The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-09-05
Eastern Correspondence:


that road. We make a few extracts from
the letter. Mr.. Moore dates it Fort Hamil-
ton, N. Y. Harbor, Aug. %:
"After leaving Niagara, I come over the
"Buffalo and New York City" and an. York
and Erie" railroads to New York City, where
landed on Saturday morning last. fstop-
ped on the way at Portage at the Genessee
Falls, to see the high trestle bridge on the
"B. and N. Y. c. R. r." at that place. This
bridge is 500 feet lorg, and the extreme
height above the bed OF the river is ga feet!
1t is the greatest structure Of the kind in this
country. 1t looks somewhat dangerous to
one not initiated to cross il on the train, but
have no doubt Of its strength. tits not, as
it ought to be, protected from the weather,
and there is appearance of any intentions
to have it done, SO that in time it must be-
come mass of decayed timber. IT'S said
that it took all the timber on 70 acres Of land
to build it, and to have cost S260,000! If
suspension bridges can be made TO answer
for railroad purposes, as is now the prevail
ing opinion, here is the place whefe one
ought to have been built, at least, l believe,
should have tried it,"
my next stop was at Elmira, N. Y, a
most beautiful town, or as the inhabitants
call it-vilIage--of eight or ten thousand in
habitants. | was quite taken with the beau
ty Of the place, and although made but few
acquaintances, yet | doubt not SO pretty a
place must have pleasant people in it. Here
stopped to examine some bridges on the
"Williamsport and Elmira Railroad" built
by Mr.. 3. w. Hall on his new plan, which
4 II h..,e L~I. l.
bridges very much, and have no doubt they
answer well for railroad bridges, and that
they can be built cheaper than any other plan
now in use. | think we must Try some Of
them on our Straight Line Railroad. did
not see DIR. Hall as intended, he being alb.
sent on the "Alleghany Valley X. r., in Pa,
where he is building the bridges on his plan.
On the N. Y. aud T.. r. X. they are repla-
cling nearly al the first bridges with new
ones on McCallum's plan, (the came adopted
on the Ohio and Mississippi r. II which is
good although expensive plan. "Kissing
goes by favor" you know, and as Mr. Nc
Callum is superintendent of the road, Of
course he can build bridges on his own plan
The N. Y. and Z. road is, as you know, the
wide or 8 feet guage, and does large bust
ness, but its stock, Notwithstanding, is now
selling in N. Y. as low as 40 to "A per cent.
Its cost has been immense, and the expense
of repairs and running is also very great and
tits doubted by some il the stock is worth any
more than it is selling for. | do not think
the advantages Of having cars a little wider
and more roomy-aAhou9h holding no more
passengers per car than those OF The Maroon gua9e
rOdds-is sufficient TO Overoalance the dis.
advantages OF increased cost Of running, re-
pairs, we:r, &C., &c. am not All advocate
of the wide guage, therefore,"
."l spent Saturday in New York, stopping
at the Irving House, and in the midst Of the
vast throng Of Broadway, and on Sunday
morning, met my friend Lieut.. G. w. Haz-
zard, Of the 4th u. S.'Artillery, who is now
stationed at his post, and since that time
you may know have been al home. Lieut..
Huzzard was with me last fall and winter
on the Straight Line Road, and is well &C.
quainted with some of our Evansville folks.
This is very strongly fortified place, sit
uated on Long Island at the lower extremity
of the Narrows, or entrance to New York
harbor, which 1t is intended to guard. II Is
located some 10 feet above the surface Of the
water, and is designed to mount sixty.eight
80 Founders, with which shot can be thrown
entirely ocross the channel iabout a mile in
width) to Staten Island. In addition, imme-
diatey in front Of this fort, some fourth or
fifth Of a mile out in the bay, is built Fort
Lafay and with the same class of guns
down near the water. With both these bat.
teries in ull play it would require an expert
sailer or steamer TO enter the harbor in safe.
ty-indeed, ! doubt ii it could be done.-
Still further to strengthen the defences of
/ hail sha =.
Fort Richmond, Immediately opposite on the
coast Of Staten Island, and this work will re-
quire number of years to complete. The
view from the top OF this fortress Fort Ham,
ilton) is most delightful. Up the bay you
have the city and harbor Of New York.
You have Staten Island with its beautiful
residences and highly cultivated grounds,
and below you have view of Sandy Hook
and Coney Island, between which is the main
channel or entrance to the bay. Standing
upon the walls you can at any time see i'm
Vulnerable sailing crafts and steamers OF all
classes gliding by, with occasionally ship
of-war passing in or out in tow OF some little
"steam tug" l have just seen a Danish
frlgate towed by, going to sea.
At present there are but few troops in gar
rison here. Only two companies of Artil-
lery-"E." and"F Ito the former of which
my friend 1t. Hazard is attached) and
neither OF these companies near full. The
pay OF men in our army is so low, only 81
per month, that j; has been impossible to keep
the companies full, and most of those they
have are Grmans and Irish, no native born
American being willing TO serve "Uncle
SAM" (aoOeUer anxious many Of them are 10
go to Congress) for so small a compensation.
A bill has recently been passea by Con-
gress increasing the pay Of soldiers "a per
month, and already they begin to get more
recruits, and suppose that hereafter they
will have men enough! This post is under
the command of Mai. Morris Of the 18th
Regiment of Artillery, and must say FOR
him and the junior officers in garrison with
him, that more clever and gentemanly set
of iellars ha,sa