Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-06-18
Correspondence Of the Lewisburg Chronicle.
Jottings Down by the Way.
NO. II.
ATHENS, Pa, June 8, 1S5

m s,a a in one of those inelegant and incommod
; ito to GUS structures which, preceded by two 70
lorn-looking mules, constituted the " trai
res Of cars" which took US from all Williams
- port, afforded ample material for observ:
''' tion, opportunity for the "perfect work
st. st. of patience, food for reflection, and occa
3aa 3sa sion for congratulation when the "ark
os se accomplished its journey and landed it
,. crew safe at Ralston. In our case, ma
jority were of that nondescript species de
nominated Yankees" in Dutchdom, ant
, of the subdivision "watermen" One o.
these had a fiddle, which ever and anon
spoke in mingled tones of joy and sorrow,
according as the car advanced faster OF
slower. Another had little black bottle,
which he circulated as a pr9pellant "steam
3 power whenever the "mule power" in
advance seemed to lack in spirit
The completion of the projected Improve
ments on the North and West Branch with
the Plank Roads which will be soon found
leading to them down every considerable
valley, will render "Yankee watermen.,
creatures of history. A laborious, jovial
set of men, but generally living from
hand to mouth, " and taking their largest
liberty" (once or twice year, when they
go down the river "-an era as important
to them as ever was battalion day. in
old Berhs-the change will be of no dis
advantage, either in moral or pecuniary
point Of view. have mingled with them
in their homes, and in their scenes of la.
Dor, and can bear testimony to the general
intelligence, honesty, and hospitality of
even the toughest in appearance; at the
same time, | have always condemned their
excesses, and in too many cases their crimes,
which have rendered them odious to the
more sober, unchangipg citizens of Central
Pennsylvania Many of these watermen,
both "Pennamites' and Workers." are
unexceptionable in their department abroad
as well as at home, while others, with the !;
staggering, silly air Of rowdies in our
towns, affect character which belongs not ;
to attract notoriety, and to keep up repu- $
tation more allowable in the past than at =
the present. &
Our company complained most Of all on
this trip, that the bread of the Dutch was ,
miserable patches of dough, harder to pass
their stomachs than their money was to
pass inspection-that they had hardly seen
a christian-looking potato on their 'tower,"
but had been nauseatcd te,o death at ev-
cry tovern' by cabbages and sausages in
" some outlandish form or mother that
they could get no hams, or any smoked
meat excepting habby, fat fitch, or as they ,
called it "fritch, which we had to boil in
Goldfish to get it fresh enough to worry
down" In short, they declared they never
gave worse money than the grub they got,
Ga hint which / give gratis to our inn-keep-
ers) Their sorrows were all forgotten, how
ever, and they revenged themselves for
past aggravations, on reaching the first
public house in Bradford county, Kings
bery's, Canton Corners where in addition
to coffee and steak, potato after potato
disappeared from the table in rapid sue
cession, and "more" were called for
where the bread was pronounced both pal
atable and passable in deeds more poten-
tial and indicative than words-and where
one large, feshy, juicy, sweet, fresh, cod
fish, drought by the N. Y. & Erie Rail-
road, here 80 miles distanD only three days
from the ocean, was by acclamation voted
worth all the tiny, bony, "nothin' else"
staple of Trout Run, Ralston, and inter-
mediate cities.
Taking up newspaper at one Of our
stopping places, 1 copied the following
scrap, worthy of attention by farmers:
"Mr. Jacob Loop states, through the
Genessee Farmer, that he formerly sowed
unripe secd-wheat, and always had smut
Latterly, he lets his wheat for seed stand
till 1t gets fully ripe, and mas no smut.
Such was the practice Of our older farmers
generally.
Canton, Troy, Springfield, and Smith
field, in Bradford, are all growing, and
that, too, rapidly, (for country communi'
ties.) This county of nearly $4,000 in
habitants, is by the Erie Railroad now
welded to New York City in all its COM
mercial and social interests. The money
obtained "below," for millions and mil
lions of lumber from this range of coun-
ties, is expended for goods in New York.
The travel formerly verging towards Phil
adelphia now tends northward. Northern
and Eastern small notes circulate here, in
, perfect defiance of the laws of the Key
stone State. l know one mercantile es-
. tablishment, which has sprung up IN three
or four years, and now sells goods to the
amount Of $4,000 per year; and others