x
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PAGE TWO
(Continued from Last Week)
In the meantime, Kupla’s wife,
had learned that her husband had
been left in the camp because he
was sick, and went in search of him.
Melania stood there, quietly, immo-
bile. She did not cry or sob like
the others. She just stood there
petrified with suffering while her
haggard eyes glanced over our cars,
over the soldiers spouting ‘the vilest
language in the Bolshvik lexicon.
These soldiers seemed to vie with
one another in the dubious elo-
quence they could achieve in addres-
_ sin their heartbroken audience.
Some shots rang out. A few cars
away, the soldiers were shooting at
some women who had tried to ap-
proach the train. Melania instinc-
tively stepped back a few feet. Sud-
denly I saw one of the provision
aides from the transport—a Russian
named Nazimov—pass by. He had
already been detailed to watch over
our company in the camp. He was
busily recording the number of
people in each boxcar. I asked him
to hand me the package Melania
was holding. He went up to her,
took the parcel and handed it to
me through the bars. I could see
Melania was pleased. She smiled.
Just them Kupla’s wife came up to
Melania. She had ‘failed to find her
husband at the camp. They had al-
ready shipped him out.
I was happy to be able to look
at Melania, but I also realized what
she must be going through. I wanted
her to leave, especially since she was
risking insults, blows or even being
shot at by the brutal soldiers. I re-
quested her to go away. She hesi-
tated. I entreated her to go. I called
a few words of such comfort as I
could muster to her. What could I
say? The evidence of her eyes belied
anything I might tell her. She
waved to me, whispered something
I could not make out, put her arm
through Mrs. Kupla’s and slowly
walked away, turning around fre-
quently for a last lock at me. They
walked through the field, itheir
figures growing smaller and smaller
as the space between us widened.
It was an awful moment. I felt
unutterably sad and for the first
time since my arrest tears filled
my eyes.
We had not been scheduled to
depart until the following morning,
but unexpectedly, around ncon, they
* coupled a locomotive to our trans-
port and began to try out the train.
We had mot been given anything to
drink since we left the camp the day
So when the train stopped
, moment near some buildings
front of which a group of women
had gathered, I asked them to give
us some water. They were surprised
to hear good Polish, for they had
been told the transport consisted of
Germans. Taking advantage of the
absence of a guard in front of the
car, I explained the situation to
them. One of the women ran into
‘the house and came out with a big
bottle of milk. She ran up to our car
to hand me the bottle. At that very
moment I saw a soldier strike her
with his gun and knock her down.
The bottle rolled onto the sand. A
well placed kick by the soldier and
the bottle broke into many pieces.
The woman picked herself up and
limped back to the other women. I
called out an apology to her for the
treatment she had received on my
account.
“That’s all right, don’t worry,”
she called, “You've been in the Home
Army, you've fought for Poland,
you've survived five years of Nazi
slavery. God willing, you'll also sur-
vive this period of ‘freedom’ now.”
They were comforting words. We
often thought of them in the long
months ahead of us.
The train sped through the fro-
zen countryside. Whither we were
bound ? None of us knew the answer.
Some claimed we were on our way
to Lubartow, where there was sup-
posed to be a special camp for Home
Army personnel. But, in that case,
we couldn't explain the presence of
Germans among us. Some—the
pessimists—predicted we were [being
shipped to Russia. I myself began
to incline toward the latter theory.
I based my judgement on the long-
range preparations made for the box-
cars.
We. passed all small stations with-
out stopping. The city of Siedlce.
The train came to a stop and soon
pulled out again. Our fate would be
decided beyond Lukow, where the
railroad lines separate, one set of
tracks continuing straight ahead in
the direction of Brzesc-on-the-Bug
(that is, toward Russia), while the
ther turns south toward Lublin. If
we headed for Lublin, we would re-
main in Poland. Would we turn
south. 2.) 1.
Lukow. We passed the station. The
tracks separate some two hundred
yards past the station proper. We
could see the tracks describing a
graceful arch southward. Perhaps
Providence would let us remain on
Polish soil. The bend was drawing
closer, ever closer. We held our
breath. The locomotive should be
turning already. Were we really
going to Russia, after all? The
wheels of the train clattered over
the juncture in the tracks. The
southward track grew farther and
appeared our forlorn hope that we
would not be deported into Russia.
A death-like silence settled over our
box-car.
My soldiers and I held a council
of war and decided to attempt a get-
away. Various plans were proposed.
