Box 1, Folder 5: Diaries 1827-1828

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Mr. Henry visited us this afternoon [p. 134] and said he had some surveying to do for the U.S. Bank & that I must go to Louisville and get A Compass in the Morning.

Monday March 3. Agreeable to the above: I went to Louisville this morning and borrowed A compass of Mr. Joice.⁵⁴ At noon We commenced our survey of a tract of land containing 2000 acres laying south of Shippingsport & Portland, & West of Louisville.⁵⁵ I came home at night cold & tired with wet feet, And, (having drank a good mug of Beer with Mr. Henry) a head rather above the common order.

March 4. I took breakfast with Mr. Henry in order that I might be ready by the time he was for [p. 135] a trip on the land, which I have been traversing back and forth ever since. It is all covered with forest trees of the Beech Oak poplar &c are the most conspicuous. It contains also a large number of ponds, to get a correct map of which was the principal object of Our Journey. They are nearly dry in summer and support numerous trees particularly the Red or water Maple (Acer rubrum) which grows very tall and are thickly scattered over the surface. The alder {blank in MSS.} covers those which contains the most water & we also observed a species of wild Rose (Rosa {blank in MSS.} ) growing with the alder. The soil is composed every where of a yellow clay covered with a layer of vegetable mold to the [p. 136] [depth] of 5 or 6 inches on the arable lands. On the little ridge which binds one of the largest of these ponds above mentioned I observed several chestnut trees (Castanea vesca B. americana) the existence of which so near us I had not before suspected. Numerous hogs (Sus scrofa) are turned loose in these woods which keep fat all winter on the hickory nuts beech nuts &c which they find in great plenty, they have become very wild. We saw the Crow (Crovus corone) Ducks (Anas boschus). The king fisher (Alceas alcyon) two or three species of woodpeckers (Picies) Pigeon (Columba migatora) And a great many species of smaller birds which were (as it was a fine day for them) seen in great numbers flying about in every direction from bush to bush and enlivening the lovely woods with their sweet & melodious [p. 137] music. The flowers of the Red maple (Acer rubrum) and the leaves of the Elder (Sambucus {blank in MSS} ) & Blackberry (Rhubus velossus) have allready made their appearance. The heavy frost last night must have been very injurious to them for I saw a great number of the flowe[r]s of the Red maple laying on the ground. We chained A road from the west end of the lot to Louisville (3 1/2 miles) where we stopped And took our dinners at a grocery on Crackers & Cheese.

Wednesday March 5. After doing some work up the Canal I was en

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gagued with Mr. Henry at Drawing a map of the land we had examined. Mr. Henry went to Louisville (which is now a city)⁵⁶ to get some paper of a size larger than any we had, but was unsuccessful. {See continuation at end of 15 March entry.} [page 138]

Thursday March 6th. I helped finish the map above mentioned this morning. After dinner I worked a little while on the canal, then Mr. Henry went to Louisville & I had nothing to do. I then commenced reading Eaton's Geological Survey of the Erie Canal.

March 7th. My Birth Day! ! seventeen years old today: heigh ho! After taking seventeen severe beatings this morning I went to Mr. Henry's room where I had some writing to do until noon. After Dinner I went to Louisville to return the compass we had borrowed of Mr. Joice. on the way I found a small herbac[eo]us plant the flowers of which had begun to expand. I observed that it belonged to the pentandria monegyia [?] class & order, corolla; leaves fleshy thick. [p. 139]

Saturday March 8. A little appearance of rain this morning. After doing a little job for Mr. Henry; I stayed in my room until after Dinner when I had to go up the canal a little way, but soon returned and have been in my room ever since.

We have for some time past been trying to get "Darius" into business on the Louis & Portland Canal. The Board of Directors have adapted a new mode of Paying their Contractors which is to pay their expenses to the persons to whom they are due and paying the profit of the job to the contractors themselves.⁵⁷ This is likely to make so much more work for the Engineer as to make the services of an extra hand necessary. It is Mr. Henry's wish that they should employ an engineer who with myself as Rodman would [p. 140] [do] the business which was formerly done by him & Myself (as leveling stakes &c), and he himself do the extra work. Darius is the person fixed upon by Mr. Henry as this engineer. But the Directors are unwilling to pay the wages of an engineer but will hire a rodman or a penman to Do the extra business. In this case Mr. Henry is to make me use the Level and the person who is employed, to act as Rodman under me. If this be the case I am certainly entitled to the salary of an engineer, and (with my present wages; $12 per month) I will object to this arrangement. As the Directors are unwilling to hire an engineer "Darius" will probably return to the Welland Canal in upper Canada, about the first of May next. [p. 141]

Sunday March 9. A great number of pigeons was seen flying about today in different Directions. Darius was engaged in preparing a letter for Mr. Barret⁵⁸ containing a description of the tow pressure Steam Engine.

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The Black bird ({blank in MSS.}) first came under my observation today as I was walking in the fields.

March 10. A Rainy Day although I done some work on the Canal.

March 11. This afternoon our Water puppy {note at bottom: Friton lateralis, Say} was found dead in the bottom of the vessel in which he had lived since the 4th of Feb. last. For a few days past he became more noisy than common which I supposed to be on account of the increased warmth of the [p. 142] weather. It was not certainly owing to any pain agony or misery: for we got two others of his species today which make full as much noise. We also got two small specimens of soft shelled tortoises (Testudo ferox). There was nothing to do on the canal today and I stayed in my Room.

Yesterday in examining some Coal from the Pittsburgh mines I found some Iron pyrites and some specimens of the coal possessed irridessent colors of which Specimen No 6 is one.

