The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-09
Our Fresh Water Seaports and their Ic,
blockade. Dangers OF War.


Our Fresh Water seaports and their Icy
blockade. Dangers OF War.
Our fresh water seaport Of Philadelphia aud
the 'alfand 'alf' harbor Of Baltimore, Gas will
be seen from the newspaper extracts which we
publish this morning from our exchanges OF
those unfortunate cities,) are under rigid
blockade by Jack Frost tighter than would be
the lock and key Of hundred hostile war
steamers
Let our readers peruse the report Of the
Philadelphia meeting in another column, and
we dare say they will be amused at the follow
ing bit Of ship news, especially when sand
WICKED with the despatch from the Capes Of
Delaware Bay, over hundred miles below the
Quaker City
PORT OF PHILADELPHIA.
ClearedBark Pennsylvania Sardinan), Guerslo, Lon
donderry, Outerpridge, Harvey Co.
Correspondence Of the Philadelphia Exchange.
IEwEs, Del, Feb. g. 1856.
The feet stil rcman the harbor. The bay is still
full Of ico pre- all commune On with the ship
wind N ". WIN. NJ HICKMAN.
CLEARED" and lot Londonderry; and from
the fresh water seaport OF Philadelphia, on
the Delaware, over which, perhaps, the whole
allied Crimean army with all the spoils of
Sebastopol 5000 pieces Of artillery included,
might march below the city for fifty, sixty, or
seventy miles, with perfect safety? CLEARED"
has che But let not the consignees at
Londonderry give her up, should they hear
nothing further of her for month or two to
come. She must wait for glow and fow,"
and a freshet. Professor Hare's plan of blow
ing up the ice for fifty, sixty or seventy miles,
is rather expensive, and Mr.. VIM. S. Pierce's
plan Of removing the port Of Philadelphia a
considerable distance down the stream, is a
heavy job, and it will take some time to COM
plete it. Nor are we satisfied that the ice boat
proposition of Mr.. Win. 3. Thomas will result
in opening passage to the sea short Of a
general thaw. Indeed, there is danger that
these ice boats themselves may be frozen fast,
should they venture out without full authority
from Professor Merriam that the last great cir
Gle Of this cold cycle Of upwards Of thou
sand hours is ended.
Somuch for Philadelphia. Hot water is their
only chance, short Of q general freshet. They
have coal enough to heat sufficient quantity
oil water to open single track all the way
down to the Capes. We recommend hot water.
Baltimore is pretty much in the same fix, aud
Chesapeake Bay, being nothing more than the
estuary of the Sus4uehanna is naturally
enough as solid as a plate Of iron. The Ba'ti-
more American assures Us that " an observation
Ga birds eye view was made from the cupole
of the capitol 1T Annapolis, {some twenty or
thirty miles below Baltimore) by means Of a
large telescope, and shat for distance OF
probably seventy miles the bay presented au
unb1oken field OF ice.n Glorious spectacle for
a Jamaica skipper But then we are told that
"tbe ice in Baltimore harbor is not so thick
as is generally supposed" being found to be
no more than thirteen inches by actual mea
surement." Meroutio, when run through with
napier, said that the opening was "not as
big as barn door, but it will do" And thir
teen inches of solid ice will do for all pur-
poses Of overland transportation. Think Of
the aold thirteen"
We congratulate our neighbors Of Philadel-
phia and Baltimore upon the great fact (for it
ia great fact) that we are at peace at this
crisis "with all the world and the rest Of MAD
kind" except Billy Bowlegs and the "border
ruffians" Suppose just suppose--our. admin
istration had brought our relations with Eng-
lard to the fighting point by this time, where
would be our Baltimore aud Philadelphia
friends--oh where? Shut in from the enc
my snug and tight, as far as water navigation
is concerned; but open to him by a march over
tho ina--orfiIlorv hnrso fool auI rornore
"Think of that, Master Brook" aud be thank
full that the saving discretion Of Marcy has
kept the lion and the unicorn from q field pa.
rade on the Chesapeake and the Delaware
One of our Philadelphia contemporaries, in q
spasnodc effort at q little cold comfort, SAYS,
1.-The severe cold has shut up the North river,
Ne. York, so that persons row cross on the ice
10 Jersey City" News that, to the jersey ferry
boats. "Misery loves company" bu. this will
not do. We must class Philadelphia aud Bal
timore viii Alexandria, Georgetown aud
Washington, on the Potomac; With ST. Louis. on
the Mississippi; with Pittsburg, on the Ohio;
and with Albany, away up the Hudson; and
we shall probably hear from them all when
the ice comes down in the spring.
RAILROAD RULEsWe have before US q pam
phlet entitled Qualification Of the Rules and
Regulations for Running Railway Trains in
the State Of New York. It is the offspring Of
the combined labors Of the Railway Commits
sioners, and is gratifying in one sense, mas.
much as it proves that they are not wholly
idle. 1t would no doubt be an advantage FOR
all The railways to be governed by one set OF
ralee; though most Of them now have good
rules enough, If they were faithfully carried
out. The Commissioners propose also to set
up an observatory clock, by which all the
roads in the State shall run; then, il the con-
ductors will only run according to orders, col
lisions win be impossible. If we have board