In the end, we agreed that we would
try to escape by way of the door.
One of the men had managed to
secrete a sturdy knife during the
inspection. We planned to cut a hole
near the lock, and put a hand out
through that hole in order to loosen
the screw holding the lock. We
would then jump through the open
door. But we had to give up the
ideal of flight that night for it was
too late.
It was a bright moonlight night.
We went to bed as usual snuggling
close to each other to ward off the
penetrating cold. All of a sudden
we were awakened by the sound of
shooting. The trains screeched to
a halt. We were close to Trespol,
near Brezesc-on-the-Bug. We could
hear the barking of dogs, the shouts
of Russian soldiers and the volley of
machine gun fire. As we were locked
inside, we did not learn until morm-
ing what ‘that night's shooting was
about. Five persons had escaped
from one of the cars by breaking
the bars in the window of their
box-car. The guards of the transport
who ' were located on special plat-
forms on the buffers on the outside
of every other car had seen them.
(Each of these platforms held two
armed soldiers, each of whom guard-
ed one car.) They killed three in the
act of escaping. The other two were
t
caught after the train had stopped
and were clubbed to death. The
commander of the transport ordered
the door to the delinquent car
opened, called out the car leader
who happened to be my friend Mi-
chael, and shot him on the spot.
Michael was shot for not having
prevented the flight.
The following morning, the door
to our car was opened. A non-con
came in and ordered us to walk to
one end of the car. We were pressed
unbelievably close together, it was
worse since we had to stand hunched
under the bunks that extended from
the sides of the box-car. It was
simply out of the question for 55
people to be able to fit in that
cramped space. And yet the soldier
kept kicking us and prodding us with
a stick to make us a more compact
mass. Then he made us pass in re-
view before him one by one showing
our shoes, presenting our hands for
inpection to make sure we had no
rings, and turned our pockets in-
side out so that he might see
whether we had anything of value.
After he had exchanged his own
shoes with those of one of the pris-
oners, he called in the other soldiers
in the vicinity of our car and either
made up their clothing deficiencies
or outfitted them in a better ward-
robe.
After this operation, they brought
us a sack of hardtack, while the
women in our transport handed out
pails of water. They were not per-
mitted to leave more than a six-
quart pail of water for a carload of
55 people (the pails were made out
of big tins which had contained
dilled pickles). Our quota of hard-
tack per person was a litle more than
a quarter of a pound. This was sup-
plemented with a small salted fish
per person. When we had consumed
this—and we were very hungry—
our thirst became so acute that the
few drops of water we received could
hardly satisfy us.
In spite of the shooting and the
commotion of the previous night,
we went on with our plans of escape.
One of us had a small mirror. By
extending an arm through the bar-
red window we could see reflected
in the mirror the length of the
transport and the spacing of the
sentries. We also had an outside
view of our box-car together with
the lock. To cur dismay we learned
that our hope of escaping by way
of the door was unrealizable because
the lock was reinforced by a piece of
wood at which we could not reach.
We immediately changed our plan
and decided to cut a hole in that side
of the box-car which was nearer
the buffer. We selected this wall
because the boards were thinner
there. Evening was approaching. We
had completed our preparations. We
had sharpened our knife against the
iron hinge on the door, we had
picked what we intended to take
along with us. We waited for night-
fall.
(Continued Next Week)
Noxen Auxiliary Enjoys
Covered Dish Supper
Members of Noxen Fire Company
Auxiliary combined their regular
meeting last week with a covered
dish supper at the home of Mrs.
Oscar Fish. Present were Marie
Race, Helen Crispell, Cleona Fritz,
Louise Boston, Emma Traver, Shir-
ley Sproll, Eileen Gills, and the
hostess.
Party Postponed
A card party planned for tonight
by Ladies Auxiliary, Back Mountain
YMCA, has been postponed until
fall. .
. Main Office
Market and Franklin
L
Kingston Office
Wyoming at Union
Save time. .
We'll send a
DEPO iy
THE DALLAS POST
“More than a mewspaper
a community institution”
ESTABLISHED 1889
Member Pennsylvania Newspaper
Publishers’ Association
A non - partisan liberal
progressive newspaper pub-
lished every Friday morning
at the Dallas Post plant,
Lehman Avenue, Dallas,
Pennsylvania.
