Box 1, Folder 5: Diaries 1827-1828

1971] The Journals of Increase Allen Lapham 223

Tuesday Sep 2d. In the night, last, the wind from the N.W. raised and become very cold and it has continued to blow all day; so that we were obliged to keep a fire [p. 118] towards evening, in the bar room. Q[uestion]. do the people of N.Y. build fire as early as the first of sept?

I was at work on the canal part of the time.

Wednesday Sep 3. I helped Mr. Henry on the canal part of the time in the afternoon. In the forenoon I went up the canal and returned in the rain.

Thursday. Mr. Henry went to Knob Creek on business and I had some work to do on the canal which lasted all the forenoon. In the afternoon I went up the canal, and returned [p. 119] by way of the River bank and collected shells for C White. After supper I went to Louisville to a book auction but the book which I intended to get went to high for my pecuniary situation. It was Barton’s Flora, and went at 10 1/2 dollars. I got back about 10 o'clock, PM.

Friday. In the forenoon I assisted Mr. Henry in making out his report estimate &c. and in the afternoon after doing a little work on the canal, I got a skiff and rowed over the river to Clark's point via, the point [p. 120] of Gravel Island.

Saturday Sept 6th. I worked on the canal in the forenoon And in the afternoon I went to Louisville to put some letters in the Post Office. I went into the shop of Dr. Rogers ¹¹⁸ who gave me a piece of a petrified tree which he said was found in the Bituminous shale near New Albany Ia. and a piece of asbestos which he said was from Missouri, probably from the Lead mines as there are small points of galena attached to it. He also loaned me the first Edition of Cleavelands [p. 121] Mineralogy¹¹⁹ for a month, and I shall spend my leisure time in reading it.

Sunday 7. I worked on the lock all the forenoon. Carney Sayre & co laid the lower miter-sill and I assisted in finding its exact situation. In the afternoon I went on Goose Island, but found no specimens of importance.

Monday 8. A Rainy day. I worked in the office copying the contract between the L & P Canal Co and Carney Sayre & co. the [p. 122] builders of the Lock and Bridge.¹²⁰

Tuesday. 9. I worked on the canal nearly all the time today, received a letter from Darius, Dated Sept. 1st 1828.¹²¹

(To Be Continued)

FOOTNOTES ⁶⁹The new 167-page journal for 11 April to 31 October 1828 is endorsed "Laphamical Ephemenis," on p. 2.

⁷⁰William Baldwin, M.D. [1779-1819] b orn Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1807.

224 The Filson Club History Quarterly [Vol. 45

He moved to Georgia because of poor health and studied botany. Following an expedition to South America, he was appointed botanist-surgeon for Long's Missouri expedition (see fn. 29) on which he died. Because Dr. Baldwin was the official botanist, Lapham attributes the species names in James' account of the expedition (fn. 29) to him.

⁷¹This instrument was extensively used by mariners and surveyors in the 18th and early 19th centuries to determine the altitude of clestial bodies. Although John Hadley [1682-1744], a British genius and mechanician, first described his instrument to the Royal Society in 1731, Thomas Godfrey [d. 1749], a friend of Benjamin Franklin and self-educated glazier of Philadelphia, independently devised the same instrument but did not describe it to the Royal Society until 1734.

⁷²Lapham may have meant James Geddes [1763-1838], one of the most experienced canal engineers in America, who had been hired on the Welland Canal to assist Alfred Barrett the resident engineer.

⁷³Shadrack Penn [1790-1846], a Maryland native, moved to central Kentucky where he gained notice as a political journalist. As editor of the Louisville Public Advertiser he supported Jackson instead of Clay and worked for the former in Washington. He later moved to St. Louis and established (1841) the Missouri Reporter which he edited until his death in a railroad accident. Henry McMurtrie's Sketches of Louisville and Its Environs was published in Louisville in 1819, printed by Shadrack Penn. For further information see, Samuel W. Thomas and Eugene H. Conner, "Henry McMurtrie, M.D. [1793-1865]: First Historian and Promoter of Louisville," The Filson Club History Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 4 (1969), pp. 311-324.

⁷⁴The Hope Distillery, located about 15th Street and Portland Avenue was built about 1817, but in 1826, only a large deserted brick structure remained of the once thriving operation described by Henry McMurtrie, Sketches of Louisville (1819), reprint edition. G. R. Clark Press, Louisville, 1969, pp. 127-130.

⁷⁵This museum was founded in 1818 and continued until 1839 under the directorship of the scientist, Joseph Dorfeuille [1791?-1849]. John James Audubon was employed by the museum as a taxidermist and painter in 1819.

⁷⁶Benjamin Sayre in partnership with Peter Carney was the contractor for the bridge over the Canal.

