Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-02-04
CORRESPONDENTS Or THE SPECTATOR
LANCASTER, Pa, Jan. 81. 1852.

LANCASTER, Pa, Jan. 81, 1852.
JMessrs Editors The blockaded state Of tn
railroad having kept ne here longer than | intend
ed, have amused myself by taking notes Of mat
ters and things aroand me, and il do not prove
bore to your readers, / will occupy leisure mo
ment in giving You soma additiona' outings by tn
way" No train Of cars from the West having
!, been able to reach here since Saturday evening
} and the impression having become general tina
none would leave 70. philadelphia 10 day, sallie,
forth in snow storm to see something of the tpwn
first visited the Conestoga Steam Cotton Facto
ries, Nos |, 2 and 8, all large establishments
and in operation No. was built five years ago
and is operated by large 200 Nurse power engn,
built in this place. II has $50 looms, 6l44 spin
dies, and turns cut from to 10000 yards of plair
cotton cloth per day. No. 2 is run by splendidIl
built engine of 100 horse power, Quilt in Provi
dence, Rhode Island. The wheel weighs % tons
and has a wrought shaft. II is a beautiful piece
of workmanship. This mill was built three year.
since. has 2S8 looms, and 1904 spindes, and turns
out 5000 yards of ticking, canton flannel, l0quarte
sheetings, &c., and fabrics that are really first
rate No. 8 was built more than twelve months
ago, has 275 looms. l024O spindIes, and makes
5000 yards of printing cloth per day. 1t is opera
ted by very handsome engine Of Norts & Co., Of
Philadelphia, of It's horse power. The character
of all the fabrics made by these mills, will com.
pare with those made any where in the Union
They consume 100 bales of cotton per week. pay
out 81 10000 per annum to their hands, employ a.
bout 500 hands, two thirds of whom are females,
a genteel aud interesting body Of young women
| ought probably to say girls. large part being
quite young. The girls earn from STU So rs on
an average, per week-seyera lay by considera-
BILE sum. One was spoken of TO me, who had laid
up $1,000 in the Savings Bank. The Factories
are lighted with gas from the city gas works, and
town. Owing to the depressed state of our domes-
tic markets, the factories here have not been yield
ing remuneraiing profits TO the company. This is
true of The entire iron interest throughout this
State.
To the politeness of friend who accompanied
me TO the factories, was also indebted for the pro
curement Of permit TO visit The County prison..
The people of this County can with truth boast of
having probably the finest County prison in The
| United States. II was finished about FIVE months
since, a, cost Of 81 o. 900. stands on the highest
ground in the edge Of the City, and the prison
part is built of limestone and The from: OF con-
glomerate red sandstone. The front is built with
circular turrets, The principle one abont one him.
dred feet in height. and the view presented from
the top far arpasses any Il have eVef seen In all
my rambes in other parts Of our country. The
region around as far as the eye can reach and the
sphere Of vision is bounded by horizon of eight
or ten miles, is beautiful in the extreme. cOnn-
try naturally fertile, is cultivated like garden.
the farms small, farm houses Of all kinds neat and
comfortable. small sections of timbered land inter
spersed, the beautiful valley of Conestoga with that
lovely stream meanderiUg through it, the city with
its spires and cupolas and minaTets stretched out
before YOU and the blue hills on the North and
South constituting the border Of the picture. make
scene such as one is seldom permitted TO look
upon.
But to come down to The prison. The part con.
tanning the cells extends out in the rear far enough
to affurd ronm for 80 large comfortable sized apart
menis, with room sufficient for loom or other APP
pliances of labor, so as to give the inmates employ
ment. There are 40 cells below and forty above,
twenty on each side Of the corridor above and be
low The convenences of the CELL are far supe-
rior 10 any ] have seen elsewhere, containing
cupboard table, plunge bath, bell rope that rings
bell near the keepers room and at the same time
turns Nd on the outside card with the number OF
the cell that can at glance be read at either end
of The corridor, with double doors TO the cell, the
cret spring is fastened, leaving space open, too
small to admit of person getting through, yet
causing free ventilation. Besidesathere are aper
lures IL ventilate The room. They are heated by
hot air furnaces All who are confined for length
of time to justify it, are put 10 work. One ndi-
vidua we were permitted 10 glance at through
partially opened door, who was making the. shut
lie of The loom fly, weaving 35 yards per day of
strong willed cotton. A most excellent article of
shoes, rag carpetlng, and twied cotton cloth were
shown me, that had been made by the prisoners,
although The institution has been but about four
month in operation. 1t il certainly most cIsbla-
Bile to The good people Of the County, thar they
have at So much pains, endeav0red TO make the
vicious portion Of their people contribute 10 their
own maintenance.
There were about Fifty FIVE inmates in the pris-
en-. ten of whom were The Christiana negro rioters.
This morning, Hanaway. Lewis and Scarlet, the
three most prominent Of the. white rioters, were in
the bar of The hotel where am staying. Hama
way is tall man, of pale yet interesting coun-
tenance and of mild manners. lie is native OF
this county, near The Chester line. Lewis is
native of Chester, and formerly was engaged Tor
number of years in one OF the iron establishments
IN Virginia. He is spoken very well Of here, as
an intelligent and highly respectable man, who
was UNEXPECTEDLY to himself brought into This un-
fortunate affair. lie is opposed to aboIltlonsm on
principle, and used to gel into irequen! Arguments
with the Quaker population around MIN 10 Ches
Ter, combating as he always did Their views on
this subject. Scarlet is quite young man. from
Chester. about whose participation IN the afiair'
heard but little said.
Public sentiment here almost unanimously. prob
ably ought TO say quite dis'Pproves OF that ahalr
and in strung terms. Several gentlemen observed
90 me they were glad it had occurred, as II had
done more than any hing else could have done to
bring about The right kind OF feeling with great
many here on the subjec. uIlhe rights Of The South,
the Fugitive Slave law and alb that All censure
that poor creature Kline as The cause OF ihe en!re
misfortune, and concur in saying that enaId Mar
sha Roberts of Philadelphia, have attended in per-
SON the slaves youM hare been given up or a5sest-
ed without blood shed VI dlthcully.
The witnesses cannot ali be gotten here as yet,
in consequence Of the drifting up OF the ROADS es'
peciaIly from Philadelphia and Baltimore, So That
the trial Of Hanaway and others cannot be COM
menced. The grand jury has been IN session since
Mondays respectable and intelligent body OF men,
and am inclined to think from all can see and
hear. they will do their duty.
The large majority OF people through the coun
ties have been in, except IN DauPhln, look upon
the free negro population here as great nuisance,
and are in favour Of sumo legislative enactment, to
prevent any further immigration into The State
A majority Of the commitments 10 The County
prison here are of that class generaly-especialy
from the Western end Of the County, about Co-
lumbia. t.
dsapproye of The tone of the leading Wing pa
per in This Mace, on the subject Of the Fugitive
"a, t,,