The Old Pike Part 44

RECAPITULATION. DR.

To amount received on the Eastern Division $ 8,103 73 To amount received on the Western Division 10,325 52 ------$18,429 25

CR.

By cash paid out on the Eastern Division, per statement $10,847 98-1/4 By cash paid on the Western Division, per statement 7,594 09-1/2 ------$18,442 07-3/4

Balance due Wm. Hopkins, Esq., Superintendent, on the 10th Nov., 1841 $ 12 82-3/4

The undersigned, auditors appointed by the Court of Common Pleas for the county of Was.h.i.+ngton, Pennsylvania, on the 9th day of November, 1841, to audit, settle and adjust the account of William Hopkins, Esq., Commissioner of the c.u.mberland Road, having carefully examined the accounts submitted to them by said Commissioner (a full statement of which is herewith presented), and having compared the vouchers with said account, do find that the said William Hopkins, Commissioner as aforesaid, has expended up to the 10th day of November, 1841, the sum of twelve dollars and eighty-two 3/4 cents more than came into his hands, and that said sum of twelve dollars and eighty-two 3/4 cents was due to him on said day.

In testimony whereof, we have hereto set our hands and seals the 22d day of January, A.D. 1842.

SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM, (SEAL) JOHN K. WILSON, (SEAL) _Auditors._ HENRY LANGLY, (SEAL)

WAs.h.i.+NGTON COUNTY, 88.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.

I, John Grayson, prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas for said county, certify that at a Court of Common Pleas for the county aforesaid, held on the 9th day of November, Anno Domini 1841, Samuel Cunningham, John K. Wilson and Henry Langly were appointed by said Court auditors to settle and adjust the account of William Hopkins, Esq., Commissioner of the c.u.mberland Road, as appears of record in our said Court.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court, the 22d day of January, 1842.

[SEAL] JOHN GRAYSON, _Prothy._

ACCOUNT OF WILLIAM SEARIGHT,

_Commissioner of the c.u.mberland Road in Pennsylvania, from the 1st of May, 1843, to the 31st of December, 1844, inclusive._

TO TOLLS RECEIVED ON THE EASTERN DIVISION, VIZ: DR.

To tolls received from Thos. Grier, Gate No. 1 $4,466 24 " " " " Robert McDowell, Gate No. 2 4,102 70 " " " " James Reynolds, Gate No. 3 4,410 43 " " " " National Road Stage Co 3,200 00 " " " " Express Co 254 00 -------- Total amount received on Eastern Division $16,433 37

TO TOLLS RECEIVED ON THE WESTERN DIVISION, VIZ:

From David Mitch.e.l.l, Gate No. 4 $3,509 32 " Wm. Hill, " No. 5 3,843 87 " Wm. McCleary, " No. 6 4,105 81 " Good Intent Stage Co 8,447 30 Cash received from John S. Brady, on account of Quail's securities 769 44 --------- $20,675 74 ---------- Total receipts $37,109 11

CR.

By cash paid Thomas Grier, collector at Gate No. 1 $333 33 " " Robt. McDowell, " " " No. 2 333 33 " " Jas. Reynolds, " " " No. 3 333 33 " " Dan'l Kaine, for certifying auditors 1 00 " " D. Kaine, Wm. P. Wells and Joseph Gadd 12 00 " " William Jeffries 65 62 " " Geo. Craft, costs 6 60 " " Thos. and Robert Brown 330 63 " " Wm. Hager 3 00 " " Elias Gilmore 2,737 40 " " George Palmer 55 25 " " William C. Stevens 16 80 " " Peter Kerney 1 50 " " James Dougan 42 77 " " Thomas Brownfield 1,922 98 " " Robert S. Henderson 150 00 " " John Malone 30 62 " " Sam'l s.h.i.+pley, admr. of S. Rush 216 03 " " Andrew Bryson 3 00 " " John McCalpin 7 50 " " Thomas McGrath 485 94 " " Samuel Harrah 4 87 " " John Bradfield 1,748 82 " " Robert McDowell 1,041 80 " " Calvin Perry 44 25 " " Wilson Fee 79 93 " " Thomas D. Miller 403 66 " " James Dolan 92 25 " " Upton Shaw 65 75 " " Elijah Crable 36 00 " " Samuel s.h.i.+pley 833 38 " " Matthew McNeil 107 44 " " Fall & Herbertson 24 53 " " James White 8 80 " " Jackson Brown 50 " " J. L. Wylie & Co 1 44 " " Byers & Gregg 35 00 " " William Reynolds 698 87 " " James Marlow 65 15 " " Rudolph Brinkman 82 12 " " William Spaw 99 90 " " Sebastian Rush 92 75 " " John McDowell 809 14 " " Edward G. Roddy 49 84 " " Isaac McLaughlin 5 25 " " George W. Ca.s.s 70 00 " " John Irons, printing 21 50 " " Samuel McDonald, printing 10 00 " " J. & G. S. Gideon 24 00 " " James Veech, professional services 100 00 " " R. P. Flenniken " " 100 00 " " Edward Kerven 140 73 " " Thomas Hougan 30 00 " " Thomas Dougan 51 75 " " John Powell 37 75 " " George Parmertor 71 75 " " Daniel Cannon 329 75 " " Hugh Graham 233 95 " " Morris Whalen 118 28 " " Nicholas Bradley 91 78 " " Perry White 116 06 " " Simon Deal 96 39 " " William McClean 73 23 " " James Collins 27 37 " " James McCartney 82 08 " " Anthony Yarnell 192 65 " " William Conard 1 25 " " Thomas McCoy 33 00 " " James Reynolds 9 47 " " John M. Claybaugh 20 43 " " Robert McDowell 300 44 " " Gadd & Henderson 2,531 50 " " Francis L. Wilkinson 12 29 " " Kerney & Redfern 44 62 " " Matthias Fry 442 67 Depreciated money on hand 10 00 Balance due Commissioner on former settlement 1,580 00 Salary of Commissioner, from May 1st, 1843, to 31st of December, 1844, being 513 days at $3.00 per day 1,539 00