Entered as second-class matter at
the post office at Dallas, Pa., under
the Act of March 3, 1879. Subscrip-
tion rates: $3.00 a year; $2.00 six
months. No subscriptions accepted
for less than six months. Out-of
state subscriptions: $3.50 a year;
$2.50 six months or less. Back
issues, more than one week old, 10c.
Single copies, at a rate of 8c
each, can be obtained every Fri-
day morning at the following news-
stands: Dallas—Berts Drug Store
Dixon’s Restaurant, Evans Res-
taurant, Smith’s Economy Store;
Shavertown—Evans Drug Store,
Hall's Drug - Store; Trucksville—
Gregory's Store; Idetown— Cave’s
Store; Harveys Lake — Deeter’s
- Store; Fernbrook — Reeses Store;
Sweet Valley—Britt’s Store; Leh-
man—Moore’s Store.
‘When requesting a change of address
subscribers are asked to give their old
as well as new address.
Allow two weeks for changes of ad-
dress or new subscription to be placed
on mailing list.
We will not be responsible for the
return of unsolicited manuscripts, pho-
tographs and editorial matter unless
self-addressed, stamped envelope is en-
closed, and in no case will this material
.be held for more than 30 days.
National display advertising rates 84c
per column inch.
Transient rates 75c.
Local display advertising
rate, 60c per column inch.
Political advertising $1.10 per inch.
Advertising copy received on Thursday
will be charged at 75¢ per column inch.
(Classified rates 4c per word. Minimum
charge 75e. All charged ads 10c addi-
tional.
Unless paid for at advertising rates,
we can give no assurance that an-
nouncements of plays, parties, rummage
sales or any affair for raising money
will appear in a specific issue.
Preference will in all instances be
given to editorial matter which has not
previously appeared in publication.
Editor and Publisher
HOWARD W. RISLEY
Associate Editors
MYRA ZEISER RISLEY
MRS. T. M. B. HICKS
Advertising Manager
ROBERT F. BACHMAN
Photographer
JAMES KOZEMCHAK
contract
ONLY
YESTERDAY
Ten and Twenty Years Ago
In The Dallas Post
From the Issue of June 23, 1944
[Staff sergeant James Hummell,
Jr., Dallas, is commended for in-
stalling a cemera in the tail of a
P 51 Mustang, a job considered im-
possible.
Sunday night saw the heaviest
lightning and thunder in this region
for many years, but little wind
damage.
Carl Brandon, Lehman,
pastorate at Fairdale.
Arthur Hazletine, 72, Shavertown,
dies from injuries received when a
team ran away and dragged him.
The accident was followed by pneu-
monia. ,
Deaths: Morgan G. Thomas, 70,
Dallas. Emma Crisman, Kingston,
aged 84. Gertrude Schoch, 67, after
a long illnes, in Noxen.
In the Outpost: Howell Rees,
Italy; Bill Stritzinger, England; Bob
Price, India; Leonard Hooper, Anzio
Beach-Head; Warren Johnson, South
Pacific; Robert Considine, Georgia;
James Borton, Georgia; N. E. Nel-
son, Fort Benning; Floyd Garinger,
Georgia; Earl Williams, Hunter
Field; LeRoy Roberts, Fort Benning;
Bill Price, Fort Benning; Allan
Sanford, Camp Steward; Russell
Transue, Admiralty Islands; Rich-
ard Williams, New York APO;
Emory Kitchen, Wales.
No ration points needed for ham,
beef, bologna Frankfurters, perch,
cod and haddock. Eggs, 38c per
doz.; milk, 4 tall cans 35c. .
From the Issue of June 22, 1934
[Freight trains, now combined with
passenger service on the Lehigh
Valley will no longer look the other
way when kids hitch-hike from
Luzerne to Harveys Lake. Pay your
fare and ride in the day coach, says
the conductor. Or stay home.
Borough school directors object
to Dallas Post’s article about im-
pending change of tax collector, pass
resolutions. Dallas Post replies the
report came from a member of the
school board, holds that board mem-
bers shouldn't talk one way and
vote another.
Borough Council halts other road
takes
Street.
Harveys Lake resorts are doing
double last year’s business.
Elva S. Kaufman, Wilkes-Barre,
is married to Frank Wagner, Hunts-
ville.
Four Dallas folks are injured en
route to a wedding, their car skid-
ding in Forty Fort. They are (Chaun-
cey Turner, his mother Mrs. A. L.
Turner, daughters Jean and Alice.
Noxen Tannery curtails produc-
tion in protest of contracts for com-
position shoe soles awarded by State
for emergency relief.
