The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-10-18
correspondence of the Ashland Union.
FROM NEW YORK.


Autumn is fairly inaugurated, and
the +" brown autumnal feeling" which
denotes its approach, hot noon-times,
and the demand for. Soda Water, have
gone away together. The sunlight
streams slantingly thro' the feecy haze
which wraps the woody shores of the
bay" in its blue folds, and dreamily
winds itself into the city. A dry leaf
occasionally futters to the sidewalk,
a sad ~premonition of the time when all
leaves shall have left. Peaches have
disappeared from the fruiterers' stalls,
and the spectral placards warning Park
loupgcrs off the grass begin to wear a
mocking aspect, as if they regarded what
they were saying in the light of a good
joke. The Hotels are crowded, from
the p~alatial st. Nicholas, with its row
of genteel idlers standing at all hours
before the entrance, flor the express OBJ
jects, it would seem, of self-exhibition,
and by force of broadcloth, much hair
and more brass, to stare bashful lady
promonaders put of countenance,) to the
less pretentions houses of CORTLAND St.,
where country merchants most do con
gregatc. All sections of the country are
fully represented at these, and a lover of
the picturesque would not fail to be graf
fed at a dinner-scene at one of them
say the Western. Asthe hour approach
es the entrances to the Hall are thronged
and at the sound of the gong the seats
are filed in a twinkling, and-shade of
Apicius what eating is here. Flocks
of turkeys, with brown, shining legs,
and plump, fragrant breasts, dwindle
inst~antaneously into a handful of bones.
Tomatoes, ~succotash and sweet-potatoes,
melt away like butter in the sun, and
whole rows of pastry are bowled down
with a ten-strike. The almonds and
~raisins escape-there is NJ time for des-
sert; and in twelve minutes after each
sat down, he may be seen, tooth-pick in
mouth, making his way to some business
appointment
Among the numerous discoveries OF
our prolific age, which are every day ap-
piled to ~generalize luxury and multiply
comforts, I cannot resist the temptation
to notice a substitute for flag stones
which is just coming into use, and which
promises to form an important feature
at no very distant day, in the beauty
and convenience of our streets. We re-
fer to the kind of tagging in which the
mineral substance called GsphaHum
forms the new and principle element,
We have had an opportunity, recently,
of observing the construction of a piece
of sidewalk of this peculiar character,
and feel willing to accord to it a superb
or merit. The asphaltum is melted, and
while in a state of fusion certain guam
titles of Silica, and, we believe, some
other foreign substances, but the ingre-
dents, as well as their proportions OF
the composition, are held IN secrets by
the patentees until the whole acquires a
consistency and peculiar quality, which
fits it for its purpose as a mineral &C.
ment. A layer of broken stone, of the
size used for McAdemizing, is spread
upon the earth to the thickness of three
or four inches, and the compound is
poured upon it until the interstices are
mostly filed, and while the liquid is
cooling the PAYERS rammer is called into
requisition to consolidate the mass. AT
ter this is fairly cooled, a covering Of
the semi-fuid is imposed, from two to
three inches thick, and smoothed, level
ed and pressed, with instruments, so as
to form a continuous surface u%ninter-
rupted by joints to any extent of area
required, which becomes in an hour as
hard as granite.
1t is claimed that this ~resists all vi
eissitudes of the weather as we'll as rock,
and that it is no more liable to be bro
ken by the superposition of weights Oh
the rolling of loaded vehicles, than pa.
wing stones of the same thickness. We
are inclined to admit this claim from
what we have seen of it, and certainly it
forms a most beautiful sidewalk, olivia
ting, in rainy weather, if it be properly
shaped, the disagreeable necessity which
the pedestrian finds of continually plung-
ing into puddles of dirty water at every
step. Although its price, at present, is
somewhat dearer than common tagging,
it will probably be furnished at a much
cheaper rate in time, and we hope to see
it in general use. 1t will be a fine COM
panion for the Russ pavements.
The State Fair, which opened the Sd
inst, closes on Friday with an address
by JOHN p. HALE, and the award of
premiums. Adrizzling rain, which grew
into a storm on the second day, excited
the fear that the affair would occasion
one of those miniature dcluges which
camp-meetings are popularity supposed