Gazette Of The United States And Daily Evening Advertiser

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 10.

Extract of a letter from Northampton, Massachusetts, Dec. 31, 1794.

Our navigable Canal at South Hadley Falls in Connecticut river was opened last Wednesday. The President, Directors and other Proprietors with about fifty passengers had the pleasure of sailing out of the Canal into the Machine prepared to receive the loaded boats—after we were in, the water was let out of the machine; and the sluice gate being hoisted, the wheel of the machinery was put in motion, and moved majestically down the inclined plane till we reached the water below—We were then by means of the water operating on the same wheel machinery, drawn back (or made to ascend this stupendous artificial acclivity) and sailed out of the machine into the Canal again.

I do assure you, my friend, we were very much delighted—Every thing operated in every point of view agreeable to our most sanguine wishes.

Thus perfect the theory—thus complete the execution of the works! This is the first experiment in this country for overcoming so great a fall of water by means of the inclined plane—and I believe the experiment has not been made in any country on such extensive principles—and in several important parts of this work we have a clear title to originality.

This inclined plane with its concomitant machinery is well worthy the inspection of the curious and ingenious artisan, and of the philosophic mechanic—both would be entertained—perhaps instructed!

The machine constructed for the purpose of conveying the boats up and down the inclined plane was invented by Mr. Prescott, our Superintendant—a gentleman of great mechanical ingenuity—I shall therefore call it, in honor of the inventor, the Prescottian Machine.

As you have never seen the works I will give you a sketch of them—tho' it will be a very imperfect one.

A Dam begins on the western shore near the head of the falls and runs eleven rods into the river; then turns and runs down the river inclining to the eastern shore one hundred and thirty rods—here a strong guard lock is made and connected with the dam and eastern bank of the river—The dam, or a wharf higher than the river ever rises, is then continued thirty rods further to land over which the river never flows; and here the digging of the Canal begins—it is eighteen feet wide, and runs two miles varying greatly in its depth—and terminates through a hill of solid rock fifty three feet higher than the bed of the river below—This perpendicular height of fifty three feet is overcome, or surmounted, by means of water works operating on the inclined plane—The inclined plane joins the Canal at the hill, and gradually descends two hundred and thirty feet to the bed of the river;—and here, the water being shallow, another Canal begins and is dug one hundred and twenty five rods to deep water in the river below the rapids.

At the head of the inclined plane is a simple but ingenious and powerful wheel machinery connected by cables with the Prescottian machine—This is drawn up the inclined plane by throwing a quantity of water out of the Canal thro' a sluice way upon a wheel, and winding the cable round a large cylinder—Loaded boats are also safely let down the plane by throwing a less quantity of water on the same wheel, which in this case, operates as a check, and prevents the machine with its contents from running precipitately down; the operator can at pleasure and in an instant, retard, accelerate or stop the motion of the machine on any part of the inclined plane.

When a boat is to be taken into the machine from the upper Canal, a gate is opened and the water of the Canal fills the machine and the boat sails in—the gate that lets the water in is then shut, and side gates are opened to let the water out: then the water wheel is set in motion, and the machine with the loaded boats in it descends the inclined plane into the water of the lower Canal—here the machine is immediately filled with the water again, and the boat floats off and sails on its course to Hartford—and here also the boats, coming up the river, sail into the machine;—and as it emerges from the Canal the water runs out, and it ascends the inclined plane to the upper Canal where the water is again let in, and the boat floats out, passes thro' the Canal into the river above the falls and proceeds on its destined voyage thro' a fertile and delightful country!

A boat will pass up or down the inclined plane in ten minutes without any manual labor whatever other than opening and shutting gates which is instantaneously done.

Prescottian

The machine for conveying the boats up and down the inclined plane, is made water tight, and is fitted on six strong wheels, three on each side—two near the fore part—two in the centre and two abaft—but of different diameters suited to the inclination of the plane so as to keep the machine and loaded boats perfectly horizontal in this aerial voyage.