Farm values hit bottom, upturn
indicated. \
William Spencer, Noxen, dies of
pneumonia, age 25.
VALVE
HEARTLESS KILLER
Dear Mr. Risley:
I am writing this in the hope that
you will find a little space in The
Post to mention it and perhaps
cause a few more drivers to be
more considerate.
Last Friday evening my two
youngest children, 6 and 7, wanted
to go down to Mitchell's Stand,
across from The Castle for a pop-
sicle. We live up on the hill back
of Mitchell’s.
To make a long story short, our
two-year old boxer dog followed
them, ran out on the highway and
was hit by a car. Now granted, the
dog was in the wrong and it was
probably unavoidable, but what in-
fruiates me is that the driver
never even stopped! What kind of
person does it take to hit a child's
pet, especially with the children
standing right there, and go on?
Luckily the children had enough
presence of mind not to run out on
the highway to the dog, but came
running home crying for their
father.
Well Duke was dead when my
husband brought him home but
whether it was the first blow that
did it or whether he was hit again
after being left lying in the middle
of the highway, we will never know.
My three children are heart-
broken. The tragedy might have
been softened a little had that
driver just stopped to make sure
there was nothing he could do. It
made quite an impression on the
children and believe me our house
is not the same. I hope that driver
had as sleepless a night that night
as my children did, but I doubt it.
[Sincerely
Mrs. Fay Hopkins
NEW HEALTH SET-UP
In an official resolution of the
Dallas Borough Council, dated May
4, 1954, the State Health Depart-
ment of the [State of Pennsylvania
has been requested to assume juris-
diction over the administration: of
health laws in Dallas Borough. In
accordance with the provision of
Article 21, Section 2102 of the Ad-
ministrative Code of 1929, the State
Health Department took over the
administration of health laws in the
Borough on a Voluntary Surrender
basis, effective June 15, 1954.
In submitting this Voluntary Sur-
render application, Dallas Borough
New Columbus and White Haven
Boroughs, which have decided, in
the interest of better service in the
public. health field, to relinquish
their powers to the Commonwealth.
This means service of a trained
sanitary inspector under the direct
supervision of the District Medcal
Director of Luzerne County and the
saving of tax funds of the Borough.
The reporting of communicable
diseases and of public health nuis-
ances should now be reported to
the District Medical Director's Of-
fice, Kirby Health Center, Wilkes-
Barre, Penna.
T. Lewis Edwards, Harvey's Lake,
Sanitarian Assistant for the State
Health Department, assumed the
duties of sanitary inspector for
Dallas Borough on June 15.
Respectfully
C. Hayden Phillips, M.D.
Acting District Medical Director.
FROM ALASKA
Dear Editor:
I have received so many letters
from friends back home asking me
to tell them about Alaska that it
isn’t possible to answer them all,
so I thought about sending one on
to you.
I receive The Post and it really
gets read. There are four Back
Mountain boys up here, two Elston
boys, Conrad Honeywell and
Donals Cornell.
Many Thanks
Bessie Bunsek
Copper Center, Alaska.
" ® We are delighted to re-
ceive letters from Back Moun-
tain people who have moved
away, and are always glad to
publish them. Mrs. Bunsek’s
letter follows—Editor.
Dear Friends: 5
Have received so many letters
asking me to write and tell you
about Alaska, so Im going to try
and tell all of you how I am enjoy-
ing being here. Although I miss my
many friends in the States. We
have made many new and wonder-
ful friends up here also.
The flight up was very beautiful
and I certainly learned that one is
quite safe above the earth as we
flew at an altitude of 25,000 feet
from Seattle to Anchorage. Mt.
Rainier was a beautiful sight the
sun was shining on the mountain
and it was snowcapped. When I
reached Anchorage the time was
changed five hours from the time
in Pennsylvania.
The winter was very cold but we
enjoyed it, the temperature was as
low as 64 degrees below zero and
that is much colder than any I had
ever experienced.
The Spring has been beautiful.
The wild flowers are abundant, the
blue Lupines are like we try to raise
and can’t, or I never could. We took
a trip Sunday, a friend of Chesters’
has a Piper Cub plane and he flew
us to McCarthy. It was so wonder-
ful flying over all the mountains.
