History of New Brunswick

by Peter Fisher

There are several falls in the river, which obstruct the navigation. There are, however, several fine settlements along its banks, and the adjoining country is first improving.

River Saint John.

This noble river encircles a large portion of New-Brunswick, and may be considered as the principal drain of those numerous rivers and streams with which the Province is intersected. Winding in an irregular semi-circle, it traverses an extent of about five hundred miles, and falls into the Bay of Fundy nearly in the same parallel of latitude in which it takes its rise.

It may not be improper to observe, that most of the rivers and streams in this country were originally named by the Indians, who generally, by the names they give, wish to signify something peculiar to the thing named; consequently the Indian name of this river, which they call "Looshtook," signifies long river.—It rises from lakes near the head of Connecticut river, between the 45th and 46th degrees of north latitude, and stretches to the northward, beyond the 47th degree of north latitude, where it receives the waters of the Madawaska river, which rises near the St. Lawrence. It then inclines to the southward, and continues its course uninterrupted, receiving several large streams, till it arrives at the Grand Falls, in lat. 46° 54'. Here its channel is broken by a chain of rocks, which run across the river at this place, over which its waters are precipitated with resistless impetuosity. The river, just above the cataract, makes a short bend of nearly a right angle, forming a small bay a few rods above the precipice, in which there is an eddy, which makes it a safe landing place, although very near the main precipice, where canoes pass with the greatest safety. Immediately below this bay, the river suddenly contracts. A point of rocks project from the western shore and narrow the channel to the width of a few rods. The waters thus pent up sweep over the rugged bottom with great rapidity; just before they reach the main precipice they rush down a descent of some feet, and rebound in foam from a bed of rocks on the edge of the fall. They are then precipitated down perpendicular cliffs of about forty-five feet in height, into an abyss studded with rocks, which nearly choke the passage, leaving only a small opening in the centre, through which the water, after whirling for some time in the bason, rushes with tremendous impetuosity, sweeping through a broken rocky channel and a succession of falls for more than half a mile, being closely pent up with rocks, which in some places overhang the river so as to hide most part of it from the view of the observer. Trees and timber, which are carried down the falls, are sometimes whirled round in the bason below the precipice till they are ground to pieces; sometimes their ends are tapered to a point, and at other times broken or crushed in different places. Below the falls there is another small bay with a good depth of still water, very convenient for collecting timber, &c. after it has escaped through the falls. Here the canoes and boats from Fredericton and different parts of the river land, and if bound for Madawaska they are taken out of the water and carried or drawn, as well as their loads, across the isthmus to the small bay above the falls before mentioned, where they are again put in the water, and proceed without any farther interruption to the upper settlements and the Canada line. The distance of the portage, including the windings of the road up the hill is about 100 rods from water to water. Flat bottomed boats, from fifteen to twenty tons burthen, can come from St. John to this place, which is a distance of about two hundred and twenty-three miles. No larger craft than canoes have as yet been used above the falls. This has not arisen from any defect in the river, which above the falls is smooth and of sufficient depth for large vessels; but from the habits of the French settlers, who are partial to canoes, which they set through the rapids with poles at a great rate, and with which they shoot the cataracts and rapids with great address.

About a mile below the landing place a succession of rapids commence. The first from their appearance are called the white rapids. The banks are here every high, and the water being pent up by a narrow channel, rushes through the beds of rocks which nearly cross the river, and whirling about in their passage are forced over and around the crags in sheets of foam. A few miles below the falls the river is increased by the junction of the Salmon, Restook, and Tobique rivers, which will be noticed hereafter. It then continues its course without interruption, receiving every few miles some considerable streams, till it reaches the Maductic Falls. Its course is nearly south, and its width about a quarter of a mile, occasionally widening and contracting from the Grand Falls to Woodstock, where it widens to near a mile and forms several fine Islands. It afterwards diminishes, and strips of intervale narrow its bed.

At the Maductic Falls its channel is again nearly choked up with rocks. The navigation, however, is not totally interrupted, for rafts, boats, and small craft in their descent are run through the falls by persons well acquainted with the channel; and in their ascent they are towed through with men or horses, and but few accidents happen, considering the numbers that navigate the river.

As the bed of the river is frequently encumbered with rocks and sand-bars, the navigation is very difficult at the dry time of the year. The current is likewise swift in many places, and rapids are frequent, till within six miles of Fredericton, where they end.

About nine miles above Fredericton the river suddenly widens and receives the Madam-Keswick. Here is a group of fertile islands, some of which are over a mile in length, and nearly as broad. At Fredericton the river is about three quarters of a mile wide, and flows with a beautiful unbroken current to the falls near the City of Saint John.—A number of fine Islands are scattered in different parts of its bed. These Islands are composed of rich alluvial soil, and produce large crops of grass and grain. Being formed by the washings of the river, they are like garden spots scattered through the country. About nine miles from St. John the river widens into a bay nearly six miles long and three wide. The river Kennebeckasis falls into this bay. At the foot of the bay it suddenly contracts, and winds through a crooked passage called the narrows, and again opens and forms a small bay directly above the falls. Here the current is again broken by a bed of rocks, and suddenly contracted by the near approach of the banks which appear to have been formerly united and forced asunder by some convulsion of nature. From the appearance of the rocks on each side it is probable that the water having been pent up in the small bay just noticed, have in their efforts to escape undermined the land and rocks at this place, and forced a subterraneous passage, which by wearing, aided by some violent concussion, has caused the rocks to fall in, when the earth being washed away by the rapidity of the current, has left the present passage open, and that the split-rock and the bed of the channel is part of the former overhanging rocks.

For that the bed of the channel consists of cragged rocks of various shapes and sizes, is evident from the whirlpools and eddies at that place. These falls make a tremendous roaring at certain periods. After passing the falls, it forms the harbour of St. John, and falls into the Bay of Fundy in lat. 45° 20′ N.

The spring tides at St. John rise from twenty-four to twenty-eight feet. The body of the river is seventeen and a half feet above low water mark. When the tide has flowed twelve feet, the falls are smooth and passable from fifteen to twenty minutes. They are level three and a half hours on the flood, and two and a half on the ebb, and passable four times in twenty-four hours. Above the falls the tides rise four feet. At Maugerville, seventy miles up the river, they rise from one to two feet; at Fredericton from six to ten inches, and are perceivable nine miles above that place, varying according to the phases of the moon. In the spring, the river, swoln with rains and the melting of the snow and ice, rises higher than the tides, which prevents vessels from ascending the falls for some weeks.