Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-02-26

ious railroads were formed to its very Z
erge. incautiously crossed one OF
hem, trusting to my preconceived notions |
# time and space, The abhorre.l engine |
icing about three quarters of mile from
ne, but scarcely had stepped over, when
il flew whizzing past the spot had ius,
quilted, and catching me in its eddy, spun
Inc around like a top under the lash. 1t
was laden with passengers, and went with
headlong fury straight towards the river.
Its fate seemed inevitable in.
slant and it would be immersed in the
waves, when 10 it suddenly sunk into
bosom of the earth, and in three seconds
was ascending perpendicular hill on the
opposite bank of the river. was petrifi-
ed, and gazed around with an air of help
less bewilderment, when a gentlemen,
who wasi doubtless astonished at my as.
tonishment, shouted in passing" What's
The fellow staring att" and another asked
4" If had never seen tunnel before 2"
Like Lear, "my wits began. to turn"
wished for some place whereI might
hide myself from all around, and turned
instinctively to the spot where the village
ale-house used to stand. Bas whete
was the neat matched. cottage tina,
was won't so often to
An hour s Importance to the poor man heart -
Gone /? and in its place stood huge fab
ric, labelled" Grand Union Railroad Ho-
tel" But here also it was steam. steam,
nothing but steam! The rooms were
heated by steam, the beds were made and
aired by steam, and instead of pretty,
red-lipped, rosy-cheeked chambermaid,
there was an accnrsed machine. ma n
smoothing down the pillows and holsters
with mathematical precision the victuals
were cooked by steam, yea even the meat
roasted by steam Instead Of the clean
swept hearth.
" With aspen boughs, and flowers, and fennel
gay
there was patent steam-stove, and TIE
place was altogether hotter than any de-
cent man would ever expect to have any
thing to do with. Books and papers Law
scattered on a table. took up one of
the former ; it was filled with strange new
phrases. all more or less relating to steam,
OF which knew nothing, but as far: as l
could make out the English of the several
items, they ran somewhat thus IS
Another shocking catGstrophe.-As
the warranted-sale locomotive smoke-con-
Stunning, tuel-providing steam-carriage
LIg htning, was this morning proceeding
at its usual sthree-quar.er speed of one
hundred and twenty-;even miles an hour,
at the junction of the Harrington and
Slipsby railroads it unfortunately came
IN contact with the steam-carriage Snail,
about one hundred and five miles per
hour. OF course both vehicles with their
passengers were instantaneously reduced
to an impalpable powder. The friendsaof
the deceased have the consolation Of
knowing that no blame can possibly at
tach to the intelligent proprietors of the
Lightning, it having been clearly ascer-
tanned that those of the Snail started their
carnage full two seconds before the time
agreed on, in order to obviate in some de.
gree. the delay to which passengers were
uravoldably subjected by the clumsy con-
structlon aud tedious pace of their yehi-
cle." 80,
"Me!ancholy accidcnt.-As beautiful
and accomplished young lady of the name
OF jumps, passenger in the Swift-as-
thought-!ocnnotive, was endeavouring to
catch flying glimpse of the new Steam
University, her breathing apparatus infer
tunately slipped from her mouth, and she
was corpse in three quarters of second.
young gentleman who had been tender-
~ attached to her for several days, in the
agony of his feelings Withdrew his air tube
ana called Tor help he of course shared
similar fate. Too much praise cannot
De given to the rest ofthe passengers, who,
WIN Inlmltable presence of mind, prudent
~ held their breathing bladders to their
mouths during the whole of this trying
scene," &c. &c. =
A Liverpool paper states that The
stock Tor the grand Liverpool and Dublin
tunnel under the Irish channel, is nearly
filled up" And Glasgow one advoca-
les the necessity Of a floating wooden rail-
road between Scotland and the Isle OF
Man, in order to do away with the tire.
some steamboat navigation. l took up
volume Of poems, but the SMILES aud met.
aphors were all steam; all their ideas of
strength, and power, and swiftness, refer
red to steam only, and a sluggish man was
compared to greyhound. looked into
a modern dictionary for sonegliabt, ON
on these subjects, but got none, except
hnding hundreds of curious definitions
such as these:
" Horse, S. an animal of which but lit
tie is now known. Old writers affirm that
there were at one time several thousands
in the country"
" Tree, s. vegetable production once
plentiful in these parts, and still to be
found in remote districts"
" Tranquility, S. obsolete an unnatu-
raj state Of existence, to which the am
clients were very partial. The word is to
be met with in several old authors" &c.
&c.
In ,leSDair I thretu doup liz III