Whole amount expended on Eastern Division -------$22,066 53

BY THE FOLLOWING SUMS EXPENDED ON THE WESTERN DIVISION.

CR.

By cash paid David Mitch.e.l.l, collector Gate No. 4 $ 333 33 " " William Hill, " " No. 5 333 33 " " Wm. McCleary, " " No. 6 333 33 " " E. L. Blaine, for use of Patrick Egan 34 96 " " J. S. Brady, on account of Wm. Paull 41 84 " " William McCleary 7 00 " " James Denison 213 90 " " Henry Masterson 307 87 " " Hiram Freeman 1,402 37 " " Charles Kern 136 72 " " Thomas Egan 263 32 " " John McCollough 956 58 " " Robert Sprowl 2,995 38 " " Adam Fishburn 1 50 " " John Robinson 303 07 " " Joseph Lawson 1,962 50 " " Patrick Egan 203 00 " " John Bradley, admr. of R. Bradley 221 25 " " Thomas Hagerty 87 95 " " John Huston 20 25 " " George Irvin 162 07 " " William Hill 2 81 " " William Paull 161 00 " " Samuel Rodgers 3 00 " " Michael Monahan 55 00 " " Thomas Finley 36 25 " " John Curry 6 00 " " Michael Dougan 9 00 " " McCollough & Gilmore 980 22 " " Charles Murphy 70 00 " " Charles Stillwagon, 75 00 " " Jacob Stillwagon 305 21 " " Jacob Daugherty 229 00 " " Anthony Rentz 534 25 " " Baldwin Miller 3 75 " " William Pepper 13 41 " " Henry Murry 170 66 " " James Thompson 291 17 " " James Hurley 280 63 " " J. J. Armstrong 58 12 " " B. Forester 25 00 " " John Mitch.e.l.l 62 71 " " Mark M. Pa.s.smore 33 75 " " Grayson & Kaine, printing 17 00 " " John Bausman " 15 00 " " Richard Biddle 60 00 " " Michael Price 21 00 " " William Scott 15 00 " " William Hopkins 52 50 " " E. L. Blaine, costs 11 01 " " Thomas Sprout 14 94 " " John Wheeler 62 87 " " Robert Patrick 45 95 " " Cornelius Daly 37 85 " " James McIntyre 226 50 " " William Hastings 125 62 " " Jacob Dixon 6 10 " " Michael Bail 16 00 " " Keyran Tolbert 55 52 " " David b.u.t.ts 2 00 " " James Redman 160 00 " " John Gadd 1,556 53 " " Thomas Hagan 34 50 " " James Gainer 185 56 " " John Whitmire 150 00 " " Peter Kerney 51 50 Depreciated money on hand 5 00 Whole amount expended on Western Division -------$16,655 41

Whole amount expended on Eastern Division 22,066 53 --------- Whole amount expended on both divisions $38,721 94

Balance due Commissioner, December 31, 1844. $ 1,612 83

FAYETTE COUNTY, SS.

We, the undersigned, auditors appointed by the Court of Common Pleas of Fayette county for that purpose, having examined the accounts and vouchers relating to the receipts and expenditures of Wm. Searight, Esq., Superintendent of the c.u.mberland Road, from the 1st day of May, 1843, to the 31st of December, 1844, inclusive, have found the foregoing statement of the same to be correct and true.

H. CAMPBELL, JOHN HUSTON, RICHARD BEESON.

_Auditors._

NOTE.--Gate No. 1 was located at the east end of Petersburg, Gate No. 2 was near Mt. Was.h.i.+ngton, Gate No. 3 was near Searights, Gate No. 4 was near Beallsville, Gate No. 5 was near Was.h.i.+ngton, and Gate No. 6 near West Alexander.

RATES OF TOLL.

