The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-13
letter from EvansvIlle Tourists.
y 10 SAINT LAwnEKcE HALL. !

DEAR JOCREAL.-AS three OF the citizens
of Evansville are now in this city en- route
for Boston and New York on a trip of
business and pleasure combined, we will
drop you line and post you up as to our
movements aud impressionson this romantic
but comparatively unfrequented route 70 the
East. Whether this will be a matter Of in
terest to your readers we will let you judge
and act accordingly. But we can assure
you that we have enjoyed it exceedingly,
although we may be unable to give you a
very graphic description ofit. sse
We all left home together on Monday the
goth and went to Vincennes, where B. and
H. took the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad
eia Cincinnati and went by Indianapolis
We each spent day in these cities, and
then met the next morning at Crestline,
Ohio. We arrived in time for early break
| fast glad to meet again and find ourselves
all right as to life, limb and luggage-very
desirable points to the railroad traveller
We then went rapidly on to Cleveland
| that " beautiful city of the Lakes which
! in a commercial point of view is next in i'm
portance to Cincinnati within the State of
Ohio. We saw by the posters and news
papers that this city yet possesses a spirit of
patriotism and gratitude that in these times
! of political strife is really commendable.
! On the 10th of September, which | believe
is the anniversary day of the Battle of Lake
Erie, they have appointed an immense mass
meeting for the purpose of erecting suit
able monument and statue to the gallant and
brave Commodore Perry-whose great vic
tory in this action will ever remain among
q he hrfo l. sS,f
fare. His first description of the battle will
ever be remembered as the model of laconic
| letters. Immediately after the battle he
dispatched a messenger to General Harrison
| (who was then in command of the entire
! North Western frontier). The whole com
munication with reference to this very i'm
| pOrtant action was simply " We have met
the enemy and they are ours"
We made but short stay at Cleveland
took the Lake shore line for Buffalo, where
we arrived at o'clock P. NJ On this line
there are many beautiful towns that have
grown rapidly since the completion of this
road. Among them are Dunkirk, the ter
minus of the New York & Erie Railroad
also the city of Erie, Pennsylvania where
we dined. The place is celebrated for being
the cause and site of the railroad war some
years ago, between the contending,lines from
New York & Philadelphia The eating
house is also noted for being the place where
a certain banker of Ohio (who was return
ing home from New York, with a few
thousand dollars in gold placed in large
carpet bag) stopped to get his dinner. The
table not being full, he, for safety, set his
bag in one chair while he occupied the
next. In collecting fare the proprietor
| charged him $I.O0 instead of fifty cents, as
usual, stating that he used both chairs and
should pay for them. The banker paid the
bill, but when he was done eating be re-
marked loudly, so all could hear, stMr
| Carpet Bag, since they charge you for eat
ing you shall not be swindled, but shall
have your fill with the rest of u.s." So, OPEN
| ing the wide spreading mouth, he boon pitch
ed in enough for a dozen men and carried it
of, very much to the annoyance of the pro-
prietor and amusement of every one else.
At Buffalo we made known our wishes
TO visit this city Vid Lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence river. There being two lines
OF steamers in the same trade-one Ameri-
can and one British-and both under the
name of the American Express Line" we
were soon surrounded with a troop of agents
and runners who spared no pains or words
to recommend their own line and bitterly
abuse that of the opposition. After some
deliberation we purchased tickets by the
Royal Mai! or British line, and in justice to
them we must say we found all told as by
| the ticket agent to be true, and would under
thesame circumstances make the same choice.
| We left Buffalo the same evening, and spent
that night and part of next day at Niagara
| Falls. We stopped at the Cataract House
and were very fortunate in getting a room
on the corner floor of the North wing,
which is built to the waters edge of the
roaring rapids above the American Fall
Being all tired, we slept soundly to the music
of such q lullaby as we never enjoyed be-
fore. fou have had SO many descriptions
of Niagara before that another by us we
think useless. Suffice it to say that the
scenery is unequalled in the world, and the
visitor cannot imagine its grandeur until he
sees it. But he will have no trouble to
find plenty of sharp hackmen and guides
who open his eyes to magnificent views
and open his pockets for fees in proportion
We took buss at o'clock aud crossed
the suspension bridge for the depot of the
Niagara r. R., on the Canada side. The
appearance of everything, indicated that we
were out sOf Uncle Sans Dominions-all
was different and peculiar Before we
could get checks for our baggage, the Gus
tom House officers examined every package
and asked numerous questions as to their
contents and where he had any reason to
suppose the British Queen was about to be
detrauded by smuggling merchandise subject
to duty, he ordered the package to be open
ed at once for his inspection. We had but
one trunk with our party, and we thought
the officer-who was a big Englishman--
little too particular and abrupt He with
a great deal of bombastic dignity, asked
where we were going, and whether we car
ried any merchandise whatever in that
trunk We answered these questions res
pectfully, and the0 he wanted to know
"what were the contents of the trunk2" We
got tired mt last, and told him he had bet
ter examine himself and risk no one else's
Judgment or word as to what was merchan-
disc, but that he would find the principal
; articles of dispute, to be "three dirty shirts
and two empty bottles"-and tia if be con-
; sidered these as contraband, according to the
law Of England, we would pay the duty
This was too much for his dignity. He
laughed very heartily-became more social