Page:America's Highways 1776–1976.djvu/12

 Despite the primitive condition of the roads, a land postal service was operated by the colonial authorities between the principal cities of the eastern seaboard. In 1729, 4 weeks were required to send a letter from Boston to Williamsburg, Virginia. For the most part, the mail was carried on foot or by post riders on horseback who averaged about 4 miles per hour, with no night travel.

The mails were speeded up considerably during Benjamin Franklin’s long tenure as Deputy and Associate Postmaster General, from 1737 to 1757, and 1762 to 1773. Within a year after his appointment, Franklin had so improved the service that a letter could be sent from Philadelphia to Boston and a reply returned in 3 weeks. After 1764, Franklin made the mails move day and night between Philadelphia and New York, and this fast service was later extended to Boston.

As early as 1750, there was a regular stage-wagon service from Philadelphia to New York via Trenton and Brunswick. Just before the Revolution, passengers could travel by stage from Philadelphia to the Paulus Hook (now Jersey City) ferry in 2 days in good weather, and public passenger stages were available for the journey from New York to Boston.

Under colonial laws patterned after those of the mother country, roadmaking and mending were responsibilities of the local governments—the towns in New England and the counties in other colonies. In the former, the elected town officers, among them a surveyor of highways, were charged with the upkeep of highways, private ways, causeways and bridges; and were authorized to remove obstructions from the highways, to dig for stone, gravel, clay or marl in any land not planted or enclosed, and to command the labor, on appointed days after public notice, of all persons over 16 years of age for work on the roads.

In Virginia, the County Court, composed of eight or more gentleman inhabitants elected by the freeholders and approved by the Governor, was responsible for the condition of the roads and bridges. The court could contract for necessary road work or direct that it be performed gratis by the “tithable males” under the direction of the precinct surveyors, or foremen. Tithable persons were local residents over 16 years of age, whether free, slave, or indentured. Owners of two or more tithables could send them as substitutes in lieu of working in person.

The Flying Machine.