State

Navigation On The Neuse Large sums of money were expended by the Neuse River Navigation Company and a tremendous amount of work was «lone in an endeavor to bring' about an increase in river transportation. «•/ WILLIAM S. POWELL IT is said that in lie very early days of ibis country a pirate and his crew sailed up a river in «•arch of Indian treasure supposed to be found near its head. After a long journey up the river, their only re¬ ward was to arrive at an impassable falls in the river; the leader said, "No use, Boys,” and regretfully turned hack murmuring to himself, "No use.” For a while this river was called the No Use River, but it eventually came to he called Neuse River. This is an interesting folk tale on the origin of the name of the river, but it probably is not true since maps of 1672 and earlier show the spelling as we know it today. The name is probably an Indian one. The navigability of rivers has al¬ ways been a subject of interest and speculation among Americans since colonial days and the Neuse was no exception to the rule. Most important of all efforts to navigate the Neuse was that made by the Neuse River Navigation Company organized dur¬ ing the ante helium period of North Carolina’s development. The period of the 1850’s was one of extensive in¬ ternal improvements: navigation com¬ panies, plank road companies and even canal companies were organized all over the state. Many succeeded and others failed, but all were an expres¬ sion of interest in the welfare of the state and laid important foundations for work completed as late as the present decade. Early Navigation Prospects To show that the idea of navigating the Neuse was not absurd at that time, notice this from Darby's Universal Gazetteer published at Philadelphia in 1827 : “For boats this river is navi¬ gable to Raleigh.” As early ns 1 7S4 the Legislature had passed an act to clear the channel of the Neuse to facilitate the passage of ships to the inland. In a letter dated 20th October. 1851, Governor David S. Reid ap¬ pointed W. Bcverhout Thompson engineer in charge of the Neuse River survey which was contemplated. Mr. Thompson soon set about organizing a party of two assistants, two rod- men. the necessary laborers, and with the help of J. R. Justice, Esq., presi¬ dent of the Neuse River Navigation Company recently chartered by the Legislature, finished the field work by the 10th of December, 1851. The people along tho Neuse must have been glad that the work was going along so rapidly. Freight charges by smaller boats had been very high as this bill for March 80, 1847, shows : "For freight to Smithfield on One barrel sugar . 8 .75 One-half box raisins, 1 bag coffee . . . 55 One bbl. molasses, 1 bdle. cotton . 80 One sack salt. 1 bdle. files, 1 Cheese . 95 One iron pot, 1 saddle . 50 Freight on one demijohn . 25 One roll sheet-iron . 10 t S-mJr, For Freight from Powell’s Landing on One hundred barrels scape at 22'/2C . .$24.30” Thompson's survey report stated that “the subject of cutting across some of the bends of the river had been suggested. This has been con¬ sidered and rejected for the follow¬ ing reasons: In the case of the round¬ about. for example above Waynes¬ boro, the measured distance round the inner course, is 9.3 miles, while the shortest distance across the heel of the bend is only 5,016 feet, a fraction loss than one mile. Tho river rises in this distance around 5/> feet; to cut through, the whole descent would be obtained in less than one mile, which would create a tremendous tor¬ rent.” Captain Henry Guy, who hail been a Privateer in the American Revolu¬ tion when he owned the schooner Eayle, said the same thing in simpler language when Mr. Thompson’s men saw him at his home near Smithfield and asked him what would be the ef¬ fect of straightening the river. Ilis reply is reported to have been, "Why every d — drop will run out.” Possibly to stress the need of im¬ provement and to insure himself of a job Mr. Thompson gave the follow¬ ing table of produee brought down the Neuse in 1850. Turpentine, 100,000 barrels..$l 75,000 Rosin, 35,000 barrels . 35,000 Spirits Turpentine. 10.000 barrels . 120,000 Tar, 1,200 barrels . 1,500 Rough Rice, 1,950 bushels.... S77 Peas. 875 bushels . 437 Meal, 890 bushels . 487 Bacon, 108,000 pounds . 7.560 Cotton, 1,800 bales . 3G.000 Cow hides. 340 . 600 Shingles, 275,000 . 550 Red oak head staves. 225.000 2,250 White oak barrel staves 150,000 . 1,S00 Sawed timber, 400,000 feet.. 4.000 {Continued on page fourteen)