Some of the mountains are very
(Continued on Page Nine)
The “Susquehanna & Baltimore”
had a tragic ending. She had made
several trips, one to Danville, and
one to Milton. On March 17, she was
almost wrecked in a squall when an
iron bar broke that was attached
to her steering ropes. This mishap
occurred while the boat was moving
up the river at Hunter's Falls. It
was described by one of her pas-
sengers, J. W. Patterson, the presi-
dent of the steamship company that
owned the boat, in a letter to H.
Buehler of Harrisburg. The letter
was printed in the Lycoming Gazette
Then, on April 17, in attempting to
negotiate the Nescopeck Rapids, her
overloaded boilers exploded, killing
a number of people, injuring quite a
few others. Some of the passengers
had escaped because they had gone
ashore to watch the progress of the
ship up the rapids, from the bank.
Among these was Mr. Patterson, and
other members of the company. Al-
though badly damaged, the ‘“‘Susque-
hanna” was later floated down to
York Haven with the possible idea
of having repairs made, but she
never apeared on the river again.
These three steamboats were an
important part in the hopes and
thoughts of many people living in
the Susquehanna Valley in the
spring of 1826. Their movements
were carefully watched and reported
as much as the poor communications
of the day allowed, in the valley
newspapers. However, even before
the disaster and common sense had
convinced the owners that their
boats would never be maintaining
any regular service on the Susque-
hanna, the Crawford Messenger ran
this editorial, which on May 22, 1826
was copied in the Harrisburg Chron-
icle:
“The citizens residing on the
borders of the beautiful Susque--
hanna, continue to be delighted and
amused with the movements of the
steamboats, Susquehanna, Codorus,
and Pioneer. The Codorus has as-
cended the North Branch as far as
Wilkes-Barre, and is expected to
proceed to Oswego in the state of
New York. However desirable, and
as much as we admire the spirit of
the experiments which are being
made to navigate the noble river by
the power of steam, sufficient
evidence we take it, has been dis-
closed, that although it may be
practical at certain stages of water,
it cannot in the present obstructed
stage of the river, be used with any
profit or advantage.”
In all probability whoever wrote
this paragraph meant Owego, not
Oswego. Other than that, its words
ring with truth. It is interesting to
note, however, that a few years later
Baltimore investers were proposing
to make the river navigable all the
way to the New York State line, by
digging out a channel, at a cost of
$200 per mile. This plan received
some support in Harrisburg and
other river towns, and its backers
tried to interest the federal govern-
ment to assign the job to the Army
Engineers. In the fall of 1833 Haz-
zard’s Pennsylvania Register con-
cains frequent references to this am-
bitious project. In the issue of Sep-
tember 9, Hazzard quotes an editor
as follows:
“Every village on the banks of the
Cayuga Lake, the Oswego River, and
its vicinity, will burst with the hum
of business, for they would all be-
come seaports.”
Petitions were addressed to Con-
gress and to Lewis Cass, the Secre-
tary of War. These were dated July
14, 1834. A survey was actually
authorized, but Mr. Cass died before
anything was done, and the scheme
was forgotten in the rush to build
canals.
“A steamboat is at this moment
running 40 mile trips on the Susque-
hanna, more than 100 miles above
this place. The boat cost $9,000,
and ‘was built by the Boston Co.
under the direction of W. P. Gar-
rand, to tow arks of bituminous coal
from the mines in Lycoming County
to the Muncy dam.”
In the spring of 1834, the citizens
of Wilkes-Barre and Owego or-
ganized a steamship company, and
the following year placed a boat in
service between their two commun-
ities. Let the Wilkes-Barre Demo-
crat of May 13, 1835 recount that
story:
The new S. S. Susquehanna
arrived at this place from Owego on
Thursday last, amid the general
acclamation’ of our citibens. She
made the 130 miles in 10 hours
without the aid of her side wheels.
Capt. Taby who built the boat, com-
manded her. On Friday she re-
turned and marched up the rapid
current with a strength and velocity
that afford reasonable belief of her
entire sucess.”
However, this “reasonable belief”
was unfounded. She suffered innu-
merable delays, and finally the com-
pany was forced to abandon any
idea of establishing regular steam-
boat service. The ship was sub-
sequently used for excursion rides.
She was eventually disabled on a
sand bar near Wilkes-Barre.
Tunkhannock Builds Boat
Some years lated in 1849, a group
of Tunkhannock residents financed
the building of the largest steamship
ever launched on the upper Susque-
hanna River. She was 127 feet in
length, with a 22 foot beam. Her
name was “Wyoming” and she was
built at a cost of around $6,000. She
did make several trips between
Athens and Wilkes-Barre carrying
coal, but was soon given up as un-
profitable. Still later, in 1851, the
S. S. Enterprise was launched at
Bainbridge, N. Y., only to suffer a
similar fate.
