the United States, especially with the development of the means of intercommunication, it may be of interest to reproduce a letter from DR.