New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-08-08
Benjaminl
pssosa saa franklin

" WOuiQ De needless TO Tell LnaL saw no otner
monument there that morning, nor will attempt to
give you an idea as to what thoughts that plain and
unostentatious slab of stone awakened in my mind,
but must acknowledge that l staid there, looking
at 1t long enongh to loose my breakfast. 1ndepend
ence Hall, Girard's College, Fairmont, etc., have too
often been described for me to attempt to make an
attempt; suffice it to say, saw them all and en-
joyed it as much as any one, even professional
tourist. On going down to the Baltimore railroad
Office to get ticket to that city, was both startled
and puzzled at beholding in large, black, capital
letters, on board fence, the following sentence
Prepare to meet thy God" A little further on was
the black caps tals with this in another
sized letter. American Smoker" and little further
down. in still another sized letter, 4" Try McLean's
Cough Lozenges." What all this meant will not
attempt to say, but it is certainly in very bab taste
to put such startling announcement as is contained
in the first sentence, under the very nose of man
going on railroad car, and it seems to me would be
enough to drive many passenger from the road
As for myself could not think of starting off with
such terrible warning staring me in the face, 80
took the night train. But if l had my doubts pre-.
vious to starting, they increased after getting
into one of the most Internal arrangements which
they have this road called, by courtesy, My
choice of adectives is not sufficiently great to allow
me to express my opinion Of them in full "I'm un-
able to do justice to the OCCASION" therefore will
simply state that they were bad, and leave the
hardest cusser in America the glorious task Of
stating hoD bad. Among the other victims on these
machines, was poor fellow just back from Cali
fornia whose attempts at nap of sleep were truly
heartrending to witness He tried every conceivable
position-many of them new and amusing enough
yet with no success to speak Of Finally, he got
under the seats and laid himself fiat on the floor,
politely requesting me, near whose feet his head re-
posed not to spit in his face He was soon in the
land of dreams, and began "sawing gourds," as the
Virgnians term snoring, most refreshingly After a
while, too, began to succomb to the united effects
of fatigue and an uncomfortable position, felt sleepy
tried to sleep, but for long time in van until at
last l dozed off into Inconsistencies. How long
had remained in this state cannot tell, but suppose
that it could not have been more than five minutes
when felt my leg rudely shaken, and harsh voice,
coming up, evidently from the bottom of the car,
saying, Stranger, oh stranger, you have dropped
your hat.
Now, Mr.. Editor will leave it to you if this was
not calculated to make man swear little, even if
he had read that terrible warning at Philadelphia
even if he had dropped new two.story" on the
floor of steam car. The balance of my trip to Bal.
timore was made while was wide awake, and out Of
spite took good care that my California friend
should be in the same delightful state From Balti
more proceeded Immediately on to Washington
where arrived at A. NJ. took good breakfast at
the National, and went sightseeing. Saw everything
except our esteemed friend Jeems, Of the White
House, who was out Of town, and left for the South
via Richmond and the Virginia and Tennessee rail
roads at o'clock P. NJ.
Nothing of interest occurred during this trip like
others. l saw the mountains of cole Fergin ny, :
went through the big tunnel over the high BRIDGE
of the railroad route and reached Chattanooga ant
took the Memphis and Charleston Railroad to thi
place. This road is certainly grand monument o
the genius Of our people. No obstacle has been al
lowed to stop its course mountains have been bored
through or levelled, rivers and valleys spanned b,
bridges, the hight and length of which is almost be
yond conception, and the enterprise carried through
from4he Mississippi to the Atlantic, and by southerl
men at that By this route the traveller can reacl
the North, taking in his way all the most celebrated
of the Virginia watering places, and have view owe
some of the grandest scenery in the world.
Memphis find to be thriving town, with a highl
enterprising and ambitious population.
Hoping to be soon with you, will close thi
lengthy scrawl so adieu. FRANK.