Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-07-06
Altoona.

E1LQOnd.
We enjoyed the pleasure of a few hour
stay in this thriving Railroad town, the OIL
day, and came away perfectly amazed at tbo
extent of the several shops, the amount ~
work turned out, and the admirable svstaTo
under which the whole is conducted No
Company, perhaps in the Union have a noro
complete equipment or under the same SUM
rior management. Not little of the craJ;,
is due to the able superintendent, Mr.. n 7
| Lombaert who resides in Altoona. To tho
uninitiated the work he performs is almost in.
credible, yet he moves to it with an ease bo
longing only TO superior minds.
The company own about twenty acres now
entirely covered with workshops residences for
! the worlmen Of neat and peculiar style. iDde-
pendent of the splendid Hotel erected by the
Company, estimated when finished to cos,
100000. There upwards of two hun
dred rooms in this spacious building, which
viii soon be furnished by the enterprising les
sees, Messrs Thompson and Campbell, and
judging from the specimens shown us in one
suite Of rooms, they viii be equal to any in
the country in point Of cost and finish. The
furniture, carpets, mirrors, &c, are of the
very finest that could be procured in the east
ern cities. Workmen are still busily engap-
ed upon the eastern wing and verandes. The
grounds around the building viii soon be laid
off and planted with shrubbery and adorned
by beautiful fountain
The general foreman of the workshops, Mr.
w. X. Nicholas, IS a superior mechanic and
has earned the commendation Of the Companv
he kindly accompanied US through the several
shops, explaining the novel and noticeable
features Of the establishment
The wood or car shop under the charge Of
Mr.. John Piper, contains many new and in
genious labor saving machines, in the way Of
saving, morticing, boring and planning Sew
eral new passenger cars Of most exquisite fin
ish have been turned out Of this shop recently.
they are intended for the lightning train 70 q
put in operation the 9th of July. After
short time it IS the intention to place cou-
pie of cars, which were opened for QUO inspec-
ton which will take down everything in shape
of cars for beauty, cost and comfort in the
United States The ladies' in those cars 90
cupies about one-fourth the entire length and
Is furnished with marble top centre tables,
sofas, and rocking chairs: the pannels of the
door are inlaid with imitation pearl This
beautiful arrangement was designed by Mr..
Lombaert. Passing from thence, you enter
the Foundry where car wheels and the inf
mite variety of castings required in connection
with railroad are made This department
a.
The boiler and bridge work is superintended
by Alexander Smith The stron gest and most
durable Railroad short bridges, are made of
heavy boiler iron, bound together with huge
riyets. The brass foundry under charge of
Mr. Il Maxwell, Is also noticeable feature:
about ton per month of this material is used.
Tons Of Lake Superior copper in ingots may
be seen here.
The painting establishment is under the
management Of Ralph Greenwood, an expert
in his line
The tin shop where the lamps, buckets, and
variety of articles in this line are manufse-
tured is superintended by G. W. Sparks
The machine smith shops is under Mr. Geo
Hawksworth, and smith shop under j. Zinck
These two shops would of themselves occupy
columns to describe. The chief store keeper.
is j. j. Frazier. This building is detached
from the rest dnd contains vast amount Of
stores for the road. There are several other
gentlemen filling important posts whose names
We do not recollect.
The main building for housing locomotives
is not Yet completed, but is a splendid affair.
When we nsider that the site of this town,
four years ago was n quagmire, surrounded
with dense forests of hemlock, one of the
most uninyiting locations in the vicinity of the
Allegheny mountains, we have some right to
be aStonlshed when we view this stirring SPOT
with Its three thousand inhabitants Corner
lots selling for fifteen hundred dollars which
short time ago the owner would have gladly
sold at the rate of ten dollars an acre.
The Railroad Company have donated five
hundred towards purchasing books and estab-
fishing a reading room for the men, and we
understand it is the intention 70 build q large
Hall for their use.
The scenery approaching Altoona from the
West, belongs to the Niagara order Grand,
particularly from the neighborhood of X titan
ming Point. However travelled may be the
passenger, he is forced to express astonish-
ment as he leaps over CHAINS and bounds along
the mountain side or flies through Its centre
in total darkness, in tunnel three quarters of
mile in length, and holds his breath as he
hangs over abyss, which makes even the
stautest giddy to look into. Nowhere, va
think, in this country, is to be found the same
variety or grander scenery, than along the
Pennsylvania Road The double track
being laid rapidly West of the mountains, .
portion of it with seventy-four pound rail
The road it is calculated will cost sixty thou
sand dollars per mile with the double track
EueRing Chronicle. /
ES- INDIANA.-The recent State Conven-
ton of Indiana adopted the following resolu-