Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-14
CHE TtoueIer.
For the Freeman.
Pencil Sketches Of a Trim

1UnOu DhCCCHCD vi lIlV
Through .Ne,o York, WeStern and Northern Ohio, and
Northern Indiana.
FROM A TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.
NUMBER 2.
Toledo, Ohio, July Goth, 1848.
As my last was dated at Rochester N. Y, wish to
add word in relation to the accidents and deaths
stanty happening on the railroad and canal especial
ly the former During the season, am informed,
two collisions have taken place between upward and
downward trains of cars in which several persons at
each time were killed and wounded. One of these
accidents may have been running off the track in
stead of collision. Tie nails i'm many places confn-
ing the old rails are worn or broken off, and the rails
loose in rickety bad condition From I.ockport to
the Falls and thence to Buffalo it would seem to be
unsafe to travel the road and yet they constantly
travel it without serious accident. In many places,
and quite often, the nails out and the ends of The
rails raised from one to two inches in "snaEe heads"
From Albanyto Buffalo they are replacing the old
rails with the new T. rails, which is great improve
ment AS to the canal, the travelling public deep
ly interested in having the bridges raised as fast
the improvement in widening goes forward. A pass
enger on a boat, we passed. just before en- tering
Rochester, lay on the boat apparently lifeess from
coming in contact with bridge; and between Roch-
ester and Albion the next day. one had his ribs broken
and shoulder bruised from the same cause, in lying
on the baggage Another was killed in the spring
from the cause and slighter accidents are con-
stantly happening. A great work is going on at
Lockport, as well as many other Places in widening
the canal and in making some double and larger
locks. The enlargement is to be 20 feet wide and
feet Deep instead of 30 feet wide by feet deep as
at first constructed.
Niagara Falls, July ID, Thursday.
As we approach the Falls from the South, in the
cars we could distinctly see at several miles distance,
the white vapor and cloud rising over the Falls, from
the spray and foam beneath. AS we passed the sus-
pension bridge, two miles below the Falls, we could
plainly see them on the American side.
Its not my purpose to describe these Falls which
have already engaged the descriptive powers of hun
dreds of writer's but may be allowed word in rela-
ton to the different and contradictory impressions
created the minds of different travellers from view
ing them Some who come here can, positively, see
nothing grand, imposing inter estng in their
appearance. A party from distance, who came here
about two years ago, after viewing the Falls, rode
down to the Whirlpool when two of the ladies and
one gentleman would not take the trouble to get out
of the carriage and descend the steps the bank to
see the Whirlpool believing would prove, as did the
Falls Ito use their own language,) ga humbug."-
This we had from an eyewitness to be relied on.-
Others are carried TO opposite extreme by an en-
tirely different stnte of feeling. For my part, am
of the opinion that if an individual will stand on
Table Rock on the Canada side, at the foot of the
spiral stair case below, and behold the mighty cata-
ract face to face, dischargng its immense volume of
wuter from the upper lakes one hundred and fifty feet
at single leap, with force that makes the ground
shake and tremble like an earthquake-and with a
noise that can be heard for miles around if he will
cast his eye at the angry sulges below, or at the
white foam and spray rising into the clouds above,
and see, in clear day, the beautiful rainbow across
the water and on the opposite bank-I say if he can
witness all this unmoved nay without being struck
with ave. with wonder and admiration, he is constitu-
ted of different materials from the mass of mankind
1t is without question: one of the most sublime spec
tacles in nature, the most magnificent scale, and
well worth journey of thousands of miles, or across
the Atlantic to Witness
We followed the river on and near its bank for
several miles above, on the Canada side, to sec the
flood of waters collecting for the dreadful conflict
and then followed the bank on the same side two
miles below the Falls in sight of the angry and foam
ing waters, chasing each other if their fury would
never cease The suspension bridge here presents
itself at the narrows of the stream between the whirl
pool ZONE mile below, and the Cataract 1.-TWO miles
above1 in sight of both. This bridge is in the COM
mencement of its construction. Ten wire cables a
bout two inches in diamater pass through large sticks
of oak TIMBER 10 to Is feet long, and fastened witt
strong keys on the opposite side. These tmbers are
thenplaced in pits dug in the ground, several rods
west of the rivers bank and confined in their places
by solid stone masonry. Large posts are erected
(which should suppose were 80 feet in height,
on the solid rock which overhangs the river These
wire cables pass the tops Of the posts to which
they fastened, and then descend to within abou
6 or feet of straight line drawn from one bank t.
the other across the stream-the lowest point of the
cables being over the center of the stream. These
wire cables then ascend in straight line over the
tops Of similar posts on the opposite bank, and pass
off to the pits of masonry and mbers, to which they
are confined % before described undeTVtsnd it il