In the early 1800s, getting goods and people to and from Williamsport was difficult because roads were few and often impassable, and although the West Branch of the Susquehanna served as a water highway for a town of just 60 people in 1806, the river was not completely navigable over long distances and was hindered by flood and drought. In 1834, the West Branch Canal reached Williamsport after Pennsylvania legislators, impressed by the Erie Canal System in New York State, approved funding for canals along the Susquehanna River, including the West Branch. Though never a financial success, the canal drew settlers to the region, provided reliable transportation of goods to market, and helped set the stage for Williamsport's lumber boom. Hand-dug mostly by Irish immigrants, it was 28 feet wide at the bottom, 40 feet wide at the top, and 8-10 feet deep, stretching from Northumberland in Union County to Farrandsville northwest of Lock Haven, paralleling the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and using a series of locks to overcome 138.5 feet of elevation change. Horses or mules pulled passenger and freight boats along the canal, with packet boats averaging 80-100 miles per day and freight boats traveling 25-35 miles daily. Construction had stalled after completion of the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Canal from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in 1831, but 26-year-old Williamsport newspaper editor William Packer won additional legislative funding, later became superintendent of the canal system, served in the state assembly and senate, and was elected Pennsylvania's governor in 1858.