⁷⁷Canvass White [1790-1834], born in New York, was a merchant sailor prior to taking part in the War of 1812. He was an assistant to Benjamin Wright on the Erie Canal after 1818 and later visited England under the auspices of Governor DeWitt Clinton to study canal construction. As the foremost designer of canal locks, he patented waterproof cement which allowed masonry construction of locks. Before retiring in 1826, White had been chief engineer for the Delaware and Raritan, Lehigh, and Union Canals. In late 1828, White was requested by the Philadelphia stockholders to assume superintendence of the Louisville Canal work which he agreed to do for $10,000 on completion. Resolution of Philadelphia stockholders, 27 October 1828. Copy in Canvass White MMS., Cornell University Library, Ithaca. Although he made subsequent trips to Louisville and had a great influence on the Canal's construction, he did not assume the position evidently because of poor health.

⁷⁸John Douglass [1787-1851] learned the printing business in his native Pennsylvania moving to Indiana in 1820 to print newspapers in Vevay, Madison, and Corydon. As State printer, he moved with the government from Corydon to Indianapolis in 1824 and bought an interest in the Western Censor and Emigrants' Guide. He enlarged the newspaper and changed its name to the Indiana Journal.

⁷⁹On 25 October 1828, both William and J. Hewitt were present at a Louisville and Portland Canal Company stockholders meeting in Philadelphia (resolution of 25 October 1828, Canvass White Papers, Cornell University Library, Ithaca). As William Hewitt [1768-1835] was more active in these proceedings, most likely he took the initiative and travelled to view the site and investigate the problems.

⁸⁰Basil Hall made at least four drawings with the camer lucida when he was in Louisville from 10-14 May 1828. Of particular interest is a view of the Ohio River from Shippingport. The drawings are part of the Hall collection of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington.

⁸¹A notice for "500 Negroes wanted" for the Canal appeared in the Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 10, No. 1011, 14 June 1828, p. [1], col. [5]. Lapham's May 1828 meteorological table appeared in the Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 10, No. 1010, 11 June 1828, p. [3], col. [5].

⁸²Henry Rowe Schoolcraft [1793-1864], born in New York, attended Union and Middlebury Colleges before making several explorations in the West. Lapham was reading about his second expedition in Travels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley: . . ., 1821, Collins and Hannay, New York, 1825. Schoolcraft is best known for

1971] The Journals of Increase Allen Lapham 225

his 1851-1857 publications, Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States.

⁸³Captain John L. Smith of the U. S. Corps of Engineers not only did the preparatory examinations for the Wabash and Erie Canal and the improvement of the Wabash River, but also examined sites for a federal armory in Indiana.

⁸⁴D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 16 June 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

⁸⁵I. A. Lapham to D. Lapham, 22 June 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

⁸⁶D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 23 June 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

⁸⁷John Lee Comstock, M.D. [1789-1858], Elements of Mineralogy, Adapted to the Use of Seminaries and Private Students, S. G. Goodrich, Boston, 1827.

⁸⁸George Rogers Clark built this mill in 1784 but had little opportunity or inclination to operate it. Later it was known as the Bullitt mill.

⁸⁹Several of the Jared Brooks' [d. 1816] maps of 1806 locate General Clark's residence in Clarksville. Lapham's statement is an indication that Clark's house was no longer standing in 1828.

⁹⁰McMurtrie described a fragment of a petrified beech log he found at Clark's point in his Sketches of Louisville (1819) reprint edition, G. R. Clark Press, Louisville, 1969, p. 81.

⁹¹Judge Bates, the chief engineer, had been asked by the Louisville and Portland Canal Company to void the contract with Carney, Sayre and Company under charges made by the resident engineer, John R. Henry. Bates objected to the alleged charges and resigned. He very weakly supported Henry for chief engineer but evidently there was too little time or desire to find a better replacement. Henry proved to be a poor choice and a source of embarrassment to the Canal Company. Carney, Sayre and Company vs. Louisville and Portland Canal Company, Jefferson Circuit Court, "Old Circuit Court Common Law" suit 19,707 (1830). Also the original contractors agreed to finally turn over to the Canal Company all their equipment which they had sold to the Company on 4 March 1828. Op. cit., Jefferson Circuit Court, Chancery division suit 2688 (1830).

⁹²Lapham's June 1828 meteorological table appeared in the Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 10, No. 1018, 9 July 1828, p. [3], col. [3].

⁹³D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 2 July 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

⁹⁴For additional information see, the Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 10, No. 1018, 9 July 1828, p. [3], col. [5].

⁹⁵Lapham noted on p. 28 of his copied journal (Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin) that the engineer's salary was $1,500.

⁹⁶No record can be found of Dr. Dalton, indicating he may have been passing through Louisville when Lapham consulted him.

⁹⁷I. A. Lapham to D. Lapham, 8 July 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

⁹⁸I. A. Lapham to D. Lapham, 12 July 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society. Increase wanted to move to Ohio because of his homesickness and a desire for better wages and working conditions.

⁹⁹Western Tiller, Vol. 2, No. 46 . . . 96, 11 July, 1828. p. [2], col. [1-2]. This was a partial reprint of Lapham's article which had appeared in April in the American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1828), pp. 65-67. His description of the geology of the Falls was omitted.

¹⁰⁰D. Laphame to I. A. Lapham, 2 July 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

¹⁰¹George Scougal was a blacksmith and supplied iron to the canal contractors.

