veritable Slough of Despond
Everywhere, north and south, the early American road was a
veritable Slough of Despond. Watery pits were to be encountered
wherein horses were drowned and loads sank from sight. Frequently
traffic was stopped for hours by wagons which had broken down and
blocked the way. Thirteen wagons at one time were stalled on
Logan”s Hill on the York Road. Frightful accidents occurred in
attempting to draw out loads. Jonathan Tyson, for instance, in
1792, near Philadelphia saw a horse”s lower jaw torn off by the
slipping of a chain.