In 1857 a small side-wheeler was
brought to Harrisburg from Phila-
delphia and used for excursions on
the river. Apparently it was not a
paying proposition, for her career on
the Susquehanna was a short one.
Subsequently she was returned to
the Delaware.
Wilkes-Barre Boats
The S. S. Winohocking, another
side-wheeler, was placed in service
between Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth
in 1859, and for a few years per-
formed her duties without accident.
Following the Civil War, a number
of steamboats appeared in the
Wyoming Valley, offering local and
excursion service out of Wilkes-
Barre to Pittston and Plymouth.
Among these were the Hendrick B.
Wright, a stern-wheeler, the Pitts-
ton, a side-wheeler, and the ill-
fated predecessor ended her career
when, on July 3, 1883, her boilers
exploded.
Another segment of the river
which saw use by steamboats in
the late nineteenth century was the
area around Sunbury, where the
Shamokin Dam created deep enough
water for limited navigation. In
1856 the Shad Fly, a side-wheeler,
was in service, towing canal boats
and barges. She was built by Ira T.
Clement, who lafter became the
steamboat entrepreneur of the river.
The [Shad Fly was wrecked, but her
machinery was salvaged and reap-
peared on the river in 1876 pro-
pelling the Arrow. Down to the turn
of the century a number of other
steamships were in service here.
They were essentially ferries, but
like the boats in the Wyoming Val-
ley they were popular for excursions,
and did their part hauling crowds of
happy folk on Sunday School picnics,
moonlight cruises, and other pleas-
ant jaunts for short distances up
and down the river. Again we note
a steamboat tragedy. The Montour
exploded at her dock in Sunbury on
July 13, 1901, killing several people.
All of this of course, was purely
local. The findings of Captain Egar,
and the opinion of the editor of the
Crawford Messenger, were certainly
justified by subsequent events. No
regular steamboat service was ever
maintained for any distance of the
Susquehanna. The likelihond that
steamboats could have completed
successfully with the railroads a
decade or so later even if the con-
ditions in the river had been better,
is improbable. However, there were
two fields where small craft powered
by steam were quite adaptable to
Susquehanna navigation.
One of these was the use of steam-
boats as pushers of barges in the
river coal industry. This was de-
scribed in detail in the January issue
of The Pennsylvania Angler. The
other was the use of steamboats as
ferries.
The importance of the ferry boat
in the Susquehanna Valley economy
is of tremendous significance from
an ‘historical viewpoint. From the
very first days of European penetra-
tion into the valley it had been
necessary for the white man to cross
the river. The Susquehanna lay
directly athwart the path of the
pioneer pushing westward from Phil-
adelphia. It and the tidewater
South. Ferries were therefore estab-
lished at a very early date.. The
first was in operation across the
mouth of the river in 1695. By the
time the first bridge was built over
the river in 1814, there was a total
of about two dozen ferry crossings
between Sunbury and the Chesa-
peake, all doing good business.
These early ferries, fr course,
were flatboats propelled by poles, or
rowed by oars. Some were pulled
across the river by ropes. Small \
sailboats were used in the tidewater
portion of the river. By the end of
the nineteenth century many of
these had gone out of business, be-
cause of the erection of bridges.
The majority of those that remained,
however, had turned to steam for
power.
There were various reasons for
this. One was the physical nature
of the ferry sites which were located
on the pools of relatively quiet
water that lay behind riffles. These
rocky barriers, although rendering
upstream navigation impractical
and downstream navigation ex-
tremely hazardous, made crossing
the river a relatively simple matter.
The riffles served as dams creating
pools of slow moving water across
which steamboats could be operated
with little or no difficulty under
ordinary conditions. So we see
another conmection between ithe
riffles and steamboats on the Sus-
quehana, this one favorable to their
use rather than prohibitive. Some
steam ferries operated behind man-
made dams. Such was the case at
Columbia and Sunbury, where the
dams built for the canals furnished
deep enough water even in low flow.
Another reason for operating ferries
by steam was economic in nature.
It took a crew of two or three men
to row or poll a flatboat across the
river, a steam-driven ferry could be
navigated by one man, who tended
the boilers and fires between cross-
ings. Again, fuel either wood or
coal was abundant and cheap. Until
the development of the internal
(Continued on Page Three)
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