The Merrimack River: its source and its tributaries. Embracing a history of manufactures, and of the towns along its course; their geography, topography, and products, with a description of the magnificent natural scenery about its upper waters./ By J. W. Meader.

. THE MERRIMA[C RIVER;
placing his broad shoulders against the ice, with almost superhuman
power broke through, and thus saved himself from death by his cool ness, presence of mind, and gigantic strength.
Having decided to commence active operations at Amoskeag Falls,
and having bought out the proprietors of the Garvin's Falls Water Power Company at Concord, the Amoskeag Land and Water Power
Company in 1836 commenced operations by constructing a substan tial dam at the falls with massive guard locks on the east side of
the river. From these locks a canal was dug seventy-five feet wide,
and narrowing down to forty-five feet, and ten feet deep. This
canal is five thousand feet long, and terminates a few rods north of
the passenger station, on the Concord Railroad. This is called the
upper canal; the lower canal extends from a point near the Stark
Mills to the weir below Granite Street.
In 1845, the upper canal was extended to its present terminus, a
distance of five thousand feet from the basin. At the same time the
lower canal was extended south to the weirs below Granite Street,
and north over the track of the Blodget Canal to the Basin, its
whole length being seven thousand two hundred and fifty feet.
As the company had, in purchasiing the Amoskeag Canal interest,
guaranteed to keep it open around the falls, locks were constructed
near the site of the mfcGregor Bridge, and thus communication was
still kept open between the canal and the river. The fall, from the
upper to the lower canal is twenty feet, and from the lower canal to.
the river, thirty-four feet.
The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was chartered in 1831,
with a capital of one million six hundred thousand dollars;. the old
company, on the west side of the river, being the nucleus of the
new company. The capital of this company has been increased to
three million dollars. I-Ion. E. A. Straw is the agent.
The Stark Slills were incorporated in 1838; the capital of this
company is one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and
Phineas Adams, Esq., is the agent.
The Manchester Mills company was incorporated 1839, with a
capital of one million dollars. The stock was afterwards increased
to one million five hundred thousand dollars, and its name changed
to the' Merrimack Mills." In 1851, the name of the corporation
was changed to the "Manchester Printworks," and the following
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