Page:Final Report of the Northwest Territory Celebration Commission.pdf/36

 "Captain" Henry Fischer from the U.S. Engineer Repair Station, while the original company had five.

The outfit worked but eight hours per day and half days on Saturday, while the men of 1788 probably worked from dawn to dark every day.

As has been said, all timber now had to be hauled several miles, rather than the few feet necessary 150 years ago. And these young men had never used the early tools, nor were they as used to this kind of work as were their predecessors.

There was some accusation of " by the members of the 1938 caravan, but the fact remains that the boats were completed in 85% of the time required by the Ohio Company men of 1788.

We often hear the comment today that we are getting soft as_a people, that we cannot stand up to, the hard work and the privations which our forefathers endured. But, whatever may be true of adult America, these boys proved that they could not only stand up to it but could beat their ancestors' records.

There was not one stick of timber in all these boats which was not prepared in the same manner as, and with similar tools too, those employed a hundred and fifty years ago,

When it came to getting this "fleet" out of the Youghiogheny River a totally different situation prevailed. The original pioneers came out on a flood, but in 1938 the river was the lowest it had been in many years. Never considered a navigable stream, several dams had been built decades ago and later destroyed by floods, leaving their broken foundations as additional hazards of navigation and building up shoals with which the 1788 group had in nowise to contend. It appeared almost certain that the boats would not get out of this dangerous river, nor would they have, except for the superhuman effort of some of the pioneers with the assistance of outsiders.

Even once safely upon the Monongahela a very different situation from colonial days applied.

The dams now in use for navigation purposes destroyed the current which was the motive power of early days, and it was therefore necessary to use a "pusher boat" loaned by the U.S. Government Engineers Department.

This boat was concealed as much as possible and the effect did not vary materially from the fleet of 1788.

The arrival at Marietta needs special mention here.

The day was dark and rainy, perfectly akin to, the day of arrival a hundred and fifty years ago when in the mist the fleet drifted by the mouth of the Muskingum and had to be towed back by the soldiers of Fort Harmar.

Likewise did the flotilla of 1938, which arrived but four minutes late on its scheduled time.

"Soldiers" rushed out from the Fort Harmar site, and using rowboats, towed the fleet back to the landing point on the east bank of the Muskingum. There, a group of Delaware Indians met the pioneers, even as had occurred originally.

Great credit is also due the U.S. Engineers for the arrangement for this historic landing, as considerable effort on their part