The tortoises mentioned above are spotted on the back; spots larger on the middle and gradually diminish in size and increase in number until they approach the margin. [p. 143]

Wed. March 12. I stayed in my Room all day this day having nothing to do on the canal and as it rained in the AM. I did not go to school.

It appears that the Triton lateralis lives principally on angle worms ( blank n MSS.} ); a great number of which were found this morning in the tub in which they were kept, which had be[e]n voided by them during the night.

March 13. I worked on the Canal all the forenoon. In the afternoon I worked part of the time in Writing for Mr. Henry, and the rest spent in my room reading. Darius was engaged at drawing perspective. One of the tortoises died today. One of them was about 3 and the other about 2 in. in Diameter. [p. 144]

Friday March 14, 1828. Before dinner I was in Mr Henry's room copying the reports and contractors bills into his Books. In the afternoon there was nothing for me to do on the canal & I commenced reading Basal Halls Voiges⁵⁹ which I borrowed from Mr. Victor Audubon.

March 15. I stayed in my Room all day reading the above Books. {En closed notation follows} March 5. We saw the Mistletoe (Viscum virticellatum) on the Elm (Ulumus {blank in MSS.} ) in the low wet grounds or swamps or pond as they are called. I had not suspected that the mistletoe grew any where except near the river before today. This should come under March 5.

March 16. I stayed at home with the exception of an hour or so [p. 145] in the afternoon when I took a walk with "Darius" into the woods south

24 The Filson Club History Quarterly [Vol. 45

of this place but found nothing to interest the Botanist. The Ornithologist would have been in some degree interested; but very little.

Monday March 17. St. Patrick’s Day! ! Irishmen all drink before night! ! An effigy appeared on a poll this morning with a string of potatoes about his neck; but he soon disappeared. I worked a little on the canal both before & after dinner.

N.B. Should any person, except perhaps the author himself, be reading this Journal, he is, when he comes to this place requested, and do hereby order him not to read the rest part of the notes for this day. Should this be violated, offender is to be compelled to [p. 146] drag a canal Boat from Lake Erie to Hudson River; and above all he will be under the severe penalty of not being allowed to read any more in the Journal at all. The Auther.

Tuesd. March 18. I went to school where I have not been sence the last Day of the last month.

Wednesday 19. I went to School. The buds of the Cotton tree (Populus angulata) containing the Masoaline flowers beginning to open.

Thursday 20 March. Mr. D. S. Bates principal Engineer arrived today verry unwell.

I was kept tramping about on the canal nearly all day. The peach trees are in full bloom.

March 21. Worked in Mr. Henry's room all the forenoon. In the afternoon I was on the canal. The earth which is excavated is of two kinds first a bluish clay with fine sand & gravil; and 2d yellowish clay with fine sand {note at bottom: see end of Book}. The blue is the inferior strata laying immediately upon the rock. It is of different thicknesses; but extending the whole length of the canal. The yellow contains minute shining particles (of Quartz?) lays immediately upon the blue variety and is thicker extending to the surface of the ground and indeed it is almost the only kind excavated at present. It never contains the remains of old trees which are found so plentiful in the blue variety.

Had all the earth been deposited here by the river as has been supposed: [p. 148] why are not these logs found in the yellow variety as well as the blue? since it must have been deposited also by the river and since the blue was Deposited. Bones of Deer have & Indian Implements have been found in the blue but not in the yellow variety.

Sat. March 22. I employed most of my time today in making two plans of the Bridge over the Canal.⁶⁰ The meteorological Tables for Jan & Feb appeared in the "Louisville public advertiser" this week.⁶¹

Sunday March 23. Judge Bates kept me nearly all the time Drawing

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plans of the Bridge in the following manner. He would suggest an improvement. [p. 149] The next thing is that I mus[t] draw a plan ex[h]ibiting that improvement. Thus I have already drawn three different plans, and only in one instance has he made more than one improvement to a plan. {22 exclamation marks follow} and I have even now no hope of being one half Done.

Martins ( {Blank in MSS.} ) appeared and began their aerial avocations a few days ago.

Monday March 24. I was engaged nearly all this day assisting Mr. Bates & Henry examining some patterns for the King Stone of the arch Bridge over the Canal.

Mr. Audubon says that he hopes the meteorological table for this month will look more fair than the tw[o] proceeding months (fair Days). [p. 150]

Tuesday 25th March 1828. I had two more plans of the Bridge to draw today: but as I had no paper I was under the necessity of going to Louisville to buy some. In my return I observed three plants in flower neither of which do I know the names of. The birds which ornamented the fields were the Blackbird & the martin the flocks of pigeons which flew over head done little more than excite our wonder at their number's.

Father is now out of business. He had been employed to build the gates to the Locks: about 3 months ago he started the Idea of building an Iron Gate for the locks which is now adapted and the building of them is to be done by the Directors not by the contractors; and Father has in this way thrown himself out [P.151] of Business entirely.

This evening Judge Bates made me a present of five Dollars and said he should start at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning for Cincinnati. Last evening we received a letter from Pazzi. Darius brought from the woods east of Louisville Also two small plants in flower.

March 26 Wednesday. The wind is very high and boisterous notwithstanding this I was on the lock all the forenoon for the sole purpose of seeing whether the masons do their duty. This morning I was awakened by Judge Bates who had found a mistake in one of the plans I had Drawn yesterday. I accordingly set down and Drew another, after examining it he went to Louisville and for all I know has since gone [p. 152] on towards Cincinnati. He left a small job for Father to do, which is the making of the patterns for the hollow quoin posts which are to be of cast Iron. I do not know the extent of this job but I should think that it was not very extensive. The river is now so low that the noise of the rapids can be herd at our house very distinctly in clear weather.

Thursday March 27, 1828. The Leaves of the Liriodendron tulipifera,