New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-01-06
PHILADELPHIA IN SLICES.
slice X..FAIRxorSr.

| ~ you ask a philade phian what : the most
beautiful romsrtic and magnificent place Ia the world
he VII Be sure o tel y0p Paramount and the chances
are that he VII tell you - whether you ask Inn or
not Eox th. 3. entirely wrong, because II stnull,es
the Imagination 10 expect something - far beyond the
reality that The realty pretty IS IS runs the danger
| OF appearing tame and commonplace. We rec0lect
very vel many yesrs ago when we arst visited Pair.
mount how wofglly disappointed we were. Ws hsi
heard praised extravsganiy that - pictured 8; 70
our fancy sorne terrestrial paradse-an Eisn laid
out Ia shady slope. and a0wery psrterres !, is nothing
Of the kind
Taking any one a the Eve Or SIX omuibuses which
sFays stand a. the Exchange about 70 Start ior Fsr
noun; N exscty two minutes, you read news
paper boCk II you hs7pen 70 have ore abosi you
pare your nail. think for ten minutes when the
machine starts sri creeps Up Dock and Third streets
twists itself round the Ledger Buildings into Chestnut
stop. 70 ct the man with load OF brick get ou; Of the
way and mounting the bill slowly past the Franklin
House At length fairly irots OF View bu, that
sentence Is oroatheri ride OF shout twenty min
uies Up Chesnut Thirteenth and along the outskirts
Of the city % Csl0whill street briggs you 20 Fsir
mount Entering li,lie iron gate, you walk through
small yard ornameu,ed With clumps Of fr trees, and
containing pretty e fegE with sweety carved
white marble boy sstri1e dolphin from those mouth
the sparkling water spouis into the air. The boy ass
thrown his hesd back gracefully ani with his right
hand shading his eyes IS watching with expression
Of deli GIFTED vonder he bright stream IS It breaks
into diamonds and hashes in the sun. This little Jsi
and this marble baby decidedly the most beautiful
things At Fairmount As piece Of sculpture the
statue IS in rude opinion one Of the haei things in
the country We have examined carefully the Greek
in !, the ideal Of beauty AMI grace aud tenderness but
We confess heather that we zre 20 have been more
truly deli GIFTED and attracted By the far rougher ard
e.. finished Of this little Triton mounted On biz
dolphin. We know OF course that We sre a barbarian
and Bad Christian snd all tina, sort Of thing. But we
can't help IT, 80 there's end OF the matter.
Farther on and at the very foot OF the stairs which
lead the top Of the Reservoir Is an old Roman ioun
tain with the pure cecold water running Ike twisted
glass pipe out Of the mouth OF an amsbelooking bu,
somewhat rigid face Il IS made Of stone, and 20,
very smoothly chlselcd Thi. delicious little fountain
Is armed with bright tin cup which stands on the 1T
tie trough entaLlaure In conscious security from dents
OF bruises for who would be bsrbaous as to abuse
the strangers cup Al the fountain No. no-thAnk
heaven there ls nobody in Philadelphia quite rowdy
enough for that Til, fountain f. surmounted by
hand ard you stoop drink you may you please
kiss the naked knee OF the chasie goddess without,
frown or reproof from her Cresccntship. over the
railing Of the little e.panade stands another
bic divinity Of very questionable lineage and design,
surrounded by little jets springing on, obquey from
under her feet and throwing silver summerses into
the basin twenty thirty feet below Jsst behind her
right shoulder rises larger and stronger jet straight
n az
ntercepts its way and spreads tor instant in lit
ting drops OF spray which rclnte to be again shy-
cred TO pieces on the rocks at the woodnymPhs feet
and then spring into the basin.
II you are fond Of getting up in the world, e, US
mount these broad heavy planken stairs-it is not
above half mile Of this OF work 10 the top of the
Reservoir, where we shall be rewarded for our labor
by-a iolersbly large green washbowl hled with water,
and walk in the keen sunshine round is grsveled
brim. Down the outsides at various intervals walks
are also round the reservoir and few of them
partly shaded However 10 all this part Of tho affair
there is not the slightest attempt At the picturesque
Nothing but gravel and short grsss-gith immense
trapdoor sunk into the soil here and there, for the
purpose we suppose Of sfording ingress into the
bowels of the land 10 see how the machinery Of the
Schuylk works. AZ evening IN peasaui afternoons
these walks frequented by strangers who
let depart from Philadelphia without seeing Fairmount
and especially by Jskey" and 81 Lie and all their
acquaintance and friends Here love Is made on the
most extensive scale and life runs gsiy by. Tho very
chickens that peck subsistence from the turf bill and
COO, and the and sparrows hop lovingly among
the closecrspped clovertoPs.
But we will descend by this Wild and crsggy wood
path that leads through the bushes zig zas down the
stony declyiiy, until reach the edge and ind Il ne
cessary to leap of eight feet reach the
bottom a, the risk Of spraEing snee breaking
limb so much for leaving the plain beaten track
and going of upon unknown and doubtful paths.
Passing the ice-cream saloon, filled with the bhoys
and halls and stumbling a row OF inyslids seated
on the iron benches at the door-and who never Gill
take their legs sway-we must 90 down cellar and
look At the six eight great model water wheels
turned by the water from the dam Of the Schuylkil
keep the pumps going which feed the Immense res
ervoir that supplies the entire city with water This
part Of the establishment 10 very interesting to all
practical minds the machinery IS the mos, perfect
the nestest and the most silent you can imsgne-per
forming i,s work noiselessly and rapidly a. com
psny Of gnomes and wstersprites working under the
spell Of some potent enehanter. There two more
sier-wheels than are requisite, and two are always
standing idle ready to 90 10 work in case OF accident
70 the others. But 90 thoroughly arc tney az OllIt
tina, we believe nothing did happen TO any Of
them. and the two quiet look IS i they were
tired TO death Of resting.
Beyond the wheelhous Is handsome walk, smooth
ly Jagged sud lined with quiysring indeniree' lead
Ing 10 q circular summer house which overooks the
dam and where you may draw st any time for fresh
breath Of air with perfect confidence that the draft
will be honored Across little branch Of the dam Les
minisrure steamboat looking very much Ike hen
coop win IL. es-.- .st---ai 10 it- IN this
little craft you may navigate the calm and peaceful
waters Of the schuylkn lar as the Falls mot ex.
acty Niagara and even % the remote province Of
Manayunk famou. 10 olden times for Indian baskets
and now for plump girls. and TO the mouth Of the
pretty Wssahiccon. These excursions really de-
hghtiu in the 10, dusty weather, and are literally
pstrouzed By those Of our resident population
whose purses are not long enough to reach Cape May
or Newport The sight Of the green helds and richly
wooded slopes on either bank Of the ver, interpreted
with pleasan, country residences farm houses and
vsriegGted landscapes, sends cool tnril Of delight
along the fe7ered nerves In thls voyage, too you
ps., Along the foot Of Laurel H cemetry and may stop