Show Salem's Lesson One hundred years ago Salem faced a severe problem Trade embargoes embargoes em em- the opening of the Erie canal which diverted shipping lines to New York and other factors had made her port a second-rate second harbor along the New England coast For years Salem had been our chief mercantile gateway to the Orient It appeared in 1839 that Salem was definitely to remain a forgotten city But Salem turned from its shipping to manufacturing Steam power I had just come to the attention of I New Englanders and a a courageous group of citizens turned the power of steam into its development of the New England textile industry Salem Salem Sa Sa- lem soon boasted of the founding of the first cotton mill in the United States run by steam It is a fine example of New England ingenuity |