There, was to have been the southern terminal of the canal, and from there the tidal flow of the river made a continuous waterway through Medford to Boston harbor. At that identical spot this article is written.
Second, because a new industry (perhaps unthought of at the inception of the canal) had arisen in Medford, i.e., ship-building. It was a ‘long haul’ and a heavy one to transport ship timber up and down hill for two miles, as was the case of that coming down from the north country on the canal, and the same was true of other commodities.
Third, it was claimed that the management was not of the best, and that the canal was deficient in one important requisite, viz., water. It was also said that its extension to Charlestown had been unwise, and perhaps the Medford Branch canal proprietors anticipated this to be a remedy. The shortage of water was later relieved by placing ten-inch flashboards on the dam across Concord river at Billerica. The canal proprietors had to fight in the courts for what they got, and the reports thereof are interesting reading today. Benjamin Hall, the principal corporator, left on record his views of the matter, plainly expressed.2
Itt is Very Evident that the Corporation has not Fullfill'd there Part of the Act Untill they have Lockt the same in Medford River.
The legislative record states that permission had been obtained for connecting with the Middlesex canal. The act fixed the capital stock at thirty shares, one vote to each, provided no one shareholder had more than five shares. It allowed them to hold real estate to the value of ten thousand dollars, and fixed the rate of toll at one-sixteenth of a dollar per ton; toll was to commence as soon as the canal was completed. It also gave specific direction as to construction and maintenance of a bridge
