The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-07-09
EASTERN CoRREspoNDENCE.
MARION, Pa, June 20. 1866.
DEAR JOURNAL

Perched upon the banks of the Schuylkill,
and at an elevation of some two hundred
feet the window at which am writing over
looks that part of Philadelphia, which, before
(and since) the consolidation act, was called
Manayunk.
! That act, as you are aware, incorporated
the entire county into the Municipality, and,
here, what was eight miles out of Philade-
phia, is Phladel phia ITSELF Certain Gotham
ties ridicule this idea o! including farms in
city limits, but they should bear in mind that
before this consolidation-by the census of
lS5O-there was in the rival city here an
excess of twenty-three thousand four hun
dred houses above the number in New York:
making to each tenement the ratio of 81 to
l31 inhabitants in favor of Philadelphia ,
in the way of comfort and health and means,
than in the greatest Commercial emporium
of the Western Hemisphere.
AS said, LOOK directly down, and across
the Schuylkill, upon Manuyunk. It's ten
thousand inhabitants are mainly crowded into
very narrow area included between the
river and range OF high hills, and trayersed
lengthwise by both the Norrstown Railroad
and the SchuylkiI Canal, both of which are
doing an immense business.
NJ owes all its Importance to the factories
of various kinds established here, and there
are some thirty-five or forty of them, using,
as their motive power, the water Of the
Canal. Now, why is not the Canal at Ev-
ansvile devoted to like use, and, why is it
not now, if it has not before, attracting the
attention of capitalists! There is no doubt
about water power being the cheapest that
can be used.
| There is located at NJ, which visited this
morning and belonging to Messrs. Nixon &.
Bonom, the best straw paper mill in the
United States. The OILY mill manufacture
ing printing paper from straw; and its entire
production of taco tons per diem is engrossed
by the Daily Ledger of Philadelphia, whose
circulation is actually to this extent, two tons
every day! send you a number that you
may Judge of the quality. In body and
! leHdCiLy IL setHs W DC eupeIloI W SottOH
made. The straw (wheat, rye and oat) is
cut, ground up or mashed, aud then bleached
in immense watts. The solution used for
bleaching is mainly of chloride OF lime. 1t lis
then mixed with pulp of rags (about twenty
per cent of rags.) 1t is then manufactured
in the usual process, and it is interesting to
see what seems to be stream of white
suds, flowing in upon and over fine wire
gauze and woollen cloths, and hot rollers, by
traversing room, only some as or so feet,
presents itself before you, in less than five
minutes, in dry sheets of beautiful white
paper, nicely trimmed and all ready for the
printer, and, said Mr.. Nixon to me, you may
read the Ledger of to-day, and, possibly the
paper on which it was printed. was, only two
days before this, almost lmprlpabIe pulp.
1t is not possible to supply the demand for
paper, by relying upon rags; hence the in
tense interest of late in discovering a substi.
tute in the shape of wood or vegetable fibre.
1t is question in which every man, woma n
and child in the country is interested.
On the steep and rocky margin of the river
on this side, and almost under my nose, tho
quite distance below it, is the Reading
Railroad. This road was built mainly to
connect Philadelphia with he coal region of
Pottsville, Maunch chunch, &c. The bust.
ness done in this item is inc onceivably great.
Day and night you hear the ceasefess rush
and rumble Of cars, and as the entire distance
fron tho eoal
is down grade, single locomotive always
has attached TO it from 80 to 100 cars. But
the road has been extended until il now con-
meets with Buffalo, and is the great route
from these parts to northwestern Pennsyl-
vania and western New York. People sleep
ing in Philadelphia one night, by only rising
early, paying nine or ten dollars and step
ping into car, can pass the next night
amid the glorious scenery and mighty uproa
of Niagara.
If people want to know what railroads can
do for cities, let them come to our mightest
goal of wealth and commerce, and they will
no longer think that cities can live without
them. / shouldn't wonder, if seine day OF
other, our Straight Line Railroad would be
considered something more than humbue
or one mans enterprise. Down with
Fogyism!
But | almost forgot / was ruralizing.--
Farmers here are just cutting their hay, and
next week the wheat will be falling before
not the sickle Of the reaper, an antiquated in
strument and hereafter only to be found