Muscatine journal. [volume] (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?, 1853-11-11
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counted q cannons, (6 FOUNDERS. \
planted in the edge of the sidewalk, in wa.
ter street, the other dav. They are driven
into the ground about n foot, with the
mouth end upwards. a BALL is driven fast
into the mouth Of each, to exclude the wa
ter They look like so many posts. They
were put there during the war. | have
also seen them planted in this manner
round thc old churches in New York.
The Exchange is where the different om-
n'bus lines have their starting or stopping
rl'ce. That is, it is the hend-unsrters !;
AMI from this they radate to the different
parts OF the city.
Well, MS Was going to say, l went to the
Exchange. yesterday, and deposited myself
in Fairmount stage, paid my sixpcnce. or
"fp," as these heathens call it, and started.
We rolled along till wo began to near tho
outskirts of the city, where the prettest
part Of a large city always is. We passed
large house, which looked like public
building 1t was built entirely of great
blocks Of rcd granite. The pillars in front
were all finished but one. These pillars
were beautiful, ornamented flutcd columns,
considerably larger than hogshead at the
base and a5 or 80 feet high. No marble
pillar is as pretty as these sombrc red gran
ite ones; and then to see some of them fin
ished and standing, with huge blocks lying
about of which others are TO be built, it
LOOKS so massy, and carries ono in imagina-
tion to the ruined piles Of ancient Babylon.
! despisc bogus brick columns, plastered
over with mortar. ---
Marble is the cheapest building stone
about Philadelphia. This marble is the
most beautiful ever saw. It takes very
high polish. Some of it is as black as
Egypt, with thin streaks Of white running
Through 1t, and some is beautiful snowy
white; while the most of it is magnificent
bleck, clouded with white.
But must go on with iny trip. We soon
passed long rows Of houses, (private dwell.
ings,) all the work about the doors, stoops,
de-, OF which, was composed of this pretty
marble, glitsering in the sun like glass.
We arrived at Fairmount, got out OF the
stage and prepared to look around. The
hill (FairmOunt) is very high, and on top Of
it is the reservoir. After leaving the stage,
passed up the road till came to the wire
bridge which stretches across the Schnylkill.
This Is tho first bridge of the kind ever
saw. Hero saw, little above, the fine
dam which holds back the water for the use
OF the Water Works. II forms quite nice
waterfall. Seeing park at the foot OF
the hill, entered and found it one Of tn
INCEST little places about. Fa: marble Gu
pids, in big marble vases, squirted water
upward necessarily Here stands, in a
kind Of mausoleum, a well-executed piece
Of sculpture, with the inscription-ssErecte
by the City Council of Philadelphia, to the
memory of Peter Graf, the founder and in
ventor of the Fairmount Water Works."
The bust looks toward the dam. IL is MI
of the purest white marble. passed along
the pavement by the pump house, Q don't
know what else to call it,) and seeing door
loft open by somebody, went in. saw
immense water wheels, &C., but If you viii
got back number of the Lady's Book. you
viii find better description Of the Works
than can give.
ipassed on further, and saw small steam
boats, with their signs up--s.For Wissa,
hickon and Wamoyunk rs cts" Georg'
Lippard, in his sLegends of Washington
and his Generals, = has rendered the Wassa
hickon sacred to my eyes, and shall make
that trip, ~ well as one to Germantown
soon.
But to proceed, again. Hero was lon
flight Of stairs, leading to the summit o
the hill. ! went up, Of course. But for
got to say, that at the foot Of this hill
pretty white marble Naiad stands on pro
jecting rock; and this, must say, is tn
prettiest fountain have seen lately.
half-inch jet Of water il thrown straight U