Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-11-08
TO THE EDITORS.
WasHrssros, NovExBER 4, 1851.

WAsHIssToH, NOVEMBER a, 1891.
This morning read, and with extreme interest,
communication, dated st. Clairsville, (Ohio,) DC
tOber 81, 1851, on the great improvements already
made on road-means of ntercommunicaton In the
interior of the United States, and on the sure pros
poets of still further improvement. II might DC
said and truly that this is the highest subject OF
earthly interest which can now occupy the human
faculties in the United States, it implies indeed
proves, that progressive augmentation OF human
means, mental and physical, must exist 10 sustain
such revolution.
IF advanced age has its inconvenience, II has
advantages and privileges also. The aged can look
backwards along the vista OF time and promise
what may be done by alludng to what mas oeen
accomplished. The contrast have actually W.T.
messed in of land transportation over the surface OF
Pennsylvania the very ground described BY your CORE
sponden at the extremes of the period of seventy years
The now very beautiful aud Aourishing country between
the river nigh. say the ridges Of the
Allegheny mountains and Ohio river bad received but very
partial civilized nhabants before ITO and eleven years
afterwards when the writer Of these words then child
between six and years. brought the scene few and
far between were the habaons Of the pioneers The rude
but very sockade fort bckhouse rose every
miles amongst the also rough Of the settlers such
was the country which, mpeled BY unseen Power
pressed Drawing the fearful Of enemies and the
labor Of conquerng that enemy and dense forest Ihe
savage foe and the forest fell before them Honor and vene
ration their due they the advance guard OF cviza
ton and many the parents OF the living generation.
Many ohem of both Sexes sent by savage hands into
bloody graves aud all Of them had to and overcome
dangers difficulties and privaons of the extent Of which 'hs
nor li-;-s s---- conception
But in the outset Of this paper contrast promised
between what travelling the ground was then, l7s,
and now, 1885, proceed and hope from the nature OF the
occasion, to be pardoned for unavoidable personalities.
Many members Of large family Of the Of Wolf
ed out with their parent Peter WOLF from the Swatas,
about sixteen miles eastward from where Harris
burg, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. now stands was
born in their midst l4sh August, l775 This family NOV
cd TO the West about l7705, and settled the head
waters Of Buffalo, few miles westward Of the then Catfish,
Washington So much did the members of that family
contribute to open the wilderness that omit their
names as follow Peter Wolf the elder, Peter WOLF the
younger, Jacob WOLF William Vol, John Wolf, Christie
pher WOLF and their four bo,hersinaw, Israel Oily, Mi
chael Ely, Michael Dennis and Lawrence Stricken
1t their intimacy with this family which induced my
parents to their residence in the then extreme
frontier My father went out early in 1871 and prepared
cabin for his little family the land Of William Wolf and
late the month of November returned the Swaara
On the 81 4th Of December out with two other
families the arduous task of passing the mountains John
Terrence and Matthew McGreggor out with wagons and
both compelled, before reaching onehid Of the
tain passes, oabandon them My parents and their children
reached VOLTS Fort the evening Of Christmas day, having
spent wenyon days pass two hundred and thirty
miles, accomplished in many hours along the iron
rails.
We my pause and endeavor mentally to make contrast
but the living generation is incapable Of conceivng the
condition Of The region under view in 1881 the then living
were Of foreseeng the aspect of the present.
WILLIAM DARBY.