¹⁰²John A. Tarascon [d. 1825] began to build the six-story flour mill in 1815. Located on Shippingport's northeast river front, the $150,000 mill produced 500 barrels a day.

Samuel Prescott Hildreth [1783-1863], moved to Marietta, Ohio in 1806 upon receiving his degree from the Massachusetts Medical Society. He published extensively on the natural history and later the history of Ohio.

¹⁰³I. A. Lapham to D. Lapham, 27 July 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

¹⁰⁴Thomas Ferguson had been indicted on 15 May 1828 for another crime. Jefferson Circuit Court, Old Circuit Court Common Law Order Book, 23, p. 29. There is no record of an indictment for the murder described by Lapham, indicating a successful escape.

226 The Filson Club History Quarterly [Vol. 45

¹⁰⁵ Lapham's July 1818 meteorological table appeared in the Louisville Public Advertiser, Vol. 10, No. 1927, 9 August 1828, p. [3], col. [4].

¹⁰⁶ I. A. Lapham to D. Lapham, 4 August 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

¹⁰⁷ The Jackson Republican ticket included William T. Barry, governor; John Breathitt, lt. governor; James Guthrie, John P. Oldham, and Peter W. Grayson, State legislators from Jefferson County.

¹⁰⁸ Thomas Tredgold [1788-1829], A Practical Treatise on Railroads and Carriages, Showing the Principles of Estimating their Strength, Proportions, Expense, and Annual Produce, and the Conditions Which Render Them Effective, Economical, and Durable; With The Theory, Effect and Expense of Steam Carriages, Stationary Engines, and Gas Machines, E. Bliss & E. White, New York, 1825.

¹⁰⁹ D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 4 August 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

¹¹⁰ James Hughes was elected as president to replace Berthoud, not Nathan Davidson [1779-1849] as Lapham thought. Davidson, a Philadelphia merchant and agent, represented the principal stockholders who resided in Philadelphia. Hughes, who was the president of the U.S. Branch Bank, had been the first president of the Canal Company.

¹¹¹ D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 9 August 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.

¹¹² Henry Clay [1777-1852] was campaigning for John Quincy Adams [1767-1848] in the 1828 election against Jackson whom he had defeated for the presidency in a House vote in 1824. In that election, Clay supported Adams, who in turn appointed Clay secretary of state, a position he held until Jackson's victory in 1828. The first strong advocate for internal improvements, Clay had the support of the Canal people. (Also see Lapham's diary for 11 October 1828).

¹¹³ John Lee Comstock [1789-1858], History of the Greek Revolution; Compiled from Official Documents of the Greek Government, Sketches of the War in Greece by Philip James Green, . . . and Other authentic sources, W. W. Reed & Co., New York, 1828.

¹¹⁴ John Woodhouse Audubon [1812-1862] was evidently going to school in Bardstown, Kentucky during much of this period and therefore was not the frequent companion of Lapham that his brother Victor was. John later was a clerk for his Uncle William Bakewell.

¹¹⁵ Lapham inserted a drawing of the crane in his "Map of the Louisville and Portland Canal." See fn. 35. He stated, on p. 66 (fn. 35) that Mr. Orange Dibble of New York invented it. This should not be confused with a Dibble crane which is a boring rig, not a lifting mechanism which Lapham described.

¹¹⁶ Dr. Clapp's home and office, at Main and Pearl streets in New Albany, is presently occupied by the South Side Cafe.

¹¹⁷ This is a rare reference to the island on which General Clark landed prior to his expedition into the Illinois country in 1778. It was generally called Corn Island and was visible at the foot of 11th Street until inundated by the effect of the McAlpine Dam. Lapham interchanges Clarks Island with Corn Island frequently

¹¹⁸ John Coleman Rogers [1781-1855], a native of Virginia, moved as a youth to Bryant's Station, near Lexington, Kentucky. He apprenticed under Samuel Brown, M.D. [1769-1830], then studied at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, as a private pupil of Charles Caldwell, M.D. [1772-1853]. He practiced in numerous locations in Kentucky and Ohio before settling in Louisville. He helped obtain the charter for the Louisville Medical Institute, and founded the Kentucky School of Medicine. Dr. Rogers was chairman of the Board of Directors of the Louisville and Portland Canal Company in 1827 and was for a long time involved with the affairs of the Canal. His office which Lapham visited was on Jefferson Street between 4th and 5th streets.

¹¹⁹ Parker Cleveland [1780-1858], Elementary Treatise on Mineralogy and Geology being an introduction to the study of these sciences, and designed for the use of pupils, for persons attending lectures on these subjects and as a companion for travelers in the United States of America, Cummings and Hilliard, Boston, 1816. This was the first treatise on mineralogy and geology published in America. Cleveland served as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy (1805-28) and professor of mineralogy and natural philosophy (1828-58) at Bowdoin College.

¹²⁰ Contract dated 20 August 1828 entered as evidence in the Louisville Portland Canal Company vs. William E. Perrine, et al., Jefferson Circuit Court, Chancery division suit 2688 (1830).

¹²¹ D. Lapham to I. A. Lapham, 1 September 1828. Copy, Lapham MSS., State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Ohio Historical Society.