Drachinifel patreon

The Drydock - Episode 234

🕑 Added 2023-02-11 09:00:02 +0000 UTC

Comments

Avalon

https://philahistory.org/2019/08/29/philadelphias-rich-maritime-history/. Philadelphia is my hometown, and I never thought of this. I found this explanation. "It might seem curious that Philadelphia became a major port, since the problems in getting here from the open ocean were considerable. For one thing, depending on the winds, it could take four days to a week, or even more, to go up or down the Delaware River to reach the ocean. Moreover, it was the only port south of Canada that was blocked by ice in the winter—sometimes for months on end. And then, ships had to contend with being grounded on the shifting shoals in the Bay and along the river. And finally, the Bay itself was open to storms from the ocean that could dash them onto the shore. There was no refuge at the mouth of the Delaware Bay until the breakwater was constructed in the 1820s. But ships and shippers came here by preference because it had the largest concentration of people in English-speaking America, including many with wealth and sophisticated tastes. Therefore, merchants could get higher prices for finished goods than they could in New York.". Curiouser and curiouser