The following were the rates of toll fixed by the act of April 11th, 1831, which were subsequently, however, changed: For every score of sheep or hogs, six cents; for every score of cattle, twelve cents; for every led or driven horse, three cents; for every horse and rider, four cents; for every sleigh or sled, for each horse or pair of oxen drawing the same, three cents; for every dearborn, sulky, chair or chaise, with one horse, six cents; for every chariot, coach, coachee, stage, wagon, phaeton, chaise, with two horses and four wheels, twelve cents; for either of the carriages last mentioned with four horses, eighteen cents; for every other carriage of pleasure, under whatever name it may go, the like sum, according to the number of wheels and horses drawing the same; for every cart or wagon whose wheels shall exceed two and one-half inches in breadth, and not exceeding four inches, four cents; for every horse or pair of oxen drawing the same, and every other cart or wagon, whose wheels shall exceed four inches, and not exceeding five inches in breadth, three cents; for every horse or pair of oxen drawing the same, and for every other cart or wagon whose wheels shall exceed six inches, and not more than eight inches, two cents; for every horse or pair of oxen drawing the same, all other carts or wagons whose wheels shall exceed eight inches in breadth, shall pa.s.s the gates free of tolls, and no tolls shall be collected from any person or persons pa.s.sing or repa.s.sing from one part of his farm to another, or to or from a mill, or to or from any place of public wors.h.i.+p, funeral, militia training, elections, or from any student or child going to or from any school or seminary of learning, or from persons and witnesses going to and returning from courts, or from any wagon or carriage laden with the property of the United States, or any canon or military stores belonging to the United States, or to any State. The reader will note that the exemptions provided for by this act are changed by force of the act of May 3, 1850, which authorized the commissioner and the court of quarter sessions to determine who and what shall be exempt from the payment of toll. A large wide board, having the appearance of a mock window, was firmly fixed in the walls of every toll house, displaying in plain letters the rates above given, so that the wayfarer might not err therein.

MR. GALLATIN DEFINES HIS ATt.i.tUDE AS TO THE LOCATION OF THE ROAD, AND GIVES INSTRUCTIONS TO DAVID SHRIVER, SUPERINTENDENT.

When the road was authorized to be constructed by Congress, Mr. Gallatin was Secretary of the Treasury, and a citizen of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. His home was "Friends.h.i.+p Hill," in Springhill towns.h.i.+p, near New Geneva, about fifteen miles south of Uniontown, afterward the home of Hon. John L. Dawson. It was intimated in various quarters that Mr. Gallatin was desirous of having the road located through or near his place, and that he used his official influence to further his desire in this regard. The following letter, however, to his old friend David Acheson, of Was.h.i.+ngton, Pennsylvania, shows that the intimations mentioned were without foundation:

NEW YORK, September 1, 1808.

DAVID ACHESON, ESQ., Was.h.i.+ngton, Pa.

_Dear Sir_: On receipt of your letter respecting the Western Road, I immediately transmitted it to the President at Monticello. I was under the impression that he had previously directed the Commissioners to examine both routes and to report to him. It seems, however, that it had not then been yet done. But on the 6th ultimo he wrote to them to make an examination of the best route through Was.h.i.+ngton to Wheeling, and also to Short Creek, or any other point on the river offering a more advantageous route towards Chillicothe and Cincinnati, and to report to him the material facts with their opinion for consideration.

That it is the sincere wish of the President to obtain all the necessary information in order that the road should pursue the route which will be of the greatest public utility no doubt can exist. So far as relates to myself, after having, with much difficulty, obtained the creation of a fund for opening a great western road, and the act pointing out its general direction, it is sufficiently evident from the spot on the Monongahela which the road strikes, that if there was any subsequent interference on my part it was not of a selfish nature. But the fact is that in the execution of the law I thought myself an improper person, from the situation of my property, to take the direction which would naturally have been placed in my hands, and requested the President to undertake the general superintendence himself. Accept the a.s.surance of friendly remembrance, and of my sincere wishes for your welfare and happiness.

Your obedt servant, ALBERT GALLATIN.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, March 9th, 1813.

_Sir_: You will herewith receive the plot of the road as laid by the Commissioners from the 21st mile to Uniontown.

I approve of having a stone bridge across Little Youghiogheny, and the measures necessary to secure masons should be adopted, but the site cannot be fixed until you have examined whether any alterations in the course be practicable. In that respect I beg leave to refer you to my former letters. As soon as your examination of the ground has taken place, and the alterations you may have found practicable shall have been received and approved, public notice may be given inviting proposals to contract for completing the road as far as Big Yioughiogheny river; an additional appropriation of $140,000 having been made by Congress. You will therefore perceive that in every point of view your examination of the ground is the first object to attend to.

I have the honor to be, respectfully, sir,

Your obt. servant, ALBERT GALLATIN.

D. Shriver, jr., c.u.mberland, Md.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, April 17th, 1813.

_Sir_: Your letter of the 3d inst. has been duly received. The princ.i.p.al object in finally fixing the course of the road is its permanency and durability without the necessity of perpetual and expensive repairs. To select, therefore, the best ground which that mountainous country will afford, avoiding, as far as practicable, cutting along the side of steep and long hills, always exposed to be washed away, appears to be one of first importance. The other considerations, subordinate to the selection of the best ground, but to be also attended to, are, the expense of making the road, the shortness of the distance and the accommodation (by intersecting lateral roads) of important settlements not on the line of the road.