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 _JIEPR?IMACK' BrP-E;
was commenced, and its completion rendered the stock of the Navi gation Canal valueless; but in the year 18;22 it was enlarged for
manufacturing purposes. The Merrimack and Hlamilton Canals
were commenced in the same year. The Western Canal was com menced early in 182,, and the Eastern Canal was built in 1835.
The Underground (or:Moody Street) Canal- one-fourth of a mile
long — was constructed in 1848. The Northern Canal was built
in 1846-7, and is one mile in length, one hundred feet wide, and
sixteen feet deep. This canal was designed to reduce the current,
which was found to be inconveniently strong in the other canals,
while at the same time it gave two feet more " head" to some of
the mills. The total united length of the Lowell canals is above
five miles. The dam at Pawtucket Falls - a substantial stone struc ture -was built in 1825. The perpetual power at this point of
the river is ten thousand horse-power, while the great companies
along the lower Merrimnack maintain a reserve of more than one hun dred miles of surface in the great reservoirs in Northern New
Hampshire, which they can reduce, by artificial arrangements, to the
depth of several feet, and thus increase the natural and enormous
power of the river at pleasure. The perpendicular fall is thirty-four
feet; that of Ilunt's Falls- two miles below- is ten feet, but is
not, at present, considered available for manufacturing purposes.
If aboriginal history and Indian customs give interest to this
river, with how much more does civilization and well-directed intelligence invest it! Any one who reads the history of Lowell, especially its early history, must feel a glow of pride, if he reads with
attention the sketches of the character of its founders as a manufacturing, city, which, to be complete, such a work must contain. That
the idea of applying the water of the Merrimack River, at this place,
to mechanical and manufacturing purposes to the extent and magnitude with which it was applied, and so successfully, too, shows uncommon foresi,lght and judgment in those persons who conceived and
carried into execution the great plan. From the first moment of the
conception of the great scheme of building up a manufacturing city
at these falls no element of character seemed wanting to ensure success. Patrick T. Jacklson, Kirk Boott, Nathan Appleton, Francis
Cabot Lowell, and their coworkers were emphatically the fou)ders
of Lowell. They were not merely builders, but designers. They
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